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 historically released new versions of Chrome every six weeks with smaller patches rolled out in between. In a big change, Google Chrome is moving to a four-week update cycle this year.
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Due to the pandemic, developer conferences over the past year have either been canceled or hosted virtually. Google today announced Cloud Next ‘21 will take place October 12-14, though the exact nature of the enterprise event has not yet been set.
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Back in November, Google completely revamped its mobile payments service to be more personal and helpful. The new Google Pay for Android launched in “early access” stateside, but it’s gone stable in recent days.
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All of Waymo’s passenger vehicles to date have been painted white, thus accentuating the various autonomous sensors. That might be changing in the future as Waymo CEO John Krafcik this evening shared a very sleek Jaguar I-Pace in black.
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Following the first release last month, Android 12 Developer Preview 1.1 is rolling out to address some bugs and early issues found by app developers.
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The Analytics tool in YouTube Studio is adding new and returning viewer metrics to help creators better “understand different trends in your audience over time.”
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Google is phasing out Chrome support for third-party cookies and plans to replace them with privacy-preserving alternatives. Once that has occurred, the company “will not build alternate identifiers to track individuals as they browse across the web, nor will we use them in our products.”
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While Pixel devices only have one physical SIM card slot, you can simultaneously add and use an eSIM with Dual SIM Dual Standby. At launch, DSDS on the Pixel 5 and 4a 5G dropped users to 4G connectivity, but yesterday’s March security patch enables 5G support.
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Google’s car OS today is available on the Polestar 2 and Volvo XC40 Recharge, with many more vehicles coming down the road. Volvo today announced the C40 Recharge as a follow-up that also uses Android Automotive.
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Given how “typography and iconography are so strongly related,” Google Fonts is adding Material icons and getting a new logo in the process.
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To mark National Read Across America Day, Google Play Books is getting a pair of tools to make the Android and iOS apps more friendly for kids and young readers.
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The Google Play Console is rolling out new engagement and monetization benchmarks to better inform performance. Powered by differential privacy, Android developers can use this information to make “more informed decisions about [their] product roadmaps and opportunities.”
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It emerged last week that more Moto-branded smartwatches are coming this year. An investor presentation showed three upcoming Wear OS devices from Moto, but a fourth that looks to use the Snapdragon Wear 4100 was also subtly shown off.
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Following version 88’s release on Android, Mac, Windows, and Linux, the next release of Google’s browser is rolling out. Several user-facing enhancements will start rolling out with Chrome 89.
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For the majority of their lives, Assistant Smart Displays have had eight clock faces. The last pair was introduced in May of 2019, while small tweaks were made last year. Google now looks to be adding new clock faces to the Nest Hub.
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With the March Feature Drop, Google announced that Pixel owners can access all of their phone’s camera features underwater when using a scuba diving case. Besides needing to get a third-party accessory, a “Dive Case Connector for Google Camera” app was released today.
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In addition to the Pixel Feature Drop, the March security patch contains nine functional updates that address some bugs, including one longstanding one, on the Pixel 5 and 4a 5G.
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The next software update for the Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, Pixel 4, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, and Pixel 5 is now available. Coinciding with a Pixel Feature Drop, the March security patch also includes the usual set of bug fixes.
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While Android 11 is no longer the newest version of Google’s OS, it will remain the stable release for the first part of this year. To help remedy that, the March Pixel Feature Drop is now here along with the latest security patch and several bug fixes.
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Last week, the first Pixel 5a rumors emerged revealing an existing design. The familiar device in question is now down to $449 on the Google Store with the Fi MVNO bringing back a past Pixel 4a 5G promotion.
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Google has been working to make Assistant compatible with enterprise G Suite accounts since 2019. It started with a beta, and Google Assistant will now be generally available to all Workspace customers on Android over the coming weeks.
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In October, G Suite became Workspace and last month rolled out to education customers. A new “Workspace Frontline” tier is coming as Google lays out how it wants to help users adapt to the new hybrid working environment.
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Earlier this week, we spotted recorder.google.com go live for playing, searching, and sharing audio online. The required update to Google Recorder — version 2.2 — for Android is now beginning to roll out on Pixel devices to enable backups and web access.
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For March 2021, Google is adding four games to Stadia Pro in a continuation from last month. Led by PixelJunk Raiders, AVICII Invector and PAC-MAN Mega Tunnel Battle are other free incoming titles.
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