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.
Following the announcement at the end of February, Fitbit is slowly rolling out the ability to see stats from Health Connect wearables and services in its Android app.
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Ahead of Android 15, Google Messages is continuing work on supporting satellite connectivity, with the latest revealing more about how it might work.
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Cookie theft malware steals authentication cookies to gain access to web accounts, and the Google Chrome team is proposing Device Bound Session Credentials (DBSC) to counter it.
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On April 8, Nest Secure, Dropcam, and Dropcam Pro smart home devices will stop working. Ahead of that, Google is out with a final reminder, especially for Nest x Yale Lock owners that use the Nest Secure and now need to switch to a Nest Connect.
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After rolling out the dual-column layout for descriptions and comments, the YouTube app on TVs is prominently showcasing “key moments.”
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Depending on how you launch Google Wallet on your Pixel, you might see an older design instead of the redesign.
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Despite being a point release focused on bug fixes, Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2.1 has a handful of user-facing changes.
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Android 14 QPR3 introduces a system-level “Keyboard vibration” on/off toggle that replaces the equivalent Gboard setting that lets you control keypress strength.
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Google is rolling out Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2.1 today with a slew of bug fixes. It follows the last milestone nearly a month ago. You can install using the factory image or on-device OTA.
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After doing bi-monthly recaps of new features for the past several years, YouTube Music will now detail launches on a quarterly basis.
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The YouTube family of apps have their own design language compared to first-party Google applications. That trend is not changing anytime soon and continues today with a redesign of the custom share sheet in YouTube Music for Android.
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Google.com has historically been used to advertise new first-party hardware and features. We’re now seeing a “Try the new Google Pixel 8” message on the Search homepage that wants you to “Upgrade now.”
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I wish Gmail and Google Calendar were built for consumers instead of businesses. That shift could make the suite of apps infinitely more useful. They are already vital in day-to-day use, but the target audience feels more like employees of a company than anybody else.
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The YouTube Music website now supports offline downloads of songs and podcasts to match the mobile apps. This first emerged in February.
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The Nest Wifi Pro received its last update in October and Google is currently rolling out a new March 2024 software release.
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Google Play is running a new “Super Weekly Prize” giveaway for those on the Gold, Platinum, and Diamond Play Points tiers.
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Apple-owned Shazam is out with a significant update that revamps the Wear OS app.
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The Android website has added a new landing page for Google Messages that talks about the first-party messaging experience, while also noting that RCS on the iPhone is coming in fall 2024.
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In addition to announcing that Pixel 8 is getting Gemini Nano, Google today talked about how its 7-year update promise will work.
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Google Search is home to various tools and the latest lets you look up Bitcoin addresses to show the balance of any wallet.
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After “hardware limitations” were cited as the reason that the Pixel 8 isn’t getting Gemini Nano earlier this month, Google announced today that the on-device LLM is coming after all.
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The work to make Gemini a better phone assistant continues, with Google recently updating it to automatically start Maps navigation “when you ask for directions.”
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Earlier this year, Google Chat introduced a floating bottom bar, and Google Keep for Android is following suit.
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One of the last Pixel announcements of 2023 was the launch of a Diagnostic App and repair manuals. The company today endorsed a proposed Right to Repair bill in Oregon and published a white paper explaining its position with the Pixel as an example.
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