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.
Design-wise, Google has already shown off a lot about the Pixel Tablet. The latest leak goes in-depth on its “Stand,” while here are some details about the Pixel Tablet’s “Hub Mode.”
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Large language models (LLMs), like Google Bard, are trained on “trillions of words” to learn how humans talk and predict/generate the next words in a sentence that make for a good response. However, this technology is not actually aware of what’s factually correct. Given the newness of it, some are – understandably – not yet aware of this fact. In the case of Bard, one particular phenomenon that has occurred days, if not hours, after the early access launch is that people are equating its responses with official Google news and announcements.
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The latest version of Google Camera brings faster Night Sight to the Pixel 6/Pro and reveals work on the Pixel 8 Pro. Google Camera 8.8 also tweaks the zoom UI on the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro.
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Following last week’s announcement, here’s an early look at generative AI in Gmail for Android, with Google possibly beginning testing with a limited feature set.
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In recent days, Google TV has been showing a “Personalized ads update” on televisions and streaming devices.
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Following last month’s announcement, Google Translate for iPhone has received a Material You redesign.
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The latest addition to YouTube Music is a carousel in the Home feed that surfaces “Covers and remixes” of songs you’ve listened to.
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Google has rolled out a number of navigation-related tweaks to the Search app on iOS that aim to simplify the app, while deemphasizing Collections.
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Following its big Material You redesign, Google Docs is adding more customization options for tables of contents, as well as better formatting options for all other tables.
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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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Following this morning’s expansion, Google is heavily using its Pixel, Nest, and other consumer-facing brands to invite people to use Bard.
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The conversational aspects of generative AI and large language models (LLMs), like LaMDA, make it ripe for smart assistants. Google specifically mentioned Assistant two years ago as a product where it hopes to incorporate “better conversational features.” That has yet to happen, but the Google Assistant team is helping lead Bard development.
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Google announced the Pixel Watch March 2023 update yesterday, and you can now download and install it using the usual trick.
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In recent days, Chrome has added your past search queries to the New Tab Page on Android so that they appear alongside frequently visited sites.
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Google released Android 13 QPR3 Beta 1 last week to kick off a new, unexpected preview cycle and is now asking for more detailed survey feedback.
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Google is now rolling out the Pixel Watch’s March 2023 update two weeks after it was originally expected, and it’s a sizable release.
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Last Monday, Google rolled out Android 13 QPR2 with the March 2023 security patch to the Pixel 4a-5a and the 7 series. This March update is now rolling out to the Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a.
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Google introduced voice message transcription with the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro before later making it available to older generations. Google Messages is now improving the creation experience with a redesign of the voice recorder UI in development.
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Some Google Home app users are seeing “Wi-Fi Labs” for their Nest Wifi router to try out experimental features. This might be an internal capability that was accidentally made available outside the intended test pool.
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Ahead of spring, the US Google Store has kicked off a new sale that takes $150 off both the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, as well as the 6a.
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Besides the Samsung Exynos modem issue, Android 13 QPR2 with the March 2023 security update fixes a vulnerability with the Pixel’s Markup screenshot tool.
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YouTube Music on Android can now “automatically download recently played songs” with a new setting.
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Compared to Maps for Android and iOS, Google makes relatively few visual updates to the Maps website. Google Maps is now testing a sidebar on the web that provides convenient access to recently viewed places.
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After bigger changes to “RCS” branding and read receipt icons in recent weeks, Google Messages for Android is adding a contact’s profile photo to the top of conversations.
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