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.
Previewed at I/O 2023 in May, Bard Extensions are launching today (in English) to let Google’s “helpful collaborator” access your Gmail, Drive, and Docs, as well as other first-party services, to get things done.
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The Camera Bar is a key aspect of Google’s visual reboot of its phones in 2021, and that hardware has evolved with every generation. An interview with the design team today provides some tidbits about the “signature” element.
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To aid collaboration, Google Slides on the web is getting a live pointer that allows “you and your colleagues to see each other’s mouse pointers in real-time.”
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Google is rolling out Android 13’s September update for the Pixel 4a 5G, 5, 5a, 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7, 7 Pro, 7a, Tablet and Fold today. It comes two weeks after when Google usually releases monthly Pixel updates as we wait for Android 14, and is just a security patch.
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A curious and restrictive change to Google Home makes it so that newer Nest devices can now only be placed in one speaker group at a time.
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While the Nest Hub Max is losing Google Meet and Zoom support, it will still offer video (and audio) calls via Google Duo.
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Video calling was originally pitched as a key feature of the Nest Hub Max, but Google Meet and Zoom are dropping support at the end of September.
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With the Pixel Watch 2, Google is updating and releasing new first-party bands, including metal slim and the metal mesh (again).
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Back in 2020, YouTube Music introduced an “activity” bar with mood filters and is now giving the feature its biggest expansion yet with five new additions.
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Besides the Material You redesign at the start of this year, Google Voice has not seen too many user-facing (compared to enterprise) additions this year but is now adding spam text warnings.
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Google is continuing the drop of new 25th anniversary wallpapers today with a pair for Pixel Superfans that anybody can grab.
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Gmail and Google Calendar are enterprise apps first and foremost. They are developed by the Google Workspace team, which is part of Google Cloud, and target business customers to compete against Microsoft.
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In addition to the Pixel Watch 2, Fitbit’s big product launch this year will be the Charge 6. The popular series of wearables dates back to 2014, with the current entry being two years old.
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After first testing a year ago, Chrome for Android is now rolling out a Material You redesign of the address bar.
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Back in July, Apple made it so that Chrome on Mac could access iCloud Keychain passwords via an updated browser extension. Chrome 118 will soon let you access passkeys stored in iCloud Keychain.
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Google is increasing how many updates Chromebooks get from eight to 10 years. ChromeOS is also adding adaptive charging and an energy saver mode.
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Google’s partnership with iFixit continues on the Pixel Tablet with genuine parts available for purchase and repair guides on key components.
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Even before the stable launch of Android 14 for Pixel, Google today detailed how the first QPR1 Beta is starting next week. This serves as a key heads-up for those that want to opt out of the Android Beta Program (for stability reasons) without wiping their devices.
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Announced at the end of last month, the ability to sync the Google Photos Locked Folder across devices signed in to your Google Account is rolling out more widely.
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As Android Automotive (or “Cars with Google built-in” as it’s officially called) gains traction, more and more third-party apps are rolling out, including The Weather Channel and Amazon Prime Video today.
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As part of the Google Store 25th birthday sale in the US, the LTE Pixel Watch is discounted and comes with “2 years of free data for your device.”
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Historically, the Google Store’s birthday sales are limited to Asia-Pacific and Europe, but it’s now live in the US for the 25th anniversary.
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Google Messages is working on an updated homescreen that removes the navigation drawer, and that redesign is now appearing on Samsung phones.
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The Google TV and Finance Watchlist widgets ostensibly announced for Android tablets in June are now seeing wide availability on phones.
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