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.
Android 13 sees Google continue with the concept of Quarterly Platform Releases and QPR1 is now rolling out to Pixel phones with the December security patch and Feature Drop.
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Google is rolling out the Pixel’s 12th Feature Drop this December with Android 13 QPR1. It’s available for the Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, and Pixel 7 Pro from today onwards.
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In addition to the set of updates previewed last week, the Google TV app is getting a Material You redesign on Android.
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Every application open on Android 12 is accompanied by a launch animation to make “startup a more consistent and delightful experience,” and the experience can be further enhanced by an animated icon on the splash screen as seen with Google’s apps.
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“Duplex” is Google’s umbrella term for technologies that can handle tedious, multistep tasks on your behalf. The phone version was the most well-known application of this technology, and Google is now shutting down Duplex on the Web.
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The increased prominence of Google Password Manager continues with the latest version of Chrome for Android replacing the browser’s built-in saved credentials list.
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Following the first annual summary last year and subsequent seasonal ones, YouTube Music is starting to roll out the 2022 Recap today.
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Last year, Google announced that OnHub router support and Home app control would end in 2022, but that’s now being delayed to after the holidays.
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The Material Design team has an interesting blog post into what it calls the “24-hour Clock Design Challenge” that chronicles Google’s work creating a time picker for those that use a 24-hour format clock on their Android devices.
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In recent months, Google has rolled out a Material You redesign and tile for Keep on Wear OS. Around that time, Google Keep looks to have dropped support for older Wear OS 2 devices.
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In addition to a slew of other announcements in October, Google shared that group end-to-end encryption (E2EE) in Messages would start rolling out by year’s end. Ahead of that, some uses are seeing how Google Messages will note E2E encryption status in group chats.
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Last year, Google announced Android Open Source Project (AOSP) support for Rust, and today the company provided an update, while highlighting the decline in memory safety vulnerabilities.
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For the holidays, Wear OS is seeing a trio of new features, including two additional first-party Tiles and a more capable Google Keep app.
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Following the Music Recap earlier this week, YouTube is revealing the top trending videos of 2022 and other lists that more or less serve as a stand in for Rewind.
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Back in September, Google announced that Keep was getting a dual-pane view and it’s now more widely rolled out on Android tablets.
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Back in October, Google announced it was testing AR features with Glass Enterprise devices paired to Pixel phones. As part of this effort, a new Glass Enterprise Companion app is now available on Google Play.
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Over the past hour or so, some YouTube for iPhone and iPad users have reported that the app is repeatedly crashing on open.
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After years of teasing, the secretive startup founded by ex-Apple employees in July released a more explicit preview of what it is building. Humane announced today that its “first offerings will be announced this spring” of 2023.
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Following content purchases, the Google Store today alerted customers that Stadia hardware, including Controller and Editions bundles, refunds “will be issued within 2 weeks.”
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In addition to crowning the best overall Android application and game of 2022, Google Play today named the best Wear OS, tablet, and Chromebook apps.
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As the year starts to wind down, Google Play is naming the best Android apps and games of 2022. This includes Users’ Choice and 20 “Best of” categories. These lists are localized, and you can browse your country by tapping the “Best of 2022” banner at the top of the Play Store.
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While Apple Silicon-powered Macs can run most iOS apps, the vast majority of developers have opted out. Google did that in late 2020, though it recently made its AI Test Kitchen iPhone/iPad app available on the Mac App Store.
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The US Google Store will kick off its Black Friday 2022 discounts next week, and the highlight is $150 off the Pixel 7 Pro.
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Google has added a nifty feature to Chrome for iOS that gives you the option to quickly open external links from other apps using Incognito. It’s especially useful on shared devices.
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