Google I/O is still a week away, but Google’s big announcements kick off today with the “Android Show: I/O Edition,” where it’s expected to announce the major Android ecosystem highlights coming to its annual developer conference.
When the Android Show will happen and where you can watch it
Android Show: I/O Edition will be streaming live on YouTube and the Android website on Tuesday, May 12th at 10AM PT / 1PM ET. Based on last year’s Android Show, we can expect the highlights to include a look at the next major Android update along with announcements about Gemini features on Android and potentially teases of some more forward-facing projects, like Aluminium OS and Android XR.
The Android Show livestream is definitely less time-consuming than I/O’s main keynote. Last year’s Android Show lasted just over 20 minutes, while the full Google I/O keynote ran for almost two hours.
The main event during Tuesday’s Android Show will likely be a look at Android’s next big update, which could include some design changes — at least, that’s what some Android users suspect. In the 15-second teaser video for this year’s Android show, the Android robot momentarily changes from its usual solid green to a translucent, glassy-look with splashes of color inside. This got some users speculating that Google is giving Android a Liquid Glass look like iOS 26, but Android ecosystem president Sameer Samat replied to a post about this saying, “Not happening!”
While the Android robot in the video does look a bit like Apple’s Liquid Glass, it also resembles early glimpses of the Gemini app redesign that has started popping up on macOS, iOS, and Android. Liquid Glass or not, it’s possible Android 17 will have some visual tweaks that Google will go over during Tuesday’s livestream, along with new features and the update’s release window.
Betas and early developer previews of Android 17 include a few key features to look forward to, like “app bubbles” that allow users to pull up in a small windowed “bubble” they can move around, like a windowed app on PC. Android 17 is also expected to include more location controls, including an option for one-time location sharing with apps and an indicator showing when a “non-system app” is accessing your location.
The Android Show: I/O Edition will likely include some highlights about updates coming to Google Gemini, particularly features baked directly into Android (or Gemini’s Android app).
One of this year’s announcements could be the broader rollout of the Gemini redesign that users have started seeing on the chatbot’s app. It features a new pill-shaped prompt box with streamlined buttons. The redesign also adds some subtle splashes of color in the background, which look very similar to the “glassy” look of the Android robot in Google’s teaser video for this year’s Android Show.
The Android Show could give us our first official look at Aluminium OS, Google’s PC version of Android. An early glimpse of it was leaked in January in a bug report that included screen recordings showing a UI that blends elements of both Android and ChromeOS.
Even if Google does show off Aluminium OS during Tuesday’s livestream, we might still have to wait a while for a proper release. Court documents from Google’s search antitrust case note that while Android ecosystem Sameer Samat stated that Google hopes to launch it in 2026, a full launch might not happen until 2028, particularly for the “enterprise and education sectors.” It could be that Aluminium OS will only be available in beta or for testing this year, with a full launch coming later.
It’s also worth noting that Aluminium OS may not end up being compatible with all existing Chromebooks. The court documents also mention that Aluminium OS “is not expected to be able to support older hardware” due to “heavier software.”
Last year’s Android Show ended on a teaser for Android XR, with Android ecosystem president Sameer Samat donning a pair of XREAL smart glasses, ahead of some Android XR announcements at Google I/O 2025. It’s possible glasses will make an appearance at this year’s Android Show, too. Although much like last year, Google could also end up saving this for the main I/O keynote.
