Google Invests $22 Million in KaiOS for Bringing Android to Cheap Feature Phones

Around 83% of the world’s population runs on Google’s Android Operating system. No doubt, it is the most influential code of this generation. With the growing trend of phones, more people are buying a smartphone and those who can’t afford to buy expensive phones, go for cheap feature phones. The market for feature news has started to flourish again. Keeping this in view Googe’s Android is coming to cheap feature phones. Bringing Android to Cheap Feature Phones is a good idea and people will love it.

Google brings Android to Cheap Feature Phones

The  California-based firm has made a $22 million investment in KaiOS, a company that makes the operating system for feature-phone manufacturers like Nokia. As a part of the deal, the stripped-down feature phones will offer Google apps like Assistant, Maps, YouTube, and Google Search.

KaiOS is currently powering the feature phones manufactured by TCL, HMD Global and Micromax. Google has already developed apps for KaiOS, so this new investment is seen as the tech giant’s way of ensuring its presence in the feature phone market without really developing and releasing hardware. Google is instead bringing its famous Android apps to KaiOS, including Google Maps, YouTube, Google Search and even its smart assistant, Google Assistant.

The inclusion of the smart voice assistant and other Google apps on feature phones will surely have a huge impact on the feature phone market. At present, KaiOS phones are already more popular than iPhones. The introduction of staple Google apps in KaiOS could soon make feature phones ubiquitous in other markets as well.

There may come a time where smartphones become cheap and ubiquitous enough to supplant feature phones entirely, but until then Google has its bases covered.

Also Read: Nokia’s Feature Phones Business Went Best in 2017