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 you type in the Search box, Google is going to start showing more suggestions and ways to refine your query, while certain results will look drastically different from the current 10 blue links approach.
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Live View is one of Google’s most promising augmented reality (AR) features and it will soon be faster to launch in Google Maps, while also adding nearby search.
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At Search On 2022, Google announced that “Discussions and forums” will be getting their own sections in results, while translated news coverage is also coming next year.
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Proclaiming “the age of visual search is here” and that the “camera is the next keyboard,” Google at Search On 2022 announced a trio of new features and updates for Lens, like AR Translate.
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Manifest V3 is how you’re meant to build Chrome extensions, and Google today laid out a more detailed transition timeline away from Manifest V2.
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Ahead of a “next generation design,” the Google Home app is rolling out a redesign of “controls for popular smart home devices.”
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Previewed earlier this month, Google is now rolling out its first iOS 16 Lock Screen widgets with updates to Chrome and Drive.
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Last month, Google Fiber shared that it’s focusing on five new states over the coming years, and today previewed upcoming “announcements to dramatically expand our multi-gigabit tiers” and eventually get to 100 Gig symmetrical internet.
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To make the Play Store on phones a better hub for finding apps for Wear OS, televisions, and cars, Google in recent months has rolled out a trio of updates to offer a better multi-device experience.
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As it did with the Pixel Watch last week, Google has shared a “Design of Google Pixel 7 Pro” video that provides our best look at the three colors that are coming.
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Google Cloud and Fitbit (Health Solutions) today announced “Device Connect for Fitbit” to let healthcare providers and other life science research better collect and analyze wearable data.
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As we suspected, Pixel Watch packaging appearing at Target over the weekend is a wider occurrence as someone received a Fast Pair prompt while near an electronics store.
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In a curious change, the Google Search app and Discover on Android no longer opens sites in fullscreen, but rather makes use of a sheet.
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Earlier this year, YouTube Music redesigned its playlist and album views for tablets, but now it looks to be opting for a different interface on phones as part of a series of tweaks that add Material You buttons across the Android app.
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Compared to the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, Google hasn’t been as forthcoming with what colors the Pixel Watch will be available in, but it confirmed today that matte black will be one of them.
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Season 34 of The Simpsons kicked off tonight with a “couch gag” that pays tribute to Google Chrome’s Dino game.
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In recent days, Google Photos users scrolling back several years through their library have found pictures that can be best described as “corrupted.”
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A lot about the Pixel Watch has leaked in recent weeks, and we now have a look at the retail box for Google’s first wearable.
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In recent weeks, YouTube has been testing a redesign of the video screen, and Material You tweaks are now coming to the homepage. The video site is clearly working on a big overhaul of its clients for all platforms.
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The US Google Store is running a rather notable trade-in promotion for the Pixel 6a that significantly increases the trade-in value of older Pixel, as well as iPhone and Samsung, devices.
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When Google Wallet replaced Google Pay on Wear OS, some watches lost the ability to hit a predefined button twice to initiate tap-to-pay. Google has now fixed this issue and brought back the shortcut.
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Ahead of Google Maps and Wallet, a “Google Arts & Culture” watch face is now available on the Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4, which started arriving for the first customers today.
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Google Lens now has a shortcut – introduced on desktop earlier this year – that lets you quickly open the Image Search experience on Android.
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Google Nest announced today that it’s replacing “some 3rd Gen Nest Learning Thermostat Heat Links in the UK and other European countries” following the discovery of an issue.
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