Future of Android and Google = Continuum
i.e. what I expect to see in the Google I/O 2019
Disclaimer: I have no insider knowledge. A lot what I write here is speculation based on what I have seen publicly stated by Google, what I have experienced, how I feel things should evolve and what I wish I would see.
Android is everywhere
It’s not exactly news that Android runs on every possible device form factor already. Arguably TVs and Wearables are struggling a bit when it comes to great Android experience but I bet we’ll get there eventually with them as well.
Android in cars has been available for years already in form of Android Auto but this year Google’s automotive push becomes serious. Polestar 2 will be the first car running Android as it’s main operating system. I’m really hoping to see one live in the IO this year. Can’t wait to play around with it.
Google Assistant ecosystem
One of the main features of the Android automotive OS is, of course, Google Assistant. In the past years Google Assistant has become a system on its own. It was and still is an integral part of Android but it’s also everywhere else. Google is playing this interesting double play of ecosystems.
By the looks of it Google Assistant is being used by a lot of people.
I’ve been in the Google ecosystem since GMail launch. I currently use a Google Home in every single room of my home. I use Android Auto as my navigation system in my car. And of course, my phone runs Android. The device I’m writing this blogpost is running Google’s Chrome OS.
To me the core of Google ecosystem is continuum. The combination of Google Assistant and rest of the Google ecosystem gives me something I don’t get elsewhere, seamless experience of continuing a use case on another device.
This is what I believe is going to be (or should be) the main message towards the Google developer crowd in the IO audience this year. Experiences you build are no longer just for a single device. Your users will expect seamless continuum throughout the Google’s ecosystem.
People listening to a podcast expect that they can enjoy their morning coffee in their kitchen browsing possible podcasts to listen on their TV and select one to start playing it in every room in their home. Once they jump into their car the podcast will continue where they left off in their car with a simple voice command “continue my podcast”. There’s no need to select podcast app, define which podcast, etc. Everything is already know.
Once they arrive at work they can first continue the podcast as seamlessly on their phone and once they arrive at their desk keep playing it on their laptop. None of the steps require anything else than informing the Google Assistant what device the user would like to use now.
There’s a lot of technical things that we’ll see and learn in the I/O and I’m as excited about those as ever. But as a user the long game Google is playing in the two ecosystems is even more exciting and we’re nearing the first iterations of that vision that are feasibly available to everyone. As an app developer I’m excited about the possibilities to think beyond just apps and beyond the phone.
But let’s see what next week brings us. I’m hoping on seeing expanding use cases in the keynotes and sessions.
Also, if you’re at the I/O come say “hi” if you recognise me!
