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Google I/O 2025 Live Blog: Android XR, Gemini, Android 16 and the latest news

Join us during the Google I/O 2025 Keynote!

Google I/O 2025 Live Blog
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Google's biggest conference of the year kicked off today, May 20th at 1pm ET and we want to make sure you're caught up on everything we know so far.

Many upcoming features and news have already been announced during the Android Show: I/O edition that happened last week. We'll be walking you through what is coming to Android 16 and Gemini, but if you prefer an overview of everything announced during the Android Show, we have just the thing.

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Biggest announcements from The Android Show- I/O Edition

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Animations and design changes in Fitbit, Gmail, and Google Photos with Material 3 Expressive

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From everything we've seen so far, it's not just about making your phone and watch more personal, but aims to improve on aspects that you might not pay close attention to. This includes things like UI animations, buttons, all while retaining the essence of what Material You was all about.

New Material 3 Expressive themes in Wear OS 6

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The Android Show I/O Edition

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Chromecast with Google TV on top of Google TV Streamer

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

Android president Sameer Samat wearing Google's upcoming smart glasses, as seen on The Android Show I/O Edition 2025

(Image credit: Screen captures from The Android Show I/O Edition 2025)

A Samsung Project Moohan headset on a shelf during The Android Show 2025

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Nest Hub (2nd Gen)

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick/Android Central)

Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus, Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714, RedMagic Nova Gaming Tablet, and Pixel Tablet all stacked

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

Colorful Google sign

(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)

A lot has happened in Google’s world over the course of the last year. Google I/O 2025 will commence tomorrow at 1PM ET, where we’ll learn much more about what we can hope to see from the confines of Mountain View over the next 12 months.

Yesterday, we covered pretty much everything that was shown off during The Android Show, with Google pulling back the veil on a bit for the first time. As we try to figure out what the next year will offer, all we really have to do is jump in the time machine to last year’s I/O.

Last year wasn’t quite as bad as I/O 2023, when Google said “AI” more than 120 times over the course of its 2-hour-long Keynote. However, AI and Gemini were still the primary focus at I/O 2024, with the Gemini 1.5 Flash and 1.5 Pro models being.

This was also where Google first debuted Gemini Live, which essentially lets you have a conversation with Gemini, including being able to interrupt it mid-sentence. At first, this was only available for Gemini Advanced subscribers, but it’s now available for everyone.


Google even recently updated Gemini Live, offering the “ability to share your Android camera or screen within your Gemini Live conversation.” And the best part is that you don’t need to sign up for Gemini Advanced, as it’s available for everyone.

Google's Project Astra lets testers point their cameras at items within its app to receive information about it.

(Image credit: Google)

I/O 2024 also provided some rather concrete evidence that Google was working on something revolutionary for the AR/VR/XR space. Project Astra was announced during the Keynote, which is simply “a multimodal AI assistant.” In the promo video, a person is shown wearing glasses with built-in cameras and microphones, making it possible to ask Gemini questions and get answers without needing to use your phone.


Fast forward to now, and Android President Sameer Samat wore sunglasses that look similar to the Meta Ray Bans. These weren’t explicitly said to be the rumored Gemini-powered smart glasses, but it doesn’t take rocket science to put two and two together here.

A statue of the multicolored "G" in Google on the Google campus in Mountain View

(Image credit: Michael Hicks / Android Central)

Google AI Overview has been one of the biggest visual changes to Search in years. Whether you’re looking up the answer to a question or trying to do a bit of research, AI Overview is right at the top of the page.

Instead of just throwing a bunch of links at you, AI Overview attempts to summarize the information provided within the most popular search results. More importantly, this feature also provides quick access to whatever websites were cited within the explanation.

A recent report revealed that “Google’s AI Overview have led to a 49% increase in search impressions.” Although click-through rates on provided links are down by as much as 30%, Google’s commitment, along with regular updates, means that we’re a far cry from Gemini telling us to put “glue cheese on pizza.”

Android 15 logo on the Galaxy S25 Ultra

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

It wouldn’t be for another four months before the final version of Android 15 would be released, with Android 15 Beta 2 being released on Day 2 of I/O 2024. The update was relatively minor, but it introduced new features such as “Private Space,” letting you hide apps in a separate area on your phone.

