Google I/O 2024: How to watch
Google I/O 2024 is finally on this Tuesday, becoming the next tech event to take centre stage after Apple’s iPad event last week. Commentators are expecting Google to make a swathe of announcements, including revealing new Android 15 updates, a progress report on its AI chatbot Gemini, and news on the next Pixel Fold.
Fortunately, you don’t have to trek all the way to Silicon Valley to keep up to date. Here’s how to watch Google I/O no matter where you are.
What is Google I/O?
Google I/O is a developer conference held by the tech giant in the U.S. every year. Initially called Google Developer Day when it first took place in 2007, the annual event’s name was changed to Google I/O for its second year — a moniker which has stuck since.
“A googol is a one, followed by 100 zeroes, so that’s where the I/O name and logo came from,” Google’s director of US events Lorin Platto explained last year. “We just took the first one and zero, and we left off all the other zeroes. It all goes back to Google.”
The conference includes numerous talks and workshops advising developers how they can use Google’s products. However, the average person will primarily be interested in two sessions: the Google keynote and the Developer keynote. With Google I/O having been the platform for big product announcements in the past, any significant reveals are likely to take place during these sessions. Google I/O was previously used to launch Android, Google Assistant, and Google Home.
When is Google I/O 2024?
This year Google I/O will take place from Tuesday, May 14. Google’s keynote is scheduled to start the proceedings at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET, with the Developer keynote set to follow at 1:30 p.m. PT / 4:30 p.m. ET. The 2024 event will run for two days, though in the past it has been as short as one or as long as three.
Where is Google I/O 2024?
Google I/O 2024 will take place at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. The Shoreline Amphitheatre is an outdoor venue with a capacity of 22,500 people, though Google has stated that this year’s event will only have a “small live audience.” Google I/O has been held at the Shoreline Ampitheatre almost every year since 2016, the only exceptions being when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, then conducted entirely online in 2021.
The annual conference has since been held both in-person and online, allowing developers around the world to join in for free.
How to watch Google I/O 2024
If you aren’t attending this year’s Google I/O in person, you can still watch a livestream of the keynotes on Google’s official YouTube channel. The video is embedded below:
The nerds won’t have to miss out Google I/O’s technical and educational information either. All content will be available on demand from Thursday, May 16 at 8 a.m. PT / 11 a.m. ET on the Google I/O website, and will even be translated into different languages. Google has also stated that some content such as captioned videos might be viewable “shortly after the event.”
