It's almost that time again, folks: we're about to find out about some of Google's big ideas for the year ahead at its I/O developer conference. Most of the big news will come from the opening keynote on May 14, which will almost certainly give us more info on Android 15 as well as a whole bunch of AI updates.

There will surely be some surprises, though we'll more than likely need to wait until the fall to get the full lowdown on the company's latest flagship hardware.

As always, the rumor mill has been churning away with a number of reports highlighting what Google is likely to discuss at I/O. To that end, here's what to expect from the Google I/O 2024 keynote:

Android 15

Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget

I/O is a developer conference first and foremost. This is always where Google gives third-party devs the full lowdown on the next major Android version so they can start working on apps for it or modify their existing products.

The first Android 15 betas are already out in the wild. Among the features are an updated Privacy Sandbox, partial screen sharing (so you can record or share a certain app window instead of the entire screen) and system-level app archiving to free up space. There's also improved satellite connectivity, additional in-app camera controls and a new power efficiency mode.

However, Google is saving the bulk of the Android 15 announcements for I/O. The company has confirmed satellite messaging is coming to Android, and we could find out more about how that works. Lock screen widgets may be a focus for tablets, while Google might place an onus on an At a Glance widget for phones. A status bar redesign may be in the offing, and it may at long last be easier for you to monitor battery health.

Wake words may once again be in the offing for third-party assistants such as Alexa and even ChatGPT. Rumors also suggest there may be a feature called Private Space to let you hide data and apps from prying eyes.

AI, and lots of it

Google

If you drop a dollar into a jar every time someone mentions AI during the keynote, you'll probably stash away enough cash for a vacation. The safe money's on Google talking about Gemini AI, which may end up replacing Assistant entirely. If that's the case, we could find out some of the details about the transition at I/O.

Back in December, it was reported that Google was working on an AI assistant called Pixie as an exclusive feature for Pixel devices. Pixie is said to be based on Gemini and may debut in the Pixel 9 later this year, so it would make sense for the company to start discussing that at I/O.

It wouldn't be a surprise to learn about generative AI updates for key Google products such as Search, Chrome, Maps and G Suite. AI-driven accessibility features and health projects may be in the offing too. Meanwhile, with Google once again delaying its plan to kill off third-party cookies in Chrome, it may see AI as a solution to ad targeting and spill the beans on any plan for that at I/O.

Everything else

Google

The full I/O schedule offers some insight into what else Google will discuss, even if those products and services won't necessarily get airtime in the keynote.

Google has lined up a panel on the future of Wear OS, which will include details on "advances in the Watch Face Format," so expect some news about its smartwatch operating system. There will also be updates on Google TV and Android TV.

Meanwhile, Google's quantum computing team will talk about what's feasible in the space and attempt to separate fact from fiction. An Android Auto panel is on the schedule too, hinting at developments for multi-display and casting experiences.

What not to expect: Pixel 9 or Pixel Fold

Photo by Cherlynn Low / Engadget

It would be a major surprise for Google to reveal a Pixel 9 or a new Pixel Fold this early in the year. The company is probably going to save those details for the fall ahead of those devices going on sale around that time. However, it did formally reveal the Pixel Fold at I/O last year, so we could get a glimpse of some hardware — especially if it wants to get out ahead of the leakers and control the narrative.

On the other hand, Google recently consolidated its Android and hardware teams under Rick Osterloh. His team may want a little more prep to make sure new devices are ready for primetime under the latest regime. As such, any hardware news (including anything to do with Nest or wearables) could be a little farther out.

Samsung is expanding its OLED TV range with a new entry-level lineup. It's introducing the S85 series alongside several additional sizes of the S90D.

The S85D includes many of the same features as more premium models, such as the NQ4 AI Gen2 Processor, 4K AI Upscaling capabilities and Pantone Validated Colors. Dolby Atmos, the Samsung TV Plus ad-supported streaming service and Samsung Gaming Hub are also included.

Samsung says the S85D also has Motion Xcelerator technology, as well as a "bold look and feel" thanks to its contour design (though as you can see above, it just looks like a modern TV). Having four HDMI 2.1 ports with support for 4K, 120Hz inputs on each is a welcome touch. One key tradeoff is that the display has a maximum 120Hz refresh rate, compared with the 144Hz of the S90 line.

The S85D models start at $1,700 for a 55-inch TV. A 65-inch model will set you back $2,100, while the 77-inch variant will run you $3,400.

The S90D (which initially had the same three sizes as the S85 lineup) will soon have a less-expensive entry point, with a 42-inch model that costs $1,400. A new 48-inch unit costs $1,600, while Samsung has added a 83-inch S90D that'll run you $5,400.