Android 15 Beta 2 also brought about the floating taskbar that could be pinned to the bottom of the screen. It’s a feature that has become absolutely essential for Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Android tablet owners, providing quick access to the apps in your Dock. Along with being able to create App Pairs, these combos can be pinned to the dock, making multitasking even more seamless.

Using Google Circle to Search on a Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

The Google Pixel Watch 3 laying against a tree trunk, showing a data-heavy watch face

(Image credit: Michael Hicks / Android Central)

Google I/O 2024 stage

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A blue and orange Android 16 logo on an Honor Magic 7 Pro

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

Multitasking on Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Pixel Fold

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A promotional image for the Discover sources feature in NotebookLM.

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Terminal app on Pixel 9 Pro Fold running Android 16 Beta 3

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A phone connected to a laptop's Auracast broadcast

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Auracast support was also added, which is an "audio-sharing protocol that allows the host device to send audio to multiple outlets." This has been in the works for years, with Android Central Managing Editor saying "it feels like Bluetooth's final form."

Lastly, and perhaps most surprisingly, Google hid a Terminal app in the Developer Options. It was fairly limited, but after a few taps, you would have a full Linux terminal right on your Pixel phone.

The official design hero for Material 3 Expressive

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Material 3 Expressive

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Google didn't stop there, though, as it also peeled back the veil a bit, sharing how it came to the final design. According to the blog post, it underwent "46 rounds of design tweaks" and received feedback from more than 18,000 people.

To go along with these new changes, Android 16 and M3 Expressive will also introduce new floating toolbars, progress bars, buttons, and more. Some of these elements have even started appearing in apps, despite M3 Expressive not yet being rolled out to the masses.

Unfortunately, Google confirmed that Material 3 Expressive won't be arriving with the release of Android 16. Instead, it's said to begin rolling out to Pixel devices sometime "later this year."

A quick tour through all the new Material 3 Expressive designs in Google Wear OS 3 on a Pixel Watch

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Android president Sameer Samat wearing Google's upcoming smart glasses, as seen on The Android Show I/O Edition 2025

(Image credit: Screen captures from The Android Show I/O Edition 2025)

Samsung Project HAEAN Android XR glasses being shown off at TED 2025

(Image credit: Gilberto Tadday / TED)

Ray-Ban Meta limited edition transparent smart glasses.

(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

Basically, the TED 2025 presentation was Google's way of telling Meta to get ready for a battle. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses have dominated the space since their introduction in 2021, with that lead continuing to grow following the release of the second generation in late 2023. Since then, Meta has remained committed to releasing regular and useful updates. Meanwhile, recent rumors suggest the next iteration is in line to debut sometime next year.

However, Samsung isn't the only company we're expecting Google to partner with for Android XR hardware. Xreal has been a leader in the space for years, continuing to gain popularity, while pushing the envelope in terms of what's possible given current hardware and software limitations.

But no matter what, tomorrow may signal a massive shift in the future of wearables.

A Samsung Project Moohan headset on a shelf during The Android Show 2025

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But what about Project Moohan? Well, that’s a different beast entirely, as it's not designed with “Everyday Carry” in mind. Instead, it’s more of a competitor to the Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest, powered by the Android XR platform.

There are a lot of similarities between Project Moohan and the two aforementioned headsets, but that’s for good reason. Apple and Meta have figured out the best way for everyone to enjoy various content formats in a headset, so as a result, we end up with a design that is tweaked to Samsung’s liking.

Rumors suggest that Samsung is implementing 4K Micro-OLED displays, offering “better visual fidelity than Apple Vision Pro.” This is made possible due to the rumored displays featuring a resolution of 3,552 × 3,840, compared to the 3660 x 3200 resolution of the Vision Pro.

That alone is enough to provide some confirmation that this won’t be as affordable as the smart glasses. Instead, we’re expecting to see it come in anywhere between $1,000 to $1,500.

A purple and green Android 16 logo on an Honor 200 Pro

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

Using Gemini Live on the Google Pixel 9 Pro

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

With Google already sharing Android news at The Android Show last week, I/O 2025 will be all about AI. We might see plenty of new announcements around Gemini, and how the AI assistant is being integrated into Google’s vast product portfolio, including Search, Gmail, and Photos.

