After announcing the long-delayed update last week, Mobvoi is starting its rollout of Wear OS 3.5 to the TicWatch Pro 3 series.
Expand Expanding CloseWear OS 3.5 starts rolling out to TicWatch Pro 3 today
Author
Ben Schoon is a Senior Editor at 9to5Google, working for the publication as one of its primary news writers since 2016.
In 2013, Ben helped start an independent tech publication where he learned the skills used at 9to5Google including writing, product photography, and videography. He is located in the city of Winston-Salem in North Carolina where he lives with his wife Melissa. Ben is an avid disc golf player.
He primarily covers Android products, including Google Pixel devices, Samsung Galaxy smartphones, as well as devices from OnePlus, Oppo, Motorola, and more. Beyond just covering news about these products, Ben also spends time using these products himself, speaking from experience with the articles he writes. Some of Ben’s most recent hands-on reviews include; Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel Watch 2, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Motorola Razr+, HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook, and more.
Ben is also a leading source for information about Google’s Android TV, diving deeply into important parts of the platform including its powerful Operator Tier, explaining future changes to the platform, and reviewing its products such as Chromecast with Google TV, Nvidia Shield TV, and more.
In 2019, Ben leaked one of the first in-person photos of the Pixel 4 before later revealing the Recorder and Pixel Themes apps months ahead of launch. In 2020, Ben also reported on multiple upcoming Pixel devices including Pixel 5a and the first report of Google working on a foldable Pixel smartphone. That same month, he was also the first to correctly report the $49 price point of what became the Chromecast with Google TV.
Ben Schoon is active on Twitter, @nexusben, but can also be found on Instagram and LinkedIn. For questions or tips, you can email him directly, and his portfolio is also available online.
Email: schoon@9to5mac.com | Encrypted Email: benschoon@protonmail.com
These are some of the best last-minute tech gifts you can still get with store pickup
If you’re still trying to squeeze in some last-minute holiday gifts, shipping probably won’t be able to get it to your door in time. Here are some of the best tech gifts you can buy in local stores with pickup instead of waiting for delivery.
Expand Expanding Close
Play Store adding support for uninstalling apps from other Android devices
The Google Play Store is adding a new option that will allow users to uninstall apps from their other Android devices remotely.
Expand Expanding CloseApple’s shutdown of Beeper Mini sets the stage for investigation over iMessage interoperability
Beeper Mini managed to pull off the impossible in bringing a proper iMessage app to Android, but Apple shut it down in a matter of days. Now, members of the US government are calling for an investigation into Apple’s shutdown of Beeper Mini, which sets the stage for much bigger conversations.
Expand Expanding CloseSamsung remembers last-gen foldables, brings Android 14 to Galaxy Z Flip 4, Flip 3, Fold 4, and Fold 3
Nearing two months into its Android 14 rollout, Samsung has finally remembered its last-generation foldable smartphones, with One UI 6 now heading to 2022’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4, as well as 2021’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip 3.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube TV adding a button shortcut to switch between last-viewed channels
As more and more customers have moved away from traditional cable TV services, YouTube TV has continued to grow in popularity, leading to the product getting regular feature updates. Now, YouTube TV is adding a new button shortcut that makes it easier to switch between your last-viewed channels.
Expand Expanding CloseBeeper’s iMessage for Android is broken for ‘more than 60%’ of users
In the barely two weeks since its debut, Beeper Mini and its sibling, Beeper Cloud, have experienced several major outages to iMessage support on Android and other platforms by Apple’s hand and, this evening, it’s happening yet again.
Expand Expanding CloseHands-on: Night Sight is the best part of Video Boost on the Pixel 8 Pro [Video]
Video Boost is in the process of rolling out to Google’s Pixel 8 Pro, with the promise of much better video quality after Google gets a chance to process your recordings. Video Boost is an impressive feature, but in our time testing it so far, Night Sight Video is clearly the most impressive point Google has for this Pixel 8 Pro-exclusive feature.
Expand Expanding CloseI don’t want iMessage for Android – I just want everyone to use good messaging apps
Over the past several weeks, iMessage for Android has been a big topic of discussion and, for many, it comes back to why Android users seem to want iMessage so much. Personally, I don’t. iMessage for Android just happens to, somehow, be the path of least resistance when it comes to using a decent messaging app with people.
