Connecting all things Android at MWC Barcelona
Whether you’re trying to instantly pair new headphones or control your smart TV with your phone, Android helps your devices easily work with each other. With Android, you’re free to choose from a wide array of devices that can fit your lifestyle.
This week at MWC Barcelona, we’re showcasing our continued work alongside partners to create connected devices that work better together and stay fresh over time.
New updates with our Android partners
The first months of 2023 have been busy for our team and our partners, too. Just last month at CES, we showed our progress in delivering multi-device functionality and introduced new experiences with Spotify and YouTube Music that we’re building to help move your media with you throughout your day.
Leading up to MWC, our partners have been announcing new devices that take advantage of Android’s latest software, such as the new Samsung Galaxy S23 series. This week, we saw the unveiling of Xiaomi 13 and 13 Pro with support for digital car key, and a Google One offer that provides expanded storage for your memories and access to enhanced editing features like Magic Eraser. Plus, newly announced smartphones like OPPO Find N2 Flip and OnePlus 11 can instantly share files with Nearby Share, while earbuds like the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 and Xiaomi Buds 4 Pro feature an immersive audio experience with spatial audio.
Android is about more than devices communicating with each other, though — it’s also about improving how people can communicate with each other. We believe messaging should bring people together, not pull them apart. That’s why Android’s Messages app uses Rich Communication Services (RCS), the modern industry standard for messaging that supports features like end-to-end encryption which helps keep your messages private. Last week, Vodafone announced that Messages will be the default messaging app on all applicable Android phones, allowing European users on the Vodafone network to take advantage of RCS. With half a billion people using RCS each month, Vodafone is joining other global carriers working to make messaging better for everyone.
How Android keeps your devices up to date
The benefits of picking up a new Android device don’t stop after your purchase, either. Over the last few years, we’ve been investing in frequent software updates and feature drops which help keep your devices fresh—even outside of yearly OS upgrades.
In 2022, over half of the features launched through our quarterly updates support OS versions as far back as Android 6. That means the billions of active Android devices are regularly receiving new features that make them more helpful. And today, we’re announcing a new batch of features such as Fast Pair coming to Chromebook, alongside other fun and fresh updates for Android phones, tablets and Wear OS smartwatches.
Our routine updates also help bring critical security and privacy improvements, ensuring you can be in greater control of your data and with added protection through Android’s built-in security features. Across our partners, brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus and OPPO are committing to longer support of OS and security updates to extend the lifetime of your device.
We are also continuing our collaborations with industry organizations like GSMA and CSA to form security standards and labeling practices for connected devices, helping bring more protection and transparency for consumers. And later this year, building on GSMA’s global standard, we’re bringing a new eSIM transfer capability to Android that allows users to quickly and securely transfer their mobile plan to a new device, without having to swap a physical SIM card. Deutsche Telekom is taking the first step in using this industry standard to enable a simple and secure transfer with eSIM for the Android ecosystem.
Regardless of which Android devices you own, we’re focused on making them work better together and stay fresh and secure through frequent updates. This week at MWC Barcelona, visit us at Android Avenue between Hall 2 and Hall 3 to learn more about the Android ecosystem and how it can improve your experience at home and on the go. If you aren’t able to join, learn more on our website.