Google is once again making a play for the connected ecosystem, and we will likely be hearing about Android XR, Android Auto, and wearables. There may even be new hardware to demo at the event, but we’ll only know more about that after the keynote.

The Gemini 2.5 Pro graphic.

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Talking about AI, Google may roll out new AI plans to take advantage of its latest models. A leak from the start of May highlighted a Gemini Ultra plan coming to Google One, and we’ll be seeing if Google announces anything around this later today.

AI is pivotal to Google’s long-term strategy, and while it didn’t have early-mover advantage, the search giant made considerable progress with its latest Gemini models. It remains to be seen how much an Ultra plan would cost; for context, OpenAI’s Pro model with unlimited access to its reasoning models and GPT‑4o costs $199 a month.

Google will obviously need to undercut OpenAI in this regard, and we’ll have to wait and see what the brand decides to do. Google’s current plans include Google One storage as standard, and it will be interesting to see if the brand decides to roll out a limited plan that just includes access to its Gemini models.

Project Mariner by Google

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Google will also likely detail what’s new with Project Mariner, the AI agent it showcased at the end of last year. Google says Mariner will deliver the “future of human-agent interaction,” with the agent able to undertake actions on a browser on behalf of the user. Actions include booking tickets, buying something online, or looking up a subject.

Google is obviously being cautious about how it rolls out this tech, and it is using humans to evaluate the AI agent’s actions and provide confirmation. But outside of a demo touting the Chrome extension, we didn’t get much in the way of information around the feature, and that may change today.

The big day is here! In just a few hours (okay, more than a few), the Google I/O 2025 Keynote will kick off, where we will learn about everything Google has been working on. After the Keynote, there are a boatload of developer sessions, many of which will provide further context to whatever is announced.

If you’re like us and want to sit back and see what will be announced, we’ve got you covered. Then, just bookmark the page, catch up on everything we’re expecting, and set an alarm for 1 PM ET. Until then, we're not stopping with our Live Blog. Stay tuned !!

Android Central team at Google I/O 2024

(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)

Besides AI, we’re expecting to learn more about Android 16, Material 3 Expressive, and, of course, Android XR. If The Android Show was anything to go by, Michael and Brady might even be able to get some hands-on time with some new hardware.

For a few of us here who couldn’t make the trek out to the Shoreline Amphitheater, we’ll be diving deep into the myriad of I/O Sessions. As of our most recent count, there are four focus areas comprised of more than 70 sessions in total, not including the Google Keynote or the Developer Keynote that takes place at 4:30 PM ET.

Google's annual developers' conference is just hours away! You can catch all the action online by tuning into the official live stream via Google's official page and its YouTube channel.

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There is sure to be some overlap between sessions, but Google tries to do a pretty good job at keeping things separate when possible. If you’re wondering what sessions we’re interested in, here are a few:

What’s new in Android: Explore new Android 16 features and the future of Android development.

Adaptive Android development makes your app shine across devices: Learn why and how to build apps and games that create delightful experiences across the Android mobile device ecosystem — including phones, tablets, foldables, Chromebooks, cars, and XR.

Besides the obvious topics, such as Android and Gemini, we will hopefully be learning about even more. For instance, there are actually quite a few sessions about Chrome, and we can’t help but wonder whether any of these will have ties to ChromeOS.

On the flip side, Google TV and Google Home only have one listed session each, which doesn’t leave us feeling great about any potential new advancements being announced. Even still, Android 16 for TV will be arriving this year, so the corresponding session is definitely on our watchlist.

Personally, I’m quite interested in the idea of AI agents, but I have practically zero experience when it comes to coding. When looking through the list, I did notice a session titled “Build no-code intelligent Agents with AppSheet, Gemini, and Vertex AI.” Rest assured, I’ll be watching that when time permits to see what that’s all about.

Home Assistant on Pixel 9 Pro Fold and Pixel Tablet

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

Apple WWDC 2025 Banner Promo Image

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ChatGPT conversation screen on a smartphone

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Obviously, Altman isn't calling out Google directly, the timing of such a statement is kind of funny. It's almost as if OpenAI is a bit worried about what improvements are set to come to Gemini.

View of the stage at the Shoreline Amphitheater before the Google I/O 2025 keynote

(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

Michael standing in front of "Welcome to I/O" sign at I/O 2025

(Image credit: Michael Hicks / Android Central)

Just look at how happy he is!

