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.
You’ve long been able to ask Google Assistant to play radio stations on all devices, but this integration is currently down amidst an outage. The company has not removed this capability.
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With Android 14 launching into beta today, Google is making some changes to the Android Beta Program. Instead of there being two simultaneous tracks for 13 QPR3 and 14, there’s now just one OTA beta channel.
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Beta 1 of Android 14 is available today as most people’s introduction to Google’s next major OS version.
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The latest Google Drive web update lets you “quickly and efficiently select a location to organize files and folders” with a redesigned “Move to” picker.
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Like last year, the first beta of the next major version of Android is launching a month before Google I/O. Android 14 Beta 1 is rolling out to Pixel phones today.
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Back in September, Google introduced an “Other devices” section to make it easier to find Wear OS, TV, and Automotive apps from your phone. Google Play is now streamlining how you find games for Wear OS.
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After previously being just a feed, Google has updated Personal Safety with a bottom bar redesign to make the experience less sprawling and more like an app.
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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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Google has been optimizing its first-party apps with large-screen optimizations since I/O 2022, and that’s expected to culminate with the Pixel Tablet. The latest update is a three-column UI for Google Discover on tablets.
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Following the December announcement, Google announced today how much NFL Sunday Ticket costs on YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels.
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As we previously spotted, Fitbit shared today that its transition to using Google Accounts for logging in and new device registration will start this summer.
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One smart thing that OpenAI did with GPT was give its (large language) model a user-facing versioning system that people are very aware of. Google Bard is starting to do something similar with an “Experiment updates” changelog for Bard.
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With RCS, pictures that you send and receive are much higher resolution than they would be via MMS, but Google Messages is now testing a “Send photos faster” setting.
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After a more sizable release last month, the Pixel Watch’s April 2023 update is more incremental in nature with just the latest security patch noted.
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Phone calling is one of the biggest areas where Google uses AI to differentiate the Pixel experience. More advanced Pixel Call Screen capabilities that take advantage of conversational AI are now being teased.
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After a few dozen updates with QPR2, the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro pick up just three fixes across Bluetooth, Camera, and System in the April 2023 update.
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Like last month with QPR2, the Android 13 April security patch for the Pixel 4a, 4a 5G, 5, 5a, 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7 and 7 Pro was delayed, but is now rolling out after a week-long delay.
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The Google app on Android is changing “Hands-free” voice settings related to paired Bluetooth devices with microphones, like headphones but also cars, and Assistant. This appears to just be a modernization rather than any major shift.
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For years, YouTube Premium has centered around removing ads, background playback (Picture-in-Picture), and offline downloads. YouTube is now expanding what perks are offered with a Premium subscription.
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In addition to Google no longer updating third-party Smart Displays, the Nest Hub is set to lose Assistant voice apps and games in June, and users are now seeing a warning ahead of that.
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In a very quiet reveal, Google says it has stopped updating third-party Lenovo, JBL, and LG Smart Displays. The writing has been on the wall for quite some time for this form factor, but it’s still surprising.
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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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After hinting at and beginning testing late last year on TVs, YouTube Music is starting to roll out real-time lyrics on Android and iOS.
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Google is doing a round of spring cleaning for its smart home products across Works with Nest, Dropcam, and Nest Secure.
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