News

Everything Announced At The Android Show: I/O Edition

Android 16 updates, Gemini’s broader rollout, a Material 3 overhaul, and new privacy tools have been revealed ahead of the upcoming Google I/O event.

Published

1 year ago

May 15, 2025

Joanna Melki

everything announced at the android show io edition

Google

A week before its annual I/O conference, Google gave developers and Android fans a sneak peek at the future of its mobile ecosystem at The Android Show: I/O Edition. The event covered updates across Android 16, Wear OS, Google TV, and Android Auto, with a heavy focus on design, AI integration, and privacy.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s new:

Material 3 Expressive Makes Android More Playful

Android is getting a visual refresh with Material 3 Expressive, an evolution of Google’s design language that arrives with the Android 16 beta in June 2025 on select devices. The update introduces richer animations, dynamic typography, and more vibrant colors. The goal is to make Android feel more intuitive — and more appealing to younger users.

This design shift will show up in Android 16 and Wear OS 6, making both platforms feel more personalized and fun. On phones, users will also gain more flexibility with Quick Settings customization and home screen app grid enhancements.

Gemini Expands Across Google’s Platforms

Google’s Gemini AI assistant is expanding from Android and iOS into more Google-owned platforms, including:

Wear OS (smartwatches)
Google TV
Android Auto
Google’s new Android XR (mixed reality) platform

Gemini takes over all the core tasks once handled by Google Assistant — like setting reminders or timers — but adds multimodal capabilities and more natural conversation. For example, in Android Auto, Gemini Live allows real-time, open-ended conversations while you drive.

On Google TV, Gemini will recommend shows based on genre or viewer preferences, and even answer actor-specific questions. More details on the XR platform are expected at Google I/O on May 20.

Android 16 Brings Security Upgrades And The New Find Hub

Security continues to be a major focus with Android 16. Notable updates include:

Smarter AI-based spam detection, expanding to cover new scam types like toll road fraud.
A Key Verifier tool for securely exchanging encryption keys during calls.
The ability to grant accessibility permissions during calls with unknown contacts, improving safety and inclusivity.

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For device tracking, Google is evolving the Find My Device service into the new Find Hub. This tool supports ultra-wideband (UWB) for precise location data and even allows devices to ping satellites when out of cell range.

While full details on Gemini’s XR ambitions and the next-gen Android hardware are reserved for I/O next week, The Android Show provided a useful preview of how Google is merging AI, design, and security to further refine its popular ecosystem.

News

NEOPAY Wants To Follow Merchants Across Channels And Borders

A controlling 65% stake in noon payments would give NEOPAY access to marketplace sellers, online merchants and the payment flows they generate.

Published

1 day ago

October 5, 2026

Nour Nasir

neopay wants to follow merchants across channels and borders

It’s been a long time since checkouts were single defined places. A merchant might take payments at a physical register, on its own website and through an online marketplace, sometimes in more than one country. NEOPAY wants to follow those transactions wherever they happen.

The UAE payments company has entered into an agreement to acquire a 65% controlling stake in noon payments. NEOPAY already runs the acquiring infrastructure that lets merchants accept card payments, along with omnichannel acceptance and a merchant services platform. This new deal would add noon payments’ embedded payments platform, e-commerce gateway and merchant network across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. That would considerably expand both NEOPAY’s digital commerce capabilities and its regional reach.

For merchants, the attraction is a single provider for online and in-store payments, plus faster settlements, data and analytics, and value-added financial services.

“Payments should be simple, reliable, and built for the markets they serve,” said Faraz Khalid, CEO of noon. His counterpart at NEOPAY, Vibhor Mundhada, added: “We have built a strong payments business in the UAE, and our ambition is now to take that capability across the region”. The acquisition, Mundhada added, would “expand our footprint into Saudi Arabia and Egypt” while reinforcing NEOPAY’s position at home.

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NEOPAY is also keen to point out potential payment volume increases. The company says noon payments’ integrations with marketplace sellers and online merchants create high transaction density in some of the region’s fastest-growing digital commerce segments. It also believes control of the business would give it access to those merchant relationships and payment flows, and speed up the rollout of alternative payment methods and installment options.

The combined roadmap targets faster merchant onboarding, better payment performance, tighter fraud controls and embedded financial services. The deal could also strengthen cross-border payments and settlement along key regional commerce corridors.