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.
Earlier this year, the Google app rolled out a new menu where you can volunteer to test out new features in the app. The latest of these Labs has brought Google Doodles to the home screen search widget of more Android phones, once a Pixel exclusive feature.
Every year, in the build up to the launch of the next version of Android, Google launches a beta and developer preview period for that update, usually starting with Pixel devices. Today, the landing page for the Android 11 Developer Preview went live, if perhaps earlier than intended.
One of the features many will likely miss when switching from iMessage to RCS is message reactions. The latest Google Messages beta, version 5.7 “Unicorn,” appears to be adding emote reactions for messages, as well as the ability to draw on images.
During the Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung has announced that it’s going to deeply integrate Google Duo video calling with its phones starting with the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip.
During today’s Galaxy Unpacked event, alongside bigger smartphone announcements, Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Buds Plus true wireless earbuds as a sequel to last year’s Galaxy Buds.
As account security has become more important, having a good cross-platform password manager has become almost essential. Unfortunately, one of the more popular password managers, Dashlane, has had its extension removed from the Chrome Web Store due to privacy and permissions issues.
Without a doubt, the biggest complaint shared by reviewers of the base Google Pixel 4 was its subpar battery life. Those looking to radically cut back on their Pixel’s battery usage may have reason to celebrate, as new evidence hints at a new “Ultra Low power mode” coming to Pixel phones and possibly Android devices in general.
One of the best parts about the Google Clock app is its ability to play from your favorite music apps when your alarm goes off. Unfortunately, many people using Google Clock are being given a rude reawakening due to an issue with the Spotify app causing alarm music to play again shortly after being dismissed.
If you’re practicing good account security, you may have your phone number attached to various accounts as part of two-factor authentication. Google Messages is rolling out a new feature to autofill any one-time security codes that your apps may need.
Every month, Google releases a new Android security patch, resolving any and all security issues that have been uncovered in Android and their own Pixel phones. These updates — sometimes called an “OTA” as they’re supposed to arrive “over the air” — typically arrive on your phone automatically over time, but you can also manually install or “sideload” the update which has now become easier than ever, thanks to the Google Pixel Repair Tool.
With 2020 well underway, the first Android 11 beta is undoubtedly around the corner, but we’re still somewhat in the dark as to what Google’s next iteration will bring. Our latest insight into Android 11 shows that it’ll soon be easier than ever to print your pictures and PDFs thanks to “Share-to-Print.”
In this week’s top stories: an artist “hacks” Google Maps with no less than 99 cell phones to create fake traffic jams, Google files a trademark for a new operating system called “Pigweed,” a robot folds and unfolds the Motorola Razr to its inevitable demise, and more.
As it stands, the only two ways to play a game on Stadia are to either pay Google for Stadia Pro and its monthly free games or simply purchase a game outright. The Global Beta Testing Network wants to flip that model and pay you to beta test and play games on Google Stadia.
Last year, Microsoft shocked the tech community with the incredibly early unveiling of the Surface Duo, a dual-screen foldable Android phone. Four months after that original demo, the Surface Duo has resurfaced (no pun intended) with what looks to be a new flashlight for its front-facing camera.
With the release of the Pixel 3a at Google I/O last year, Google started a cycle of mid-year hardware releases, which means it’s high time for the next Pixel leak season. Still four months away from the likely launch date of the Pixel 4a, the first proper hints at the mid-range phone’s processor specs have come to light.
This week, the web and browser development community voiced concerns over “X-Client-Data,” an alleged “tracking ID” sent by Chrome to all Google sites. Google has denied the tracking allegation and pointed to the actual, more benign purpose for this special ID.
Over the years, Google has developed its fair share of operating systems — beloved and otherwise — including Chrome OS, Android, and most recently Fuchsia. It appears Google may be working on yet another operating system, “Pigweed,” according to a new US trademark application.
Earlier today, it was confirmed that Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2020 is still going to take place as usual in Barcelona, despite growing concerns over the Wuhan coronavirus. However, LG has just confirmed that they are canceling their presence at MWC 2020.
Every week, Google offers a recap of the biggest happenings in its library of games. Today, a new game, Monster Energy Supercross 3, has released on the Stadia Store, alongside two major updates arriving for Destiny 2 and Mortal Kombat 11.
GDC 2020 is just around the corner, and with it any number of insights into how to develop games for Google Stadia. The latest tool to help Stadia developers is Backtrace, the crash reporting suite used by games such as Rocket League.
In this week’s top stories: Google begins selling its ADT-3 Android TV developer dongle powered by Android 10, the Android Flash Tool puts the latest AOSP on your Pixel, Android 10 arrives for the Samsung Galaxy S9, and more.
On this day in 1960, four men began a movement of nonviolent protest against segregated businesses in Greensboro, North Carolina. To honor the sixtieth anniversary of the Greensboro Sit-in, Google is displaying an incredible diorama depicting the historic protest.
When making a purchase on the web, one of the ways you can provide credit card details is through your browser’s built-in Payment Request API. However, due to mounting security and user experience challenges, Google is disabling the Payment Request API on Chrome for iOS.
Over the course of last year, evidence came out showing Google was working on a version of Android for feature phones, followed by signs that the efforts were being scrapped. Now, four months later, new listings for an upcoming Nokia phone suggests those Android feature phone efforts could still be ongoing.