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.
For this year’s International Small Business Week, Google is offering product discounts on Workspace and an HP Chromebook, as well as a “Heroes of Small Business sweepstakes.”
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Most people — apart from during Beta 1 — haven’t had a chance to fully experience Android 13’s redesigned media controls, but you can do so today with Google Podcasts and Chrome.
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Today’s election campaigns will use every possible form of communication to reach voters and raise funds. Following complaints about Gmail’s filtering, Google is proposing a plan to keep political “campaign emails from ending up in spam folders.”
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Google’s 2018 flagship phones received their last guaranteed update in October 2021, but there was one more release this February. The Pixel 3 and 3 XL were surprisingly updated today with VoLTE roaming support.
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Android 13’s third patch is out today, and there are fewer user-facing changes than in the last release. That said, Beta 3.3 does bring the Android 13 easter egg.
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Google this morning surprisingly released Android 13 Beta 3.3 for Pixel phones almost two weeks after the last release, which was already rather sizable, for a continuation of the patch-heavy cycle.
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All Workspace customers were migrated to Google Chat earlier this year. Google announced today that classic Hangouts is going away for free users in October and laid out the migration plans to Chat.
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Due to a Malaysian reseller, there are at least two Pixel 6a units out in the wild before next month’s launch. A pair of new videos in recent days provides more Pixel 6a details, including a look at how much better the fingerprint sensor is.
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Fast Pair started as Google’s way to quickly connect Bluetooth headphones to Android phones and will soon do the same on Chrome OS. Google alluded today that Fast Pair is coming to Wear OS in what could be preparation for the Pixel Watch and Pixel Buds Pro.
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Android 12’s double-line clock is one of Google’s most notable expressions of Material You. Following iOS 16’s big emphasis, one concept design imagines how the Android and Pixel lockscreen could evolve with the addition of depth.
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Personalized playlists based on listening history are a big part of YouTube Music, and the app is now giving users a quick way to view every “Mixed for you” creation available to them through a grid view.
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We shared a first look at the Fitbit Versa 4 at the start of May while also reporting on its product name, along with that of the Sense 2. Additional confirmation of upcoming Fitbit wearables and their branding now comes from a familiar accessory maker.
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After adding the ability to star, Google Tasks will soon let users print out a list of their to-dos on the web.
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Version 103 of Chrome is rolling out this week, and Google is highlighting several new features on iPhone and iPad that span usability and security.
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The Chromebook team kicked off 2022 by previewing a number of new Better Together integrations at CES. Chrome OS 103 is rolling out, starting today, with the ability to see your camera roll in Phone Hub and Nearby Share to get Wi-Fi credentials from your Android device.
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After launching a new retail location in New York last week, the online Google Store now has a series of “Ideas + Info” articles.
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When YouTube TV brought surround sound to Google/Android TV and Roku earlier this month, Google said it was working to expand availability, and 5.1 audio is now available on some Amazon Fire TV devices.
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Back in October, Google Search on Android and iOS introduced a simple “Word of the day” notification that now lets you select a different difficulty level.
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In addition to Imagen, Google has another text-to-image generator called Parti that also strives for photorealism but by using a different family of generative models.
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Announced in March as part of a flurry of updates, the Google Home app has now widely rolled out the new events Feed tab.
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As Pride month continues, Google is adding support for an LGBTQ+ owned attribute to Business Profiles that appear in Search and Maps.
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To mark its 20th anniversary this year, Google News on desktop is getting a redesign today that focuses on customization by “bringing Top stories, Local news, and personalized picks for you to the top of the page.”
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As announced in March, Google Play users on Android are starting to see the Movies & TV store disappear from the app.
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Made by Google took to social media today to remind prospective buyers that pre-orders for the Pixel 6a and Pixel Buds Pro open in one month’s time. Meanwhile, another video hands-on of Google’s upcoming mid-range phone has found its way onto YouTube.
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