In April 2019, Google is known to be developing an ‘Android for Feature Phones’ project designed for emerging markets such as India. The project was canceled before it was officially launched, and its form has just been announced.
At the time, Google was testing Android for feature phones on Nokia handsets. Now the Nokia 400 phone running Android for Feature Phone has been unveiled thanks to a live video on Hikari Calyx’s YouTube account.
Because it’s a mobile phone, the Nokia 400’s hardware isn’t that impressive. The phone has a small screen, a T9 keyboard, a rear and front camera, a 3.5mm headphone jack and microUSB.
When the phone is turned on, the Google Assistant logo is blurred. After that, the lock screen looks similar to that found on regular Android versions of phones.
The Assistant logo reappears during the setup process, which ensures that this handset uses the Android operating system. Once the setup process is complete, you’ll see a home screen decorated with icons for YouTube, Google Chrome, and more.
The quick settings menu also shows toggles for settings such as Wi-Fi, data, Bluetooth, flashlight, volume and do not disturb. The Settings app on the phone also looks similar to the one on Android, even the icons used are similar.
Inside the app drawer there are several apps from Airtel, which show that this phone is designed for users in India. There are also basic apps like calculators, calendars, contacts, galleries, messages, and more.
This Nokia phone also has games like the Chrome dinosaur game, Proxx and of course Snake. The WhatsApp application is also available on this phone.
While browsing the Settings menu, it was revealed that this Nokia phone runs an operating system based on Android 8.1 and has 512 MB of RAM, as quoted from 9to5Google, Tuesday (3/8/2021).
It is not known why Google and HMD Global as Nokia brand holders canceled the Android for Feature Phones project. Google itself then chose to invest in the KaiOS operating system which is currently quite popular in India.b
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