It’s official — Google I/O 2020 is no more. The reason? COVID-19 Coronavirus.
The news broke on March 20 via the Google Developers account on Twitter, with the company saying:
A #GoogleIO update: Out of concern for the health and safety of our developers, employees, and local communities — and in line with “shelter in place” requirements by the local Bay Area government — we sadly will not be holding an I/O event in any capacity this year. (1/3)
— Google Developers (@googledevs) March 20, 2020
In reply to that initial tweet, Google continued with:
Right now, the most important thing all of us can do is focus our attention on helping people with the new challenges we all face. We’ll continue to do everything we can to help our communities stay safe, informed, and connected.
On March 3, Google said it would be canceling its physical I/O 2020 event in place of a livestream so the show could still go on in a digital format. With this latest news, however, the event in its entirety is dead — livestream included.
This news isn’t entirely surprising considering how rapidly the situation around COVID-19 is changing, but regardless, this is a big move on Google’s part. With the livestream no longer taking place, it’s likely the company will now publicize its announcements in the form of a press release or delay them until a later date.
While I/O is a developer-focused event, we were anticipating big unveilings of the anticipated Pixel 4a and further developments on Android 11.
Coronavirus and tech: Ongoing list of event cancellations, disruptions, product delays, and more
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