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 announced its last Chromebook in 2019. The lack of a new Pixelbook since then has frankly made sense. The ChromeOS hardware space has greatly matured over the past several years with many premium and quality mid-range devices available. Simply put, there was no need for Google to build a halo device.
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Google Calendar is getting the ability to share events via links to match the ubiquity of video meeting links in recent years.
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Google is bringing emoji reactions to email, starting with Gmail for Android, to let you “express yourself and quickly respond.”
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To reduce the spam that Gmail users receive, Google is targeting bulk email senders and instituting new requirements, like straightforward unsubscribe, next year.
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Given that Google’s upcoming phones are already out in the wild, camera samples of the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro have now leaked.
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A retail leak earlier today that provided another unboxing/hands-on of the Pixel 8 Pro is now responsible for revealing key specs of the Tensor G3.
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Following the big redesign last month, Fitbit 4.01 is rolling out on Android today with an updated Material You widget and — surprisingly — a live wallpaper for step count.
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Back in June, the Google Home Script Editor launched to let users build more advanced automations, and it’s soon getting a “help me script” feature powered by generative AI.
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In a repeat of the schedule from two years ago, Google looks to be rolling out Android 14 on the same day as the Pixel 8 launch event.
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As we first reported in June, Google has announced Chromebook Plus as a new class of hardware that allows for more software and AI features thanks to a minimum spec requirement.
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Google is updating the Individual Contact Android widget it introduced earlier this year to bring more Material You flourishes.
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In addition to a new UI for forwarding texts and chats, Google is testing that same conversation picker when selecting Messages for Android from the share sheet.
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YouTube has long maintained its own design language that sets it apart from other Google apps. YouTube for Android is now testing a somewhat notable redesign that replaces the Library tab with “You.”
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Following the news that Google Podcasts is shutting down next year, YouTube Music now has the ability to auto-download podcasts.
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Back in April, Humane demoed its combadge-esque wearable with a camera and screen projector. We now have a better look at the design of the Humane Ai Pin.
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“A social network for music” is how Steve Jobs described iTunes Ping in September 2010. I still think it’s a good idea that has the chance of being realized at scale by YouTube Music and its new ability to access comments directly on the Now Playing screen.
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A big update to Apple Music that’s currently in beta adds new Android homescreen widgets from iOS 17, as well as other features from the latest iPhone and iPad release.
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More so than in past years, Google advertising and teasing ahead of the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro is laser-focused on encouraging people to switch phones.
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Google started testing a homescreen redesign for Messages back in June and is now widely rolling it out to stable users after months of beta testing.
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Last month, Google announced a redesign to Photos that revamps the Memories feature, tweaks the bottom bar, and makes other changes. It’s now seeing wider availability in the US.
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Google is giving web publishers a new way to control AI training data and “whether their sites help improve Bard and Vertex AI generative APIs.”
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Google is continuing to expand the Search Generative Experience (SGE) by letting teens in the US sign up for it.
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Back in 2016, Google announced a 55-inch 4K touchscreen that serves as a digital whiteboard for real-time collaboration. Google Jamboard and its mobile apps are now shutting down in 2024.
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A small quality of life improvement to Google Calendar adds the current date to every screen of the Android app.
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