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.
It’s not December yet, but YouTube Music is beginning to roll out its 2025 Recap with a pretty interesting “Ask about your listening” experience made possible by AI.
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The latest edition of the Google Home releases notes today are not tied to a specific version of the app, and focus on Gemini for Home improvements.
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Google Photos is testing a carousel redesign for the “Shortcuts” that appear at the top of the Collections tab on Android.
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After the Journal app came to older devices this month, Google looks to be bringing Pixel Studio to the Pixel 8 series with a new ability to animate images and share them as GIFs.
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At I/O 2025, Google One AI Premium (and Gemini Advanced) became “Google AI Pro,” while a higher, more expensive tier was introduced with “Google AI Ultra.”
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Following the initial wave of Material 3 Expressive, Google is working to redesign the remaining components to the latest design language, and menus are up this month.
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After adding the “Mark as read” action, Google is modernizing Gmail for Android notifications with photo previews.
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Google Search is having a bit of fun with Apple TV’s Pluribus, a new show from the creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
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The Google Phone app is working on an “Expressive Calling” feature that lets you tell the person on the other end why you’re reaching out to them, including if it’s urgent.
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Last week, Gemini Live got a big model upgrade, and now a quality-of-life update improves the captions experience.
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Google announced today that Android’s Quick Share now works with Apple’s AirDrop system on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac to allow for easy file transfer between platforms/operating systems.
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Google and Nvidia today announced GeForce Now Fast Pass, a streaming tier “built exclusively for Chromebook users.”
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Google is following Tuesday’s launch of Gemini 3 Pro with Nano Banana Pro. The image generation and editing model is officially Gemini 3 Pro Image, but the viral moniker is sticking around.
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Following the announcement yesterday, Gemini 3 Pro is now rolling out to the Gemini app on Android and iOS.
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With the November 2025 Pixel Feature Drop, Google announced that Messages is adding a Remix editing for photos that will be available on all Android phones.
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Following the big Gemini updates earlier this month, Google Maps is adding a handful of new features, like review nicknames.
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Following AI Notification Summaries, Pixel VIPs and the Journal app, Google is rolling out the “Device health & support” dashboard to older Pixel phones.
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For businesses and other enterprise environments, Google Messages today announced Android RCS Archival on Pixel phones.
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As part of the November 2025 Feature Drop, Pixel VIPs picked up a pair of updates, led by prioritized notifications, that are now rolling out.
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Google today is introducing new features for the Gemini app, led by Gemini Agent, made possible by Gemini 3 Pro.
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Google today announced Gemini 3 with the goal of bringing “any idea to life.” The first model available in this family is Gemini 3 Pro with the rollout starting today for the Gemini app and AI Mode.
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As announced last month, Google Fi Wireless is now rolling out AI-enhanced audio on Android and iOS.
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After adding shopping features last week, Google is now upgrading AI Mode’s travel capabilities with Canvas.
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Google DeepMind and Google Research today announced WeatherNext 2 as its “most advanced and efficient forecasting model.” Notably, it’s helping power forecasts in Google’s consumer apps, including Pixel Weather.
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