KaiOS picks up official YouTube app as other Google apps are pre-loaded

Ben Schoon | Feb 26 2019 - 10:26 am PT

Android and iOS are the only big platforms for smartphones, but when it comes to feature phones, KaiOS is taking over. For quite some time, Google Assistant has been available on the platform, and this week at MWC KaiOS is announcing an expansion of its partnership with Google.

In a press release this week, KaiOS Technologies details an expansion of its collaboration with Google. Most notably, this includes the arrival of YouTube on KaiOS devices, something that has been in the works for quite some time. The app is custom designed with an “optimized” experience for KaiOS devices, likely referring to performance and screen sizes.

KaiOS is also gaining full voice input capabilities across the entire OS thanks to the Google Assistant. That functionality won’t arrive until later this year, but the announcement comes alongside the addition of Google Assistant Actions arriving on the platform. Further, KaiOS mentions that devices shipped to Africa, Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia will all come pre-loaded with Google Assistant, Google Search, and Google Maps too.

Sebastien Codeville, CEO of KaiOS Technologies says:

Together with Google, we’ve made a lot of progress over the past year in connecting the next billion people and providing them with access to advanced digital services, such as the Google Assistant. We’re really excited to see our partnership expand into many new countries and products running on KaiOS. Even more important, the capabilities of Google services on KaiOS devices are quickly getting more advanced and intelligent, making a meaningful impact in the daily lives of our users.