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.
Google today is announcing and beginning testing on an “AI Mode” for Search. This “early experiment” lets you ask more complex questions that will be answered by an AI-generated response that takes up the entire page.
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The Android team has long offered quality tiers for apps on Wear OS, Large Screen, and other form factors. As part of this week’s push, Google is highlighting the Android Widget Quality Tiers.
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Most Wear OS apps still don’t support the always-on display, but this week’s 5.1 update for the Pixel Watch introduces an interesting “Force Global AOD Experience” developer option.
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Alongside the health-focused Feature Drop, Google is beginning to roll out Wear OS 5.1 based on Android 15 to the non-LTE Pixel Watch 2 and 3.
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Last year, Google’s Clock app introduced a Timer Starter widget for the Pixel Tablet, and it’s now available on phones with Android 15 QPR2.
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Apple yesterday released the latest iOS 18.4 beta and it enables support for RCS on Google Fi. iPhone users on the Google MVNO have been waiting for this improvement to Android-iOS messaging since September.
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The second (and final) big update to Android 15 is rolling out today with QPR2 and it contains a number of fixes for the Pixel 9 series and older supported Google phones.
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The March 2025 Feature Drop also brings a handful of updates to the Pixel Watch across health.
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With the March 2025 security patch, Google is rolling out the stable Android 15 QPR2 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. This is the last major update to Android 15 and has some notable changes/additions.
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Alongside the Pixel (Feature) Drop today, Google is announcing the latest Android features for Spring/March 2025, with Find My Device ‘People’ sharing and Android Auto games leading the way.
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Alongside Android 15 QPR2, Google today announced the March 2025 Pixel (Feature) Drop with a slew of first-party app updates, as well as new camera and connectivity features. The OS and application updates are rolling out starting today.
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Amid this morning’s big Live announcement, Google is renaming “Gemini Extensions” to “apps.” There’s also a small tweak to the model picker on the homescreen.
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The Android team this week is putting a “Spotlight” for developers on widgets, especially “high-quality” ones. Meanwhile, Android users will benefit from a new Play Store “Widgets” filter.
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Following last week’s homescreen redesign, the Google Gemini app on iPhone has been updated with lockscreen widgets and direct access in Control Center.
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At MWC 2025, Google announced that Project Astra-powered live video and screen share capabilities in Gemini Live are rolling out “later this month.”
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At MWC 2025, Qualcomm announced the X85 5G Modem-RF for Android, with peak download speeds of up to 12.5 Gbps and 3.7 Gbps uploads.
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For new subscribers, Google Fi Wireless is offering 50% off its “Simply Unlimited” phone plan for two years.
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After introducing in October, Fitbit Labs has pulled the Insights Explorer that lets you “ask questions about your health and fitness data.”
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In September, Chrome started theming Android’s navigation bar for a slightly more immersive experience. Chrome for Android will soon start “going edge-to-edge” by displaying the gesture handle navigation bar over web pages.
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Samsung announced Project Moohan alongside Android XR in December, and provided another look alongside the Galaxy S25 launch in January. Samsung’s Android XR headset is now set for an unveiling at MWC 2025.
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Increasing Gemini app usage is said to be Google’s “biggest focus” in 2025, with the company recently buying podcast ads to drive downloads.
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In July of 2023, Google stopped offering new subscriptions of 1st gen Nest Aware, but allowed existing customers to continue using it. This May, Google will “no longer support the Nest Aware 1st generation service” in some regions.
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Welcome to episode 43 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, we talk about the Chromecast going out of stock and the future of Gemini smart displays/speakers.
Google Chat is getting a pair of updates with real-time Markdown formatting and more Gemini summaries.
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