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.
Back in May, Google updated the UI for Calendar’s working locations to make it less obtrusive, and is now enabling the feature by default for Workspace users.
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Just shy of two weeks since the last major release, Google is rolling out Android 13 Beta 4.1 to Pixel phones with several bug fixes.
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With the Pixel’s June Feature Drop, Google said that At a Glance would soon show Air Quality Index (AQI) alerts, and these readings are starting to roll out.
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At I/O 2022, Google announced that over 20 first-party apps would be optimized for tablets. We’ve already seen a handful of launches since May, and Google Drive, Docs/Sheets/Slides, and Keep are now set to receive updates that improve multitasking on Android tablets.
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In March of 2012, the “Android Market” was rebranded into “Google Play.” To mark 10 years, Google is introducing a new logo for the Play Store, and there’s also a 10x Play Points booster to celebrate the decade.
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With the Pixel 4, Google Camera gained a “Frequent Faces” feature to “identify and recommend better shots of the faces you photograph or record the most,” but was quietly disabled in recent months.
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Ahead of the Pixel 6a shipping next week, a teardown has revealed the innards of Google’s $449 mid-ranger. Design-wise, there are more than a few manufacturing similarities with last year’s Pixel 6.
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Back in May, we noticed that Google dropped the “Go” in “Gallery Go.” At the same time, “Camera Go” quietly became “Camera from Google” as the company continues to remove that old branding.
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After rolling out support for Android 13’s redesigned media controls, YouTube Music this week is also testing a “Dynamic queue.”
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Besides revealing work on support for Ring doorbell notifications, the latest version of Android System Intelligence gives you control over data used for At a Glance and other smart features.
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9to5Google reported that Fitbit is working on a pair of new smartwatches in March and two months later revealed the product names, as well some elements of the design. We now have a detailed look at the Fitbit Sense 2 and Versa 4.
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The Fitbit app has remained visually unchanged in recent years, but a redesign of charts shakes up how the mobile client presents distance, sleep, and other data.
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The ability for Google Meet to YouTube livestream is rolling out to personal Gmail accounts and several other Workspace tiers.
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With the Pixel Buds Pro going on pre-order today, members of the Pixel Superfans program are getting $20 off the $199.99 headphones when purchasing from the Google Store.
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This might sound overly hyperbolic, but the Pixel 6a includes the best collection of wallpapers Google has ever released, and you can download them for your phone right now.
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At launch, the new Google Wallet app is just focused on tap-to-pay on Wear OS, but more functionality is coming later this year. Meanwhile, the update is causing issues for the double-tap button shortcut on some watches.
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Google’s adorable Weather Frog started wearing a face mask in August of 2020. Earlier this week, the protective equipment was removed from the character that appears in Google’s Search app on Android.
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The Pixel 6a is now available to pre-order in Europe, and it comes with a free pair of Pixel Buds A-Series. Pixel Buds Pro is also now available for pre-order ahead of next week.
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Fitbit is rolling out an update to the Charge 5 today to add a “Find Phone” capability that was previously exclusive to its line of smartwatches.
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A sleep timer to pause playback after a specified increment is in the works for YouTube Music. This has been a long requested feature, especially since Google Play Music offered one ages ago.
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With the launch of Android 13 Beta 4 last week, Google said the “official release is next” but before that Pixel owners can leave feedback on what should be the last survey.
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As announced at I/O 2022 in May, Google Wallet is rolling out today as an update to the old Google Pay app (which has the multi-color ‘G’ and “Pay” on a white background).
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Touted as a way to keep your “Calendar free from spam,” Google is adding the ability to only have events appear if they come from a known sender.
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The Google Photos Print store, which is most known for books, is expanding its offerings in Europe and Canada. This applies to photo and canvas prints that have been available in the US and other places for sometime now.
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