Google I/O is right around the corner (May 10th), and it’s probably the event that Google and Android fans are looking forward to the most. Granted, the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro event that will likely take place in fall is another close contender. But until we get to have these new devices in our hands, Google I/O will almost certainly be filled to the brim with exciting Android 14 news, some hotly anticipated hardware launches, and AI announcements.
The event will be in-person again, like Google I/O 2022, but it’ll be with a limited live audience, and it appears Google is encouraging most people to tune into the event online. In contrast to recent years, Google I/O takes place on a single day. In the past, the developer conference usually took up to three days. It looks like the company wants to de-emphasize this singular concentrated event and wants to be there for Android and web developers through other channels, with more Google I/O Connect tie-in events planned around the world for developers in the coming months.
Google released the official Google I/O 2023 schedule on April 27, 2023. Since the developer conference takes place on only one day this year, the planned events are a little more condensed than usually. The program is divided into four different sections that make clear what the theme of this year’s I/O is: mobile, web, AI, and cloud.
You can now register for the event if you plan to take part on Google’s website, but you must use your Google account. If you just want to watch the main keynote, we expect that to be available on YouTube without you having to register. The main keynote begins at 10 a.m. PT and 1 p.m. ET on May 10th. A link should be posted soon.
After the keynote, Google will likely use its AI announcements to win back some of the excitement around its projects in this department. The company is currently trailing behind the competition in this area, with Bing Chat shaping up to be serious trouble for the company.
We will also learn a lot more about what Google has panned for Android 14 and the next versions of ChromeOS. The company additionally plans some more specialized panels, like some surrounding Google Pay and Google Wallet, Material Design, Google Home, and the web. Being a developer conference, you can look forward to deep dives into Dart, Flutter, Firebase, and machine learning.
Other than that, Google is also all but confirmed to have a few hardware reveals planned, whether that’s the budget Google Pixel 7a or the Google Pixel Fold. A few other things are almost inevitable at this point. Google is expected to introduce a slew of Android 14 features and explain to developers how to best take advantage of them.
Now that the official schedule is out, here is the skinny on what to expect, from Android Police:
Google will likely focus on AI at Google I/O 2023
As detailed in a New York Times report, Google activated code red internally following the launch of ChatGPT 4.0 and Bing’s chat-based search. The company already reacted with a slapped-together Live from Paris event, showcasing its chat-based search engine, Google Bard. The chatbot launched as a limited beta in the U.S. and U.K. in March 2023, and despite its flaws and outright funny responses, it and its competitors might change the way we use technology in the next few years.
On top of this, we might see new tools for developers. A new Colab option could become part of Android Studio, Google’s developer environment, and help developers fix their code. The tool is supposed to be able to write code based on prompts from programmers.
We might see the Google Pixel 7a and the Google Pixel Fold at Google I/O 2023
Google revealed the Google Pixel Tablet at last year’s developer conference, but the company still hasn’t made it available to the public almost a year later. Google will likely change this at Google I/O 2023 and hopefully reveal a launch date and pricing.
We will also almost certainly see the launch of the Google Pixel 7a at Google I/O 2023. The next-generation budget phone is rumored to come with the same Tensor G2 chip that’s in the Pixel 7. Current rumors make us believe that the phone will be available for purchase right when the event ends, so prepare your wallets. In contrast to that, the Google Pixel 6a was announced in May 2022, but it only went on sale at the end of July.
Rumors suggest that the Google Pixel Fold, Google’s rumored foldable, will launch a little later than the Pixel 6a, in June. It’s supposed to be available for pre-order on the Google Store right after the event, only to go on sale about a month later. The Pixel Fold would be Google’s first folding phone, and it might pave the way for a whole wave of other foldables from other manufacturers.
We might even get a first glimpse at the Google Pixel 8 lineup that’s slated to arrive at the end of this year, which is something the company has done for last year’s Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, too.
On top of this, we may hear the first word on a predecessor to the Google Pixel Watch. A lack of substantial rumors in the Google Nest home area plus the fact that Google is restructuring its Assistant team to focus more on its Bard chatbot has us believe that we won’t see any new Assistant-powered Nest devices.
Google will tell us more about Android 14 at Google I/O 2023
Android 14 is out as a preview for developers and anyone else adventurous enough to use beta software. While the early builds look and feel almost exactly like Android 13, avid tinkerers and experts like Mishaal Rahman are finding tons of other features hiding under the hood. Google will likely make many of these official at Google I/O 2023, along with releasing Android 14 Beta 2 soon after, which is slated to launch in May.
Google I/O is approaching fast, and we’ll likely hear a thing or two more about what to expect before it happens. In the meantime, Android Police recommends that you catch up on what happened at last year’s Google I/O 2022, which was also packed with new announcements and interesting tidbits.
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