Google I/O is nearly at an end, and Google made a ton of announcements regarding Android, search, the Assistant, and - this year - even new hardware. Our coverage has been fast and furious, so this post is meant to help you wrap your head around everything we've dug into here at the show. From Pixel 3a to Android Q Beta 3 and beyond, it's all here. Day three of the show sees things wind down, but we've still got new items in the list here, and more will be added as our coverage concludes on Friday.
Pixel 3a / 3a XL (and other Pixel news)
For the first time in years, Google is debuting a smartphone at I/O. The Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL are the brand's new affordable alternatives to its premium Pixel smartphones, and you can find all our posts about them below.
- The Pixel 3a announcement post
- Our review of the Pixel 3a
- Want to know what's changed in the Pixel 3a versus the original? We've got a full breakdown
- Google plans to build multiple generations of affordable Pixel phones
- Looking for a deal on a Pixel 3a? We've got you covered (and here, too)
- The Pixel 3a will launch in 13 countries globally
- Pixel 3a is Android Q beta-ready right out of the box
- Factory images for the Pixel 3a are available already, even if the phone isn't
- The Pixel 3a features auto-on driving mode for Android Auto
- Time lapse mode in the camera has come to all existing Pixels - download the APK to get it
- The Pixel 3a and 3a XL will get same-day uBreakiFix repairs
- The kinda-dual-SIM support that appeared in the Pixel 3 Q beta is now gone again
Nest
Nest had some news at I/O, announcing the launch of a new, large-format hub display called Nest Hub Max. Nest will also be the brand for all Google Home products going forward.
- The Nest Hub Max is official
- All Google Home products will be Nest products going forward
- The original Nest Hub is getting a price cut
- Nest is adding new privacy features and enhanced Google integration
- Nest devices are losing IFTTT support in August
Android and Android Q
Android Q Beta 3 is live, meaning tons of new features and changes we're actively sorting through to show you.
Q Beta 3 launch / General Q news
- Q Beta 3 is live right now
- Android Q Beta 3 is coming to 21 devices as a - get the list here
- Android Q will be Android version 10
New Q features
Dark Mode
- Android Q officially has a dark theme and it's super easy to turn on
- There's a new developer option to force dark mode in all apps
New gesture navigation
- New, iOS-style navigation is hiding in the latest Q beta
- Accessing the Assistant with Q's new gesture nav isn't intuitive, here's how to do it
- Classic 3-button navigation returns as an option on the Pixel 3 in the latest Q beta
- Don't use app pinning when you've got gesture nav enabled - you won't be able to get out
Security
- Android Q will show Wi-Fi passwords in plain text for easier sharing
- More robust parental controls are coming to Android Q
- Encryption support is coming to low-end devices in Q
- Project Mainline will make getting security updates to your phone in Q way easier
- More actionable location permissions are coming to Android Q
- Mandatory encryption expands to even low-end devices on Android Q
Notifications
- Discrete controls for vibration intensity on rings versus notifications has arrived
- There are some new notification toggles coming in Q - here's what they do
- Android's smart replies are getting even smarter in Q
Other new features
- "Focus mode" is a new feature to help you cut out distractions
- Q beta 3 lets you disable your phone's internal sensors, for whatever reason
- Q will allow you to automatically turn off battery saver when your phone reaches 90% charge
- There's a new API for monitoring your device's temperature in Q
- Q will bring native support for the super-efficient AV1 video codec
- There's a new audio capture API in Android Q, and it's powering the new Live Caption feature
- Background apps can no longer launch activities in Q
- Android Beam is officially dead as of Q
- Switching your browser in Android Q should get a little easier
- Dynamic System Updates will let you temporarily boot a different system image
- A new feature called Adaptive Sleep will keep your phone screen awake intelligently, but it's not clear how or if it works yet
Other Android news
- If your SIM slot isn't detecting a card in Q Beta 3, there's a potential fix
- Google Pay is broken in Q Beta 3
- Notification snoozing is broken in Q beta 3, and it's not clear it's coming back
- 2.5 billion currently active Android devices are out there in the world
- The built-in Google Security Key is coming to all Android 7.0+ devices
- File under "B" for Bugs: the battery optimization UI is crashing in Q beta 3
- Google Play Protects scans a lot of apps for malware - billions a day
- Your Android phone will eventually be able to caption any video - live - on your phone as an overlay
- Live Relay will greatly enhance communication for the hard of hearing
- Google's brought back its Android platform distribution dashboard after a long absence
- Android's overlay permission will be killed entirely in a future release of the platform
- The number of apps on the Play Store requesting phone and SMS permissions has dropped 98% since Google's crackdown
- The Play Store's method for calculating review scores will change significantly this summer
Everything else: Assistant, apps, platforms, and more
As usual, there are tons of Assistant, search, and related apps and service announcements here at I/O. There's a lot to wade through here, but a lot of it is going to be pretty important to the Assistant and the Google ecosystem at large going forward.
Assistant
- The next-gen Google Assistant will be insanely fast, and execute commands on-device
- Google's already insane Duplex AI is getting even more powerful - and it's coming to the web
- New interactive features are coming to Google Lens
- 'Picks for you' and assignable reminders are making the Assistant even more personal
- Assistant Driving Mode looks set to replace Android Auto on your phone
- The Assistant is getting more powerful and deeper app and service integration
- Google is working to make voice interactions functional for those with impaired speech
- Google Assistant is now available in Vietnamese
Other Google apps
- Calendar: Event creation in Google Calendar on Android is getting a lot simpler
- Duo: Group video calls for Duo are rolling out in some countries
- Maps: AR walking navigation in Maps is coming to the Pixel phones soon, and others later
- Maps: Google Maps is getting incognito mode
- Waze: Waze is getting the Google Assistant
- Sheets: Sheets is getting some intelligent new features
Smart speakers, displays, TV, and other platforms
- You'll soon just be able to say 'stop' to stop screeching alarms and timers on your Google Home or smart display
- The Assistant is getting even more interactive on smart displays
- Local smart home commands are coming to Assistant speakers and smart displays
- All Chromebooks launching in 2019 will support Linux
- Assistant will soon support 16 more smart home device types
- Google Assistant is compatible with more than 30,000 connected devices
- Smart displays will soon have a YouTube TV interface
- Project DIVA will let you control smart speakers and displays without your voice
- Android TV is getting a brand-new Play Store UI later this year
- Google is prototyping foldable phones, for science
Developer news
- Google's still exploring cross-platform UI development for apps, and they've got a neat new demo about it
- 64-bit devices running Q or higher must support Vulkan 1.1
- Android Studio Beta 3.5 is out
- Google is sharing guidance on how to do dark themes in Material apps
- The in-app updates API is now available to all developers
- Changes to the back-end of Google Play are changing app delivery in significant ways
- If you utilize subscriptions in your app on Play, some changes are coming that could help boost subscribers
Other news
- Richer Google News and Podcast content is coming to search
- 3D AR models are headed to search results
- Enhanced data and privacy controls are coming to your Google account
- Google is working to prevent bias in AI with - you guessed it - more AI
That's all for now - we'll keep updating this post as the show goes on!