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.
Amid the current economic environment, the first layoffs at Alphabet are impacting companies working on health (Verily) and robotics (Intrinsic), while the X Moonshot Factory is also curtailing spending.
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Meta today announced Quest Move support for Google’s Health Connect so that “Android users [can] get credit for their VR workouts without having to manually input the minutes they exercised.”
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Google Meet already offers a number of effects to customize your video feed and will soon add 360-degree backgrounds.
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In addition to raising your hand or using text chat, Google Meet is adding emoji reactions that appear “as a small badge in the sender’s video tile.” This feature has been planned since 2021.
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Some television sets can be controlled by the Nest Hub, and the Google Home app is now finally starting to pick up those touch-based controls.
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After changes appeared for some users in August only to disappear a few weeks later, YouTube Music is now widely rolling out a major redesign of the Library tab.
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YouTube Music has been working on a big redesign of the Library tab on Android and iOS for quite a while now. Ahead of that widely rolling out, YouTube Music on the web is getting some Library tweaks.
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Android 13 QPR2 Beta 2 is rolling out today to continue the preview cycle ahead of the March stable release.
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According to a new report today, Microsoft’s approach to Android foldables, which certainly stood out, is coming to an end as the Surface Duo 3 looks to use a traditional foldable screen.
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In October of 2020, the X Moonshot Factory officially named its “computational agriculture” project, and Mineral has now graduated into a full-fledged Alphabet company.
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As part of optimizing Android for tablets and foldables, Google introduced a taskbar to aid multitasking. Android 13 QPR2 is set to make a big change that makes the taskbar “transient” and less of a permanent UI fixture.
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Google Docs has offered voice typing on the web since 2015, and the input method is now set to pick up “enhancements” that will also improve automatic captions in Google Slides.
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Over a month after the last patch, the Google Pixel Watch is getting a new on-device OTA update to the January 2023 security patch.
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When Android 13 QPR2 hits stable in March on Pixel devices, it will introduce 21 emoji that range from new animals to a handful of other characters.
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Following the Pixel’s first stable update of 2023, Android 13 QPR2 Beta 2 is rolling out today with the January security patch.
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Originally part of the Android Accessibility Suite, Google last week made Switch Access a standalone app on the Play Store.
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At launch, Fitbit’s new smartwatches lacked any third-party apps, but that appears to be changing. Fitbit also recently released new Premium watch faces for the Sense 2 and Versa 4.
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Starting today, Google is rolling out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) in group chats for Messages users enrolled in the beta program.
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Back in September, Google started updating the account switcher found in the top-right corner of all its Android apps, and it’s now getting more Material You and Dynamic Color.
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Team YouTube on Twitter is running a poll this afternoon on “what feature do you want the most on ad-supported” YouTube Music.
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At the end of every year, Fitbit aggregates anonymized user data to release global health stats, and the 2022 year in review is now available.
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Compared to phones and tablets, Android on watches — until very recently — has offered a pretty universal experience. Wear OS 3 changed that, especially Samsung, but we’re now seeing a more interesting level of customization with the 2nd-gen CZ Smart from Citizen.
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In addition to Android and Spotify Connect integration and Auto news, Google at CES 2023 shared a few stats, including how “there are now over three times as many active Wear OS devices” since Wear OS 3 launched.
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After entering public beta in November, Google is rolling out Android Auto’s split-screen redesign into stable starting today (January 5).
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