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.
The Pixel 6 has seen more advertising than any past Google device, and the marketing campaign is continuing with Giannis Antetokounmpo becoming the “new face” of the NBA’s “Official Fan Phone.”
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Remote work is here to stay, and Google Meet is accommodating that by adding support for video meetings with up to 500 participants on select Workspace tiers.
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A Google Cloud outage this morning is responsible for taking down parts of Snapchat, Discord, Spotify, and a host of other services that rely on GCP for hosting.
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Announced at the start of 2021, Google Classroom now supports offline assignment editing and an improved camera scanning tool for students using the Android app.
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Last month, we spotted the name and final look of the next Motorola-branded wearable. The moto watch 100 is now official without Wear OS and comes in at $99.99.
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Ahead of Chrome OS getting major updates every four weeks at the end of this month, Google today detailed the new six-month “long-term support” (LTS) channel for education and enterprise customers.
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Earlier this year, a Japanese appliance company most known for a $299 toaster announced it was making an Android phone. The Balmuda Phone was announced today with modern-ish specs and an incredibly adorable design that curves into the palm of your hand.
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One aim of the Workspace suite for Google is to adapt to the “future of work,” including the growing popularity of hybrid working arrangements. As such, Google Calendar meeting invites will soon let you specify how you’re attending.
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While the initial Android 12 updates for older Pixel phones have not brought over Material You/Dynamic Color backgrounds from Google’s flagship phones, the latest “Curated Culture” wallpapers for November are now available.
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Last week, Google announced that the Nest Hub (2nd gen) is adding more sleep data and improved snore detection. The latest update to the Google Fit app enables the new Sleep Stages graph even as the information has yet to appear on the Smart Display.
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The first YouTube video was uploaded by co-founder Jawed Karim on April 23, 2005. That seminal 18-second “Me at the zoo” clip now contains a protest of YouTube’s decision to no longer publicly show dislike counts.
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With last year’s Pixel phones, Google introduced new machine learning-powered editing tools that later came to all Android devices with Google One. iOS users with a One subscription now have access to those new filters in Google Photos.
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Ahead of the Pixel 6 launch, Google made a big push to expand its “Superfans” community. Similar to last year, the company is offering some Pixel Superfans a gift in the form of “6 Pro” socks and stickers.
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While Chrome has been modernized over the years — most recently for Material You, many UI components are quite old. Chrome for Android is now testing a replacement to the snackbar that uses top banner notifications.
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YouTube Music introduced an “activity bar” last year that generates a “personalized homepage full of playlists” that are centered around one of four moods, and now YouTube is adding a fifth: “Energize.”
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An internal Google reorganization sees the company create a new group to oversee “high-potential, long-term projects.” Overseen by Clay Bavor, Google Labs includes AR & VR and Area 120.
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Back in March, Google Fit introduced heart and respiratory rate tracking that uses the Pixel’s camera, and the Pixel 6 is now getting this capability in “early access.”
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November — the penultimate drop of 2021 — sees Stadia Pro add five games just like the month before.
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The final version of Android 12 rolled out in mid-October with the November security patch serving as the first bug-fixer. Some Pixel owners today are being prompted to install the Android 12 OTA again in an update that does not appear to change anything.
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Since 2019, Google’s video site has been experimenting with ways to de-weaponize the dislike button in response to targeted campaigns and to improve wellbeing. YouTube is now going ahead with hiding the public dislike count.
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Back in July, YouTube Music lost its very useful ‘Offline Mixtape’ app shortcut, but Google is now introducing “Play My Station” as a pretty good replacement for those that want to start playback immediately.
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Recent Material You rollouts have primarily focused on introducing new widgets, like Drive’s Suggested files, or updated widgets, like shapes for Photos. That said, some apps have yet to be redesigned, but Google Maps now has a Material You bottom bar.
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As promised last month, the Google Home app now features a built-in remote to control your Android/Google TV. Starting on Android, you no longer have to use the Google TV app or the included physical remote to control your television.
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Project Relate is a Google research effort to “help people with speech impairments communicate more easily with others and interact with the Google Assistant.” It’s actively looking for public English-speaking testers from four countries.
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