Google I/O 2026 LIVE: Android 17 latest, Gemini, Android XR and more
Google I/O's live keynote is today – and we're covering it live with all the latest
Chris Hall
The stage is set for Google's annual I/O keynote, following on from last week's Android Show, when the tech giant revealed more about its Googlebook – set to rival Apple's MacBook Neo.
We'll be covering the keynote live – it starts at 10:00 PDT, so 13:00 EDT and 18:00 BST in the UK – but ahead of all the biggest Android 17 announcements, we'll be trawling through the rumours and Google's latest events to shape up a fuller picture of expectations.
The biggest Google I/O headlines so far
Google I/O is 18 years old
While we're talking about history, let's talk about the history of Google I/O. The first I/O event was held in 2008. What does I/O mean? You'll think that it just means "input / output" from the I/O that's common in computing. Well, it's more complicated than that. I/O also means "innovation in the open", which is a bit of corporate marketing spiel - but the actual origins are a lot geekier.
Google has previously explained that I/O actually comes from the origins of Google's name - googol. "A googol is a one, followed by 100 zeroes, so that's where the I/O name and logo came from. We just took the first one and zero, and we left off all the other zeroes. It all goes back to Google," explained Lorin Platto, director of events at Google.
Android is still all about widgets
Android is 18 years old and widgets are still very much the focus. As Dieter Bohn announced at The Android Show last week, Gemini Intelligence will be able to create custom widgets.
I remember the launch of early Android phones. One groundbreaking device I reviewed at the time was the HTC Hero. That really made Android feel usable - and that phone was famous for its widgets.
Nearly two decades have passed, but simple widgets are still really useful.
Setting expectations
Last week we wrote about Google I/O incoming – and the 3 biggest announcements we're expecting to see come out of the keynote.
"Gemini, Gemini, Gemini," could count for all three, but, no, there'll be more too. Android XR is due extra time, given the expectation of new Samsung Galaxy Glasses. Aluminium OS surely will get featured, too, given the recent reveal of Googlebook.