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.
The “Assistant” app on your Wear OS watch is getting updated today via the Google Play Store to version 1.18.x. There are no changes to Google Assistant, but the groundwork for Gemini is being laid out.
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Following last week’s announcement, more Gemini app users subscribed to Advanced are getting access to Veo 2 video generation.
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Google has fixed an annoying location discrepancy between Pixel Weather, widgets, and At a Glance.
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Project Fi was announced 10 years ago, and Google is celebrating the MVNO’s birthday with a handful of updates for iPhone and iPad owners.
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Google Fi Wireless is celebrating its 10th birthday with several plan updates, including a new entry-level offering.
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It appears that turning Android into a desktop operating system is Google’s next big consumer initiative. To put it bluntly, I think this effort fails if all they’re doing is making a one-to-one Windows, Mac, or ChromeOS competitor. The path to success that I see is Google developing a next-generation OS that leverages AI and Gemini to make possible an entirely new user experience that is voice and agent-first.
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YouTube Music is building upon real-time lyrics (from 2023) by adding the ability to share them as a nice graphic in the mobile app.
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Google is now rolling out Wear OS 5.1 to all Pixel Watch owners with a new April 2025 update today.
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With Android 16 Beta 4 serving as the “last scheduled update,” Google has released one of the final feedback surveys.
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Following last year’s announcement, Google Messages is rolling out Sensitive Content Warnings that blur nude images on Android.
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The Google Home app is bucking the trend of how most first-party products lack meaningful update release notes.
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After previously announcing and testing in January, Google TV is more widely rolling out Gemini-powered “News Briefs” on Ambient mode.
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60 Minutes interviewed Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis on “what’s next for AI,” with a hint about where Gemini is going.
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On average, Google updates Android’s Calculator app once a year, and version 8.7 in 2025 makes just one straightforward change.
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In addition to Dynamic Color for some of the always-on display (AOD) clocks, Android 16 Beta 4 tweaks the time in the status bar.
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Gemini Advanced is the paid version of the Gemini app with more capabilities, including early access to features, that’s available through the Google One AI Premium tier. As of April, here’s what you get when you pay $19.99 per month (in the US).
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Welcome to episode 50 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, we talk about the lack of One UI 7 and Gemini Live’s Astra camera/screen sharing already going free.
In what’s most likely a bug, some Android 16 Beta 4 users no longer have to long-press lockscreen shortcuts.
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The Google Search app on Android is sending out a new style of Weather forecast notifications.
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In October of 2023, the main YouTube app picked up “Stable volume,” and something similar — “Consistent volume” — is now coming to YouTube Music for Android and iOS.
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After introducing last month, Android 16 Beta 4 has removed the new Battery health stats page for a number of Pixel owners.
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Google is aware of an issue today with Cast (previously “Chromecast built-in”) not working “on certain VIZIO TV models from 2016-2020.”
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A subtle change in Android 16 Beta 4 adds Dynamic Color to the always-on display (AOD) clocks.
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A curious change in Android 16 Beta 4 sees Google darken artwork in the media player on Pixel devices.
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