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, and Chrome/OS.
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 up-and-coming 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.
Another big area of interest is Google’s burgeoning hardware division. He detailed all of the Pixel 3’s camera features before launch and got wind of Stadia’s hardware controller. Most recently, Abner scooped the 2nd-generation Nest Hub’s Soli-powered Sleep Sensing capability and how it would integrate with Google Fit.
Send tips/talk to abner@9to5mac.com or @technacity (open DMs).
While Chrome for iOS hasn’t seen a stable release since November amid an ongoing pause in updates, Google continues work on the beta channel and is currently testing a way to lock Incognito tabs with Face or Touch ID.
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Google hasn’t updated the vast majority of its iOS services since December. Those apps are now throwing up “This app is out of date” messages when attempting a Google sign-in.
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Google’s MVNO has offered a virtual private network since the service had “project” in its name. As part of Safer Internet Day, the Google Fi VPN will soon be available for iPhone subscribers.
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Besides iTunes, Apple’s biggest offering on Microsoft’s operating system is the iCloud sync client for files, photos, and mail. Apple is now extending its presence on Windows with an iCloud Passwords Chrome extension.
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It’s standard practice for developers to pause app updates over the December holidays and resume in early January. That was the case for Google this year, but the lack of new iOS releases oddly continued for almost the entire month until app updates resumed yesterday and today.
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Over the years, Apple has made available a handful of application for Microsoft platforms to mostly serve iPhone owners using Windows. One of primary apps today is an iCloud sync client, and Apple looks to soon be releasing an iCloud Passwords Chrome extension.
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With iOS 14, Apple is requiring app developers to tell users about and have them opt-in to tracking. Google announced today that its first-party iOS apps will stop using certain tracking methods to avoid having to show the upcoming permission prompt. Meanwhile, the company also provided guidance to developers and advertisers ahead of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency initiative.
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Since the November launch of Apple Silicon-powered Macs, third-party developers have been steadily updating their apps with native support. Google now plans to update Drive File Stream in April with M1 support.
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In May 2018, Pocket Casts was acquired by NPR, WNYC Studios, WBEZ Chicago, and This American Life. That consortium of “top podcast producers” is now looking to sell the Android, iOS, and web application.
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A Google Photos storage system “mistake” this year resulted in image and video uploads being “inaccurately” counted towards your cloud storage quota. This Photos issue, which is now fixed, was present throughout 2020 and Google is offering a refund for One storage during that period.
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On Android, Apple’s streaming service is currently only available on Sony televisions. That’s changing next year when an Apple TV app comes to Chromecast with Google TV.
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Earlier this year, Google’s 2FA authentication app received a big Android update that modernized its design. That dark theme, along with an account transfer feature, is now available in Google Authenticator for iOS.
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Following the web last year and Android in September, Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides for iOS can now edit Office files.
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Apple’s tough enforcement of its App Store policies has led to a sad lack of a playable version of Google Stadia on iOS. That is set to change very soon as public testing of a dedicated progressive web app is set to start within “several weeks.”
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With the launch of iOS 14 in September, Google’s key apps were updated to support the latest platform features. After adding default email app support, Gmail now has an iOS home screen widget. Google is also highlighting how Chrome on iPad supports opening multiple windows.
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Following today’s launch of M1-powered Macs, Google has quietly released a Mac version of Chrome that is optimized for Apple Silicon.
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The last Chrome update of 2020 is starting to roll out and Google is touting a handful of performance improvements. Chrome 87 features tab throttling and better resource management, as well as a number of user-facing additions.
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Back in July, Google’s storage subscription service made phone backups free on Android and announced plans for iOS. The next move for Google One is including a VPN on higher storage tiers.
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YouTube today announced a series of Android and iOS updates as part of a video player page redesign. The general look stays the same, but the Google company has worked to optimize button placement and layouts, while adding some convenient shortcuts.
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In addition to YouTube Music, Google today is bringing iOS 14 home screen widgets to Photos. It delightfully lets you see “memories” every time you unlock your iPhone or iPad.
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To follow a big Android TV update yesterday, Google has just released an Apple Watch app for YouTube Music. It provides basic playback controls and browsing of what’s on your phone.
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Apple launched its latest mobile OS on Wednesday and app developers are in the process of supporting the latest features. Google has two iOS 14 updates ready with a Search widget and Chrome browser default, while it’s readying a third.
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Epic Games has been very vocal about its distaste for 30% fees charged by Google and Apple, despite giving in and distributing its hit game Fortnite through the Play Store and App Store. Now, to get around those fees, Fortnite is adding “direct payments.”
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Apple made a surprise acquisition of Dark Sky in March and there are signs that it’s already live in iOS 14. As part of this, the weather forecasting service is gradually being deprecated for non-Apple devices and clients. The Dark Sky shutdown is now complete for Android and Wear OS, but the website sees a reprieve.
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