Google Rolls Out Gemini 3.5 Flash and Android XR Glasses at I/O 2026

Google announced multiple updates to its Gemini AI models along with new hardware during its I/O 2026 developer conference. The company introduced Gemini 3.5 Flash, which combines frontier intelligence with agentic task capabilities and surpasses Gemini 3.1 Pro in coding, agentic, and multimodal benchmarks. It delivers 4x faster output token speeds than other frontier models and began rolling out today across the Gemini app, Search, Antigravity 2.0, and the Gemini API. Gemini 3.5 Pro remains in testing and will arrive next month.

A new Gemini Omni series blends reasoning with creation features. Gemini Omni Flash accepts image, audio, video, and text inputs while generating video outputs grounded in real-world knowledge. The model supports easy editing and starts rolling out today to AI Plus, Pro, and Ultra users in the Gemini app, Google Flow, and YouTube Shorts. SynthID verification expands beyond the Gemini app to Search and Chrome, while C2PA Content Credentials support lets users verify if content remains unaltered from original camera sources.

The Gemini app received a Neural Expressive redesign with fluid animations, vibrant colors, haptic feedback, and updated typography. A pill-shaped prompt box replaces the previous interface, and responses now prioritize key information in bold with inline images, narrated videos, timelines, and interactive visualizations. Gemini Spark, described as a personal agent, will handle actions across Gmail, Docs, and other Workspace apps starting next week for Google AI Ultra subscribers in the United States before broader third-party expansion via MCP this summer. Daily Brief, a personalized digest drawing from Gmail, Calendar, and Tasks, also begins rolling out today to Google AI Plus, Pro, and Ultra users in the US.

Google Search gains an AI Mode powered by Gemini 3.5 Flash, an expanding intelligent search box, and anticipatory query suggestions. Information agents that monitor the web and real-time data for user-specific topics will arrive this summer for Pro and Ultra subscribers. Universal Cart, a Gemini-powered shopping hub integrated with Google Wallet, launches in the US this summer on Search and the Gemini app, with YouTube and Gmail support following later. Additional Workspace updates include Gmail Live for conversational email search and Docs Live for document creation and editing, both rolling out this summer to select AI plan users.

New hardware includes Android XR glasses referred to as intelligent eyewear. The first audio versions, developed with Samsung and Qualcomm and designed externally by Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, will launch this fall and pair with both Android phones and iPhones. Android Halo provides at-a-glance agent progress visibility at the top of phone screens and becomes available later this year. Mobile versions of the Google Flow and Flow Music apps are now available in beta on Android and iOS respectively.