Google I/O 2020 in-person events canceled due to coronavirus fears

There have already been multiple technology events canceled amid fears of the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and now we can add another to the list: Google I/O 2020. The event, scheduled to happen in May, is now off per an email from Google.

According to Google’s statement on the matter, the decision to cancel the in-person aspects of Google I/O 2020 was made with health guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

If you were one of the people who were lucky enough to get tickets for Google I/O 2020 — which is conducted in a lottery system — you will not need to enter next year’s lottery. Instead, you will be automatically granted the option of purchasing an I/O 2021 ticket.

Developers who already purchased the $1,000+ tickets to the event will receive a full refund on or before March 13, 2020. If you don’t have a credit on your statement after that date, reach out directly to Google to work things out.

Google says that it will “explore other ways to evolve Google I/O to best connect with our developer community.” Many of the I/O events are live-streamed so it’s very possible the company will simply do closed-door live streams for most or even all of the planned events.

Although Google reserves most of its large hardware releases for the Fall, we did expect the Google Pixel 4a and Pixel 4a XL to land at Google I/O 2020. It’s possible Google will do a smaller event just for the launch of these phones or simply do a closed-door live stream. We’ll have more information on this soon, no doubt.