Everything Google announced at I/O 2025: AI, Android, and the Future of Tech

At Google I/O 2025, Google showcased the future of AI, Android, and extended reality (XR). As a tech writer following Google’s ecosystem for years, I can say this year’s event leaned heavily into software and AI, with a little talk about future gadgets. From smarter AI tools to a revamped Android experience, Google unveiled a lot in two days. Let’s break down the key announcements, explained in simple terms.

Gemini AI: Evolution of Google’s Intelligence Platform

Google’s Gemini AI stole the spotlight at I/O 2025. What’s the big news? Gemini 2.5 Pro’s new Deep Think Mode is designed for heavy tasks like solving complex math problems, writing code, or handling multiple types of data (text, images, and more). To use this mode, you have to be a premium user.

Google treated iOS users with a free version of Gemini Live. This means iPhone and iPad owners can chat with Gemini Live without paying, a feature that was once tied to a $20/month subscription and was mainly available for Android. Gemini Live lets you chat with your phone’s AI, share your camera feed, or even your screen in real time.

Google also changed its AI subscriptions. The $20/month Gemini Advanced plan is now Google AI Pro ($19.99/month), adds access to Flow, a new AI-powered video editor, and Gemini integration in Chrome for smarter browsing. For advanced users, the Google AI Ultra tier at $249.99/month offers early access to cutting-edge AI tools, a prototype for managing AI agents, and a massive 30TB of storage.

Next-Generation AI-Powered Tools

Flow: Video Creation Reimagined

Let’s start with Flow, it is a video creation tool that rivals OpenAI’s Sora. This AI tool is built on Google’s Veo, Imagen, and Gemini models. It lets you generate professional-looking videos from simple prompts, perfect for creators or businesses.

Veo 3 & Imagen 4

You can add native audio to videos in Veo 3, and it is available to Google AI Ultra users in the US. Meanwhile, Imagen 4 is Google’s latest image generation model, rolling out to the Gemini app.

AI Enhanced Search & Communication

And, there is AI Mode in Search. The feature is now live in the US with a custom Gemini 2.5 model. It makes Google Search smarter by offering AI-driven insights, like summarizing complex topics or creating charts for sports or finance queries. The AI Mode is coming to 200+ countries in 40+ languages soon. Another feature is Google Beam, a 3D video conferencing system that uses AI to make virtual meetings feel like face-to-face chats.

Android 16: The Next Evolution

Android 16 brings a fresh look with Material 3 Expressive, offering personalization options like custom colors, fonts, and animations. It also features a refined homescreen grid for a clean app layout and adaptive design for different devices, ensuring a seamless experience across phones, foldables, and tablets. This redesign was previewed at The Android Show: I/O Edition on May 13, 2025, and will roll out to Pixel devices later this year.

For wearable users, Wear OS 6 got a developer preview with a Material 3 Expressive makeover, aligning its look with Android 16.

Developer Experience Upgrades

For developers, Android Studio now uses Google’s latest AI model, Gemini 2.5 Pro. A feature called “Journeys” acts like a smart guide, helping with coding tasks. There’s also “Agent Mode,” which can tackle more complex parts of app development, like automating tricky processes.

Importantly, there’s a better crash fix with AI. Android Studio’s updated “Crash Insights” feature makes this easier. It looks at your app’s code, figures out why it’s crashing, and also suggests ways to fix it. This is part of the App Quality Insights panel, helping developers make apps more reliable.

Beyond Smartphones: XR and Smart Glasses

Google’s push into extended reality (XR) was a highlight, with Android XR taking center stage. This platform powers AR and VR experiences, and Google showed off AR smart glasses developed with Samsung, Gentle Monster, and Warby Parker.

Hardware Innovations

While I/O 2025 was light on hardware, Google announced Fire SAT satellites for detecting wildfires. The first satellite is already in orbit, capable of spotting fires as small as 270 square feet and updating imagery every 20 minutes. This could be a lifesaver for disaster response.

Well, Google hasn’t shared any information about Pixel 10, a shift from past I/Os where new phones often debuted.

Productivity and Workspace Enhancements

Google’s productivity suite got a major AI boost. Gmail now offers personalized Smart Replies, Inbox Cleanup, and Calendar scheduling powered by Gemini.

Google Meet introduced real-time speech translation, acting like a human interpreter, available for testing with AI Pro and Ultra plans. Google Docs gained a Gemini side panel for smarter document editing, and Google Vids can now turn slide decks into videos with AI avatars and sound balancing.

AI Integration Across the Ecosystem

Project Astra lets Gemini control your Android phone, navigating apps or making calls via voice commands. Gemini in Chrome helps you browse smarter, answering questions about webpages or guiding navigation (coming later in 2025).

For developers, Jules, a coding agent, writes tests, fixes bugs, and builds features, now in public beta with no waitlist.

Google Play updates include a new Travel category and richer app listings. The SynthID Detector, a portal for verifying AI-generated content, is live, helping fight misinformation.

Google I/O 2025 was a bold step forward, blending AI innovation with a refined Android ecosystem and a peek at XR’s potential. From Gemini’s smarter tools to Android 16’s unified design and AR glasses, Google is building a future where tech feels intuitive and connected. For Android enthusiasts and developers, the event offered exciting tools to explore, while everyday users can look forward to free AI features and smarter apps. Check out the Google I/O keynote for more details.