Before I/O 2026 kicks off on May 19, Google has promised to share an update on its Android ecosystem. As with last year, the company will stream a pre-recorded presentation highlighting some of the biggest new features coming to Android and beyond. You can watch the entire thing unfold May 12 at 1PM ET/10AM PT on YouTube.
Engadget has the full slate of what to expect for I/O 2026 already, but for those looking for a brief summary, here’s what we know. We’re sure to get a preview of the next version of Android. Beyond that, Google may finally have more information to share about Aluminum OS, its effort to unify Android and ChromeOS into a single platform. (Sameer Samat, the president of Google’s Android ecosystem, first confirmed work on the project last July.) More recently, screenshots of the software leaked through a bug report. Google could save the Aluminum OS reveal for I/O proper, but given the AI focus of the company’s recent keynotes, The Android Show feels like a more fitting venue.
Based on recent history, Google will also share new information about Android XR. The company provided a substantial update on the platform at the end of 2025, and if we’re to see any new hardware at I/O 2026, it’s more likely to be Android XR-related than something new from the Pixel family. For that reason alone, The Android Show should be exciting to watch.
