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.
Later this week, Gorillaz will be performing a new song off their upcoming album in New York and London. This AR performance will be available through the “Gorillaz Presents” companion app and is powered by Google’s ARCore Geospatial API.
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Some, but not all, Google Assistant users received an “action required” email starting yesterday that warned about a bug that impacted hotword and other service settings.
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Like Cloud and Workspace, Google now offers a Search Status Dashboard to identify incidents and provide updates when its flagship product goes down.
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As detailed in October, Google has changed the wallet shortcuts on the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro to directly open the app.
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Besides the adjacent lava lamp effect, Google is making a number of tweaks to the full Quick Settings screen with Android 13 QPR2.
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For some, the 5G rollout hasn’t necessarily resulted in faster speeds or even a more consistent experience. In a possible acknowledgment of that, Google Fi now lets Pixel owners set their Preferred network type to LTE.
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Google usually releases previews bright and early, but opted for a late afternoon release for Android 13 QPR2 Beta 1.
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From the Pixel 4a onwards, Google dropped support for Playground in Camera, and the long wind down continues with the various AR sticker packs recently delisted from the Play Store.
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When Android introduced the output switcher two years ago, people immediately wanted Cast support. This is finally happening on Android 13 with YouTube Music being one of the first apps to list Chromecast devices in the output switcher.
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Google is continuing to have fun with Android 13’s new media player as QPR2 Beta 1 adds a delightful lava lamp overlay effect to the controls.
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With QPR1 now stable, Google is rolling out Android 13 QPR2 Beta 1 as the next sizable Pixel update that will be released in March.
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ARCore gained a Geospatial API at Google I/O 2022 to let developers more easily place virtual content in the real world. To encourage adoption, Google is starting the ARCore Geospatial API Challenge.
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Google was originally set to phase out Chrome support for old Manifest v2 extensions in 2023, but that’s now being postponed.
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Back at Search On 2022 in September, Google said Search would make it “easier to explore a subject by highlighting the most relevant and helpful information,” and that Knowledge Panel redesign is beginning to roll out.
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Google and Samsung are continuing their joint advertising campaign with a 3D anamorphic billboard in Times Square that highlights the Galaxy Z Flip 4, Google Assistant, and YouTube Music with the help of Ludacris.
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Given the large user base, Google rarely makes major changes to the interface of its browser. However, one in-development redesign plans to “modernize” the Chrome Omnibox on Android, and the end result looks a lot like the Pixel Launcher.
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On Saturday morning (PT), Google said Gmail “users may experience delays in email delivery.” That has since been resolved, but the company is now working through the “backlog of undelivered messages.”
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Fossil started rolling out Wear OS 3 to its Gen 6 devices in October, and the watches are getting their first update this December.
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Following iOS last month, YouTube for Android now offers homescreen widgets that provide quick access to search and core parts of the app.
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Google wants to improve the real-time editing experience in Slides with a “Follow” feature that lets you jump to whatever page a specific user is viewing.
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Following two new tiles for sunset/sunrise and favorite contacts, Google Keep for Wear OS is beginning to roll out its updated notes feed.
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Google started rolling out passkey support in October, and availability has now entered Chrome’s stable channel with version 108.
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Following the Play Store and YouTube Music, Google’s wind down of 2022 continues with the annual “Year in Search” recap video.
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The Private Compute Core (PCC) was announced with Android 12 to let ML-backed features operate in a privacy-conscious manner independent of other parts of the OS, including third-party apps. Google recently published a technical whitepaper detailing the Private Compute Core Architecture.
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