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 has long marked its company birthday on September 27 — even though the incorporation took place earlier on September 4. In recent years, international Google Stores in Europe and Asia Pacific have run deals to mark this occasion. For its 23rd birthday, Google looks to be giving Store purchasers this upcoming weekend an unspecified “offer” on the Pixel 6.
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Back in 2019, General Motors announced that it would adopt Google’s car operating system on Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC vehicles. Android Automotive can now be found on the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq with a landscape UI.
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We started seeing signs last week that Google is working on a mid-cycle Android update that deviates from the usual yearly release schedule. There are many unknowns about what we’ve been colloquially calling “Android 12.1,” but we now know what the new AOSP wallpaper looks like.
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Google has never revealed Pro or free subscriber numbers for Stadia, but a new promotion reveals that the company is trying to get more in the former category to resubscribe with a “surprise gift.”
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With the Charge 5 and “Daily Readiness Score” announcement at the end of last month, Fitbit also confirmed our report that the Sense and Versa 3 would get “Snore & Noise Detect.” That microphone-powered feature is now beginning to roll out.
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Last year, Android 11 introduced a clever privacy feature that removes permissions granted to “unused apps” that haven’t been opened in some time. Google is now bringing this auto-reset to older phones and tablets via Play services over the coming months.
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Gmail on the web is set to get a navigation revamp this summer, while the Android app is now beginning to roll out a Material You redesign.
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In announcing that Keep is getting a Material You redesign, Google yesterday failed to mention that new widgets were also inbound. We’ve since enabled them, and they’re absolutely fantastic.
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Last week, Google announced that Material You is actively rolling out to the key Workspace apps on Android, including Drive. The Google Drive redesign also brings along new widgets including a quirky and large X-shaped one.
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Google last week kicked off marketing for its next phone with a 30-second online clip that has since aired on television. Country-specific marketing campaigns are now underway, with the Pixel 6 getting billboards across the US.
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In late 2020, Google unveiled a $1 billion news licensing program to support publishers by surfacing card-based content across its platforms. Google News Showcase is now coming to Japan.
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Just this week, Google has teased the Pixel 6 from a long-dead Twitter account and with 10,000 bags of potato chips. Google Store Chelsea now has the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro on display.
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Following last week’s release candidate, Google today opened the Android 12 Beta 5 feedback survey. Like in August, its availability was delayed from the usual Friday after launch.
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The latest “Curated Culture” wallpapers commissioned by the Google Pixel team are available today to mark the mid-month start of Hispanic Heritage Month.
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Google is going all out to advertise its next flagship phone around the world. In Japan, it offered “Google Original (Potato) Chips” to highlight the new Tensor SoC in the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.
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Apple’s iPhone 13 event just ended, and Google has a secret message for you: Wait for its upcoming flagship. That piece of Pixel 6 buying advice comes from the long-dead Google Nexus Twitter account.
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Since last month’s pre-unveil, Google has focused on showing the distinctive rear (and sides) of its next flagship phone. We now have our first high-resolution look at the front of the Pixel 6 Pro in silver.
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Despite being almost four years old and having a successor, the Google Home Mini is still on sale. One measure to get rid of them is a “Google Assistant Special Discount” where you can get a Home Mini for $9.99.
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The ability to “Test device speed” was one of the last remaining features of the old Google Wifi app that had yet to be migrated to Google Home with June’s Wi-Fi redesign. An update today introduces that check, and reveals work on ISP access to your Google/Nest Wifi router.
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At the end of July, Google sent out a new round of invites to join the “Pixel Superfans” community and did so again late last month. The membership is now dropping out of the blue invites for a simple sign-up form to get considered for Pixel Superfans.
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Assistant Driving Mode was announced at I/O 2019 to replace Android Auto on phones. It was supposed to launch that summer but was delayed, and is now happening with Android 12. Ahead of that, the homescreen UI unveiled over two years ago is finally appearing in Assistant Driving Mode.
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For the past few years, Google has been working on a “Better Together” initiative to make the experience of owning an Android phone and Chromebook more seamless. Integrations today include a prominent Phone Hub, Instant Tethering, and Smart (Un)Lock. As we reported in February, the latest feature in this family is codenamed “Eche,” and we now know a lot more about the Android side of things. Google Pixel phones look to be the first devices that can “Push” and mirror apps to Chromebooks.
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“Device Personalization Services” is the method through which Google delivers and updates features like Now Playing (on Pixel), Live Caption, and smart actions in notifications to Android devices. This app, updated via the Play Store, is now being renamed to “Android System Intelligence,” at least on Google Pixel phones.
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With the Pixel 6, Google is “ready to invest a lot in marketing,” and that started with the first online ad on Wednesday. It’s continuing the momentum with a Pixel 6 UK ad campaign that sees “Google Pixel” be the “proud sponsor” of a new British television show that premiered this week.
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