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 is offering some YouTube TV subscribers a free TiVo Stream 4K or Chromecast with Google TV. It’s not clear how widespread this promotion is or if it’s related to the Roku dispute where the streaming service said it was looking for replacement devices to give to current members.
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The YouTube video layout on the web has remained relatively the same in recent years, but Google is now testing a web redesign of the description section that is more compact and puts greater emphasis on comments.
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In the transition to Meet, Google got rid of “Hangouts on Air,” or the ability to livestream video calls directly to YouTube for anybody to view. That feature is coming back, starting for education customers this year, but until then, Google is extending who can see internal Meet livestreams.
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Android 12 brings with it a renewed focus on widgets as part of letting users better customize their devices to reflect them. As we first reported last night, Google Photos is working on a “Your memories” widget for Android.
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Waze is distinctly more playful than any other navigation service available today. For its latest dose of whimsy, Waze is adding a Cat & Dog theme that will be available for a limited time.
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With E3 in the rearview mirror, Google is adding four games to Stadia Pro for July 2021 in a continuation from the previous month. The first three titles have already launched, but Moonlighter will debut with the subscription.
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Besides unveiling Material You, Google at I/O 2021 last month detailed how “GS Text” is the company’s new font and beginning to appear in more first-party applications. Google Sans Text is now in use by the Phone app on Android.
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The Fitbit Luxe was announced in mid-April but did not go on sale until earlier this month, and it’s now available at the Google Store. One advantage of buying direct is taking advantage of Google One cashback.
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Back in April, Google started rolling out a redesign of the Discover feed available to the left of most Android homescreens. After first going live for phones running Android 12, Google is now bringing the “more streamlined” Discover to older devices.
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Google and AT&T announced today that the carrier would be using the Messages app and Rich Communicate Services (RCS) on all Android phones in the US.
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If somebody sends you an important text/chat, your natural inclination today on how to save it is most likely screenshotting. Google wants to replace that behavior with the new built-in ability to star in Messages for Android.
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Following the web rollout, the Google Meet redesign is now coming to dedicated video calling hardware, like Chromebases. This is meant to ensure a consistent experience and workflow across all platforms.
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SMS is widely regarded as an insecure form of two-factor authentication, and another example of this has just emerged. A carrier looks to be injecting ads into the Google verification code used to sign in to services like Gmail.
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Google today announced the latest set of policy changes to limit extensions abuse and improve security of the Chrome Web Store. This includes requiring 2FA for Chrome Web Store developers and cracking down on deceptive installations.
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Google introduced the Android App Bundle format in May of 2018 at I/O as part of its modern development push. The AAB standard will become the default for new applications published to the Play Store this August.
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After announcing a handful of new education features just last week, Google is updating the privacy and security defaults for students using Chrome, as well as accounts and other apps, managed by schools.
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In addition to different applications being accessible all on one page, Google’s vision for the future of productivity involves having those services be tightly integrated together. The latest example of this will see Google suggestions for 1:1s in Chat based on Calendar.
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As we spotted in development last year, Google Messages will now “automatically sort your messages into categories.” This feature, along with auto-deleting one-time passwords (OTPs), is rolling out starting in India.
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Some Nest Cam owners this evening are unable to access live video or history with devices returning an offline status. This looks to be a separate issue from another one earlier today.
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Besides step count, distance traveled, and heart rate, one of the more common metrics that Fitbit owners keep track of is their sleep score. However, an issue this morning sees the sleep score missing from the Fitbit app and wearables.
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Back in November, Google announced a suite for new features for Chrome, from performance improvements to tab search and address bar actions. Another, which is seeing a wider launch now, helps “pick up where you left off” by surfacing cards in Chrome’s New Tab Page.
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To improve developer security on the Play Store, Google is requiring those that develop for Android to abide by 2-Step Verification and new identity requirements later this year.
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As previewed earlier in February, Google today fully detailed the YouTube TV 4K Plus package. There are three big tentpoles for an additional $20 every month on top of the $65 base package.
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Following the cadence of previous years, Qualcomm at MWC 2021 announced the Snapdragon 888 Plus 5G as a “follow-on” to the chip found in this year’s flagship smartphones.
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