Expand Expanding CloseAndroid will soon make it easier to import from Google Photos in apps
It may soon be easier to pull pictures from your Google Photos library into Android apps, as a new change in the system’s photo picker will integrate with cloud storage apps.
Expand Expanding Close
Firefox for Android now supports over 450 extensions
Browser extensions are super useful on desktop platforms, but mobile browsers rarely support them. This week, Firefox for Android is taking a big step in changing that with support for over 450 new extensions available now.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle extends Stadia Controller Bluetooth conversion tool for another year
The Google Stadia Controller was pretty much the only piece of consumer hardware that came from the company’s cloud gaming project, but it would have been useless without the platform to go with it. As such, Google opened up a conversion tool that allowed the Stadia Controller to work as a regular Bluetooth controller, and now, it’s leaving that tool open for longer.
Expand Expanding Close
Google improves Gboard’s support for Spanish with better autocorrect
Gboard is picking up better support for the Spanish language in new updates.
Expand Expanding Close‘Nothing Phone 2a’ likely coming at MWC with MediaTek chip, redesign with fewer lights
The Nothing Phone (2) proved to be a stellar affordable flagship, but now the company seems to be working on a new budget device, the “Nothing Phone 2a,” and we’re getting an early peek at the big new design and the specs.
Expand Expanding CloseOnePlus 12 confirms January 23 release date in US, probably with OnePlus 12R in tow
After its debut in China earlier this month, the OnePlus 12 is officially coming to the US and other global markets with a release date set for January 23, and it might not be the only device.
Expand Expanding CloseAndroid 14 is now rolling out to Nothing Phone (2)
After a lengthy beta program, Android 14 with Nothing OS 2.5 is now rolling out to the Nothing Phone (2).
Expand Expanding CloseThese are 9to5Google’s favorite phones of 2023 – what’s yours? [Poll]
Smartphones have, in big ways, become more and more of the same. Just about everything has a good camera, good battery life, and a good screen. So, really, everything comes down to personal preference. As the year 2023 comes to a close, the 9to5Google team has picked out our favorite phones of the year and, to my own personal surprise, that’s coming with a huge level of variety.
Expand Expanding CloseGoogle Keep will become an Android 14 notes app with lock screen & stylus support
Android 14 is working on a new system setting for note-taking apps that now supports Google Keep, giving the app access from the lock screen and future support for your stylus too.
Expand Expanding CloseIntel Core Ultra improves battery & AI for Windows and ChromeOS – here are the first laptops
Intel has today debuted its latest generation of mobile CPUs for Windows laptops and Chromebooks, with the Meteor Lake architecture arriving in new “Core Ultra” processors. Here’s what’s been improved, and the first machines arriving with the new chips.
Expand Expanding CloseYouTube will start showing fewer, but longer ads on TVs
Amid its ongoing efforts to crack down on ad blockers on the web, YouTube has now announced that, for the sake of a “better streaming experience,” it will lessen how many ads you see on TV, but they’ll be getting longer.
Expand Expanding Close
Google will hand control of the Nest Renew program to new ‘Renew Home’ company
The Nest Renew program which allows Google’s Nest Thermostats to be adjusted automatically during peak energy demand is moving out of Google’s umbrella, and instead to a new company, “Renew Home.”
Expand Expanding CloseSamsung wants to sell way more Galaxy S24 phones, aiming for 35 million
Samsung has set it sights on major growth going into 2024, with the goal of shipping over 35 million Galaxy S24 devices, up over 10 million from this year.
Expand Expanding CloseHands-on: Video Boost on Pixel 8 Pro compared to the iPhone 15 Pro [Video]
Video quality on Android has, unarguably, fallen behind Apple’s iPhone for a while now, and that’s not changing anytime soon. With Video Boost on the Pixel 8 Pro, though, Google is giving its latest flagship a better chance to compete. How does it compare? Let’s take a look.
Expand Expanding Close
Sonic Mania Plus is coming to Android in 2024, but you’ll need a Netflix subscription
Netflix started off its experiment with mobile games with just a handful of options, but over time we’ve seen a ton of big releases in the catalog. Today, Netflix announced another batch of games coming to Android and iOS, including Sonic Mania Plus and many more.
Expand Expanding Close