- 2 years ago
Android phones have long been behind the iPhone when it comes to seamless connectivity between devices.
Mark Spooner speaks with Sandeep Chivukula, Director of Multi-Device Experiences at Google
Mark Spooner speaks with Sandeep Chivukula, Director of Multi-Device Experiences at Google
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TechTranscript
00:00Hi, we're here at CES 2024 talking with Sandeep Shivakula
00:05who heads up multi-device connectivity at Google.
00:07And I think you might be wondering,
00:09so what does that actually mean?
00:10I think there's a perception out there
00:12among people who buy Android devices, for example,
00:14that if maybe they buy like a Samsung phone
00:16and OnePlus earbuds and an LG TV,
00:18that they're not gonna work well together.
00:21I feel like part of the initiative and the big push
00:23that you're making here at CES and beyond
00:25is to make sure people know
00:26that they can work well together and seamlessly.
00:29Is that right?
00:30And what are you actually trying to do with this role?
00:32Yeah, so thanks for having me, Mark.
00:35And Android's all about choice.
00:37We've always been about choice.
00:39That's what attracts people to purchase an Android device.
00:43And we bring that same ethos
00:45to this idea of multi-device connectivity.
00:48I think the framing is a little bit not quite correct
00:51in that it's not about choice versus convenience.
00:53We think that people should have a choice
00:55and still be able to have these seamless experiences
00:59that are intuitive.
01:00And that's what Android's been investing in
01:01for the last few years.
01:02And that's what we're continuing to invest in now as well.
01:06And so I can talk about that in a little bit more detail.
01:08So what we mean by this is an average person
01:13has 20 plus devices in their life.
01:16And that sounds like, well, that's a big number, Sandy.
01:18But are you sure?
01:19Well, if I just think about my own life,
01:22I get up in the morning
01:23and by the time I'm brushing my teeth,
01:24I'm playing some song on my bathroom speaker.
01:27And then I move that music over
01:28while I'm making my breakfast over in the kitchen.
01:30And if I get a phone call in the middle of all of that,
01:33I grab my earbuds, stick them in,
01:36and I'm walking out the door.
01:37And I expect all of those things to just work.
01:41And this is the daily life of millions of people.
01:44And with 3 billion different devices
01:46from different manufacturers, different brands,
01:49different OEMs, different underlying hardware,
01:53and Android's best positioned
01:55to make those journeys very seamless
01:57for the people that use Android.
02:00Okay, so what are some examples
02:01that you're showing off here at CES
02:03to make people's lives a little bit easier?
02:05Yeah, yeah, so there's a few different things
02:07that we're doing.
02:08I'll talk about some of the successes from last year
02:09and then kind of weave that into what we're showing.
02:12We launched a couple of features
02:13that intelligently adapt to the user's needs last year.
02:16One is around audio switching,
02:17making sure that the audio moves to the right device,
02:20that your earbuds are connected to the right device.
02:22The other one, FastPair.
02:24FastPair is the technology we use
02:26to seamlessly connect new Bluetooth accessories
02:29to your phone.
02:30We launched this in 2017.
02:32We have over 400 plus different headphone models
02:35supporting FastPair.
02:37We've been investing in that continuously
02:38to make that, again, journey seamless with choice.
02:42And last year, we had 660 million people pair FastPair
02:48with their phones, right?
02:50That's 2x the year before.
02:52So when you give people this choice
02:55on top of that seamless connectivity, they'll adopt it.
02:58It's a very well-allowed technology.
03:00So this year, one of the first things that we're doing
03:01is extending that to Chromecast with Google TV.
03:05So you can imagine, I don't know,
03:07maybe you have a partner or a friend
03:08who likes to fall asleep as soon as you start the movie,
03:11right, so you're sitting on the couch with them,
03:13and that happens,
03:14because they're very predictable that way,
03:17and you don't want to disturb them.
03:19So you can just grab the Sony Link buds
03:21that are by your side
03:22that have already been paired to your phone,
03:25pop them in, click on one notification on your TV,
03:29and there, you can continue to enjoy the movie
03:30while they get a comfortable sleep.
03:32So is that all you need to do?
