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 opening up the Fitbit app and will show stats from Health Connect services. Announced at Mobile World Congress 2024, this is being pitched as providing a “more complete picture of your health.”
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At Mobile World Congress 2024, Qualcomm announced new connectivity offerings with the FastConnect 7900 and Snapdragon X80 5G, as well as the Qualcomm AI Hub.
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Google is rolling out a Chromecast with Google TV 4K update that adds Fast Pair and a new Audio output switcher.
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Quick Share is still rolling out, but we’ve found a peculiar little trick on how to get Quick Share on your Google phone or tablet using the Pixel Tips app.
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Back in October, Google Photos started rolling out a native Android 14 share sheet instead of its custom implementation, and we’re not seeing it widely available on Pixel phones.
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Following the announcement earlier this week, the new Google Account sign-in page is rolling out to phones, tablets, and computers.
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Google Photos announced “Photo Stacks” in November and it’s now starting to roll out on Android after first debuting on iOS.
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While Chrome for Android has a simple UI when browsing the web, diving into the overflow menu disabuses you of that notion. It takes up the entire length of your screen at this point, and Chrome on Android is looking to add a second “Bookmark” button for some reason.
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My reservations about Google calling all of its AI features “Gemini” remain, but most users seem to like the branding change. One thing I’ve seen people speculate about is a “Hey Gemini” hotword in the future.
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Google announced yesterday that it disabled image generation of people in Gemini following criticism about its historical accuracy. The company today issued a more detailed explanation.
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Google brought the first set of Gemini Workspace features out of preview for personal accounts earlier this week. “Help me create a list” is now being tested in Google Keep.
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Google today announced an “expanded partnership” with Reddit that sees it get access to the forum website’s data for training and other product uses.
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YouTube Music doesn’t have a native desktop client with Google instead relying on a Progressive Web App (PWA). The YouTube Music website might soon add support for offline downloads.
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When Google Wallet launched in 2022, Google kept the “GPay” app around in a handful of countries. The company announced today that the old Google Pay app is soon going away in the US.
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Last month, Google Chrome started rolling out a generative AI-powered Tab Organizer and theme maker. Chrome 122 is now letting users opt-in to “Help me write.”
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Last year, Google introduced an updated 3D robot mascot for Android and you can now “Create your own Android Bot” with a new tool that harkens back to the old days of Androidify.
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According to Nikkei Asia, Google in 2023 shipped “around 10 million” Pixel phones and plans to repeat that “milestone” this year.
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Gboard for Android is beginning to roll out a rather nifty “Scan Text” optical character recognition (OCR) tool.
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As teased, Google is rolling out a redesign for its Account sign-in page across all services that better conforms to Material 3.
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The Pixel Watch 2 introduced more precise haptics and Google might soon offer a feature that can tell the time by vibrating.
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The Gemini app on Android can now set reminders via the Google Assistant integration and Google Tasks.
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As teased earlier this month, the Gemini rebrand is now coming to Duet AI in Gmail, Drive, Docs, and other Google Workspace apps.
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The new Google One AI Premium plan now provides access to Gemini features in Gmail, Docs, and other Workspace apps for personal accounts. Google says the integration lets you “get more done without jumping between tabs or apps.”
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Gemma is Google’s new “family of lightweight, state-of-the-art open models” aimed at AI developers and researchers.
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