latest
What to expect at Google I/O 2024
Last year's I/O was all about AI, and we expect Google to double down on it this year
Google's annual developer conference is inching closer. The company has announced the dates for Google I/O 2024. While we don't know much about Google's plans for its big show, we have some expectations and educated guesses about what we will see. If last year is anything to judge by, Google will introduce more generative AI features powered by Gemini, and we may hear a word about Android 15. There could also be a hardware launch or two, with the Google Pixel 8a a hot candidate for a May reveal.
Read update
Every year, Google teases the biggest event in Android with a puzzle — when (or if) the community solves it, the date for that year's Google I/O conference will be revealed, giving us a precise time to expect the developer-summit-turned-media-extravaganza in Mountain View. Like speculation around Android's next desert codename or its hidden Easter egg and mascot, it's a fun tradition with low stakes that we can't help but take way too seriously. And thanks to some skilled individuals, you don't need to solve the puzzle yourself to figure out I/O 2024 is set for May 14th.
Five everyday hassles we want Google to fix with AI
Once these core issues are addressed, Google can finally wow us with fancier features
Google I/O took place earlier this month, and all the products, features, and announcements revealed at the annual developer conference are still fresh on our mind. One thing that really stood out during the keynote was just how often the term "AI" was uttered on the stage. If you’ve been wondering like us, it was 149 times — someone actually did the math, interestingly, without any help from AI. Google showed off some impressive tools that can draft an email from just a brief prompt and act a helping hand in Google Workspace. All this sounds positively tantalizing, making us want to try out each one of these AI features right away.
Google is going big on AI this year. The company plans to introduce AI-powered tools and features across all its products and services to boost your productivity further. This was evident from the barrage of AI-related announcements made by Google at its I/O conference this year. With Search Labs, the company also provided users a single access point to try its various AI experiments. But right now, the program has a waitlist, though your premium Google One subscription can help you get ahead in the queue. Google is now offering some of its Pixel Superfan members the same benefit.
At I/O 2023, Google proves it still doesn't understand hardware
Google’s new hardware lineup is so close to greatness
Following an hour of announcements on how generative AI will fundamentally change your Google experience at the 2023 I/O developer conference, the company finally turned its attention to hardware. While AI is decidedly the theme of I/O this time around, hardware has become increasingly important to the event over the time, and this right now is Google's biggest push to date, culminating in three hardware launches this year.
Your Google One Premium subscription could get you priority access to Search Labs
Jump ahead in the queue courtesy of your Google One subscription
AI-related announcements from Google dominated this year's I/O conference. The company plans to new AI-powered tools and features to almost all its products to help boost your productivity. Given the sheer number of experimental features that Google is working on, it can be hard to keep track of and sign up for them. That's why the company announced Google Labs, which will act as a single entry point to try Google's various AI experiments. This includes Search Generative Experience, which currently has a waitlist, but your Google One Premium subscription can help you get ahead in the queue.
Google Bard is still barred in the EU, despite big expansion news
Local regulations might be the hurdle
Yesterday, Google kicked off its annual developer conference, Google I/O, with a two-hour keynote mostly focused on AI, despite having its maiden foldable device to talk about. The company’s latest generative AI chatbot, Google Bard, was a major talking point at the event. Google announced its expanded geographic availability, but people in the EU still cannot access it. So, what gives?
Android 14’s Beta 2 comes with more visual tweaks than any release before it
As expected, Google saved some bigger design changes for after Google I/O
Android 14 Beta 2 was released during Google I/O yesterday. As expected, Google saved a lot of the visual tweaks for this post-I/O release, and from our limited experience with it so far, it’s also a lot more stable than Beta 1. This almost makes Android 14's Beta 2 feel like it should have been the first public beta release, with the fun of testing and experimenting with the new release only starting now. Here are some of the visual tweaks we spotted.
Google beefs up security features to keep you safe online
Safe browsing, dark web scans for your Gmail address, and more
The world is a dangerous place, and your personal information is constantly being targeted by criminals. While you have no control over large corporations' security practices, you can take steps to protect your own data online. To that end, Google has introduced a number of measures to make you feel safer while browsing the web, including expanded data controls, dark web scan for Gmail, new ways to better identify scam websites, and more.
Android 14 gives you more control over your Wi-Fi hotspot’s speed and compatibility
You can let Android know you prefer 2.4GHz for wider compatibility
Hot on the heels of the Google I/O keynote yesterday, we got to install the Android 14 Beta 2 update on compatible Pixel phones, alleviating several woes which remained unfixed even with the Beta 1.1 release. While I’m happy cellular connectivity is back to normal, there’s another networking feature stock Android sorely lacks — more configuration options for the Wi-Fi hotspot functionality. Thankfully, a hidden feature in the latest beta gives us hope changes are afoot.
