Google: Here are the biggest Android ecosystem announcements at Google I/O 2023 – Times of India

At Google I/O, the company was expected to announce new features in Android 14, the next iteration of Google’s mobile operating system but there was hardly anything on that front. Nevertheless, Google announced a bunch of features coming to Android and how the company uses AI to improve user experience.
Google pretty much talked about Android in its ecosystem and AI-based customisation. The company also said that there are more than 3 billion active devices globally.
Android for tablets, foldable phones
Google announced Pixel Fold foldable smartphone and Pixel Tablet at I/O. According to the company, more than 50 Google apps have been optimised for large screens, including Gmail, Photos and Meet. Third-party apps like Spotify, Minecraft and Disney+ have also been optimised for tablets.

When it comes to foldable phones, Google said the experiences on tablets also work well with Pixel Fold.
“With smooth transitions across screens, improved multi-column layouts and tabletop mode, you can easily switch between tasks and get things done as you fold and unfold your phone,” the company said.
AI wallpapers
The company also introduced some latest examples of advancements in AI to make smartphones “even more personal”. The AI features include Magic Compose, Cinematic Wallpaper and Generative AI Wallpaper.

Android Wear OS
Google said that it was also seeing momentum with smartwatches as Wear OS grew over five times since the launch of Wear OS 3 in 2021. Google also claimed that it is the fastest-growing smartwatch platform in the world. The company also announced that WhatsApp is bringing their first-ever smartwatch app to Wear OS.
WhatsApp parent Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg also commented on the development in his channel.
“Announced at Google I/O that we’re shipping the first WhatsApp smartwatch app on Wear OS later this year. You’ll be able to start new conversations, reply to messages, and take calls on your wrist,” he said.

Android TV and Android Auto
Google announced that Android TV OS is now the top streaming platform worldwide by shipments. Google also said that Android Auto will be available in 200 million cars this year.
“And the number of car models with Google built-in will more than double by the end of the year,” the company said.