Google I/O and Android Show: Where to Watch and What to Expect

From Android 16 to endless AI updates, here’s what you might see at Google’s annual software event.

Andrew Lanxon Editor At Large, Lead Photographer, Europe

Andrew is CNET’s go-to guy for product coverage and lead photographer for Europe. When not testing the latest phones, he can normally be found with his camera in hand, behind his drums or eating his stash of home-cooked food. Sometimes all at once.

Expertise Smartphones | Photography | iOS | Android | Gaming | Outdoor pursuits Credentials

• Shortlisted for British Photography Awards 2022, Commended in Landscape Photographer of the Year 2022

Google I/O runs over May 20 and 21 this year, with day 1 playing host to Google’s biggest keynote of 2025. We expect Big G to talk about its latest innovations across its ever-expanding portfolio of products and perhaps even show some sneak peeks at upcoming hardware. But only if we all collectively cross our fingers, promise to be good and eat all our vegetables.

Live updates: Follow The Android Show’s reveals as they happen

The tech giant is also hosting a totally separate event solely focusing on Android. Named the Android Show: I/O Edition, this event will be prerecorded and will take place exactly a week before the I/O keynote. We expect this will focus much more on what we can expect from Android 16, Wear OS and other Android-related products. 

By breaking out Android news into its own virtual event, Google frees itself to spend more time during the I/O keynote to talk about Gemini, Deep Mind, Android XR and Project Astra. It’s likely going to be a jam-packed series of events, so here’s how you can watch them both and what you can look forward to.

Software Android Show: I/O Edition: Where to watch

While the main I/O keynote isn’t until later in May, the company’s new Android Show is mere days away, taking place on May 13, 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET, 6 p.m. BST). It’ll be livestreamed on the Android YouTube channel. It will focus heavily on Android 16, which has been in public beta for some time and is expected to launch officially in June. It’s earlier than Android usually rolls out; a driving force behind that move is to give developers more time with the early software to help optimize apps and software that focus on AI. 

Software Google I/O: Where to watch

Google I/O proper kicks off with a keynote taking place on May 20, 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT, 6 p.m. BST). It’ll almost certainly be available to stream online on Google’s own YouTube channel, although a holding video is yet to be available. There’s no live link on the I/O website yet, either, though you can use the handy links to add the event to your calendar of choice. Expect links to a livestream to be available closer to the day.

Software What to expect from the Android Show and Google I/O 2025

Android 16 updates: As the name suggests, the Android Show is expected to focus fully on Android 16. Rumored Android 16 features include updates to the camera for more fine-grain control over exposure and color temperature, more dynamic app resizing when using foldable phones and updates to the ways notifications are displayed. Other leaks (from Google’s own blog, spotted by 9to5 Google) suggest a new look to the interface that the company is apparently calling “Material 3 Expressive.” Building on the Material You design launched in 2021, Material 3 Expressive apparently aims to connect with users on an “emotional level” with an interface that’s “both beautiful and highly usable.” 

While I personally really like the clean, easy-to-navigate aesthetic of current-gen Android on the recent Pixel 7, Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 lineup, I’m definitely looking forward to it getting a glow-up. I’m excited to see whether Material 3 Expressive really can conjure up some emotion in me or if I am truly dead inside. 

Android XR and Wear OS: It’s possible Google may also talk about Android XR, the company’s latest foray into mixed-reality headsets in partnership with Samsung and its Project Moohan headset. We also expect announcements around Wear OS, Google’s software powering Android-based smartwatches.

Gemini: With Android being spun out into its own separate event, Google is evidently clearing the way for I/O to focus on everything else the company does. AI will continue to dominate the conversation at I/O, just as it did last year (though hopefully Google can make it more understandable) with updates to many of its AI platforms expected to be announced. 

Gemini is expected to receive a variety of update announcements, including more information on its latest 2.5 Pro update which boasts various improvements to its reasoning abilities, and in particular to its helpfulness for coding applications. 

Beyond AI, Google may talk about updates to its other products including GMail, Chrome and the Play Store, although whether these updates are big enough to be discussed during the keynote rather than as part of the developer-focused sessions following I/O’s opening remains to be seen.