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.
Historically, Google Voice’s paid offerings were meant for enterprise customers, but Google is now letting you upgrade to a paid calling experience without needing a Workspace subscription.
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Made by Google 2026 is officially taking place on Wednesday, August 12. This is a week earlier compared to last year, with Google once again opting for an earlier Pixel hardware unveil.
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I love reporting the news, and it’s something I’ve been doing day-in and day-out for well over a decade. The entire 9to5Google team is passionate about the work it does.
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This is a list of features that Google has shown off but not yet launched. It goes a bit beyond features that are just slowly rolling out and enters the realm of possibly scrapped.
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While the free tier of the Gemini app allows you to be quite productive, subscribing to Google AI Plus or AI Pro unlocks a lot more.
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As previewed earlier this year, the Google Wallet app on phones can now show payment history made by Wear OS watches.
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Following the homepage redesign, Google Wallet for Android is adding online order tracking in the US.
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With Android 17 QPR1 Beta 6 today, Google is rolling out a third wave of bug fixes for Pixel devices.
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Since the big 4.0 release in May, Snapseed for Android has been rolling out bug fixes, with the latest update adding more Camera interface customization.
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Following last week’s release, Android 17 QPR1 Beta 6 is rolling out today for Pixel devices. For developers, this build introduces the Platform Stability milestone with finalized APIs.
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As previewed, Google Health now offers a command-line interface (CLI) that allows users to access their data and build tools like dashboards.
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Pixel Camera 10.4 is now more widely rolling out via the Google Play Store as a minor update.
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After debuting on the web earlier this year, Google Drive is bringing Ask Gemini and AI Overviews to mobile.
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In addition to macOS app support, Google is rolling out two more updates for Gemini Spark. This 24/7 personal agent is available for Google AI Ultra subscribers.
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As previewed at I/O 2026, Gemini for macOS now supports Gemini Spark. This is the first of two big desktop app updates coming this summer, with the other being a new voice experience.
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Google today announced Nano Banana 2 Lite and preview availability of Gemini Omni Flash as its latest media generation models for developers, as well as NotebookLM users.
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Google has released a new Pixel Audio Services application for the Pixel 10 series.
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Following the announcement at I/O 2026 last month, Google is now testing Gmail Live on Android and iOS.
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Following last year’s settings redesign of Android Backups, Google is now rolling out per-app backup controls.
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The monthly “Google System Release Notes” primarily detail what’s new in Play services, Play Store, and Play system update across Android phones/tablets, Wear OS, Google/Android TV, Auto, and PC. Some features apply to end users, while others are aimed at developers.
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Following Workspace availability in 2024, “Take notes for me” in Google Meet is now available for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers.
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Google’s environmental reports for the Home Speaker include a look at how the new Gemini device is made and images of the internals.
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Like other Google apps, Messages for Android A/B tests many features. It can take the RCS/SMS client a rather long time to actually launch new functionality in stable. From various reports, Google announcements, and devices we’ve checked, this is the current state of Messages.
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Google Messages is finally giving Android users more customization and personalization options with “Chat themes.”
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