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.
After testing for the past several months, YouTube is officially launching Multiview for YouTube TV and Primetime Channels, starting with WNBA games.
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The main idea behind the Pixel Tablet is that the form factor needs to do something besides run Android on a large screen. Google’s solution to this was including a Charging Speaker Dock to let it double as a Smart Display. In this Hub Mode, a device that would otherwise be doing nothing can show photos and/or the time. You get an always-on display (AOD) of sorts, with other brands also offering something similar, but it does not excuse how all Android tablets should really have a standard AOD.
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Google this week released its fourth annual Year in Review of 0-days, which are completely unknown security vulnerabilities exploited in the wild. The Android patch gap was a particular area of concern in 2022.
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Google One is updating its VPN to change the default IP address region from broad to local, thus improving location-based experiences.
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After getting a refreshed logo in April, the latest update to Google Lens changes the UI to now offer a light theme.
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Given the Galaxy Z Flip 5, Motorola Razr+, and Oppo Find N2 Flip in recent months, it’s clear that flip-style foldables are here to stay and I think it’s more likely than ever that Google eventually creates a Pixel Flip.
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Following the announcement at I/O 2023, Google is now rolling out unknown tracker alerts on Android devices to alert you about hidden Apple AirTags.
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Google at I/O 2023 announced that it would leverage the over 1 billion Android devices in use to find your lost items. The Find My Device (FMD) network was originally supposed to launch this summer, but Google is now delaying it.
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After changing on the web a few days ago, the new X logo and brand are beginning to appear on Twitter for Android.
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Waymo is focusing its “efforts and investment on ride-hailing” with Waymo One being the business priority going forward.
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Google is rolling out Android 14 Beta 4.1 today as a pretty sizable bug fixer. This follows the last release just over two weeks ago.
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One aspect of Google Fi is a built-in VPN, and the MVNO recently made changes to the setup process that most noticeably resulted in a new icon.
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Earlier this month, we reported how the At a Glance widget is getting a big Material You redesign. Google is still actively working on this new At a Glance, including the ability to customize the widget.
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In the lead-up to the Pixel Tablet and Fold, the Play Store received a large screen redesign, and Google today detailed the four key changes.
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With the homescreen redesign widely available in the beta channel, the next Google Messages feature is the ability to pin up to five conversations.
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Alphabet today announced Q2 2023 earnings with $74.6 billion in revenue. These numbers range from April to June.
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Following the last big expansion, Google has brought the Play Games for PC Beta to “more than 60 new regions across Asia Pacific, Europe, and Latin America.”
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We reported back in May that Google’s next wearable would be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip and other key specs. 9to5Google can now report that the Pixel Watch 2 will switch to aluminum, while Fitbit is readying “Coach” workouts.
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Google is redesigning the Messages homescreen in an interesting way that replaces the navigation drawer and introduces key branding into the Android app.
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Google shared today that Play services is dropping support for Android 4.4 KitKat, which is nearly 10 years old, in August.
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In what may be an emerging issue, some Pixel owners are reporting continuous Android app crashes with no straightforward fix.
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After adding support for non-printing characters earlier this year, Google Docs is rolling out line numbers.
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Android 14 is late in the beta stage and should be seeing a stable release relatively soon. An update to the YouTube app today sees it crash on Android 14 when navigating to the Library tab.
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