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.
While people like desktop Tab Groups, the reception is much chillier in Chrome for Android. Google is fortunately listening to feedback and is “experimenting with changes to this feature’s behavior.”
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Earlier this year, the “Weather Frog” became available on Assistant Smart Displays as a delightful new Photo Frame background. Google testing has now inadvertently revealed that “Character” Nest Hub clocks are in development.
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The latest version of Google Search’s integrated bookmarking feature is called “Collections.” It was last updated in early 2020, and a redesign of Collections today makes the Google app tab much more useful.
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Google recently redesigned Lens to prioritize screenshot analysis over live capture. Google Lens is now seeing a Material You flourish and even more prominent placement on Android.
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The next version of Google’s wearable platform has now properly arrived and it will be experienced by more users in the coming months. Ahead of that, Google is introducing updated app quality guidelines for Wear OS 3.
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When enabled, Drive today lets you view/edit recent Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides in Chrome without an internet connection. Google Drive’s offline mode now works with PDFs, Office files, and images.
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Back in the third quarter of 2020, Google said it had 30 million YouTube Premium and Music Premium subscribers. YouTube Music now has over 50 million paid customers.
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Google continues to add more features to Chat as it becomes available for more and more people ahead of the classic Hangouts depreciation. The Google Chat web app is now integrating Tenor GIF search.
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In July, Google rolled out a new unified emoji, GIF, and sticker picker for Android’s default SMS/RCS client. The latest tweak sees Google Messages get an attachments menu redesign to access all the things you can send besides text.
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All consumer tech requires good consumer support, and Google today just revamped its “Nest Community” where people can get help by posting questions.
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Following the initial launch and wider international availability with the Pixel 5a, Google is rolling out the first update for Pixel Buds A-Series to fix some bugs.
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SafeSearch, which “filter[s] out explicit content in Google’s search results,” has been around for so long that it has entered the cultural lexicon. The Google Search app on Android is now making it easier to access with a new “Hide explicit results” settings page.
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As rumored, Microsoft announced today that it will be hosting a hardware event at the end of this month. Inviting people “to see what’s next,” the Surface Duo 2 will likely be introduced on September 22.
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Back in April, we told you about an in-development “Guacamole” feature that will let you use Assistant without hotwords. This Google Assistant capability will launch as “Quick phrases,” and we now know more about how it works.
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Google added six games to Stadia Pro for September 2021 in a continuation from last month’s larger than usual drop.
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Chrome 93 is rolling out as a quieter release than usual on desktop and mobile today. However, a small tweak in Chrome for Android sees Google switch the dark theme to a darker shade of gray.
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Following version 92’s release on Android, Mac, Windows, and Linux, the next release of Google’s browser is rolling out. Chrome 93 is here today as a smaller update.
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Joining a slew of other companies amid the Delta variant of COVID-19, Google today announced that the vast majority of staff won’t have to return to offices until January 10, 2022.
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Google officially announced the Play Store’s Material Theme in August 2019, while a dark mode came that October. Since then, pages like “Manage apps & devices,” settings, and navigation have been significantly revamped. A Material You redesign with Dynamic Color is what’s next for the Google Play Store, and here’s an early look.
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Earlier this year, Chrome rolled out the ability to generate links that directly highlight a specific passage of text. Google now wants Chrome users on Android to test (and create) “quote cards” that can be easily shared as images on your social network of choice.
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To help employees better manage their day, Google Calendar is introducing new “Time Insights” that let paid Workspace users see “how [their] time is spent across meetings and collaborators.”
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Earlier this year, Google redesigned the Now Playing UI in Podcasts for Android and iOS. Google Podcasts is now rolling out its next major redesign with a lot of tweaks that address usability complaints.
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So far, Gboard has received a Material You redesign that introduced rounded UI elements and support for Dynamic Color. The latest tweak to conform to Material You sees Gboard get circular key popups.
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While smartphones are increasingly approaching feature phone pricing, the latter category still has a place. As such, “smart” feature phones exist, and many are powered by KaiOS, though Google Assistant in recent months lost the ability to make calls and send texts through voice commands.
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