Android 14 forces apps to think about how they use your location data
A new note in the location permission dialog shows you when an app may share your location data with third parties
Despite its reputation as a data hog, Google has long been working hard on adding more privacy features to the Android ecosystem. Android 11 introduced the concept of temporary permissions for apps, so they only access your data when needed. In the following year, Google enabled approximate location sharing to protect your privacy. Well, Android 14 is a few months away, and it tackles the issue of location data sharing practices.
Google Pixel Fold hands-on: The good, the bad, and the ugly
Google's $1,800 foldable is here, but that inner display leaves a lot to be desired
After years of rumors and leaks, Google is finally challenging Samsung for its foldable throne. The Pixel Fold is official, and while the price tag likely isn't what anyone wanted, it does line up with the costs we've come to expect from the Galaxy Z Fold series. With about a month and a half until Google's foldable starts arriving on people's doorsteps, I managed to spend some time with the device after the company's I/O keynote. What I found was promising, but not without some potential pitfalls that buyers will want to be aware of before dropping a cool two grand on their new phone.
Get ready for your favorite emoji to star in your next wallpaper
Plus cinematic parallax backgrounds and other AI magic
What's more important to making a phone really feel yours than a good wallpaper? When iOS 16 broke cover, lock screen wallpaper customization was a big part of the new user experience. Although Android could rival it with third-party solutions, a comparable system-level feature has so far been unavailable. At Google I/O today, the company announced some upcoming features that will change that, with support arriving for uniquely customizable emoji wallpapers and lock screens, as well as cinematic parallax effects applied on your own photos, and completely AI-generated wallpapers.
Cars with Google are getting multiscreen support and even more new app categories
Waze and YouTube are also making an arrival on cars with Google built-in
Google has made major inroads to our vehicles thanks to the success of Android Auto, which is on track to be in more than two-hundred million cars this year. Just as Google’s original project is about to cross this major milestone, its successor is on the way to completely changing how we think of in-car infotainment systems. Cars with Google built-in will see some major new features this year.
Google's latest Project Starline prototype is starting to approach a practical size
It could be much easier to implement in offices
As remote work becomes more common, Google has been hard at work trying to make virtual meetings all the more interactive. Back in 2021, the company announced it was working on Project Starline, a machine learning venture that would use a large window to show the person on the other end of a call in a lifelike size and in 3D.
Android 14 Beta 2 drops with bug fixes galore
Not many features from Google I/O, but a MASSIVE list of patches
The first beta version of Android 14 was so riddled with bugs that Google rushed out a Beta 1.1 update just two weeks later. Trouble is, that update only fixed the most egregious glitches, leaving plenty of problems to plague users. Thankfully, Google today has started rolling out Android 14 Beta 2 for eligible devices.
Chrome is making it easier for your favorite Android apps to migrate to the web
Google's browser also picks up 100+ new APIs and gets faster at AI computation
After months of anticipation, Google I/O is finally underway, and there’s a lot to unpack. High-profile stuff like Bard may capture everyone's imagination, and we've been very excited to check out the latest Google hardware, but there's lots more going on. Google's got plenty of Chrome news to share, including 100 API changes coming to the browser, easier porting of Android apps to the web, and support for faster on-device AI and ML computation.
AI is coming to the Play Store to help both users and devs
Generative AI will be writing everything from descriptions to review summaries
Like so many of the announcements during this year’s Google I/O, AI has been the star of the show and it’s turning up in almost everything. The Play Store is taking part in the action with its own set of new features, and some of them are going to make a lot of sense. While most of the announcements are directed at developers, users will see benefits from almost everything.
Beautiful Android TV apps are easier to make than ever with Google's latest tools
Compose for TV brings Material You to the big screen with less code
Android TV powers some of the best streaming boxes in 2023, like the Chromecast with Google TV and the Nvidia Shield TV Pro. But Google’s TV operating system has far fewer purpose-built apps than the mobile version of Android, and the apps that are made with the living room in mind tend to lack a unified UX. Thankfully, that could be changing soon with new Android TV developer tools announced at Google I/O.
Google is giving Pixel lock screens some much-needed customization options
More colors, clocks, and shortcuts
This year's Google I/O has mainly revolved around advancements in AI, but it hasn't forgotten about Android. With Android 14 on the horizon, Google has announced several changes to lock screens on Pixel devices.