Send tips/talk to abner@9to5mac.com or @technacity (open DMs).
Abner Li has worked at 9to5Google since 2015 and in late 2020 took on the role of editor-in-chief. He is keenly focused on tracking what happens at Google, and is often the first to spot new features in Google’s ever-growing family of applications that are updated on a daily basis, including Search, Assistant, Maps, Workspace, Android, Chrome/OS, Wear OS, and YouTube Music.
To him, what Google does greatly impacts the technology space and modern life. Inside the company, he is particularly interested in the key products mentioned above, as well as services like Google Podcasts and Google Lens. Each are massive platforms that can be unwieldy to grasp, with Abner keenly bent on understanding their philosophy and future direction. He is most excited about Google’s plans for augmented reality glasses.
Abner spearheads the APK Insight program at 9to5Google to chronicle all changes in the company’s Android apps, often finding new features before they are officially announced. This includes redesigns and revamps, launches, and new products.
A big area of interest is Google’s hardware division, including Pixel, Fitbit, and Nest. He detailed all of the Pixel 3’s camera features before launch and scooped the 2nd-generation Nest Hub’s Soli-powered Sleep Sensing capability, including how it would integrate with Google Fit.
Recently, Abner detailed the Pixel Watch’s specs in full before launch, including bands and pricing. He also got wind of the Pixel Tablet’s ultimate form factor.
Samsung ended the launch of the Fold 6 and Galaxy Watch Ultra this week with a tease that its new XR platform is “coming this year.” A new report provides more details on when that Android XR headset from Samsung might launch.
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Welcome to the seventeenth episode of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, we talk all about Samsung’s event.
Following the Pixel Watch 3, the Pixel 9 series has now arrived at the FCC for regulatory approval.
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The Made by Google leaks continue today with somebody getting hands-on with the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro XL.
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Last month, Google announced that ChromeOS would use “large portions of the Android stack” going forward. This is a long-term effort that will take “quite some time,” but one immediate change is Google ending development on Lacros, an experiment to update the Chrome browser independently of ChromeOS.
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It’s frankly silly how much Samsung took from the Apple Watch Ultra to make its latest wearable. However, it doesn’t end there. I’d also submit that the Galaxy Watch Ultra takes a few too many design cues from the Hermès H08.
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After rolling out direct notifications back in June, the Google Wallet app is adding its own Quick Settings Tile, which might finally bring the shortcut to Samsung devices.
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As we approach the one-month mark for Made by Google 2024, the Pixel 9 series leaks continue, and today we have European pricing.
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Google Wallet is running a fun promotion to celebrate the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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Google today is “discontinuing Google Play Services updates for Android Lollipop devices.” Android 5.0 hit stable in November 2014, with Lollipop representing less than 1% of active devices.
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Amid the launch of the network and trackers, the Find My Device app has surpassed 500 million downloads on the Google Play Store.
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Fitbit devices can check for signs of an irregular heart rhythm, or atrial fibrillation (AFib), and Google is now making it easier to share that data with your healthcare provider.
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Compared to Galaxy Unpacked in January, there were only a handful of Google announcements today with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 unveil, while the “upcoming XR platform” got another mention.
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The Watch Face Format (WFF) was introduced at I/O 2023 and is now required “in order to be installed on new watches that launch with Wear OS 5 pre-installed.”
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By adding passkey support today, Google’s Advanced Protection Program is much easier to join by no longer requiring a physical security key.
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Google Fi Wireless has a new Number Lock feature that provides an “additional layer of protection against illegal SIM swaps.”
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Our March report that the Pixel Watch 3 would come in 41 and 45 mm sizes also revealed that Google is working on new headphones. Possible colors for the Pixel Buds Pro 2 have now leaked.
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After arriving at the FCC with specs like UWB confirmed, more Pixel Watch 3 details have leaked, including the codenames for the 41 mm (selene/helios) and 45 mm (luna/sol) models. (There are two to reflect the Bluetooth/WiFi and LTE variants.)
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Back in 2019, Google Maps for Android gained a speedometer that simply “shows you how fast you’re driving on the road” and it’s now coming to the iPhone.
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Back in April, Google Wallet gained a web experience that is now seeing wider international availability.
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From the beginning, Google has prioritized being privacy-conscious with the Find My Device (FMD) network, including delaying the launch until the iPhone gained unknown tracker alerts. Google chose “aggregation by default” to the detriment of Find My Device performance, and is seemingly doubling down on that decision.
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The GSMA Association (GSMA) is responsible for maintaining Rich Communication Services (RCS) and the latest update to the standard adds “Extended Messaging” that should improve Android and iPhone interoperability.
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Following the announcement in late May, Google Home is finally widely rolling out a new Wear OS Favorites Tile and device complications.
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“Live” will let you have a two-way conversation with Gemini when it arrives this summer. Shown as a fullscreen experience at I/O 2024, Gemini Live might also work in the background, including on your lockscreen.
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