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.
While VPN by Google One is going away next month, the company will continue to offer a virtual private network for Pixel owners. Ahead of that, the service is now called “Pixel VPN by Google.”
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Google this afternoon published a long response about AI Overviews and their accuracy. The Search feature launched at I/O 2024 in the US and has been criticized for some high-profile mistakes.
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As Android encourages apps to go edge-to-edge, Phone by Google has been updated with a transparent status bar.
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After a number of updates at I/O 2024, Google Wallet is rolling out PayPal support on Wear OS and expanded digital car key availability.
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In addition to the new Android homescreen widget and Wear OS Tile, the Google Home app is getting a few more updates today, including Pixel Tablet doorbell alerts.
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Google’s plan to modernize desktop Chrome extensions is entering its final stages as Manifest V2 tools will stop working by early next year.
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In the 2010s, Magic Leap was one of the most hyped augmented reality companies, with massive amounts of funding, including from Google. When the Magic Leap One headset launched in 2018, it was not the technological breakthrough in display technology that was once teased. Magic Leap has persisted since then, and has now signed a “multi-faceted, strategic technology partnership” with Google.
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Google’s Better Together initiative to improve the experience of owning multiple Android-powered devices is continuing today with “Cross-device services.”
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After testing in recent weeks, Google Messages is launching the ability to edit an RCS message that you just sent.
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As we previously spotted, the Google Home app on Android is getting a new homescreen widget and Wear OS Tile.
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Back in 2021, YouTube Music introduced free background listening of radio stations in Canada. This mobile experience was never brought to other countries and is now ending.
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At the moment, Apple TV subscribers that own Android phones have to watch in a web browser. That might eventually change as an Apple TV app is reportedly in the works.
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As promised in March, Gemini Nano is coming to the Pixel 8, as well as the Pixel 8a. Ahead of official availability, an Android AICore update is rolling out.
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Earlier this month, Google Messages more widely rolled out a redesign of the voice recorder, but not all users got the new noise cancellation feature. That’s now seeing broader availability.
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After removing due to the Sonos lawsuit in late 2021 and early 2022, the Google Home app has regained the ability to “control the volume for multiple speakers or devices at once.”
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Following testing in March, Google Chrome is officially launching “Minimized Custom Tabs” that make use of PiP windows. The big focus is on multitasking and letting users “effortlessly transition between native app and web content.”
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Google has been working on the Fitbit Ace LTE for the past two-three years, and it shows. In my brief usage of the Fitbit-branded device powered by Wear OS, what strikes me the most — as someone outside the intended kid/parent audience — is how much of an end-to-end experience it provides.
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The Fitbit Ace LTE is Google’s newest wearable powered by Wear OS and meant to encourage kids (ages 7+) to be healthy through games, while also serving as a parent-child communication and real-time location device. A monthly or annual Fitbit Ace Pass subscription is required for cellular connectivity, the Fitbit Arcade, and other capabilities.
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Verizon introduced “myPlan” last year to let you pick and choose plan features/perks, and an update today adds YouTube Premium at a discount.
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For the past several years, Google Search and Maps has offered a Business Messages capability that lets customers reach out to stores, restaurants, etc. via text chat. This is now shutting down in July.
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On Monday, internal documents describing what factors Google Search takes into consideration when ranking and displaying web results leaked.
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Ahead of Ask Photos this summer, Google has removed the “Things” carousel from the Search tab in Photos for Android and iOS.
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Underneath the Search bar and its suggestions, Google shows a carousel of cards for the weather, AQI, sports, and more. The Google app is now redesigning the card carousel that makes up “your space.”
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Following initial testing last year, YouTube is expanding its “Playables” on Android, iOS, and the web.
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