This year's developer conference will tackle folding phones, wearables, the smart home, and everything else in Google's wheelhouse.
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| Image: Justin Sullivan (Getty Images) |
Google’s next Google I/O developer conference is just around the corner—literally, it starts Wednesday. Tune in on May 11 at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET to learn what’s new across Google’s vast portfolio of platforms. If you register for the event, you can even hop in on the sessions to get developer-centric information on what’s coming to a Google phone, smart home device, or other gadget near you.
Everyone else will get most of what they need from Google I/O’s keynote, which is when Google teases what it’s working on. It tends to use this venue to debut what’s happening behind the scenes. Expect to hear more about what’s new in Android 13, and whether there’s anything happening to Wear OS ever again. We’ll also hear from other parts of Google’s business, like what it’s doing behind the scenes with the algorithms that enhance its devices, and what it really plans to do with that smart display in your kitchen.
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| Photo: Florence Ion |
Technically, we’re already somewhat acquainted with what’s next from the Android operating system, and the first consumer-facing beta is available to try on select Pixel devices. Google’s been teasing the new version since the first developer preview arrived in February, so the presentation during its developer keynote is likely to hone in on some of the details.
We already know Android 13 will be an incrementable update to the ecosystem, with an emphasis on buttoning up privacy and attempting to make other parts of the software seem more transparent. There are more kill switches for things like notifications and access to your media files, plus improved support for Bluetooth LE and foldable screens. Wednesday’s keynote should also hopefully give us a more thorough timeline on when Android 13 will hit phones and tablets everywhere.
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Around this time of year, Google typically makes way with its Pixel A-series. Though Google I/O isn’t primarily a hardware event, the company often takes the opportunity to offer a glimpse at what’s coming through the pipeline, just as it has in years past. After all, the hardware is a showcase for the software.
Software is also what makes the Pixel A-series worth its economical price tag. For under $500, you can get the same Pixel camera smarts and built-in Google Assistant capabilities as Google’s more expensive phones. The rumor mill has been swirling about this model arriving around developer conference time. And since we saw the debut of the Pixel 3A at Google I/O 2019, we’ll likely see a reveal here, too.
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We got pretty excited at last year’s developer conference when Google announced that it was revamping its wearables platform, especially after it was revealed that Samsung would hop on board and ditch the proprietary version of its software that it was running on its older generation of watches.
But it’s been a while since then, and now there’s only a little hope left on the horizon. There haven’t been any major Android wearable releases since the Galaxy Watch 4. The features promised on the Samsung Watch–namely, access to the Google Assistant–are still in the works. Not to mention, there’s only one session for Wear OS on the entire Google I/O schedule. I really hope there’s more to be unveiled at Google I/O 2022.
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