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.
In recent months, Made by Google has been building up its “Pixel Superfans” community through more (and aggressive) invites, as well as an open form. That drive is culminating with a virtual Superfans event for the Pixel 6 this Tuesday.
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In late August, Google rolled out a pair of new features for Assistant Routines. Google’s Home and Away Routines for smart home devices now has a new arrive/leave location trigger.
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In recent years, the Android team has released partner videos with Samsung highlighting how the OS takes advantage of new hardware, like foldables. Google today released a curious trio of ads about its apps running on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3.
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Car Crash Detection is a key part of the Pixel experience, and Google is now updating the Personal Safety app with the ability to automatically record video when you invoke an Emergency SOS. The UI has also been refreshed with Material You.
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Google is today rolling out Chrome OS 94 as the last six-week update for the platform. There are a handful of user-facing additions in this update that will be fully available over the coming weeks.
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Chrome Apps preceded Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) as Google’s original vision for mimicking the capabilities of native applications through browsers. The legacy technology is on its way out, but Google has decided to extend the availability of Chrome Apps on Chrome OS.
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Following the bigger Android and iOS redesign in January, Google Search will soon adopt continuous scrolling on the mobile web.
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With Android 12 hitting AOSP at the start of the month, Google also released the latest Compatibility Definition Document (CDD). There are a handful of hardware and software changes that device makers have to abide by, but nothing too major.
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With Android 12, the “Android Auto for Phone Screens” experience is going away in favor of Google Assistant. That transition is happening for more users as of late, while Assistant Driving Mode can now auto-launch when it connects to your vehicle’s Bluetooth.
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With Android 12 Beta 5 last month, Google introduced Material You clock widgets. An update to Google Clock is rolling out today with a brand new widget and a grand total of five clock styles to choose from.
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With the Pixel Fall Event one week away, new images provide our first good look at the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro’s camera bump in relation to the rest of the hardware.
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Smart Lock dates back to Android Lollipop and was Google’s solution for reducing the number of times users had to enter their passcodes before the ubiquity of fingerprint readers. Smart Lock in Android Settings was recently updated with a much-needed modern UI.
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Back in September, Google announced that its YouTube-branded streaming service was dropping Galaxy Watch 4 exclusivity and coming to Wear OS 2 devices running the Snapdragon Wear 4100. YouTube Music can now be installed on even older watches powered by the Wear 3100 chipset.
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Cloud Next is Google Cloud’s annual conference for enterprise customers and developers, and this year’s virtual edition is kicking off later today at 9 a.m. PT. Google Workspace announcements at Cloud Next ‘21 are primarily centered on security.
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At Cloud Next ’21, Google announced “Work Safer” as a one-stop offering for small businesses, enterprises, and public sector institutions looking to equip and protect employees amid hybrid work.
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At the end of last month, the Charge 5 went on sale as Fitbit’s first tracker to feature an always-on display mode. Fitbit is now adding an AOD to the Luxe through a firmware update.
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Google is rolling out two security-related changes that are aimed at simplifying the process of getting 2-Step Verification (2SV) backup codes through a new page and approving permissions on the OAuth screen.
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Google Photos and Assistant Smart Displays are the perfect combination of hardware and software. That requires setting the appropriate clock today, but the Google Photos integration is getting deeper, with Memories soon set to appear in the Nest Hub “Your day” tab.
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Google announced the “Private Compute Core” at I/O in May as an effective rebrand of “Device Personalization Services,” now called “Android System Intelligence.” That was followed by “Private Compute Services” last month, with that component now available as an app on the Play Store.
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Back in August, Google widely rolled out a visual revamp of its wearable Play Store. Google Clock now looks to be the next Wear OS app to get a Material You redesign.
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Google applications on iOS have long been criticized for not feeling native to the platform. Earlier this year, the company’s designers reviewed their approach for developing iOS apps and opted for a change.
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Google’s Material You rollout continues with the Play Store over the last 24 hours, but this redesign is not too visually encompassing ye and availability is quite limited.
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Yesterday’s Pixel 6 Pro assembly and disassembly videos have already been removed “due to a copyright claim by Google LLC.” However, the same YouTube channel this morning posted a “Pixel 6 assembly video.”
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UV Index data was added to the Wear OS Weather app back in April. Sometime in the past few months – if not weeks – Google Assistant started showing UV Index across all its platforms.
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