Google won't hold a virtual I/O this year
The move comes in response to California's recent shelter in place order.
Google has officially canceled its I/O 2020 developer conference. The company announced today the event won't be taking place "in any capacity this year."
When Google announced its first change of plans earlier this month, the company said it would "explore other ways to evolve Google I/O to best connect with our developer community." At the time, it seemed like the company would host online presentations and workshops, much like Apple announced it would do at WWDC later this year. However, in response to California's recent shelter in place order amid the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, the company now won't hold the event at all.
A #GoogleIO update: Out of concern for the health and safety of our developers, employees, and local communities — and in line with "shelter in place" requirements by the local Bay Area government — we sadly will not be holding an I/O event in any capacity this year. (1/3)
— Google Developers (@googledevs) March 20, 2020
"Right now, the most important thing all of us can do is focus our attention on helping people with the new challenges we all face. We'll'll continue to do everything we can to help our communities stay safe, informed, and connected," the company said on Twitter. For the time being, Google plans to share details about upcoming Android updates in blog and community forum posts.
We've reached out to Apple and Microsoft to find out if they still plan to hold digital-only events of their respective developer conferences. We'll update this article when we hear back from them.
