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.
For years, files you download would appear in a bar at the bottom of Chrome, but Google is now changing the desktop browser’s UI so you get a download tray instead.
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With the rename and rebrand complete on the web, Android, and iOS, X is now turning its attention to TweetDeck, which is now called “XPro.”
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Besides Chrome, Google’s Privacy Sandbox initiative is on Android to let apps show you relevant ads in a more private manner. The beta started earlier this year, and Google is now prompting more users about it with new Ad privacy settings.
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YouTube today announced a number of new Shorts features, but the most promising one for Creators is a recomposition tool to convert regular videos into vertical content.
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Similar to Android, desktop Chrome will soon gain an “Allow this time” option when prompted by websites to grant the geolocation, camera, or microphone permissions.
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Following the acquisition and Pixel Watch, Google is now thoroughly redesigning the Fitbit companion app on Android and iOS with Material You.
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Google announced internally today that it’s updating Google Assistant with the latest LLM (large language model) technology.
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YouTube made a small change at the start of this year that replaced the settings to pause search and watch history.
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Google is testing a curious change to the Play Store on Android that sees a somewhat persistent bottom bar.
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Google has committed to adding new data transfer capabilities to Takeout, including for YouTube, next year in response to an investigation by Italian competition regulators.
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For the past few years, international Google Stores have celebrated the company’s founding with hardware discounts, and that’s set to continue for the 25th birthday.
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X branding came to Twitter for Android earlier this week, and another update rolling out on Friday afternoon changes the app name, while “tweet” seemingly becomes “post.”
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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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