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.
Earlier this year, Google Messages introduced Profile discovery — which has since been renamed to “Profile sharing” — and is now rolling out a prominent way to “Customize how you are seen.”
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Following Slides last month, Google Docs is adding 40 new templates with “high-quality, visually modern designs.”
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Following Thursday’s launch, Android 15 QPR1 with the December 2024 Feature Drop is rolling out to Pixel 8-9 devices on T-Mobile.
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YouTube announced a number of updates for its mobile app in October, and the translucent bottom bar with a frosted glass effect is now rolling out.
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Pixel Screenshots is getting a major Gboard integration with the December 2024 Feature Drop. Ahead of that, the required Pixel Screenshots version is here with some UI tweaks, auto-filters, and Circle to Search integration, but the “Show suggestions from your screenshots in other apps” functionality is not yet live.
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With the December 2024 Feature Drop, Google announced that Pixel Studio was getting Gboard integration, but version 1.4 is a bigger update than that with the ability to directly generate stickers.
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As announced last week with the Pixel (and Android) Feature Drop, Google is rolling out a redesign of Gboard’s Emoji Kitchen UI on Android.
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The Google Maps Platform is how third-parties can develop with Google Maps, and the company is now expanding its free usage limits. As of today, the platform is used by “over 10 million websites and apps.”
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Following the main mobile app earlier this year, YouTube Music for Android and iOS can now share a specific timestamp.
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The US Google Store today launched what should be the final set of deals — as they run until December 28 — for the 2024 holidays.
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A bug in the stable release of Android 15 QPR1 on Pixel devices flips the light and dark Themed icons.
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Welcome to episode 33 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, we talk about the December 2024 Pixel Feature Drop.
Amidst the December 2024 Feature Drop yesterday, Google sent out another round of invites to the Pixel Superfans program in the US.
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With the year winding down, Google Photos is rolling out its 2024 Recap, which has two parts.
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In addition to the existing “Help me write” capability, Gemini in Google Docs is going a step further with “Help me create.”
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As of this week, all the Gemini Extensions that have been previously announced are widely rolling out. Google is now asking Gemini users what other Extensions they want.
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Following AI Camera Search, the Google Home app is testing another Gemini-powered feature with “Help me create” in the Android app to generate “custom automations to help you connect and control your smart home more conveniently.”
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The first big update to Android 15 is rolling out today with QPR1 and it contains a number of fixes for the Pixel 9 series and older supported Google phones.
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Following the last addition in August, Google Wallet for Android is now rolling out support for New Mexico state IDs.
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After announcing Gemma 2 at I/O 2024 in May, Google today is introducing PaliGemma 2 as its latest open vision-language model (VLM).
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The three generations of Pixel Watch are not getting an OTA update this month, but December 2024 Feature Drop does bring a handful of additions.
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As part of the December 2024 (Feature) Drop, Pixel Screenshots is getting a big upgrade that adds major integrations with other Google apps, including Gboard and Circle to Search.
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With the December 2024 security patch, Google is rolling out the stable Android 15 QPR1 update and a Pixel (Feature) Drop for the 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7, 7 Pro, 7a, Tablet, Fold, 8, 8 Pro, 8a, 9, 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold.
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Google is rolling out the December 2024 Pixel Feature Drop alongside Android 15 QPR1 today, and it’s a rather sizable update.
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