Damien is 9to5Google‘s resident Video Producer and has over a decade of UK media experience. He worked within the sports industry and with numerous sports-focused publications — including golfing publication National Club Golfer — prior to joining the 9to5Google team.
After completing a BSc in Computer Science at the University of Hull with a major focus on data analytics and UX, he joined the Press Association (now PA Media), developing growing sports data products for the Barclay’s Premier League. These’s data packages included the now-defunct ACTIM Index which eventually evolved into the EA Sports Player Performance Index.
While working with the UK’s largest media agency, he attained a MA in Journalism at Sheffield Hallam University after completing his studies in 2014. This is where a love affair with all things videography surfaced after a brief stint in student TV. A major interest and constantly growing know-how of technology and videography have seen Damien lead 9to5Google’s official YouTube channel since 2018. He previously hosted the 9to5Google Daily podcast from 2019 to 2021.
Damien’s expertise and focus area lie in a number of beats including Android and OEM software updates, mobile applications, smartphone and accessory reviews, and just about anything that makes a modern mobile nerd tick. He says that he is “platform agnostic” despite primarily using Android devices and attempts to regularly test the iOS waters to better understand the nuances of the tech he covers on a day-to-day basis.
Outside of the tech space Damien is an avid supporter of his boyhood soccer team Hull City and is even a fully qualified Barista — with 3 years of experience making speciality coffee. Be sure to follow him on Threads, Bluesky, LinkedIn, and Instagram for insights and upcoming video updates and tidbits. If you are interested, you can also check out just what video gear he is currently using on his dedicated Kit.co page.
The latest Android 12 Beta has been pretty solid and stable so far. Heck, I’m running it on the Pixel 5 with no major issues to speak of, but some who have updated to the Android 12 Beta 1 have encountered random app crashes, and WebView might be the causing the issue.
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WhatsApp offers a number of ways to secure your account with two-step verification. The most commonly used is via a PIN that, when used in conjunction with a one-time SMS code, grants you access to your account. It looks as though WhatsApp will soon offer the ability to quickly verify your account and login via a phone call.
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OxygenOS 11.2.7.7 is now rolling out for the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro with the most notable change finally adding HDR video recording toggle to the 9 Pro — a glaring omission since launch.
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Listen to a short-form recap or roundup of all the top 9to5Google stories of the previous 24 hours. 9to5Google Daily is available on Spotify,Google Podcasts, Amazon, iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.
In a strange series of events, Mark Zuckerberg has confirmed that the highly anticipated multi-device support is set to come to WhatsApp messenger very soon.
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Google Autofill is a fantastic time-saver and has developed to add even more layers of security when doing things like making purchases or accessing sensitive accounts online. Almost a year ago, the option was added to use biometric authentication to access password autofill, and now Google is adding the option to sync your autofill settings across all of your devices.
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Samsung has unveiled another duo of affordable A-series smartphones with the launch of the Galaxy A22 and Galaxy A22 5G — the latter being the firm’s cheapest 5G-enabled smartphone to date.
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With the combination of Google’s official release and some fantastic work by the developers of Dahlia OS, with the help of an emulator, we’re all now able to go hands-on with Fuchsia OS to try it for ourselves.
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Google has pulled the plug on unlimited Photos storage for everyone but a select few Pixel users, which might mean you are eyeing up or already subscribe to one of the affordable Google One storage plans.
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YouTube on mobile has gained or at least appears to have gained a Loop video option allowing you to repeat your currently playing content for as long as you want.
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Listen to a short-form recap or roundup of all the top 9to5Google stories of the previous 24 hours. 9to5Google Daily is available on Spotify,Google Podcasts, Amazon, iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.
Huawei has officially unveiled the firm’s first HarmonyOS-powered smartwatches in the form of the Huawei Watch 3 and Watch 3 Pro.
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Despite some serious issues with smartphones, Huawei is dropping yet more wearables with the Watch 3 — which as it turns out, is really quite impressive.
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Google Photos is now rolling out yet another AI-generated Memory collection to highlight some of your “Best of Spring 2021” photos and videos.
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Listen to a short-form recap or roundup of all the top 9to5Google stories of the previous 24 hours. 9to5Google Daily is available on Spotify,Google Podcasts, Amazon, iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.
Pride month is now upon us. To help honor the LGBTQ community at large, Google has added a Pride Month Easter egg that fills Search with confetti, flags, and fabulousness.
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Xiaomi has added yet another affordable Android TV set to its growing lineup with the introduction of the terribly named Mi TV 4A Horizon Edition.
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OxygenOS 11.2.6.6 is now rolling out for the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro with a number of important tweaks to the camera and its associated experience.
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Listen to a short-form recap or roundup of all the top 9to5Google stories of the previous 24 hours. 9to5Google Daily is available on Spotify,Google Podcasts, Amazon, iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.
YouTube on Android and iOS is now more widely rolling out the expanded video description UI that includes more prominent Likes and View counters alongside accurate upload date information within video overflow menus.
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Security updates are designed to keep Android devices as secure as possible, but you’re only as safe as your latest update. OnePlus does promise regular updates for its smartphones for at least two years, so let’s see how they’re handling the May 2021 security update.
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OxygenOS 11.1.1.3 is now rolling out for the OnePlus Nord with a slew of camera tweaks and that all-important May 2021 security patch.
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Listen to a short-form recap or roundup of all the top 9to5Google stories of the previous 24 hours. 9to5Google Daily is available on Spotify,Google Podcasts, Amazon, iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Pocket Casts and other podcast players.
Despite the fact that Tile trackers are a fairly solid product and integrate nicely with the Google Assistant, the recent release of Apple AirTags had us thinking about a Made by Google equivalent.
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