Google Search just got its biggest upgrade in 25 years and it changes everything
Google I/O 2026 is underway, with the keynote on Tuesday (19 May) delivering a plethora of Gemini announcements.
From a reimagined search experience to a personalised AI agent and motion-controlled TV remotes, here is everything that was revealed.
Here's what you can expect.
Google Search overhaul
Google is calling the new AI-powered search box its biggest upgrade in 25 years.
Powered by the new Gemini 3.5 update, the redesigned search experience allows users to ask questions based on images, files, videos, or even open Chrome tabs. Those using AI mode will also be able to ask follow-up questions, making the whole experience feel more like a conversation than a query.
Google Search Agents
As part of the update, the tech giant is introducing Search agents to run in the background. The AI-powered tools will monitor the web and provide information in real time as you search.
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“So if you’re apartment hunting, you can brain dump all of the exact requirements you’re looking for, and your agent will continuously scan for you, notifying you when listings meet your needs,” Google said.
Gemini 3.5's agentic coding capabilities are also coming to Search, and users will be able to connect apps like Gmail, Photos, and Calendar to make their searches more personalised.
Universal, proactive shopping cart
Whether you're scrolling through YouTube videos or reading your Gmail, Google is launching a single shopping cart experience.
"The moment you add a product to your cart, it gets to work in the background — finding deals and price drops, giving you insights on price history and alerting you when an item is back in stock," Google explained.
Built on Google Wallet, it already contains your saved addresses, payment details and loyalty card information. The best part is Google says it will get smarter over time as its Gemini models improve.
New 24/7 personal AI Agent
Inside the Gemini app, Google is introducing a new AI assistant called Spark.
Rather than answering questions, Spark is designed to take on real tasks on the user's behalf, such as giving a 'personalised morning briefing,' setting reminders, monitoring your inbox for deadlines, and turning notes into Google Docs.
Android receives an AI status bar
Tied into Gemini Spark and the recently announced Gemini Intelligence, Android Halo is a feature that helps you keep track of your AI agent without having to leave the app you're on.
“Android Halo makes your agent’s status visible by bringing subtle communication to the top of your phone screen as it takes on a task, goes into live mode or sends you a message," Google added. "This means you can see the agent’s progress right from the top of any screen you’re on, without having to stop what you’re doing.”
Gemini Omni video generation
Gemini Omni is Google's new series of multimodal models capable of taking images, audio, video and text and putting them into an editable video.
As Google puts it: “With Gemini Omni, video editing becomes a fluid, natural conversation. You can apply cinematic zooms or swap out backgrounds with a simple prompt."
Samsung and Google users can upload footage from their camera roll and create polished videos 'without expensive equipment or specialised technical jargon.'
Wiimote-like controls for Google TV
Google TV is introducing motion-controlled input devices that bring a cursor to your screen, similar in concept to the Nintendo Wiimote. Users will be able to point and hover over apps and content, with items highlighting and enlarging as the cursor moves over them.
Google notes the update will 'unlock faster user navigation across the Google TV Home page and within content-heavy apps.'
Google Play is getting its own AI assistant
Gemini is also coming to the Google Play Store as a new chatbot called 'Ask Play,' designed to help users find exactly the app they are looking for through a more conversational discovery experience. Whether you are searching for a new game or a productivity tool, Ask Play promises 'deeper search journeys' that go beyond keyword matching to understand what you need.