Kyle Bradshaw joined 9to5Google in 2018 with a special interest in Google’s Fuchsia OS, rooted in his experience of being the first to offer a visual preview of the revolutionary design of the in-development operating system. Since then, his attention has broadened to include the secrets hidden within other areas of Google’s public codebases.
By reading the public Fuchsia code, Kyle was able to prove the existence of the Nest Mini and the Nest Hub Max months ahead of their respective announcements. With evidence from Chromium, he reported on Google’s since-canceled efforts to create an offshoot of Android designed for “touchless” feature phones.
In 2018, Kyle reported on three distinct Made by Google Chromebooks in development, the Pixel Slate, the Pixelbook Go — a full year before its release — and “Meowth,” the original version of the Pixel Slate that was canceled due to Intel’s delays that year. For ChromeOS itself, Kyle was the first to demonstrate the upcoming light theme redesign in action.
Looking at the early evidence of the Pixel 5’s specs, Kyle accurately predicted in February 2020 that the Pixel 5 might not be a traditional “flagship” phone. In 2021, he reported that Google’s next headset would be the “Pixel Buds A.”
Kyle was the first to report that the Pixel 6 would mark the debut of Google’s in-house processors, later revealed to be the Tensor chips.
Kyle contributes to the APK Insight column at 9to5Google, discovering the hidden changes in Google’s apps. These efforts have revealed hotly anticipated features, details about upcoming devices, and unexpected connections between companies.
He can be reached for tips or just friendly chat by Threads, Mastodon, Bluesky, or email. If you’re looking for his other works or side projects, head over to Kyle’s personal portfolio.
Just in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to begin on Friday, Google TV is gaining a page dedicated to helping you watch the games.
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The latest update to Chrome OS is causing some people to be locked out of their Chromebook’s accounts, unable to access their files.
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With the 2020 Summer Olympics set to begin in Tokyo this Friday, Google is bringing some of the best of the games to your home by adding new modes to Chrome’s classic Dino Run game.
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One of the most exciting promises of Stadia on Android TV is that you can get great video games directly on your smart TV, all you may need to buy is a controller. The latest update to Stadia for Android continues working toward playing games on your TV using your phone as a controller.
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The latest Android Auto beta points to the app being able to automatically open itself on more cars’ infotainment centers.
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Google is preparing to shut down its My Maps app on Android this October in favor of only supporting the web app.
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Google’s next Android homescreen widget is a dedicated shortcut to Chrome’s Dino Run game, matching the iOS widget.
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For over half a year now, we’ve been watching as Google prepares to launch a proper light/dark theme toggle for Chrome OS. The latest improvement is that Chrome OS’s dark mode will be able to be scheduled based on sunset or a time you specify.
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In this week’s top stories: Google Camera app points to some more differences between the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, official Galaxy Watch 4 specs and images appear on Amazon, Android 12 Beta 3 releases for Pixel phones, and more.
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Earlier this year, Google announced that it would be bringing Assistant-based games to Android Auto. Now, it’s expanded further by adding a collection of touchscreen games from Area 120’s GameSnacks to play on Android Auto.
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Chrome is set to offer a new home screen widget for Android to match the delightful ones added to Chrome for iOS.
Update: Chrome’s Android widget has gotten further along in development, revealing more of its final design.
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Despite the numerous leaks, there are still quite a few things we don’t know about the upcoming Pixel 6 and 6 Pro. The latest Google Camera update offers some insight into the Pixel 6 series specs, including screen resolution, flash for the selfie camera, and more.
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The latest Android 12 Beta for Pixels includes an update to Google Camera 8.3, which now supports Material You colors with some UI tweaks to match.
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The writing has been on the wall for Google Hangouts for some time now, but soon Hangouts will begin warning of the app’s upcoming shutdown and migration to Chat.
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Google is working on a “Stadia Porting Toolkit,” which aims to make it easier for developers to bring their games from Windows to the cloud.
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At the Google for Games Developer Summit, the company unveiled its latest efforts to reach game developers, including reduced commission fees and an affiliate program.
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First announced earlier this year, Samsung’s S Pen Pro has finally received approval from the FCC, confirming that the stylus will be fully compatible with the Galaxy Z Fold 3.
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Google has mentioned their flagship phones for 2021 in an official Android developer form, calling them the “Pixel 6” and “Pixel 6 XL.”
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There’s no easier way to screw up a good cup of tea than to use water that’s too hot and burns the leaves. While electric kettles have long saved the day in that department, Smarter’s iKettle and its Google Home / Assistant integration make it easier to craft that perfect pot of tea or french press coffee.
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Chrome OS’s Files app is preparing to support a variety of archive formats, including 7z, iso, tgz, and many more.
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Owners of the Chromecast with Google TV have begun to see recommendations for Stadia games on the “For you” tab, suggesting deeper integration between the gaming service and Google’s streaming box.
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A commemorative jigsaw puzzle for the Fuchsia OS development team appeared on eBay, pointing to a “new brand system” for the project.
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Google Messages is preparing a new, specialized Android permission that will help you send RCS messages from a tablet or smartwatch using Samsung’s “Continuity.”
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Chrome OS is set to get a new quality of life upgrade, allowing you to automatically sort the apps in the launcher.
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