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.
Google is going ahead with a redesign that changes how you access the Bookmarks, Reading List, and History columns that appear to the right of your browser. The side panel button is now gone from desktop Chrome.
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For some reason this cycle, YouTube Music was very late to releasing a recap for Winter 2024, but it’s now finally available.
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To coincide with the Android 12 push and Material You, Google introduced a pair of weather widgets for Pixel in 2021. With the Android 15 Beta, the exclusive Pixel nature of these weather widgets has been enshrined.
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Back in October of 2020, Google One introduced a VPN that later became available on all plans and platforms. Google announced today that the VPN by Google One is shutting down in the coming months.
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Beta 1 of Android 15 is available today as most people’s introduction to Google’s next major OS version.
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The first beta of the next major version of Android is launching a month before Google I/O 2024. Android 15 Beta 1 is rolling out to Pixel devices today.
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In addition to a new Search tab that is rolling out slowly, Google’s upcoming Play Store redesign brings a persistent bottom bar.
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Google Wallet for Android is rolling out support for app shortcuts that let you place credit and debit cards on your homescreen.
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Following Chrome last year and Photos a few months ago on Android 14, Google Maps is the latest first-party app to drop its custom share sheet and switch to the native version.
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Google Podcasts was deprecated in the US last week and the intended replacement is not good enough. YouTube Music’s Podcasts team today said it is “working on a lot more improvements.”
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Google Wallet is now available as a website. While it’s very similar to the existing Google Pay page, it does offer some new features.
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In a rather significant expansion, Google is making its AI-powered editing tools in Photos free without a subscription for all users, including the Magic Editor introduced with the Pixel 8.
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Following phones and watches, the (US) Google Store now accepts trade-ins when purchasing the Pixel Tablet.
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There’s an annoying bug with the Google Play Store where the handy “My apps” app shortcut disappears.
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At Cloud Next 2024, Google published a “prompting guide” for Gemini in Workspace, especially in Gmail and Docs.
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As first spotted last month, YouTube Music for Android and iOS is rolling out an ‘Activity’ notifications feed based on your subscriptions.
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At Cloud Next 2024, Google Cloud made a number of enterprise and infrastructure announcements, including Axion and Gemini.
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Besides Vids, Google Workspace is getting a slew of new features and Gemini capabilities at Cloud Next 2024.
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At Cloud Next 2024, Google announced a new Workspace app that serves as a “video, writing, production, and editing assistant” called Google Vids.
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Google has officially launched its Find My Device network (in the US and Canada) for Android phones and tablets, with support for Bluetooth tracker tags and headphones coming next.
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Late last year, Messages introduced a redesign of the compose box that introduced a shortcuts bar. A new Google Messages design is now being readied that reverses the signature trait and consolidates the text field into a single line.
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With the launch of the Find My Device network, Google today detailed the user and privacy protections in place.
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The new Find My Device network lets you find Android phones and tablets even if they’re offline and not connected to the internet, while the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro lets you take things further.
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Google is launching its new Find My Device (FMD) network in the US and Canada starting today. It will initially find lost Android phones and tablets, with headphones coming soon after. Support for third-party Find My Device Bluetooth tags are coming in May.
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