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.
Following the Google Store, Google Fi’s Black Friday takes $300 off the Pixel 7 Pro for both new (number port in required) and existing MVNO subscribers.
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Mastodon has emerged as the most recognizable Twitter alternative as of late, but there’s more than enough time for others to emerge. Former Waze CEO Noam Bardin is now trying with Post to create a “civil place to debate ideas; learn from experts, journalists, individual creators, and each other; converse freely; and have some fun.”
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In addition to introducing a handful of Messages features, Google is rolling out new icons for the SMS/RCS app, as well as Phone and Contacts.
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Following the developments earlier this week, there’s now more reporting on just how Amazon’s recent (and ongoing) layoffs have impacted Alexa.
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A text-first social network that’s centralized, fast to post, and simple to consume should always exist. Twitter looks to be actively imploding (though it will probably limp through, like MySpace), and I think Google — more specifically YouTube — should just bite the bullet and replicate it.
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Back in September, Google announced a few updates to Nearby Share, including sharing to your own devices. Another upcoming change will have Nearby Share “show in the first row as a sharing option” in the system Android sheet.
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At the start of this year, Google made a handful of changes to Speaker Groups following the US ITC ruling in favor of Sonos. Google Assistant speakers made by JBL are finally getting updated with new Cast firmware that fixes the experience of using Speaker Groups.
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Google has said a lot about RCS and iMessage in recent months, and the iPhone-only solution is top of mind as it starts a Pixel 7 holiday push aimed at switchers.
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Google is significantly upgrading Assistant’s podcast capabilities with more granular commands that let you search and play by episode, topic, and even guests.
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Back in September, Google previewed the ability for Search to find “Nearby dishes,” and this capability is now rolling out today along with a pair of feature expansions in Google Maps.
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Back in September, Google previewed the ability to search for nearby places using augmented reality. AR search in Google Maps Live View will start rolling out next week, while Google Lens multisearch will let you take a food picture and see where the dish is available nearby.
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The Google Store is expected to have more deals for Black Friday than what was previewed today, and one such discount could be on the Pixel Watch.
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A year after Waymo announced a custom robotaxi for its ride-hailing service, the Alphabet company today previewed the autonomous electric vehicle.
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As of late, people have complained that Google Search is surfacing less useful results. Google responded to that in a podcast this week.
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At the 2022 Snapdragon Summit, Niantic took the stage today to show off the “latest iteration” of its outdoor AR headset reference design. The company, which was spun out of Google in 2015 as part of Alphabet reorganization, is most known for Pokémon Go.
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Before today, Qualcomm focused on mixed reality chipsets (XR1 and XR2) that could be used for both augmented and virtual reality headsets. The company is now making its first purpose-built AR chip with the Snapdragon AR2 Gen 1.
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After bringing the new playlist view to phones, YouTube Music is introducing a redesign of the Now Playing screen.
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“Unlimited Plus” is Google Fi’s top tier and the MVNO is now adding one year of free YouTube Premium as a subscription perk.
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While Search results and the Discover feed are visually tweaked from time to time, other parts of the Google app are often slow to change. Fortunately, Google is now working on a Material You redesign of the Search app.
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Qualcomm today announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 as its new flagship Android chip with a big focus on AI performance.
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In addition to custom durations, Google Chat will soon let you schedule a recurring DND (Do Not Disturb), which are useful for lunch breaks and the weekends.
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Following iOS availability earlier this year, the Google One VPN is now available for Mac and Windows through new desktop apps.
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Yesterday, Google announced that the Pixel Watch companion app was getting its November update. It’s not yet widely rolled out and some are reporting app crashes, while another problem sees Pixel Watch complication editing disappear.
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After several months of developer previews, Privacy Sandbox is entering beta for Android 13 early next year so that developers can more widely test “private advertising solutions.”
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