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.
As part of the LaMDA announcement in May of 2021, Google cited Assistant, Search, and Workspace as products where it hopes to “incorporat[e] better conversational features.” A new report today looks into Google’s reluctance to launch and incorporate LaMDA into products before OpenAI and Microsoft.
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Following the literal input/output puzzle this morning, Google has announced that I/O 2023 is taking place Wednesday, May 10.
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The January security patch already introduced support for static spatial audio on the latest Pixel phones. Google is now rolling out the Pixel Buds Pro update that enables spatial audio with head tracking.
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Google today detailed its “key 2023 initiatives” for the Play Store and Android. Meanwhile, the company is hosting #TheAndroidShow on Thursday with a focus on large screens, foldables, and Jetpack Compose.
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Google’s usual window for the Pixel Feature Drop came and went this morning without a release, but details of the March 2023 update have now leaked out.
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In the latest example of a late Google Play system update, the February 2023 patch for Pixel phones is just rolling out today after having missed its original month.
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Historically, Google updates its Pixel phones on the first Monday of the month at 10 a.m. PT. That’s today, but there’s no March update yet in an unexpected delay for Google Pixel.
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From layoffs to not paying bills, Twitter has been on a cost-cutting drive since the Elon Musk acquisition. The latter has resulted in lawsuits from landlords and vendors, though one partner Twitter is not antagonizing is Google.
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Following last week’s announcement, Magic Eraser is now available on all Pixel phones and for any Google One subscriber, including those on iOS.
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The YouTube Music team opened and then quickly closed applications for a “Listening Room” beta program in January and provided a brief update today.
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Google is rolling out an update to the app responsible for Pixel Watch Faces. So far, there aren’t any major changes, with the count remaining at 19, but the Google Assistant complication does get a color tweak.
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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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Wearables make for great alarms that you’ll instantly feel vibrating on your wrist. Some Pixel Watch owners have noticed that alarms are late to invoke by a few minutes.
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Following the Tuesday announcement, Google is rolling out Fall Detection to the Pixel Watch.
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Announced last month as a quick way to draw on and highlight PDFs, Google Drive’s new annotation tools on Android are now rolling out.
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As we wait for the Pixel Tablet, Google continues to optimize its first-party apps for large screens. A byproduct of that work is a new Google Keep screenshot from the Pixel Tablet today.
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Last year, Google made it so that Play app ratings are generated based on form factor. You can now rate and review apps for all form factors from the online Play Store.
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Back in November, Google started testing a vertical photo gallery in Messages for Android, and the scrolling picker is now seeing wider availability.
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Back in September, the Google Phone app started testing a new calling screen, and the bottom sheet redesign is now seeing wider availability.
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Google added “Highlights” to Contacts in December that made the Android app decidedly more than just a list of people. That Google Contacts feed now has a “For you” section that shows upcoming birthdays.
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YouTube announced today that its English Help forum has disabled new posts and comments as it switches to read-only ahead of “improvements” in the “next several months.”
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YouTube has a new leader following Susan Wojcicki stepping down, and Neal Mohan today discussed the video service’s 2023 Priorities.
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Google is using the Pixel Watch companion app to run a simple survey that’s seeing a pretty wide rollout.
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