The 2019 edition of Google’s annual developer conference took place from May 7 until May 9 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. Yes, I know… I’m late to the party so to speak. 🥶

Since 2008, Google I/O is that time of the year the company is announcing new hardware, software, and updates for its existing apps and services.

Here are my key takeaways from this year’s rendition.

A more affordable Pixel phone

Google is definitely getting inspired by Apple on this one: it will be making a more affordable version of its flagship smartphone, Pixel. This coincides with plans to enter more international markets and appeal to new customer groups who wish to buy a modern smartphone at a reasonable price.

“Google Pixel 3a Unboxing” by Unbox Therapy, YouTube.

The 5.6-inch Pixel 3a will cost US $399; while the 6-inch Pixel 3a XL will come with $479 price tag. The regular, more “premium” Pixel devices start at $799. The phones are scaled-down versions of Google’s existing Pixel phone line and do not bring any new features. The models look the same, and Google stated the cameras will come with a night and portrait mode, just like the Pixel 3.

Android Q beta

You can download the latest Android Q beta mobile operating system as of May 7, which now offers Dark Theme for every standard Android app. You can now select inverted app colors manually or turn it on using the battery saver mode. According to The Verge, the colors are a real black, not dark gray, which might be able with battery management.

“Android Q Beta 3: Privacy made simple” by Engadget, YouTube.

There is also a new feature called “Focus Mode”. Rather than the Wind Down mode that grays out the screen, Focus Mode enables you to select specific apps that you want to avoid using during a period of time and only disable those. Furthermore, families will be able to link accounts between parents and kids, hence parents can set those app limitations to monitor apps their kids are spending the most time on.

A smarter voice assistant

Google Assistant is also getting a few upgrades. It will now be able to show how-to instructions on smart displays and in “search”, and do more with apps, such as sending payments. Moreover, smart home devices will also be able to talk to one another utilizing their own radios, and offload processes to other devices.

“Google IO 2019 Next Gen Google Assistant” by Phandroid, YouTube.

Google also previewed its next-generation Google Assistant, which will be available on Pixel phones later this year and be advanced enough to understand voice commands using onboard computing. The assistant will not have to communicate back with Google for each request, addressing potential privacy concerns as well as providing answers up to 10 times faster than before.

Reinforced privacy

During the second day of I/O, Google published a list of privacy commitments in regards to its hardware offering in which the company detailed how personal data is utilized and how it can be controlled.

The document explains that the new smart home display Nest Hub Max, which leverages an on-device facial recognition feature dubbed “Face Match” to spot familiar people and surface contextually relevant information, does not send facial recognition data to the cloud.

That’s all folks. If you have a bit more time to spare, I highly recommend you watch The Verge’s 13 minute summary of the event on YouTube.

“Google I/O 2019 event in 13 minutes” by The Verge, YouTube.