Android Show 2026 live — all the big news on Android 17 and more

For content creators out there, Android 17 is making filming green-screen recordings way easier. It's baked into the operating system and lets you simply add a cutout of yourself to any screen recording.

There are also improvements to video recording and even a smarter way to enhance shots you've already captured. Similar to what Apple's done with audio in video recordings, Google will let you optimize your voice after the fact to ensure the focus is there.

Android 17 will let you create pretty much any widget

Thanks to Gemini Intelligence, you'll be able to create any widget you want by describing it in natural language. The options here are pretty much limitless, at least as Google has described them so far.

A nice part of this widget experience is that they won't be limited to your Android phone, but can also be sent to your smartwatch.

OK, this is actually pretty cool. Gemini Intelligence is going to help with filling out forms that simply aren't mobile-optimized. For instance, when you need to enter a passport number or a loyalty rewards number, Gemini can securely retrieve it from your password and fill it out for you.

Gemini Intelligence is official

We're rolling right into the news, and first is Gemini Intelligence — it'll start with Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones later this summer. The idea is that the AI can be more proactive and operate behind the scenes, and it sounds a lot like what Apple promised with Apple Intelligence.

One of the main purposes is that it can automate 'more tedious' actions, things like creating widgets or even more multistep actions like calling a rideshare, or finding a concert for you in a specific section. The automation capabilities are pretty neat here, and the updated user interface will let you know when the AI is working.

Android is becoming an 'intelligent system'

And now, President of the Android Ecosystem, Sameer Samat, is kicking things off. Highlighting some of the big leaps, like Circle to Search and RCS Messages, to make group chats work a little better.

The theme for this year's update is to have the tech fade into the background — the big change is that Android is moving from an operating system to an intelligent system.

The Android Show is kicking off with a little behind-the-scenes reel, and now CEO Sundar Pichai is giving a brief intro. He started off by saying Android is close to his heart and that a new level of intelligence is arriving.

2 minutes to go

The livestream has officially kicked off for the Android Show 2026, and you can easily stream it above, but we have a countdown that seems to be showing off some rainbow hues. And a mysteriously see-through Android is making an appearance every so often.

With Android leading the bill in the event name, and plenty of rumors about deeper integrations and potential design changes, I wouldn't expect to see much about the next generation of Pixels.

While we have seen rumors about the Pixel 11 lineup in recent weeks, Google typically reserves its hardware announcements for later in the summer. And that's likely when we'll see the Pixel 11 family announced.

There is a good chance that many of Android 17's features will arrive on the current Pixel 10 family – 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL, and 10 Pro Fold included – and the more recently launched Pixel 10a.

It's rare that we have two confirmed Google events this close together, but with the Android Show happening today – May 12, 2026 – Google's next event is right around the corner on May 19, 2026, as that's the day Google I/O kicks off.

The latter is Google's developer conference and typically fairly focused on platforms, software, and, in recent years, AI. Considering today's event is dubbed 'Android Show 2026', that platform will likely be taking center stage, allowing Google to dive deep into what's new with Android and highlight some of the big leaps year over year.

Hello and welcome to our Android Show 2026 live blog. I'll be your host as we count down to the kick off at 1pm ET / 6pm BST.

Less than an hour to go

We're less than an hour away from the Android Show kicking off, and it's safe to say that anticipation is building for what will likely be our first major look at Android 17 and whatever else Google has been working on.