03:34Like, you don't necessarily need to enter pairing mode,
03:36for example, you just pop them in,
03:37and you'll see a notification come up on your TV?
03:39That's right.
03:40So that's one of the beauties of FastPair
03:42is that we take that core underlying Bluetooth technology,
03:46and then we build on top of that
03:47so that it's intelligently adapting
03:49to the user and their context.
03:52So let me actually talk about that,
03:53because that also ties into what you're asking me.
03:56Well, how do we do this?
03:57Like, it's hard to do different underlying hardware,
04:01different platform, apps,
04:06and now I'll actually introduce the next bit
04:07is around operating systems as well.
04:09We'll talk about this.
04:10So the way we do this is we've built
04:12a technology layer on top of this
04:13that starts off being rooted in flexibility,
04:18but then there's two other bits
04:20that are important here,
04:21which is around robustness and quality.
04:23Now, as we integrate these different partners,
04:25we want to make sure that we're doing this
04:26in a methodical way so that once we say that,
04:29hey, this is going to work across this ecosystem,
04:32it continues to be seamless, intuitive,
04:34and smooth for our users.
04:36So then, okay, that sounds great,
04:38but how do you actually do it?
04:40There are two signals we use that are very important.
04:42One is proximity and context, right?
04:46So what devices are nearby?
04:48What's the proximal devices?
04:50And then context, meaning what is the person trying to do?
04:53Hey, I'm on the couch putting these earphones in,
04:55watching TV.
04:57I should probably do something intelligent there.
04:59So does that qualify as AI, or is it like a form of it?
05:02You know, on that particular feature,
05:05I'm not sure that I want to tie into everything being AI,
05:09but there are other places where we use AI technologies
05:12and machine learning,
05:13which is what Google is very known for.
05:16We bring that in, the best of Google, into Android
05:18so that we can deliver these intelligent features.
05:21Got it, okay.
05:23So coming back to what else did we announce at CES?
05:26The second bit is, great,
05:28you've got these devices connected.
05:29The setup out of the box is just perfect, awesome,
05:32but users don't just set up devices.
05:34They want to be able to get things done in their day-to-day.
05:37So a simple one that we think about is
05:41you've got a photo that you've taken on your phone,
05:43or you've got some text or some links.
05:46How do we get that across to your other devices
05:50and to your friends?
05:51And so Android Ecosystem, we've taken two solutions.
05:55We had a solution from Samsung
05:56and a solution for the Android Ecosystem.
05:59We brought them together,
06:00combining the best of both of these
06:03into what we're calling QuickShare.
06:04So now there's one single, intuitive, fast solution
06:09across all of Android.
06:11And so that's one of the big announcements
06:13that we made in partnership
06:15with our good partners at Samsung.
06:16So how is that going to pop up on devices,
06:18and where is it available now,
06:20or is there a timetable for it rolling out?
06:22Yeah, so we're rolling that out shortly,
06:23and we can get you the details on the timing.
06:27It's going to be available in the same place
06:28where the Nearby Share icon used to be on the share sheet.
06:32All the entry points will be the same,
06:33but instead of having two different entry points,
06:36it'll just be one so that you do it one way on Android.
06:40Right, and does it need to be
06:41a certain level of Android in terms of the version,
06:44like Android 14, or can it be previous?
06:47So it will be previous as well,
06:49so we'll get back to you with the specific details there.
06:52Our intent is, you know, look,
06:54our intent is to give the broadest number of people
06:57the broadest amount of choice.
06:58And so by definition, we're looking back
07:00at how far back can we take
07:02some of these compatible features.
07:04And so that's the motivation there.
07:07And it's going to be seamlessly working with Chromebooks,
07:10and I think you also announced a partnership with LG,
07:12which I guess would be the first Windows 11 partner.
07:15Yeah, so let me talk about that a little bit.
07:17So on one hand, we're making it easy across Android,
07:21but Nearby Share has always worked with Chromebooks as well,
07:24and this new Quick Share will continue to do that.
07:26We also launched last year a Windows program,
07:30and so that's been seeing pretty good reception,
07:32and so this will continue to expand to that.
