Lifehacker lists free Google I/O features

Lifehacker published a how-to guide on May 20 identifying which Google I/O 2026 features users can try immediately without paying for Google’s AI subscriptions. The article focused on changes already showing up in Google Search and the Gemini app, rather than on the paid or still-unreleased tools Google previewed at its developer conference. Google held I/O on May 19-20 in Mountain View, California, and used the event to push Gemini deeper into its consumer products. The Lifehacker walkthrough said the free list starts with Gemini 3.5 Flash, which it described as already available in Google Search and the Gemini app. Google’s own product pages say Gemini 3.5 Flash is the first model in its new 3.5 family and is built for fast, multimodal responses and agentic tasks. Lifehacker said that, as of Tuesday, the model was powering Google’s flagship AI products, meaning many users may already have encountered it without changing plans or paying extra. (au.lifehacker.com) ### Which free features did Lifehacker say people can use right now? Lifehacker’s May 20 guide said the immediately available features are concentrated in products people already use: Google Search, the Gemini app and related Gemini tools. The article drew a line between those and higher-end I/O announcements such as Gemini Omni, which it said required a paid AI subscription to test. (au.lifehacker.com) Google’s official I/O roundup matches that split. The company said I/O 2026 included new models, agents and tools across Search, Gemini and developer products, but not every announcement was presented as a same-day free consumer rollout. ### What changed in Google Search that users can actually see? Google said on May 19 that it was introducing “a new, intelligent AI-powered Search box” and adding more agent-style features to Search. (au.lifehacker.com) The company described that as the biggest upgrade to Search in more than 25 years. Lifehacker referred to the change as a new AI search box already rolling out. (blog.google) Google’s Search blog also said new AI features would let users ask Search to do more complex work through AI Mode. Some of the more visual or interactive examples shown at I/O, including demo-style experiences, were described by Lifehacker as coming later this summer rather than being fully available on May 20. ### What is free inside the Gemini app now? (blog.google) Google said on May 19 that the Gemini app had passed 900 million monthly users across 230 countries and more than 70 languages. In the same update, the company said Gemini 3.5 Flash was being added as a fast, action-oriented model inside the app. Lifehacker said the app also received a visual refresh and framed that redesign as part of the set of changes users could see now without paying. (blog.google) Google’s Gemini blog described the app as becoming more “agentic” and more proactive, though some higher-end capabilities announced at I/O remain tied to subscription tiers or later rollouts. ### Were any of the I/O demos already broadly available before this guide? (blog.google) Google had already expanded some AI-assisted search interactions before I/O week. In April, the company said Search Live had expanded globally anywhere AI Mode is offered, allowing voice and camera conversations in the Google app on Android and iOS. That means some users trying “new” I/O features this week may actually be seeing a mix of earlier rollouts and newly announced upgrades. (au.lifehacker.com) Google also published instructions last year for Gemini Live with camera and screen sharing on Android, another example of features that predate I/O 2026 but fit the same push toward more conversational assistance. ### Where can users check what is live versus still coming? Google’s May 20 “100 things we announced” post and its product-specific Search and Gemini blog updates are the clearest public trackers for rollout status. (blog.google) Lifehacker’s guide pointed readers to features they could click into immediately, while Google’s own posts separate what is available now from items scheduled for later in 2026 or this summer. (blog.google 1) (blog.google 2)