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.
Last week, we spotted how the Google Chat website was getting some tweaks and Hangouts-style chat windows. This redesign of Google Chat is now rolled out for free accounts and is interestingly directly part of Gmail.
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Back in August, Google Discover started surfacing “Short videos” to join webpages, regular videos, and later, AMP-based Web Stories. Ahead of the beta coming to the US next month, Google is testing YouTube Shorts and other short-form content in Discover.
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In early 2020, a new Moto 360 was released by a Canadian company called eBuyNow following a licensing deal with Motorola. That arrangement is expanding later this year as new Moto-branded Wear OS devices are on the way.
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At the start of 2021, we reported that Google is working on a new Nest Hub that will use Soli radar for sleep tracking. 9to5Google can now confirm other details about this upcoming Smart Display, including its design, sleep tracking, and other hardware features.
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When not actively in use, many have their Smart Displays cycle through a carousel of pictures. These Assistant devices are closely integrated with Google Photos, but an “Experimental” option to use third-party services has long existed. Nest Hub owners this evening report that the Facebook and Flickr Photo Frame sources are no longer appearing.
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Last year, Gboard introduced clipboard suggestions so that users don’t have to long-press when pasting text. A beta update to Google’s Android keyboard today lets you disable that option.
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Classic Hangouts has long had a “Call Phones” feature, but it’s officially shutting down next month with refunds available now. Google last year announced it was removing the capability ahead of new US and EU telecommunication regulations, as well as the service’s broader deprecation.
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Android has long offered an Activity Recognition API that processes device sensor data with machine learning models in a battery-efficient manner. Google is now offering an Android Sleep API to allow for the creation of more wellness apps.
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In 2019, Google introduced a powerful Recorder app with real-time transcriptions for Pixel devices. The latest version, released alongside the Pixel 5, added editing and social sharing through video clips. A Google Recorder web app is coming soon with the ability to backup audio on your Pixel.
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A free version of Google Chat is officially set to arrive in the first half of 2021. As we spotted earlier this month, Google is starting the Hangouts migration with a “preview of the new Chat” for free, personal accounts.
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The YouTube Kids app is geared for young children, but there’s long been demand from parents for a supervised experience dedicated at tweens and teens. What’s essentially YouTube for older kids has just been announced and will be coming soon.
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Back in 2019, the Nest website stopped listing products and sent buyers to the Google Store. That original brand has almost entirely been replaced by Google Nest at this point, with Nest.com no more today as part of a Store redirect.
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Commenting in Docs can get especially unwieldy when there are several participants working on a multi-part file. Google Docs is making a pair of changes to the comments experience, starting with a filter.
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A year ago, Google’s Area 120 incubator launched an HTML5 gaming platform to “test whether lightweight, casual games would resonate with people who use the internet via low memory devices on 2G and 3G networks.” Proving popular, these HTML5 games are now being coming to Discover, Assistant, and Chrome for Next Billion Users (NBU).
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Back in 2019, Google introduced an extension that warned about compromised credentials, and it later became a native Chrome feature. Password Checkup is now being integrated into Android’s “Autofill with Google” system when signing into third-party apps.
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Google is optimizing the experience of using voice commands on phones by taking better advantage of the available screen. On Android, Google Assistant voice commands from the lockscreen will feature new glanceable cards.
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Google Weather in Search for Android was last redesigned in 2019, and the desktop experience is now seeing a handful of tweaks that help modernize the old UI.
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Google’s next phone is unsurprisingly a “Pixel 5a,” and leaked renders today suggest that the mid-ranger will be nearly identical to the Pixel 4a 5G.
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Fitbit has long gamified fitness by awarding badges, including lifetime ones, and trophies. The latest way Fitbit is encouraging you to move is a “Get in Your Zone Challenge” that starts on Monday and is focused on Active Zone Minutes.
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Back in 2019, Google made the “Working Hours” feature in Calendar much more prominent to aid Digital Wellbeing efforts. Google Calendar is now adding support for split working hours, as well as creating repeat out of office (OOO) entries.
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For the past two years, it seemed that Google was on track to replace “Voice Search” on Android with Assistant. That might not be the case anymore as a more modern UI for Google Voice Search is now being tested.
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Following a small tweak to the notification experience last week, Google’s next feature for Wear OS looks to be a Screen Recording tool. Similar in implementation to screenshots, evidence of this functionality appears in an update to the Wear OS Android companion app today.
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Since the Pixel 3a, it’s been possible to use a physical SIM card and eSIM simultaneously. However, Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) on the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 does not currently support 5G networks, though that’s changing with Android 12.
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February is Black History Month, and YouTube is marking the occasion in a prominent way. The YouTube logo that appears on the mobile apps and website will be reimagined for BHM by Black artists this month.
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