Google I/O

You can now register for Google I/O 2021, gaining access to workshops, Q&As, more

Kyle Bradshaw | Apr 7 2021 - 11:48 am PT

This morning, it was revealed — through an elaborate series of puzzles — that Google I/O 2021 will take place in the middle of May. With the dates now confirmed, you can now register for Google I/O 2021, allowing you to participate in the event’s workshops, Q&As, and more.

Every year, Google holds I/O, a developer-focused conference that also plays home to some of the company’s biggest announcements. Whether you’re someone who develops for the web, smart home, or Android, or simply someone who’s a fan of Google as a company, you will probably want to at least watch the highlights of each year’s I/O.

Even though I/O will be online-only for 2021 due to ongoing health concerns, you can still register for the event, which Google has made entirely free. By registering, the app will know and recommend which sessions you may be interested in, and you can then sign up to participate in those sessions.

While many of I/O 2021’s sessions will be freely available to watch live by anyone and everyone who wants to enjoy them, some things like workshops and “Ask Me Anything” sessions (AMAs) will have a limited amount of participants, meaning you’ll want to register in advance for these. In workshops, you’ll be able to get hands-on with a particular bit of Google’s technology and be guided through using it, while AMAs give you a chance to pose direct questions to knowledgeable Googlers.

Other sessions at I/O 2021 include virtual sandboxes where you can “try Google’s new products” from the comfort of your home, technical sessions where Googlers will talk at length about a particular project and its announcements, and of course the major keynotes of Google I/O. Most of the finer aspects of Google I/O 2021 will come from the “I/O Adventure” experience, which has so far not been released.

While registration is open for Google I/O 2021 itself, the list of sessions will not be made available until “late April,” meaning you cannot yet register for any of the limited sessions. For today, the only real benefit of registering for I/O 2021 is that you get a special achievement for your “Google Developer Profile.”