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.
In this week’s top stories: Google Camera 7.2 arrives on older Pixel phones including Pixel 3, Google officially begins the rollout of their carrier-bypassing RCS service in the US, Google Photos gains a new image actions carousel, and more.
Last year, we saw signs that Xbox One might be picking up support for talking to the Google Assistant and Alexa through the console’s Kinect-powered voice controls, instead of Cortana. In the end, this capability only arrived for Alexa, but the Google Assistant isn’t going to be left out of the fun, with the announcement of a new Xbox Action.
Last month, a method was discovered to force enable RCS/Chat messaging on almost any Android phone with the Google Messages app. As of this morning, this trick is no longer needed, as Google has officially launched RCS messaging in the US, bypassing carriers. Google has now explained how this RCS migration will affect those who used the unofficial trick.
With just one look at some of Google’s apps — like Google Tasks and even the recently released Google Stadia app — and you can tell they have some of the best UI designs on Android. However, not every Google design is going to be a hit. Today, Chrome for Android is trying out a less-than-stellar redesign for the tab switcher, which tries to squeeze too many things on screen at once.
Today was the second Google Stadia Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), where the Stadia team answered many burning questions from the community. Among the answers, we got confirmation of when the various Google Assistant integrations will arrive, the real reason why Founders and Premiere Editions include a Chromecast Ultra, and more.
Racing game GRID on Google Stadia will reportedly have an exclusive 40-car multiplayer race, which the developers claim “isn’t possible with other hardware.”
Today is the second Google Stadia Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) event, and a wide variety of our most pressing questions are being answered by the Stadia team. Among those, we now know the limitations of the special name that Stadia Founders can claim, along with the process of how to change them later.
This morning, all eyes have been on Apple as they announced their latest MacBook Pro, which you can read more about from our friends at 9to5Mac. In an interview about the new MacBook Pro, Apple’s Phil Schiller took a potshot at Google’s Chromebooks, saying that kids who use them are “not going to succeed.”
A new report from the Wall Street Journal, via TechCrunch, points to Google entering the banking sector. The new Google project, cleverly codenamed “Cache,” will partner with existing banks and credit unions to offer checking accounts.
Sometimes when you start searching for something on Google, you’ll find yourself searching for a few other things soon after. To help you quickly move on to your next query, Google Search on the desktop is testing a “Clear” button in the search box.
In recent months, we’ve all become more aware of the fact that every Chromebook has a built-in expiration date after which it will no longer receive updates. Likely in an effort to increase transparency, Google is now making information about your Chromebook’s End of Life date easily viewable within Chrome OS.
Today is the big launch of the Disney+ streaming service in the United States, combining the best of Disney, Marvel, Fox, National Geographic, and more. Already, on day one, Disney has an interesting advantage over their direct competitor, Netflix, in that Disney+ can be played on a Nest Hub and other Google Assistant smart displays.
Earlier today, Google confirmed the 12 titles that will be available immediately when Stadia launches on November 19. Which of those games are you planning on buying?
Today is Veterans Day in the United States, and Google is honoring all service members of the US military with a homepage Doodle drawn by a veteran.
These days our Google Accounts are tied to more and more aspects of our lives — our smart homes, our email inbox, and even our livelihoods as YouTubers or Android developers are all tied to one universal Google Account. Some fans of Markiplier this week have been banned from their entire Google Account due to spamming emotes on a YouTube stream that encouraged emotes.
In this week’s top stories: the official Stadia app hits the Play Store, the original Google Pixel phones receive one final update, Google Camera 7.2 arrives for older Pixel phones, and more.
Last year, Google launched the Pixel Stand as a wireless charging companion to the Pixel 3. A year later, however, we’re finding that the Pixel Stand is actually better suited to the Google Pixel 4.
Earlier today, the Google Stadia app arrived on the Play Store, less than two weeks ahead of the service’s official launch. While you cannot sign in and use the Stadia app without your Founders or Premiere Edition code, our APK Insight team was able to uncover a treasure trove of information about Google Stadia through the new app including data usage, player limits, and more.
Stadia, Google’s upcoming game streaming service for almost any device including Pixel phones, is less than two weeks away from its official launch. Ahead of the November 19 launch, the Google Stadia app for Android is now available for download in the Google Play Store.
One of the best features about recent Made by Google products — starting with the Google Nest Hub and most recently seen on the Pixel 4 — is “Ambient EQ,” or ability to perfectly adapt the display’s brightness and colors to the room’s ambient lighting. Ambient EQ is now working its way to Chrome OS, and will debut on an upcoming Samsung Chromebook.
One of the biggest complaints about the smaller Google Pixel 4 is its limited battery life, compared to other flagships, and even last year’s Pixel 3. In case you were looking for a way to kill that battery life even faster, a mod for rooted Pixel 4 phones can enable “high brightness mode” to make the display even brighter.
Piece by piece, the Google Assistant has been working its way into new parts of our homes. The latest additions to the Google Assistant’s lineup are the bathtub and faucet.
Google Chrome 78 arrived on desktops last month, and Chrome OS 78 is rolling out today, each bringing a variety of new features. However, Google also included change to hovering over tabs that some are finding annoying. Here’s how to disable the new tab hover cards in Google Chrome and Chrome OS 78.
Despite being one of the signature features of the Google Pixel 4, Motion Sense has many, many limitations. Even if you live in one of the regions where Motion Sense is allowed, only certain apps and games can use the gestures. Thankfully, on rooted a Pixel 4, you can now connect Motion Sense to Tasker, creating nearly infinite possibilities.