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.
An update to the Apple TV app on Android phones and tablets today finally introduces Google Cast support, thus closing a big functionality gap since the launch earlier this year.
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Google is testing a new “Tailor your feed” Labs experiment that lets you tell Discover exactly “what you want to see.”
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Back in September, Google stopped offering its Weather app for new Wear OS 6 devices. Google Weather has now stopped working on the original Pixel Watch and other devices due to a bug.
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Historically, google.com does not change very often. After adding an AI Mode shortcut earlier this year, there’s now a ‘plus’ menu on the Google Search homepage.
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Following the announcement at the start of this month, Phone by Google’s new “Expressive Calling” feature is beginning to roll out for beta users.
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A curious bug today sees Google app device search replace the modern Pixel Launcher experience.
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Similar to YouTube TV, Google is offering some Play Points members a $200 discount on the Pixel 10 Pro or 10 Pro XL that can be used in conjunction with the current Google Store holiday offers.
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Besides Search Live, Gemini Live is also rolling out a pair of updates today that should result in “less talking over each other” and “more smooth chatting.”
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Google today announced the latest version of Gemini 2.5 Flash Native Audio. In addition to Google Translate for live headphones translation, AI Mode’s Search Live will benefit from these model upgrades.
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Material 3 Expressive switched back to a shorter bottom bar, but not all apps — like Google Home — adopted that at launch. That has now changed.
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Google Translate is rolling out new features that leverage Gemini, including live translation with headphones.
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Google is rolling out an update to the Gemini app today that better displays information pulled from the Google Maps extension.
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Google Labs today announced “Disco” as an experiment to “shape the future of web browsing.” The first flagship feature of this AI browser is the Gemini 3-powered “GenTab.”
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Google today announced a “significantly more powerful Gemini Deep Research agent” that will soon be available in consumer apps and is now available for developers.
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In addition to their ADT partnership (and investment), Google is working with AT&T on its new Connected Life security system.
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After teasing in September, Google Chrome for iOS is now more widely rolling out a built-in Gemini experience.
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Following the last round of negotiations, Google announced today that its cord-cutting service is getting a big update in 2026 with “YouTube TV Plans” that will offer “over 10 genre-specific packages.”
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Google is introducing Android Emergency Live Video today to let users in three countries share their camera feeds with dispatchers.
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Noting how the “way people consume information evolves,” Google announced five updates to boost links in AI Mode and the Gemini app, as well as support the web.
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Google is rolling out the latest update to Pixel Recorder and it brings “Create music” to the Pixel 9 series, as well as other interface tweaks.
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Google is rolling out the latest update to Pixel Camera this week with version 10.2.
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YouTube TV is emailing a pretty notable coupon code to subscribers that lets them “save an extra $100 on the new Pixel 10 Phones.”
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Following the big image update, Google Photos is detailing a complementary video editor redesign on Android and iOS.
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Following the announcement this morning, Google is rolling out the December 2025 update to the Pixel Watch 4, 3, and 2.
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