Google I/O 2025 is coming up fast, but this year things are going to be a little different with Google's annual developer conference.
Rather than covering everything Google during the keynote on May 20, Google's shifting all the Android news to its own show. That May 13 event, the Android Show, will likely highlight the latest Android 16 features, removing a central focus of past Google developer get-togethers.
As a result, this year's I/O conference should be completely different from what we're used to, though that doesn't make it any less important. In fact there's probably going to be so many big AI announcements that Google had to spin-off Android into its own show to make room for them all.
Here's what we know about Google I/O 2025, and what we expect to during the two-day event.
Google I/O 2025: Date and location
Google has confirmed that the I/O conference will begin on May 20, kicking off with the keynote address at 10 a.m. PST / 1 p.m. EST. The conference will run through May 21, with Google hosting a number of different talks on a variety of topics — some of which will be live-streamed to watch from home.
As with other I/O keynotes, the presentation will be in person and takes place at the Shoreline Amphitheatre at Google's Mountain View, Calif., HQ. You should be able to live-stream much of the event from the Google I/O webpage, and this being Google, we'd expect the keynote to appear on YouTube as well.
As for the Android Show: I/O Edition, this separate Android-focused event will take place a week earlier on May 13, also starting at 10 a.m. PST / 1 p.m. EST. We don't know much more about this, beyond the fact it'll discuss all the latest Android news and advancements. We also don't know where the Android Show will be set, but I'd put my money on it being an online-only affair.
Google I/O 2025: What to expect for AI
Artificial Intelligence has been the key talking point at Google I/O for the past few years, and that's not going to change anytime soon. In fact, with the increased competition from the likes of Apple Intelligence, Chat GPT and others, Google is probably going to go all in on AI improvements and upgrades during this year's conference.
Gemini will likely receive much of the focus, and I can see Google rolling out the AI chatbot to other devices and products in its ecosystem. Right now Gemini is absent from cars and wearables, while Nest devices can only use the AI as an experimental feature — and only if you have a compatible product.
It makes sense for Google to expand, bringing Gemini to all corners of its ecosystem — and that includes software. So expect to see Gemini's influence reach even more products and services. That may also include two new Gemini AI plans, per a recent leak.
No doubt we'll be hearing about a bunch of upgrades and new features coming to Gemini over the next 12 months. Last year saw Google unveil Project Astra and Google Veo 2 AI video generation also enjoyed some of the spotlight.
Some of Astra's features have already been released as part of Gemini Live. And with the impending launch of Android XR, we're likely to hear even more of what's to come. And that's before we even get to whatever new features Google has been planning in the shadows.
Of course Google has its fingers in many AI pies, with more LLMs in active development than most of us can remember. So we'll likely hear a lot more about all the different AI initiatives Google has in the works during the event.
With Android part of its own May 13 event, Google should have more time go into great detail on different projects, whether it's related to Waymo's self-driving cars, behind-the-scenes AI enhancements in Google services, or something else entirely.
Google I/O 2025: What to expect for Android
Android 16 is in quite a unique position this year, since Google has already confirmed it will be arriving much earlier than the late summer/early fall rollout we're used to. For that reason, we're already 4 beta versions in, and on the verge of hitting the "Platform Stability" phase.
That means Google will stop adding new features and focus on ensuring the update is stable enough to release to the public. In other words, all the features we've seen in the beta so far, will likely make up the bulk of what Android 16 has at launch.
We expect that The Android Show will reveal roughly when Google intends to release Android 16, if not the exact release date. We may also hear about a handful of features that haven't appeared in the Android 16 beta — including some Pixel-exclusives that will be rolled out in future feature drops for Google's own phones.
We should also hear more about the different kinds of Android that are floating around in the world. Android Automotive, the operating system powering a huge range of modern cars, and Wear OS always get some kind of look-in during I/O.
But the most exciting flavor of Android is the upcoming Android XR, which is designed to power mixed reality devices like Samsung's Project Moohan headset. With Moohan reportedly going on sale later this year, it's about time Google lifted the curtain on what Android XR will have to offer.
Thankfully the I/O schedule does include some talks relating to Android XR. That means, no matter what is mentioned in the keynote, Android XR will have a place at the conference.
Google I/O 2025: What to expect for devices
Hardware is the one thing we're not expecting to see at Google I/O 2025. As a developer conference, I/O is a very software-centric show, and that means device announcements are usually kept to a minimum.
In the past this has been restricted to A-series Pixel devices, details about other gadgets like the Pixel Tablet, and maybe a tease for the upcoming flagship Pixel coming out later this year.
However with there being no sign of a new Pixel Tablet on the way, and the Pixel 9a already on sale, there simply aren't any devices for Google to announce. The Android show may tease the upcoming Pixel 10 and Pixel Watch 4, but I wouldn't put too much stock in that, given that neither release is expected before August.
Google I/O 2025: Everything else we might hear about
Google I/O's schedule confirms that there will be talk of a bunch of different Google products at I/O, including Chrome, Waymo, cars and Google Pay. Many of these talks will not be live-streamed, though, which means the focus may be rather technical and more developer-focussed than most of I/O already is.
That's not to say that they couldn't also be mentioned in earlier talks, such as the Keynote or The Android Show.
The one thing we do know for sure about this year's I/O is going to be a big one. Google wouldn't have separated all the Android news if there wasn't going to be a lot of AI focus in the main keynote. That said, we won't find out exactly what we're going to have in store until those respective announcements on May 13 and May 20.
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