Google I/O 2022 Recap: Android 13, Pixel 6A, Pixel Watch, and more

Google I/O 2022, the company’s annual developers’ conference, commenced with a keynote, where the tech giant made many hardware and software announcements in front of a limited live audience. In the two-hour-long I/O keynote, we got to hear about AI, Android, and, of course, a plethora of Pixel hardware. Here are the biggest announcements we saw.

Google I/0 2022: Major Highlights

Google Pixel 7-series first look revealed

Google revealed the first look of the new hardware products that it will be launching this fall. This includes the new Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, which now gets a new camera design at the back. The phones will also have Android 13. Google also gave us a glimpse of the first look of the Google Pixel Tablet, an iPad competitor that will bring the Pixel experience to the large screen.

The Pixel Watch will feature a round, bezel-less dial and will be equipped with WearOS 3. It will also feature a Fitbit integration that lets you keep track of your health metrics. The watch is slated to launch later this fall alongside the Pixel 7.

Pixel 6A with Tensor Chip

Google has announced the new Pixel 6A, a mid-tier $449 smartphone that will be available for preorder on July 21^st. It offers the Pixel 6-series two-tone look along with a compact 6.1-inch screen. There is also an aluminum frame and a 12MP ultrawide camera along with a 12.2MP main camera on the back. The phone is powered by the same Tensor 5G chip with the same security architecture as the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. The Pixel 6A also comes with night sight, magic eraser, and other premium Pixel camera features.

Google Pixel Buds Pro with ANC

Google has announced the Pixel buds Pro which offers active noise canceling powered by a new custom audio processor. The earbuds will also have a transparency mode for when the users want to hear what is going on outside. Another new highlight of the earbuds is the integration with Google Assistant. Google also has a Find My Device app that will be able to locate the Pixel Buds Pro when lost. The earbuds will have 11 hours of battery life or 7 hours with ANC turned on.

Android 13 with improvement in multi-device connectivity

With Android 13, Google plans to double down on Android 12’s features. The new Android update will focus on new key areas like privacy and user safety. The Material You update will now offer more customization like multiple languages for different apps.

Android 13 is also optimized to allow smart features that work better with foldables and large-screen devices. Google is also following suit by updating many of its apps like YouTube Music, Maps and Messages to look and work better on large and foldable screen devices.

Google Wallet App

Google has announced a new Google Wallet that can securely store your payment cards, your passes, rewards program memberships, vaccination records, etc. The latest version can also now store other important documents like digital IDs and more. The app will be rolled out to Android and WearOS devices in the coming few weeks.

Google’s ‘My Ad Center’ & other steps towards cybersafety

Google has kept aside $10 billion for the betterment of user safety online. Google services will now also offer better protection against phishing attempts, detecting them automatically and guiding the user to safety. Google is also making multi-factor authentication better with easy-to-use one-tap authentication that does with the existing six digit codes.

Moreover, the ‘My Ad Center’ by Google will now give users more control over the ads that they use across Google Search, YouTube and other Google services. Users can now choose what categories they would like to see more or less ads from.

Google is also taking initiatives towards making passwordless sign-in easy. The company is working with players like VISA and Mastercard to roll out Virtual Cards, a new feature that will keep your card details safe during online transactions.

LaMDA 2 makes its debut in the Google AI kitchen

Google’s LaMDA 2 powers new features including the ability to converse in real-time on any imaginary topic. With a Live Demo, LaMDA 2 also showcases the ability to build automated lists and sublists. It is also capable of generating tips for the user. Google is also accepting feedback by giving access to its AI Test Kitchen in the next few months.

Google also showed off its advancements with the PaLM language model that reveals new possibilities including real-time response to questions while translating to other languages, simultaneously.

Hey Google is no longer required

Google Assistant brings a new feature called ‘Look an Talk’. This feature will use face-match and voice-match in real-time to provide quicker results without having to trigger Google Assistant separately. The user can now just look at a device and start speaking.

Also, the feature works completely on the device. This means that the audio data remains on the users’ devices – safe and secure. It is powered by six different ML models and is also designed to work efficiently with people of all skin tones. On Next and Pixel devices, the feature will also let you do more through ‘Quick Phrases’ like turning the lights on and off (without the trigger word).

Google’s Real tone initiative will move beyond Pixel’s camera

Google announced that it is testing the Monk Skin tone Scale, or the Monk Scale to represent better results in elements like images to show a range of skin tone diversity. This can help people of all skin tones to find suitable results that they can relate to. Google is also planning to release ‘Real Tone Filters’ later this year in Google Photos, which will allow more people to get better results with in-app editing.

Google previews the future of search

Google has already combined data across multiple inputs to power features like Multisearch. Later this year, Google will announce ‘Multisearch near me’, which will enable users to click pictures and search for items like food and groceries near them. The feature will be powered by Google’s multi-modal understanding, powered by millions of pictures and reviews posted by other users. More languages will be added later this year after the feature is released.

Also, Google’s new scene exploration features will enable users to scan not one but multiple items all at once in real-time picture scan. The feature will then offer users with relevant information without them having to search for individual products separately.

New Improved Google Translate

Google Translate will now support 24 new languages including the indigenous languages of the Americas such as Quechua (Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador), Aymara (Bolivia, Chile, and Peru), and Guarani (Paraguay and Bolivia, Argentina, and Brazil). According to Google, over 300 million people use these languages as their primary or secondary language.

Google Maps Gets an Immersive View

Google Maps now reveals more buildings in regions in Africa, as well as other countries like India and Indonesia using newer, advanced technologies. The company revealed that the new 3D mapping technologies are helping power a new Google Maps experience called ‘immersive view’.

Wrapping Up

Even with the hardware focus, there were plenty of updates on software and services beyond the cursory Android 13 update. It is also evident from the new announcements that Google is working towards a future where all Android devices seamlessly connect with each other. 

So, what do you think about the latest announcements by Google? What are you most excited about? Let us know in the comments below!