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.
While Google Contacts is otherwise a good example of a modern Material You app, my one design quibble has been the blocky scroll bar. This has finally been addressed as part of a broader tweak to the main Contacts tab.
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With a pair of new clock screen savers, the October 2023 Feature Drop for the Pixel Tablet is complete.
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The latest Google Play Points perk is 6-12 months of Disney+ Basic (With Ads) and/or Hulu (With Ads) depending on your tier.
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Following the last listed update over a year ago, Google is rolling out an October 2024 update for the Nest Wifi router and point.
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In acknowledgement of how generative AI makes complex image manipulation very easy and widely accessible, Google Photos is getting an info section that identifies such edits.
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With Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3, Google has tweaked the color design of Themed icons in both the light and dark modes.
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The leaks about Google’s Pixel chip roadmap continue with the core configurations, as well as other specs, for the Tensor G5 and G6 emerging today.
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Following Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides, Google Calendar on the web is getting a Material You redesign that finally adds a dark theme.
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The Pixel 9 Pro has a large front-facing camera cutout and Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3 makes the status bar taller to account for that.
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Google today is rolling out Android 15 QPR1 Beta 3 for Pixel devices.
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Google Fi Wireless today acknowledged an issue with SIM cards failing for some customers.
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Google today released what should be the last major release of the Android 15 QPR1 preview cycle with Beta 3 for Pixel devices ahead of the December launch. It comes almost six weeks since the last release with no patch in-between despite some outstanding bugs.
Images are not yet available, but the on-device OTA is live.
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While we wait for Android 15’s note-taking feature/shortcut to launch, Google Keep is readying “handwritten notes.”
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Boox today announced a new generation of its phone-sized e-reader with the Palma 2.
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The dispute between Qualcomm and Arm has escalated with the latter canceling Qualcomm’s ability to use the instruction set for designing chips.
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On the web, Google Drive, along with Gmail, has one of the better applications of Material You, and it’s now getting a “smoother, more modern video player.”
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Following the announcement last week, YouTube has widely rolled out the new miniplayer on Android and a redesign of mobile settings.
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After opening in Boston this April, Google is opening its fifth retail store for hardware products in Oakbrook Center outside Chicago.
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In addition to bringing Oryon to Android devices, Qualcomm is using its custom CPU in car chips, and partnering with Google on adding generative AI to that form factor.
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The latest round of new features for Google Messages is focused on safety, like “Sensitive Content Warnings” for images that contain nudity. Existing measures protect Android users from 2 billion suspicious messages per month.
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Qualcomm today announced the Snapdragon 8 Elite that brings its Oryon CPU to Android smartphones after debuting on PCs earlier this year.
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As seen with the Android redesign earlier this month, Google has been working to simplify the Gemini app, and that continues today with “Ask Gemini.”
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The floating bottom bar introduced by Google Chat is almost a year old, and a design tweak makes it fit in better with Material You.
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YouTube Music already lets you generate AI art for playlist thumbnails, and it now lets you upload your own custom image.
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