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.
Google is rolling out Chrome OS 102 starting today with a handful of notable changes. This new version will be fully available over the coming weeks.
Expand Expanding Close
The University of Oregon’s Center for Digital Mental Health is launching a new digital wellbeing study that collects data using “passive and continuous sensing technology” on your Android and Fitbit via the Google Health Studies app.
Expand Expanding Close
In addition to the web redesign becoming more widely available, Google Play is rolling out a rather granular “Compatibility for your active devices” section for app listings on Android.
Expand Expanding Close
As first tested in November, Google is rolling out a big redesign of the web Play Store that brings it inline with other services after many years of the same user interface.
Expand Expanding Close
As seen by camera-based heart and respiratory rate tracking in Fit for Android, one aspect of Google’s Health initiative is leveraging existing devices to collect health data. Google is now in the process of testing on-device snore and cough detection for Android and/or Pixel.
Expand Expanding Close
Back in September, Gmail introduced a useful way to further refine search results on Android, and those filters now appear when viewing labels.
Expand Expanding Close
Google is updating Drive on the web with useful keyboard shortcuts to make managing your files much simpler. Fortunately, the key combos are pretty standard and align with modern file browsers, but they only work in the Chrome browser.
Expand Expanding Close
Google is rolling out a mid-cycle update to Android 13 with Beta 2.1 today. This follows the release two weeks ago at I/O 2022.
Expand Expanding Close
Chromebooks are quite popular in schools for their mix of affordability, ease of management, and utility. Another growing use case sees libraries across the US acquire Chrome OS laptops and make them available to patrons for extended periods of time. Here’s our non-exhaustive list of library systems that let you borrow a Chromebook and internet hotspot.
Expand Expanding Close
Back in March, Gboard heavily suggested that it was adding a split keyboard for foldables, and the first look at that design is now here.
Expand Expanding Close
The latest change to Google Docs lets you select multiple passages of text and take bulk actions (delete, copy, paste, etc.) simultaneously to greatly speed up formatting.
Expand Expanding Close
With Android 13, a revamp of the Pixel Launcher search experience is underway, and one aspect of it is now live with the latest Google app beta.
Expand Expanding Close
The US Google Store has long let you purchase Pixel phones unlocked through Google Fi or with Verizon. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are now available through AT&T on the Google Store.
Expand Expanding Close
Google Marketing Live is the company’s annual equivalent of I/O for advertising. The 2022 edition saw Google announce several new shopping and advertising experiences that end users can expect in the coming year, including Discover video ads.
Expand Expanding Close
Google is updating Lens in desktop Chrome so that it doesn’t open as a new tab and keeps you on the same page via a new side panel.
Expand Expanding Close
To mark the 15th anniversary of Street View, Google Maps is rolling out a slew of features including the ability to view historical data on Android and iOS, as well as a new camera system.
Expand Expanding Close
In recent weeks, the DALL-E 2 AI image generator has been making the waves on Twitter. Google this evening publicized its own version called “Imagen,” and it pairs a deep level of language understanding with an “unprecedented degree of photorealism.”
Expand Expanding Close
Galaxy Watch 4 owners have been waiting for Google Assistant since Samsung launched the wearable with just Bixby last year, and support is now officially launching today.
Expand Expanding Close
Google already lets you create and assign tasks in Google Chat Spaces, and the integration is now going deeper with the ability to create a personal task from any message.
Expand Expanding Close
Ahead of availability this fall, Google is turning to Taiwan’s Compal Electronics to manufacture the Pixel Watch, while we also learned today that it will have a USB-C charger.
Expand Expanding Close
At the start of this month, we spotted that the Nest Hub would get deeper Google Fit and Fitbit integration. You can now ask Google Assistant for your Fitbit and Google Fit stats.
Expand Expanding Close
Google won’t be selling the Pixel 6a for another two months, but an official unboxing video provides a quick glimpse of the under-display fingerprint sensor, while the actual box contains some rather interesting Tensor branding.
Expand Expanding Close
Since our report on Friday about how the Pixel Watch will be using Samsung’s Exynos 9110, 9to5Google has learned more details about what specs are powering Google’s upcoming wearable and the health capabilities it will offer.
Expand Expanding Close
Qualcomm today did its usual mid-year update to this cycle’s mobile flagship chip with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, and the 7 Gen 1 was also announced. The chipmaker additionally unveiled a new reference design with the Wireless AR Smart Viewer.
Expand Expanding Close