Samsung is positioning the S90D line as one that's ideal for gamers as the TVs use Motion Xcelerator Turbo+ to help minimize lag. The displays also offer OLED HDR+ for extra brightness and contrast.

These two lineups nestle alongside the higher-end S95D series, which offer OLED Glare-Free and HDR Pro tech. That line starts at $2,600 for a 55-inch model, running up to $4,600 for a 77-inch TV.

Apex Legends will soon offer a Solos mode for the first time since 2019, even though developer Respawn Entertainment said earlier this year it had no plans to let players run amok in the battle by themselves again. When the next season starts, Solos will replace the Duos mode for six weeks.

The game is designed and tuned for squads of three, but Respawn recently told reporters that it "wanted to acknowledge the growing interest in Solos from our players," many of whom were looking for new ways to play the game. Running the mode for half of season 21 will give the developers a chance to gain plenty of feedback from players. Perhaps that could help them figure out if Solos could become a more permanent fixture.

"With growing demand from players and a desire on the team to explore the concept again with everything we've learned since the mode's last appearance in 2019, Upheaval felt like the right time to reintroduce a Solos experience to Apex," events lead Mike Button said.

To compensate for the lack of support from teammates, the revived Solos mode will have three unique features. If you're eliminated in the first four rounds, you'll be able to use a one-time respawn token to rejoin the action. Any unused tokens after the fourth circle closes are converted to Evo, which is used for shields and ability upgrades. The idea behind this, according to the developers, is to encourage players to be more engaged in the early going.

Respawn has also created a mechanic for Solos called Battle Sense. This gives you an audio and visual cue whenever an enemy is within 50 meters. Last but not least, you'll heal passively when you're out of combat. It'll take a moment for the gradual health regeneration to start, but you can skip that initial timer by securing a kill. You'll still be able to use med kits and such to heal manually. Respawn is making some other tweaks for Solos, including adding fully kitted-out weapons, adjusting circle sizes and reducing the lobby size from 60 to 50 players.

Respawn Entertainment/EA

Alongside some map, cosmetic, balance and ranked changes, there'll be a new legend for players to check out. Alter hails from another dimension and that plays into her kit. She can create portals through walls, ceilings and floors.

The Void Passage ability can be fired from some distance away and it has a maximum depth of 20 meters, so it can't go through mountains. After going through a portal, you'll have a few seconds of safety to assess your surroundings and prepare for a fight if need be. Allies and enemies can use the portals too, so Void Passage can open up all kinds of opportunities for flanking and rotations.

With her passive ability, Alter is able to see death boxes through walls and snatch an item from one. Alter's ultimate is called Void Nexus. This drops a device that you and your teammates can interact with remotely, even while knocked down. Doing so will teleport you back to the regroup point. However, enemies have a short window to follow you. Alter's upgrades include the ability to see enemy health bars while moving through a portal.

You'll be able to check out the revived Apex Legends Solos mode and play as Alter when the Upheaval season starts on May 7.

Apple has scheduled its next product showcase for May 7, a few weeks before the Worldwide Developers Conference gets under way. While the company is, as usual, being a bit coy about what's on deck, the signs are all there. It had been rumored for months that Apple would refresh its iPad lineup in May. Sure enough, the image on the announcement for this "Let Loose" event includes an illustration of a hand holding an Apple Pencil. 

Various reports over recent months have offered some insight as to what Apple has up its sleeves. So, with that in mind, here's what to expect from the upcoming iPad event:

M3 iPad Pro

Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

It's been about 18 months since Apple updated any of its iPads, so its tablet lineup is due for a refresh. It won't exactly come as a surprise to see Apple slot M3 chips into the latest iPad Pro models, since the most recent versions run on M2 chipsets.

Otherwise, the biggest update is expected to come in the form of OLED displays, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. That should bring richer colors and deeper blacks to the iPad Pro.

Since OLED panels are thinner than LCD panels, that should allow Apple to reduce the thickness of the iPad Pro. According to 9to5 Mac, the 11-inch iPad Pro will be 0.8 mm thinner at 5.1 mm, while the 12.9-inch model will be more noticeably slender, as the thickness is expected to drop by 1.5 mm to 5 mm. A leaker has suggested that the bezels could be up to 15 percent thinner than previous models as well.

Rumors have been swirling for a while that Apple may offer a glass-backed iPad Pro this year to enable MagSafe charging. Meanwhile, there have been hints that Apple will solve one of our biggest iPad bugbears and move the front-facing camera to the landscape edge of the Pro, as it did with the entry-level iPad in late 2022. That means the camera will be more optimally placed for those who use a Magic Keyboard or folks who simply prefer a landscape orientation.