07:34And what you're talking about, our partnership with LG
07:37as one of the leading PC OEMs,
07:40is pre-installing that binary onto their laptops
07:43so that, you know, we talked about this idea of setup.
07:47You take this brand new laptop that you brought,
07:49and it just works with your Android phone.
07:51That's the kind of magic that we want to create for Android.
07:54So what about other laptops?
07:56Is the goal to work, to get it on the OS level
07:59with Microsoft, are you working with them,
08:00or is the goal to really go directly to the PC makers?
08:04Like, what's the best route?
08:05Yeah, so you know, I think today
08:08we've got a downloadable that you can just go
08:11to the Nearby Share website and download,
08:13and that's available to all users.
08:15Ideally, you know, would we want that,
08:17and we're working with other leading partners
08:18to make sure that it's pre-installed.
08:20And we're always looking for ways to partner
08:22and make that experience even more seamless for our users.
08:26So you can't say, if Microsoft says, we like this?
08:29Well, you know, we're always open to conversations.
08:32So what about casting?
08:34Because that was another thing
08:35that was announced at this show.
08:36Right.
08:37The ability to cast TikTok, for example.
08:39What can you tell us about that?
08:41Yeah, so you know, if you've noticed a theme here,
08:43I started by setting up, you know,
08:45a accessory device to your phone.
08:47Then we went from, hey, phone to phone working well.
08:49Then we went from phone to a operating system
08:52that is not a Google operating system,
08:55working with the phone.
08:56So when we think about Android and multi-device journey,
08:59kind of tying back to your first question,
09:01we don't think about it just from Android to Android.
09:03We think about it from that user-centric perspective,
09:06making sure that the people
09:08who are investing in Android ecosystem
09:10are able to work with all the devices
09:12that they've chosen to put in their life,
09:14regardless of who it comes from.
09:17And so, and those are the kinds of industry partners
09:19who have that same mindset,
09:20those same idea that we need to maximize people's choice
09:25and give people the best devices for their life.
09:28And these are the folks we partner with.
09:29So LG's TVs, they work on webOS,
09:32again, not a Google system.
09:35But we've ported the Chromecast built-in work
09:38over onto their underlying technology stack,
09:41understanding their hardware, their operating system,
09:44working very closely with their talented engineering teams.
09:47And now, you can take the,
09:49so people watch a lot of videos on their TV,
09:52hopefully like this one.
09:55And one of the very natural human things to do
09:59is to like, oh, hey, Mark,
10:00look at this cool video I have, right?
10:02And instead of passing the phone around,
10:04now you can cast it to like the big screen
10:05that you have on your wall
10:08through this built-in Chromecast.
10:10Again, no setup needed, you can just start it and cast it.
10:13And it would work in the same way
10:15as if you had a Google TV, right?
10:16Or a regular Chromecast?
10:18It'll work in the same way as casting to a Google TV, yes.
10:21So is the goal then to then spread that
10:23across other TV operating systems as well?
10:26So for example, Samsung has their own,
10:29and Tizen, and you also have Roku.
10:31So is that the goal, to just like spread it
10:33as far and wide as you can?
10:34Ultimately, if we go with this idea
10:39that Android's about choice,
10:41we want to work with every industry partner
10:43who's open to collaborating,
10:45who shares our worldview that users need to have choice.
10:48And so across all of the different features
10:51that are multi-device,
10:53because not every Android feature is multi-device,
10:55we are open to making sure that that goes
10:57to where our users are.
10:59And I think, so up until now,
11:01the cynic might say,
11:02maybe you're playing catch up with Apple
11:04because they've had a lot of these functionalities before,
11:06like AirPlay and AirDrop and that sort of thing.
11:09But do you feel like in certain ways
11:10that you're pushing beyond what they're doing?
11:12I mean, obviously choice,
11:13in terms of having device choice and brand choice
11:16is one of those strengths.
11:18But do you see like other ways
11:19where you feel like you're pushing beyond
11:20maybe what else is out there?
11:22So what's interesting is,
11:25one of the reasons that I was attracted to this job
11:29is that this idea of this seamless connectivity
11:32across devices, it's not a new idea.
11:35If you look back at the original like Star Trek from 1968,
11:39you could pick up a tricorder and it's your tricorder.
