Google I/O 2017 : Expected things this year

Take a look at the most talked-about things, which can be seen in this year's Google Event.

Google’s annual I/O developer conference starts on Wednesday, and the 2017 edition of the show should be full of news and announcements, just like every year before now. Typically, we see lots in the way of new versions of Google apps, new software features and even major operating system updates. But this year’s show could also have some surprises in store in terms of hardware and powerful developer tools.

Android O - The next Android Update.

As we had last year with Nougat, we've already got an early look at the next version of Android, O, in the form of a developer preview. And as we saw last year, the developer preview only has some of what to expect. At Google I/O, we're sure to find out more details of what's coming in Android O.

Will we find out the full name? Last year Google held a contest to announce the name. This year it may do the same. Although, the name which has been around since the launch of the developer preview is Oreo.

Some expected features of the new Android Update, as inferenced from the developer preview, are :

Snoozing notifications: You'll be able to half-swipe notifications and hit a "snooze" button, so they'll appear later, when you actually want to deal with them.

More granular notification control: Apps will be better able to "group" their notifications so you will be able to block just the ones you don't want without having to hunt through app settings.
Improved battery life: It seems like Google promises this every year. And this year, it's doing it by more strongly limiting what apps are allowed to do in the background. That's a little more like the way iOS handles its multitasking.

Better Bluetooth: Sony has chipped in some code to improve Android's Bluetooth audio performance.

Cleaner settings: Whether you're Google or Samsung or LG or whatever, Settings is your favorite app to mess with and change every year. Because trying to make sense of Settings is awful. In O, the main page will be simpler and cleaner, hopefully helping you find what you actually want faster.

Change buttons: Deep in the System UI Tuner, there are options to mess with the core trio of Android buttons at the bottom of every phone, as well as options to change the quick launch apps on the lock screen.

Improved support for physical keyboards: Official support for Android apps is coming to Chrome OS eventually, and when it does you'll want to be able to use Android apps with your Chromebook's keyboard more easily

Picture-in-Picture video: Finally, Google is expected to give this useful feature.

Theming options: Maybe! We know that Android O will allow for differently shaped icons, a core part of most theming. There are some other signs theming could happen.

Google Assistant and Home

Google is likely to show us a lot around Google Assistant, and we’ll likely get a look at some of the first partner hardware to sport Home-like Assistant features built-in.

Expect Assistant to reach further and get smarter, with more built-in features, more third-party integrations, and more platforms. Google doesn’t want to cede this ground to Amazon and Alexa, and it’s probably going to be a central theme of the I/O keynote, especially because I/O is all about rallying developers to build experiences for Google’s priority platforms. Right now, Assistant seems to be everywhere on an Android phone, yet sometimes it feels too stretched and too un-focused to harness its potential. Plus, developers will perhaps need a bit more assurance as to what Google visualizes for the Assistant, to get them more excited about the idea.

Allo has seen relentless upgrading since it was announced last year, but a messaging app from Google is rightly judged by how many users it has — and Allo doesn't have very many. For I/O this year, I would not anticipate that Google will announce SMS integration or anything close to how iMessage works. The company is just too nervous about pissing off its carrier partners who are trying to get everybody on next-generation RCS messaging.

Android Auto : More features

Just ahead of the Google I/O developers conference, Google has shown off a full-fledged Android version that will run in-car infotainment systems. The first companies to sign up are German carmaker Audi (they will upgrade the MMI infotainment system with Android) and Volvo (the next generation of the Sensus Connect system will also be able to run the full version of Android), and we will be able to see it in its full glory as both car makers will give a demo on what they have done with Android in their cars—the demo is expected on the Audi Q8 and Volvo V90. The Android for the car also integrates Google Assistant, which is the artificial intelligence-powered, voice-based virtual assistant. Google is also expected to unveil updates for the Android Auto platform for existing users and new systems that will deploy this add-on—Android Auto is expected to get significant usability tweaks, and wider compatibility.

Android Wear

Google already updated Android Wear to version 2.0, building in a host of new features and debuting the platform iteration with a slate of new hardware, including showcase devices from LG. It might make sense to preview additional Wear features or updates again, even though it hasn’t been that long since the 2.0 update went live.

VR

Virtual reality has been an area of ongoing evolution for Google, culminating most recently in Daydream, the built-in VR platform for Android. Daydream debuted with the Pixel last year alongside Android N, and has expanded out to a few other devices, including the Moto Z.

Android O could bring additional VR features to Daydream, and it’s possible that Google will also reveal new partners for Daydream on both the hardware and software side. There could also be more around Tango, the depth sensing camera tech that has been built into a few devices but that could ultimately do a lot more specific to VR, including adding inside-out environment tracking.

So, that all was just a wild guess. To find out what turns into reality, tune into the Event tonight.

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Author : Prashant Pandey