Google I/O 2019: The biggest announcements from the keynote

Google I/O is Google's annual developer conference. Here's everything that happened at this year's show.

By Elyse Betters Picaro, Managing Editor on May 7, 2019

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Google I/O 2019

Google holds an annual conference for developers, with the goal of getting them up to speed with its latest software and hardware updates. This year's show starts May 7 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre.

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It's showtime

CEO Sundar Pichai took the stage to help kick things off.

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Story timeline

Pichai started with Google News, saying results will begin to show a "story timeline" in the near future. So, when you search for the recent black hole news story, you'll see how it's been covered from the start to now.

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Podcasts come to Search

You'll be able to listen to podcasts within search results!

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3D images in Search

Google said 3D images will soon show up in search results, as well, and that they can be placed in physical space for you to see. Google has been indexing the physical world through its visual search technology -- just like it's been indexing information with Search.

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AR shark!

Google dove right into AR next, demoing new ways you can use it with search. That's right: Google Search has added AR capabilities. Search for a shark on your phone, and you can see it in in front of you at scale!

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Google Lens at restaurants

Google then moved onto Google Lens, saying you can soon point it at a physical restaurant menu, and it will show you the most popular dishes. Google Lens is already available in Google Assistant and in the camera app of many popular Android handsets -- this is just a new Lens capability.

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#Savelocalnews

CNET spotted this banner flying overhead during the show!

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Real-time translations in Lens

Google said Google Lens will also soon be available directly from the Google Search bar on Android phones -- and that you can use it to take a picture of a sign and get a real-time translation in a different language. It supports over a dozen languages at launch.

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Duplex is now coming to the web

Google then moved onto Duplex. Pichai said it will soon do stuff for you online, like book rental cars and get movie tickets. All you have to do is ask Google, and it will do the rest -- even fill out web form fields. Google said the current version of Duplex is now available in 44 states and that it will share more details about Duplex coming to the web later this year.

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Next-generation Google Assistant

Google showed off the next version of Google Assistant.

One of the hurdles that Google faces with Assistant is the quantity of data needed to process voice commands. This can cause a lag. Pichai said Google has been able to shrink this down now, and that it can be housed on a device, rather than in the cloud, resulting in lower latency.

Google therefore demoed how its new Assistant can respond to requests in lightning fast time -- and without saying "OK Google" every time. The demo consisted of various voice-controlled scenarios, from opening apps, to getting information, all as one continuous conversation.

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Google Assistant on the road

Google Assistant is also getting a driving mode! Coming to any phone with built-in Google Assistant later this year, it's basically a dashboard for when you're in the car. It shows things you're most likely to use while driving, like the navigation screen and podcasts.

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Security updates through Play Store

Moving on, Google said that, with the next version of Android, it will begin distributing some security updates to Android phones directly through its Google Play Store. That way, security updates will be pushed out to devices faster. This effort, called Project Mainline, will be part of Android Q.

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New privacy enhancements

Of course Google would bring up privacy. It's adding some new enhancements -- the biggest of which is how to find your privacy settings. So, right now, you can find all your settings in your account, but soon, it'll be more easily accessible from your profile.

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Incognito Mode in Maps and YouTube

Another cool privacy change: Incognito Mode, a popular Chrome browser feature, is coming to Maps and YouTube.

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New accessibility features

Google's next topic involved accessibility and the new technologies it is developing to help people with disabilities.

The first is Live Caption. It essentially offers on-device live captioning for videos. Next, Google demoed Live Relay, which allows people with speech disabilities to make phone calls using the Google Assistant.

Lastly, Google showed off Project Euphonia from Google AI. Its goal is to help people with speech impairments communicate faster and easier.

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Time for Android Q!

Finally, Google has brought up Android Q. The next version of Android used to be the star of I/O -- but not anymore, clearly. Anyway, Google said Android Q will support foldable displays. Live Captions will also be baked into Android Q and made possible thanks to on-device machine learning. Google said Smart Replies will be more actionable in Android Q, too.

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Ohhh! Dark mode

Android Q is officially getting a system-wide dark mode!

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New security and privacy changes

Google said there are 50 different security and privacy changes in Android Q, from the location of the Privacy section in Settings to a new layout with three main menus: Activity Controls, Location History, and Ad Settings.

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Introducing Focus Mode

Remember Digital Wellbeing? It's Google's way of helping you focus and use your phone less. Now, there's a new feature called Focus Mode, which will pause apps like YouTube if you're the type who is easily distracted.

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More parental controls

As part of this update to Digital Wellbeing in Android Q, Google is adding more parental controls that will let parents set daily screentime limits, set a bed time, and see which apps were downloaded. You can also dole out "bonus time" here.

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Android Q Beta 3 is out

Google announced that the Android Q beta 3 is now available -- on 21 devices. That's more than double the number of devices that got Android P last year.

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The merging of two brands

Last but not least, Google is talking about hardware. It announced that it's effectively combining the Nest and Google Home brands together.

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New hardware!

As part of the Nest-Google Home merger announcement, Google unveiled the Nest Hub Max. It's a 10-inch device with a display, Nest Cam, and a 2.1 speaker system. It will be available for $229 later this year.

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They're here!

Saving the best for last, Google has finally introduced its new, less expensive Pixel phones after months of rumors and leaks! They're called Pixel 3A and 3A XL, and they start at $399.

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