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.
A year after Apple Music first became available on Google Nest and Home devices, the streaming service is now supported in five more countries.
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With holiday buying in full swing, the Google Store is following its Black Friday offerings with a handful of new deals. The most notable provides boosted trade-in values for older iPhones when purchasing the Pixel 5a.
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Google Photos is rounding out the year with upgraded camera animations for “Cinematic photos,” as well as the wide availability of several Memories-related features.
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As we’ve been expecting since the start of this year, Android is getting a new “App Pairs” feature that is live in 12L Beta 1. On phones, it replaces the previous “Split screen” approach to multitasking.
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One of the best features of the new Assistant is Continued Conversation, where your Pixel’s microphone briefly stays open after a response has been given to allow follow-ups. For the past week or so, Continued Conversation on all Google phones, including the Pixel 6, has been broken.
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The addition of scrolling screenshots that allow you to capture the entire screen was a big part of Android 12. Google has now quietly added support for Android 12’s scrolling screenshots in Chrome.
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For the first time in four years, Google is releasing a mid-cycle update to Android that’s primarily aimed at foldables, tablets, and Chrome OS. Android 12L Beta 1 is the first release available on actual devices, specifically Pixel phones.
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At the end of October, Google announced a mid-cycle update to Android 12 focused on foldables, tablets, and Chrome OS. Beta 1 of Android 12L is now available as the first release for Pixel phones enrolled in the Beta Program.
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While YouTube Rewind has been retired, Google still has its Year in Search recap, and the 2021 edition is focused on the theme of healing.
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Yesterday’s December patch introduced a slew of fixes that add polish to key Android 12 experiences like homescreen widgets. One such change addresses how Material You customization was largely incomplete due to the absence of widgets.
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Over the years, various YouTube TV promos have given out free hardware to subscribers. Google is now giving some customers a $10 credit/discount for being a “loyal friend of YouTube TV.”
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In 2020, Google’s streaming service offered a “Year in Review” playlist, while a handful of users got an email with top stats. YouTube Music’s 2021 Recap is much more extensive than previous Google efforts and more on par with other streaming services.
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While Google Workspace offers Sheets, people still use Docs to create inline tables. Google is now letting you better create and customize tables in the Docs web app with a handful of upgrades.
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Over the past few days, you might have noticed that Google.com looks slightly different when searching for news. Google’s “Top stories” carousel on the desktop website has been revamped with a new grid-based organization structure.
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Nearly six months after its last update, the Chromecast with Google TV is getting a handful of performance improvements today.
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Back in September, Google previewed how Chat will let you make one-on-one Meet calls without having to use URLs. Similar to classic Hangouts, this feature is now rolling out in the version of Google Chat inside Gmail.
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Since Google launched cheaper Pixel Buds in June, the only update the company rolled out was to fix a volume bug three months ago. Pixel Buds A-Series is now getting a trio of new capabilities with a firmware update alongside the Pixel phone Feature Drop.
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In addition to a Feature Drop and the latest security patch, the December 2021 update addresses a whole slew of Android 12 issues for the Pixel 3a to 6 Pro. An organized list of those fixes is available below.
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Given that this year’s big Android release rolled out to Pixel phones later than expected, there was no quarterly update that bundled together new user-facing capabilities in September. Google is now back with a Pixel Feature Drop to accompany Android 12 and the December security patch.
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From launch, the Chromecast with Google TV has been available with a Netflix bundle that gets you six months of access to the streaming service for just $40 more. A bug looks to be causing some of those Chromecast buyers to get another Netflix promo code for free service.
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In addition to a bottom field, the Google app is testing a Search bar that appears at the very top of your screen. It matches other first-party apps, but it is a departure from what Google Search has looked like on mobile for the past several years.
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For December, Google’s monthly Pixel Curated Culture wallpaper collection is celebrating “International Day of Persons with Disabilities.”
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Since the start of this year, Google has been testing a new YouTube app/experience for the regular Chromecast. The new YouTube Cast app looks to be widely rolled out for the 3rd-gen Chromecast and Ultra this week.
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On Monday, Google made Workspace available “for everyone” with free, personal accounts able to turn on the integrated Gmail experience with Chat and Rooms — soon to be called Spaces. Alongside that, Google Workspace branding now appears on the Gmail web client.
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