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Did you know that there's actually a second Keynote today? The Developer Keynote starts at 4:30 PM ET, and is where Google will share "the latest updates to our developer products and platforms.

Toro y Moi banner image on I/O 2025 Livestream

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Toro y Moi on stage at I/O 2025

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Google CEO Sundar Pichai showing that Gemini managed to beat Pokemon Blue

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Holy crap. The Gemini app has more than 400 million users, and AI Overview has more than 1.5 billion users every month.

Google Beam being announced at I/O 2025

(Image credit: Michael Hicks / Android Central)

Google Meet is also getting an upgrade later this year with real-time translation.

Sundar Pichai and Gemini Live at I/O 2025

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Project Mariner by Google

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Speaking of which, Agent Mode is coming soon, which is another way to let Gemini perform tasks based on what you're trying to achieve, without doing it yourself.

Gmail is getting Personalized Smart Replies this summer for Gemini subscribers. We expect a lot of the newest features announced will be limited to Gemini subscribers first, before rolling out to the masses later.

It's Google DeepMind time, as Demis Hassabis is introduced by Sundar.

Google Gemini 2.5 Flash availability

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Tulsee Doshi at Google I/O 2025

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Gemini 2.5 Flash is now 22% more efficient, meaning that you'll get the same responses but using fewer tokens. Plus, Google is adding "Thinking budgets," letting you set the number of tokens it can use before responding.

Since Gemini is multi-modal, you can update your code using nothing more than a sketch. All without forcing you to learn about complex APIs and coding languages. Google is bringing this functionality from Gemini 2.5 Pro to a bunch of AI-coding apps, along with its own suite of coding products.

Gemini Diffusion generates codes five times faster than Google's lightest 2.5 model. It's able to parse and analyze the prompt in a blink of an eye. Seriously, if you blinked, you missed Gemini solving the problem that was shown on screen.

Gemini Live on Search

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Now, Sundar is back on stage, talking about Google Search, starting with AI Overviews. It's being used in more than 200 different countries and regions. Sundar says this is "one of the most successful launches in search in the past decade."

AI Mode at I/O 2025

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AI Mode

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Complex analysis and data visualization are coming to Google Search via AI mode later this year.

Project Mariner capabilities are coming to AI mode this summer. In the demo, Search was able to find the right seats for an upcoming baseball game, taking them to the ticket checkout in just a few moments.

Search Live uses your camera to "see what you see" giving you answers to any questions that you have in real time.

Google Search will soon be able to track prices, send you a notification when its reached a target price, and you can buy whatever it is with just a tap. This feature will begin rolling out later this year.

Shopping using the new Google AI Mode search on stage at Google I/O 2025

(Image credit: Android Central)

Personal, Proactive, and Powerful are the three pillars of Gemini 2.5 Pro. Five things are being launched in Gemini today:

  • Gemini Live: Includes camera and screen sharing for free on Android and iOS starting today. In the coming weeks, Gemini Live will be able to connect to your favorite Google apps, such as Keep or Calendar.
  • Deep Research: Starting today, you can upload your own files to guide the research agent. It will "soon" let you research across Google Drive and Gmail.
  • Canvas: Interactive space for co-creation. Transform a report with just a tap, and can even "vibe code."
  • Gemini in Chrome: "Your personal AI assistant for browsing the web." Automatically understands the context of what's on the page. Rolling out this week to Gemini subscribers in the US.
  • Imagen 4: Coming to Gemini app. "More nuanced colors and fine-grained details."

I was told that I had no choice but to tell you this joke from Nick:

"When you put a bunch of Gemini-made videos together they call it an Imagen Heap"

Google Veo 3 on stage at Google I/O 2025

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The Google I/O 2025 on stage

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Making a video about a giant chicken in a car using Veo 3 on stage at Google I/O 2025

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Shahram Izadi on stage at Google I/O 2025 wearing what's likely a pair of Google XR glasses

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Android XR Live Demo

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Android XR Demo on stage at I/O 2025

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3D Google Maps view through Android XR smart glasses

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Live Translate Demo using Android XR smart glasses

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An official render of Xreal Project Aura Android XR-powered smart glasses

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android xr at google io 2025

(Image credit: android central)