Update: The official Google IO 2016 dates have been announced to be May 18 - May 20. Tickets go on sale March 8 - March 10 on the Google IO website,
though registering for a ticket doesn't mean you've successfully
purchased one. Developers will have to submit an application, then
Google will randomly select qualified attendees. Here's everything we've
been hearing about Google IO 2016 so far.
It's been a big 12 months for Google: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
released, it made developments in self-driving car tech, and, perhaps
most significant of all, it shuffled its corporate structure so it's now
owned by a company called Alphabet.
That doesn't mean, however, that Google will sit back and
relax in 2016. Google IO 2016 will likely be a huge event with lots of
news, just like Google IO 2015 and 2014 before it. In fact, the pressure
of Microsoft's recent push of great new products and Apple's
ever-growing popularity are likely to cause Google to go even further
than it has in the past and come up with better products that can appeal
to a wider range of people.
We have high hopes for Google IO 2016. Here are some of our
predictions for every major product category at next year's conference.
Android N
The Google IO 2016 product most users will be chomping at the bit to see will be the next version of Android, currently dubbed Android N.
While we don't yet know what the official name of the software will end
up being (Android Nutella? Android Nougat?), it's likely that Android N
will be a major update, especially considering that Android
Marshmallow, the most recent version of Google's mobile OS, was
relatively small.
Features that are expected of Android N include a more
feature-rich power menu and the ability to uninstall non-essential stock
apps. It's also likely we'll also see a number of performance upgrades
and battery-saving features, too.
By the time Android N is released, many users will still be
waiting for Android Marshmallow to make it to their devices, but that
certainly won't slow Google from releasing its newest version of
Android.
Android Wear
Android for smartphone won't be the only branch of Android
to see an update at Google IO 2016. A number of updates have been
released to Android Wear over the past year, not least of which was iOS compatibility.
It's certainly possible that Android Wear will also be made compatible
with Windows Phone, which would be a great announcement for Google to
make at its developer conference.
Other updates that we'd like to see from the wearable operating system include better voice control, more standalone features and perhaps even gesture-controls.
Android Auto
Google is likely to make a number of car-related announcements, including at least one related to Android Auto. Since Google IO 2015, a number of automakers have jumped onboard
with Android Auto, either offering the infotainment system in current
models or planning to include it in future vehicles. We wouldn't be
surprised if major car makers who haven't announced Android Auto
compatibility use Google IO 2016 to do so.
Google will also likely announce more third-party apps that
will make it to the platform, as well as similar voice control updates
as we will (probably) see with Android Wear.
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