11:41You put it down and you can go onto the terminal
11:43and the work just seamlessly moves.
11:45So these ideas are not new.
11:47It's not necessarily like, oh, well, hey,
11:49this is some new thing that people have come up with.
11:51What's important here is that being able to give people
11:55that ultimate choice in like, which device do you pick up?
11:59And allowing people to choose the best device for them,
12:04and giving, and so, and that's the hard part.
12:07And I think that's the important work that we need to do.
12:09What about the discovery aspect?
12:11So let's say, for example,
12:12like people who are a little bit more tech savvy
12:14might know how to cast something to the nearest TV.
12:17But let's say your device knows
12:19that you're in front of the TV
12:20and then you're watching a TikTok video
12:22and it gave you the option, a subtle prompt,
12:24hey, do you want to cast this to your TV?
12:26So you don't want to be intrusive,
12:28but you also want people to discover features
12:30that they might not know that are there.
12:32So is that something that you're looking at?
12:34Right, that's a really good question.
12:35So we introduced a couple of new features this year
12:39and also one last year,
12:40this idea called Media Nudges last year
12:42that allows you to say, hey, you've got this available.
12:45Do you want to watch this on a better screen?
12:46This year we showed a feature
12:48where you can simply get near a Pixel tablet
12:52with your Pixel Pro phone
12:54and you're able to move music from Spotify
12:57from one device to the other
12:58because they understand, again, as I said,
13:00context and proximity.
13:02And so to do that,
13:04we had to work all the way
13:05from the underlying hardware layers,
13:06abstract it up to understand what's nearby,
13:09who's doing what, through the OS,
13:12all the way up to the app level
13:14and working with great partners like Spotify
13:16to make sure that that entire journey is seamless.
13:20So it sounds like there's a lot of hard work
13:22going on behind the scenes
13:23but you just don't want the user to know about it.
13:25Well, and that's exactly it, right?
13:27Because the experience should be magical
13:28and seamless and intuitive for the user, right?
13:31Like my team should do that work
13:34so that the user can go, the person,
13:38I actually don't even like that term
13:40because it's people underneath, right?
13:42And people have other things to do in their life
13:44than just to mess around with stuff.
13:46Like me and you, we'll probably go around
13:47and mess around with all the technology bits and bytes.
13:51But most folks want to drop their kids off at school,
13:53want to take care of their parents
13:55or want to do something else.
13:57And could one of those devices be the car
13:58in terms of the interconnectivity
14:00and just sharing things as soon as you get in the vehicle?
14:03Like if you're maybe listening on earbuds
14:05and you get into the car,
14:06why wouldn't it transfer to the stereo, for example?
14:08Sure, sure.
14:09Car's another important form factor for us as well
14:12and we work very closely with our Android Auto team
14:15there as well.
14:16So just looking out the next 12 months or so,
14:19what are going to be some of the biggest things
14:20that you're working on to deliver more magic?
14:22Yeah, no, that's a great question.
14:23So I think the themes that we've started to announce here
14:27at CES are the ones that we're going to continue
14:28to invest in, right?
14:29So making it faster and easier
14:31to set up more and more devices.
14:34Being able to get things done across devices
14:37in a way that you don't have to think about
14:39the underlying bits and bytes, right?
14:41So you'd say, hey, copy here, paste there, done.
14:44So how do we invest more in that?
14:45And the third bit is, how do we expand this idea
14:49supporting multiple different OSs, right?
14:52So where else should we go?
14:53What do our users, what do the people
14:54who use Android phones want?
14:58And so those are the three key areas
15:00that my team's going to invest in.
15:01Cool.
15:02Well, we'll definitely be watching it.
15:03Exciting to see all the multi-device connectivity
15:06coming together.
15:07It's early stages, but it's also accelerating quickly.
15:10Well, I don't know if I'd necessarily say
15:12it's early stages.
15:13I think we've been investing in it for a few years now.
15:16I think what you're starting to see
15:17is the fruits of some of that,
15:19and it's accelerating quickly, right?
15:20And so that part I agree with.
15:22Okay, cool.
15:23All right, well, thank you for your time.
15:24Thank you so much for your time.
15:25We appreciate it.
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