M2 iPad Air

Nathan Ingraham / Engadget

As for the iPad Air, which Apple has left in stasis for over two years, that's expected to get an upgrade to M2 chips from the M1 that the tablets currently use. There are rumblings that Apple will go with the older chip in the iPad Air to differentiate it from Pro models and ensure that the latter devices clearly remain its highest-end tablets. Reports suggest that the iPad Air's front-facing camera is also blessedly moving to the landscape edge.

There is one other big change we're expecting for the iPad Air, and I mean that in the most literal sense. Apple is rumored to be prepping the first 12.9-inch iPad Air. It's likely to be the least expensive option for a large-screen iPad, even though that would run somewhat against the "Air" part of the name.

Display analyst Ross Young previously suggested that the 12.9-inch iPad Air screen would have a mini-LED display, but that no longer appears to be happening — at least for now. However, Young says that Apple may release an iPad Air with such a display later this year. Meanwhile, the new iPad Air models may have a larger camera bump, perhaps so Apple can add a flash.

New Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil

Engadget

Gurman reported last year that Apple was working on a revamped Magic Keyboard, but only for the iPad Pro, not the Air lineup. The updated keyboard is said to make the iPad Pro look more like a laptop, with a larger trackpad. It's said to be made of aluminum to make it sturdier than previous models, though "the exterior shell of the Magic Keyboard will retain the cover material of the current model," Gurman says.

In addition, Apple is expected to unveil a new Apple Pencil to replace the second-gen model. Dataminers have suggested that an updated peripheral could include a squeeze gesture to carry out certain actions and have Find My support. Some reports have indicated the next Apple Pencil could work with Vision Pro drawing apps too.

What not to expect: A new iPad or iPad mini

Even though the iPad mini in particular is getting very long in the tooth — the most recent model arrived in September 2021 — you probably shouldn't expect a new model to show up at the Let Loose event. Not are we expecting to see a new base iPad. Reports suggest an 11th-gen iPad and an updated iPad mini may arrive later this year, but maybe don't hold your breath for them. 

World of Warcraft, Diablo and Overwatch fans who were looking forward to getting together at BlizzCon in November may be disappointed to learn that Blizzard has canceled this year's edition of the event. The publisher didn't give a clear reason as to why it made that decision, but said it was "not made lightly as BlizzCon remains a very special event for all of us, and we know many of you look forward to it." 

Even so, BlizzCon isn't necessarily gone for good, unlike E3. "While we’re approaching this year differently and as we have explored different event formats in the past, rest assured that we are just as excited as ever to bring BlizzCon back in future years," Blizzard wrote in a blog post.

The publisher plans to spill the beans about expansions (including the upcoming three-part WoW saga and Diablo IV DLC) for its franchises at other events, such as industry trade shows and Gamescom. Now that Blizzard is under Microsoft's umbrella, we can probably expect some news from the publisher at the annual Xbox showcase in June. There are also in-person events lined up for Overwatch esports and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Warcraft. 

BlizzCon 2023 was the first in-person edition since 2019, so to miss out once again in 2024 may come as a blow for many fans. Now they'll likely need to wait until at least late 2025 to meet up with a bunch of their peers and Blizzard developers again.

The Federal Communications Commission has voted to reinstate net neutrality protections that were jettisoned during the Trump administration. As expected, the vote fell across party lines with the three Democratic commissioners in favor and the two Republicans on the panel voting against the measure.

With net neutrality rules in place, broadband service is considered an essential communications resource under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934. That enables the FCC to regulate broadband internet in a similar way to water, power and phone services. That includes giving the agency oversight of outages and the security of broadband networks.

Under net neutrality rules, internet service providers have to treat broadband usage in the same way. Users have to be provided with access to all content, websites and apps under the same speeds and conditions. ISPs can't block or prioritize certain content — they're not allowed to throttle access to specific sites or charge streaming services for faster service.

The FCC adopted net neutrality protections in 2015 during the Obama administration. But they were scrapped when President Donald Trump was in office. Back in 2021, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to bring back the Obama-era rules, but the FCC was unable to do so for quite some time. The commission was deadlocked with two Democratic votes and two Republican votes until Anna Gomez was sworn in as the third Democratic commissioner on the panel last September. The FCC then moved relatively quickly (at least in terms of the FCC's pace) to re-establish net neutrality protections.

The issue may not be entirely settled. There may still be legal challenges from the telecom industry. However, the FCC's vote in favor of net neutrality is a win for advocates of an open and equitable internet.

Several months after Meta brought WhatsApp passkey logins to Android, it’s doing the same on iOS. The company is rolling out the feature now, and it will be available to all users in the coming weeks.

Passkeys are seen as a more secure login method as (for one thing) it mitigates the risk of scammers convincing users to share their SMS passcode. Instead, you can log in by verifying a passkey using facial recognition, biometrics or a PIN stored on Apple’s passkey manager. Passkeys work by securely storing an authentication credential on your device that pairs with one saved by the service you want to log into.

