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.
At CES 2022, Google announced how you’d be able to access any chat app on your Android phone using a Chromebook. We previously detailed how streaming was involved and even showed it off. This feature might be nearing a launch as Google today rolled out “Cross-Device Services” to the Play Store.
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While we’re still waiting for podcasts to widely roll out (in the US) to YouTube Music, YouTube has added a “Podcasts” tab to channel pages.
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9to5Google has a rebooted newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and other tidbits. Sign up to get it early in your inbox, or continue reading 9to5Google Log Out below:
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The Nexus 5 in 2013 debuted what would become to be known as the Google Now Launcher. Nearly a decade later, Google is set to shut down the launcher.
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One of the more obvious aspects of Material You is a tall bottom bar, but some variation is now emerging across Google’s apps, with the Play Store switching to a shorter version.
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Back in December, Google rolled out a unified Pixel Launcher search experience, and a small tweak now sees a different Messages shortcut.
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Historically, Pixel security patches are released on the first Monday of the month at 10 a.m. PT. Following last month’s situation, Google has yet to release the April 2023 update for the Pixel 4a to 7 Pro.
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As we spotted last year, Google Meet is bringing “Speaker separation” to the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.
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Google is on an efficiency drive since layoffs at the start of the year, and is now looking to cut spending across employee laptops (by defaulting to Chromebooks), office equipment, and other services.
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Coachella 2023 kicks off next weekend and YouTube is continuing its partnerships with this festival by expanding its livestream coverage to all six stages.
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While spring just started, Google is already looking towards summer travel and is announcing new features, like low flight price guarantees.
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Back in December, Google introduced topic filters to Search results as part of a carousel redesign on mobile, and it’s now coming to desktops.
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Following the dual-pane redesign, Google Keep on Android tablets and foldables will soon let you open side-by-side notes.
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9to5Google has a rebooted newsletter that highlights the biggest Google stories with added commentary and other tidbits. Sign up to get it early in your inbox, or continue reading 9to5Google Log Out below:
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Announced at CES 2022, Google has now launched Nearby Share for Windows as a beta app to transfer files between your Android device and PC.
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As GM brings Android Automotive to more of its vehicles, the company is going to stop supporting Android Auto and CarPlay in electric cars.
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In 2016, Google Assistant was announced as “your own personal Google,” and Sundar Pichai believes it has the AI “technology to actually do those things now.” The Google CEO was interviewed by the New York Times on Bard and the broader state of AI.
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To date, Bard has used LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications), which is focused on conversational dialogue, and Google is now incorporating PaLM (Pathways Language Model) for improved math and logic capabilities, with “coding coming soon.”
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Reviews, pictures, and other user-generated content play a big role in Google Maps. Google today detailed how it combated fake contributions to Maps in 2022.
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With the Material You redesign rolled out, Google Drive is now adding search chips that let you filter by file type, owner, and last modified date anywhere in the web app.
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The latest update to Google Camera brings faster Night Sight to the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, but version 8.8 is not yet widely available.
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Google gave an overview of what generative AI features are coming to Workspace apps two weeks ago and is now beginning public testing in Gmail and Docs.
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Following the announcement last month, podcasts are beginning to appear in YouTube Music. Some users today are encountering them on Android and the web.
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While the Pixel Watch’s March 2023 update became widely available last week, the ability to quickly turn on/off Battery Saver was a separate rollout that’s now finally happening.
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