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.
Stargazing increasingly requires that you travel a good distance away from lights. In Japan, Google is presenting a “Night Tour” event where you go to a ticketed location and can rent a Pixel for astrophotography.
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The Nest Wifi Pro is just over a month old, and the first discount on the Wi-Fi 6E system is now available from the US Google Store.
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With battery capacity inherently constrained by the size of wearables, optimizing the OS that runs on miniature devices is the approach to take. Google has acquired KoruLab to boost Wear OS on this front.
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If you recently used Google Wallet on Android, you might have noticed a touch of holiday whimsy on the Pay screen.
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While Duplex on the Web is going away, Google is still committed to the voice version of the conversational technology that can make human-sounding calls and maintain real conversations. Google’s latest use of Duplex is behind “where to watch the World Cup near me” searches.
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Following the Pixel 6a in November, iFixit now sells genuine repair parts for the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro as part of its continued partnership with Google.
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Google Voice rarely sees big updates that aren’t primarily enterprise-facing these days, but it is now getting “intelligent network switching” to improve call quality.
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Citing user feedback since the Public Preview launched in October, Google is rolling out an update to the Home for Wear OS app.
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Following desktop back in November, a Google Lens shortcut has now been added to google.com on Android for another way to launch the visual search tool.
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The YouTube Music recap of what launched in the past two months is here with a handful of new additions that haven’t been widely noticed yet, like hashtag pages.
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Honda announced last September that it would start using Android Automotive, and the first car to do so will be the 2023 Accord.
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Third-party apps have been rather slow to support the Android 13 media player, with Spotify just starting to do so.
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Google Photos introduced the ability to share its story-based Memories on Android in September, and the feature is now available for iOS, along with new collage styles for the New Year.
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Google released Android 13 QPR2 Beta 1 on Monday with more than a few changes to the end-user experience, and Pixel owners can now leave feedback.
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Speedometer is a browser benchmark that measures responsiveness by simulating user interactions on demo web applications. Introduced by Apple’s WebKit team, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are now partnering on the development of Speedometer 3.
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Google announced the App Defense Alliance (ADA) three years ago to “stop bad apps before they reach users’ devices,” and today recapped its work in 2022.
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As expected, Google has started beta testing digital driver’s license and state ID card support on Android through Wallet, starting with the state of Maryland.
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Yesterday, the Google Wallet Quick Settings tile started showing the full name of a card instead of just the last four digits. This was rather annoying, and Google looks to have reverted this change.
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“Add to queue” is already available on the YouTube website, and it’s now in testing for the Android and iOS apps.
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As part of December’s Pixel Feature Drop, Google’s excellent Recorder app gained Speaker Labels that can identify multiple people. As with previous editions, the team behind it is out with an explanation of how the feature came to be.
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Google’s latest Smart canvas feature for Docs is code blocks that let you more easily format and display code.
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Given that kids like to use Assistant, Google is rolling out new parental controls, as well as new kid-friendly voices and Kids Dictionary.
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Occasionally, being on a higher Google Play Points tier provides nice perks, with Platinum members now getting a rather cool T-shirt.
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For the past year or so, generative AI has been all the rage within the tech community. ChatGPT from startup OpenAI has received a lot of attention for how it can respond to questions, though there are critical failings in terms of accuracy. Google executives internally addressed ChatGPT recently and touched on what the company is doing in the space.
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