Google I/O 2025 is set to run from May 20th to May 21st, so we have plenty of time to speculate about what reveals we’ll see from Google. However, we don’t need to stretch our imagination too far, as Google will likely hit the same AI notes as previous I/O events. Beyond reveals for Gemini and Project Astra, we can expect news on Android 16, Wear OS, and Android XR.
Google rarely pulls out a big surprise for Google I/O events; leaks tend to spoil Google’s launches months in advance. We’ve also got plenty of official announcements from Google that announce launch dates for just after Google I/O. Here is everything we expect Google to show off at I/O 2025, from the most exciting developments to the humdrum AI announcements.
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Android 16 is on schedule for Google I/O 2025
Android 16 is rocketing towards a Q2 2025 release
Unlike the fragmented, delayed, and broken rollout of Android 15, it’s smooth sailing for Android 16. Google announced that the first stable version will launch in Q2 2025, and all the Beta releases have rolled out on time. Google claims this is the start of more frequent Android releases, which neatly lines up with Google I/O 2025.
One leaker puts the Android 16 launch for June 3, 2025. If this is true to within a couple of weeks, we should expect an official announcement at Google I/O 2025. While we already know about most of Android 16’s features, a Google I/O announcement should reveal the release date for the update. Other Android devices will see Android 16 later in the year, but considering the delayed rollout of Android 15, when this happens is anyone’s guess.
Android 16 will bring upgraded predictive back gestures, a search feature for the photo picker, improved Wi-Fi location tracking, better support for predictive back gestures, and more.
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More news on the future of Wear OS
Don’t expect a release date for Wear OS 6 though
Wear OS 4 launched in July 2023, and Wear OS 5 launched in July 2024. However, we aren’t holding our breath for Wear OS 6 in July 2025. Instead, we expect to see Wear OS 5.1 launch in the middle of 2025, and for Google I/O 2025 to announce its release date.
Wear OS 5.1 will be based on Android 15, and should ship with a variety of new features and stability improvements. The update is available now in the Android Studio emulator, and Google has listed all of Wear OS 5.1’s new features in a developer post.
Unfortunately, these features aren’t headline-grabbing. Wear OS 5.1 brings a unified authentication solution for quicker sign-ins, and watch speaker playback. Riveting stuff. What we were hoping for are Private Spaces and predictive back animations, but Google has confirmed that Wear OS 5.1 will not support Private Spaces, and may not support predictive back animations.
While we don’t think it will be exciting news, we expect that Google will reveal more information about what we can expect from Wear OS in the future. We doubt there will be any news on Wear OS 6 features, but a new release schedule is likely. Gemini for Wear OS is also in the works, although we see this feature launch in March 2025.
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The next steps for Project Astra
Project Astra could be the biggest AI news of 2025
Source: Google
Project Astra was the most intriguing AI news from Google I/O 2024. Project Astra will help Gemini understand the real world through video and audio inputs. It’s an ambitious project, but if it works it could be one of the most useful and exciting AI developments we’ve ever seen.
AI announcements have become so frequent that most new announcements are met with polite interest rather than the rabid excitement that accompanied the launch of Chat GPT. However, Project Astra is a genuinely exciting concept that we expect Google to reveal more of at I/O 2025 if it wants to stay ahead in the AI arms race.
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More AI features for existing Google projects
Gemini development is running at full steam
image source: google play store
While the jury is still out on whether Gemini-powered features have “accelerated human progress,” or brought “new waves of innovation and economic progress,” as promised in its 2023 announcement, Google is still hard at work cramming Gemini into as many of its products as possible. Perhaps once Gemini has taken over all aspects of our smartphones will we see the “opportunities Gemini will unlock for people everywhere,” but for now the only certainty we have with Gemini is that we’ll see more of it at Google I/O 2025.
Google I/O 2024 marked a significant ramping up of Google’s AI efforts. Google Photos, Shopping Search, and Workspace all saw new Gemini Features, and 2025 looks to be no different.
We can expect news on AI features for Circle to Search, AI Overviews, and existing Google products like Search, YouTube, and Android. We may also get a release date for NotebookLM Plus integration in Google One. However, this AI-powered note-taking and research assistant is already expected to launch in early 2025, so we may see it arrive before Google I/O 2025.
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A release date for Android XR
The first Android XR-powered headset is rapidly approaching
Images from news.samsung.com and blog.google.com
Android XR is an upcoming operating system designed for extended reality (XR) headsets. Google announced it in December 2024 with a launch date of sometime in 2025. Despite the vague launch date, it’s clear that the project is nearing completion. We got our first look at the Samsung-designed prototype in January 2025, and we have a good idea of what we can expect from the headset.
Google I/O would be the perfect time for Google to announce the launch of the first Android XR-powered headset, plus a detailed feature list and spec sheet. We already know quite a bit about Android XR, including that every Play Store app will be available on Android XR by default.
Samsung showcased its Android XR device during January 2025’s unpacked, so we expect Google will build on this announcement at I/O 2025.
Don’t expect any reveals for Pixel devices
The Pixel 9a is rumored to launch in March 2025, and we won’t get any firm news on the Pixel 10 series until much later in the year. This means that Google I/O 2025 probably won’t contain any news on new hardware, but this is expected as we saw no new hardware in Google I/O 2024
We’ll have to wait until the “Made By Google” event in the fall for news on new Pixel hardware. However, we may see other hardware shown off in more detail, like the Android XR headset.
Expect more than AI news, but not much more
While Android 16, Wear OS updates, and Android XR are all exciting prospects, they’ll likely be overshadowed by new AI tools and features. Project Astra is the biggest new development from Google, but the usual swathe of new Gemini features will likely take up much of Google I/O 2025.
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