To turn on passkeys for WhatsApp on iOS, go to the Account section of the app’s Settings, and then tap Passkeys. “Passkey verification will make logging back into WhatsApp easier and more secure. We’re excited to launch this on WhatsApp and give users an added layer of security,” Alice Newton-Rex, WhatsApp’s head of product, said in a statement.

Valve has closed a loophole in Steam's refund policy that effectively allowed players to beat a game before its official release date and get their money back. The company has long had a policy in place whereby users could refund a game, no questions asked, as long as they haven’t played for more than two hours within 14 days. Until now, the refund policy was far more lenient for games in early access or advanced access, but Valve has nipped that in the bud.

"When you purchase a title on Steam prior to the release date, the two hour playtime limit for refunds will apply (except for beta testing), but the 14-day period for refunds will not start until the release date," Valve's updated policy reads, as noted by IGN. "For example, if you purchase a game that is in Early Access or Advanced Access, any playtime will count against the two-hour refund limit. If you pre-purchase a title which is not playable prior to the release date, you can request a refund at any time prior to release of that title, and the standard 14-day/two-hour refund period will apply starting on the game’s release date."

Early access enables players to try an incomplete version of a game. It’s helpful for developers as they can take feedback from players and use that to improve their project before ramping up the marketing campaign ahead of the official release. Supergiant famously used this strategy to tremendous success with Hades (and is perhaps looking to repeat that trick with the sequel). But a game can remain in early access for years. Under the previous policy, players could put many hours into an early access game and still claim a refund on Steam.

As for advanced access, that relates to playing a full version of a game before its proper debut. It's pretty common for publishers to sell a deluxe edition of a game that lets players dive in a few days early. However, Steam made it possible for someone to beat a game in advanced access and get their money back before the standard version was available to everyone.

Now, the two-hour time limit applies to games in early access and advanced access. There's also a new advanced access label to make it clear when a game offers that.

There is one other key issue with the otherwise generous two-hour refund policy that Steam hasn't fully addressed, however. It's not uncommon for players to roll credits on very short games, typically indie titles. That leaves the game's developer and publisher out of pocket.

You may be able to give those plastic Rock Band guitars you have stuffed away in the attic a new lease of life. Fortnite Festival (a Rock Band-style mode that debuted in Fortnite in December) now supports several Rock Band 4 controllers across PlayStation, Xbox and PC, as detailed in a blog post.

If you have a compatible plastic guitar, you can use it to play new Pro Lead and Pro Bass parts in any Jam Track. These parts have colored notes for each lane that match with the guitar controller buttons. They also include hammer-on and pull-off notes — just like Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

Epic Games (which bought Rock Band developer Harmonix in 2021 to build music experiences for Fortnite) plans to add support for more peripherals down the line. Hopefully, the developers will make the whammy bar more useful beyond triggering a visual effect too.

Epic previously said it would add support for Rock Band guitars. Earlier this year, third-party peripheral maker PDP (which Turtle Beach recently purchased) unveiled a new Xbox and PlayStation wireless guitar controller for Rock Band 4 and Fortnite Festival.

Support for the Rock Band peripherals come just as Billie Eilish joins the game as its new music icon. Several of her songs are available to buy and use in Fortnite Festival, and you'll be able to purchase an Eilish outfit (or unlock one through a secondary battle pass) and play as her in the Battle Royale mode.

Meanwhile, Epic has added a setting that allows players to hide certain emotes that others often use for trolling in Battle Royale. For instance, after being eliminated, a player might not want to see a rival using the "Take the L" emote, which involves making the shape of an "L" (for "loser") on their forehead and doing a silly dance. The setting won't stop players from using any emotes and it only hides four of them for now. Somehow, one of the emotes that the setting doesn't hide is a personal favorite called "Rage Quit."

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is only a few weeks away, but the company simply can't wait that long to make some more announcements. It has scheduled a virtual event for May 7. The stream will be available on Apple's website and the Apple TV app (and likely YouTube) and it will start at 10AM ET.

As usual, Apple hasn't been totally forthcoming about what to expect. However, the animated image it included in the announcement shows a hand holding an Apple Pencil in the center of a stylized, colorful Apple logo. That indicates the event is very likely going to be focused on iPad.

Rumors have been swirling for some time that Apple was likely to update the iPad Pro and iPad Air in a couple of sizes in May with M3 and M2 chips, respectively. The company is expected to bring OLED displays to the iPad Pro, while adding a larger 12.9-inch iPad Air to the lineup. Reports suggest a new Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro and a fresh Apple Pencil may be in the offing too. In any case, it's been over two years since the last iPad Air and around 18 months since the M2-powered iPad Pros debuted, so both are due for a refresh.