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 now taking feedback for Android 13 Beta 2 a week after its launch at I/O 2022. At the same time, the Android 12 QPR3 Beta 3 survey is also available.
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A week ago at I/O 2022, Google said it would optimize over 20 of its Android apps for large-screen devices. The first tablet update is now here, and that distinction goes to Google Lens.
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YouTube is announcing a handful of updates today to its video player from a “Most replayed” graph to testing ways to quickly jump to sections you’d be more interested in.
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Amidst I/O 2022, Google Cloud announced Immersive Stream for XR last week to use the cloud-based GPUs behind Stadia for interactive 3D and augmented reality demo experiences.
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In a slightly protracted rollout, Google today revealed the first three games that will be available to Stadia Pro subscribers for May 2022. More titles will be announced in the coming days.
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Last week, a handful of Google apps opened preview programs, but new versions have yet to emerge. The Play Store now says that the Wear OS companion app is getting a beta.
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According to Bloomberg today, Ian Goodfellow, who oversaw machine learning at Apple before quitting due to the in-person work policy, is joining Alphabet’s DeepMind.
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Google is ever on the quest to improve the general perception of security and privacy on its mobile operating system. The latest effort is called “Protected by Android” and that branding looks set for a broader rollout.
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Ahead of going stable next month, Android 12 QPR3 Beta 3 has a curious Pixel Launcher bug that breaks the ability to search for apps installed on your device.
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In April of 2020, Google lowered the quality of Ambient mode on Chromecast and Assistant Smart Displays to save bandwidth in response to COVID-19’s work from home (WFH) surge, and these changes are now being reverted.
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As part of its Grow with Google and Career Certificates initiatives, Google has launched a new Interview Warmup website.
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Back in 2020, Google worked with Parallels to let enterprise users run Windows and its apps on Chrome OS. Expanded hardware support arrived last year, and Parallels Desktop for Chromebooks now works with Intel Core i3 and AMD Ryzen 3 5000 processors.
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After nearly five years of construction, Google this month officially opened its Bay View campus in California. Besides an iconic design, it’s focused on sustainability and offering an “adaptable and healthy workplace.”
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Back in April, Google delayed when G Suite legacy free-edition users had to start paying for Workspace. The company will now let you stay on a “Free Legacy Edition of G Suite for personal use” as the “no-cost” alternative in a rather notable policy change.
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Back in March, Google Fiber made Business 2 Gig available for $250 per month, and is now upgrading that plan with a “Service Level Guarantee.”
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With I/O 2022 now over, Google is asking virtual attendees for feedback on the developer conference, while also offering them equally virtual swag.
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We spotted how the Nest Hub is getting deeper Google Fit and Fitbit integration to let you see step count and other activity stats at the start of this month, and you some users can now connect either service to Assistant settings.
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Google announced I/O 2022 with an SVD puzzle revealing the conference dates, and it’s now ending it with Playground, a “sound toy” that lets you “create your own Euclidean rhythms and melodies.”
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In addition to a slew of new developer features at I/O 2022, Google is testing a Play Store tweak on Android that lets users see more information about apps without having to open the full listing.
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A small tweak rolling out to Google Chat brings back the idle status (orange bubble) that was originally found in Google Talk, which was colloquially referred to as Gchat.
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On Wednesday, Google officially confirmed that it was making a Pixel Watch, but the provided preview was light on concrete specifications as availability is still some months away. 9to5Google has now learned that the Pixel Watch is powered by an Exynos chip that originally debuted with the Samsung Galaxy Watch from 2018.
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Since 2019, the main YouTube app has offered to open song videos in YouTube Music, but this integration is now getting much more prominent.
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As we previously spotted, YouTube Music’s ‘Recently Played’ Wear OS tile is now available to let you quickly start listening to a previous album/song on your watch.
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Since Wear OS 3 last year, more developers have released apps for the wearable platform. At I/O 2022, Google teased that Todoist is redesigning its Wear OS app to be more modern.
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