Will Sattelberg is a writer and podcaster at 9to5Google.
He’s been covering all things Android since 2021 when he joined the team at Android Police, serving as both News Editor and Phones Editor throughout his tenure. Prior to professionally covering Android and all things smartphones, he was just a passionate enthusiast, having purchased his first Android device — HTC’s Thunderbolt — back in 2011.
Will has a degree in video production he occasionally remembers to use, but his real love lies in both writing and podcasting. He’s constantly fascinated — and sometimes frustrated — by the ever-evolving shape of consumer technology, and enjoys bringing that sense of affection and curiosity to everything he produces.
You can reach out to Will at will@9to5mac.com, or find him on Twitter, Threads, or Bluesky.
The Galaxy S26 trio is finally here, and with it comes One UI 8.5. Samsung might be waiting until the summer to roll out its next big shake-up for its version of Android, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t seeing some new visual elements in this mid-cycle release. As we’ve come to expect, at least one element on the S26’s software is ripped right from Samsung’s closest rival.
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The Galaxy S26 lineup is a pretty familiar upgrade, which means Samsung is once again calling on its AI platform to make these devices stand out from the pack. This year’s big difference is an actual vision for what Galaxy AI should be aiming to accomplish — though whether that holds up in practice remains to be seen.
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After weathering a barrage of leaks, RAM shortages, and an abandoned overhaul, Samsung is finally ready to unveil the Galaxy S26 series. As we expected, this is a boring upgrade even by Samsung’s own standards, and combined with higher prices on two of the S26 models, some fans might be left waiting for something a little more exciting down the road.
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YouTube has spent the bulk of its existence fighting against unsanctioned download sites and ad-blockers, but the past few years have seen Google really ramp up its war. Ad-blocking users have been treated to missing comments and video descriptions, error messages, missing view counts, increased buffering, loading failures, and much, much more. I get it — no one likes ads, and YouTube’s ads in particular have gone from 5-second pre-rolls and mid-video breaks to something far more in line with traditional streaming services. Modern YouTube ads often feel like they’re overwhelming the video that surrounds them.
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A password manager is all but necessary these days, even as passkeys continue to gain traction. But if you’re a 1Password fan, you better prepare to have to spend a little more on your annual charges beginning next month — even if you’re on a family plan.
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Discord has spent the last couple of weeks in the crosshairs of the internet, as its decision to launch an ID-based age verification program proved even more controversial than most of us likely expected. In a lengthy blog post, Discord says it’s postponing a global rollout for this initiative while it works to improve both transparency with its users and verification options, though it’s unclear if that’s enough for its frustrated user base.
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While Samsung’s drawn in plenty of foldable attention lately for its TriFold and whatever it ends up calling its heavily-rumored “wide” device, it’s not the only manufacturer looking to up its folding phone game. Oppo’s ready to unveil its Find N6 in China in the coming weeks, and our first teaser points to a pretty big — if expected — display upgrade.
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Samsung’s foldables — and, really, foldables in general — have come a long way since their first couple of generations, and nowhere is that clearer than in the durability realm. This summer’s upcoming Galaxy Z-series, including that newly-added “Wide Fold,” might come with a new software trick that helps keep that inner display from potential debris.
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Welcome to The Sideload episode 23, a 9to5Google podcast. This week, Will welcomes Brady Snyder onto the show for a double-header conversation. First, Brady and Will discuss the state of streaming media, starting with YouTube TV’s recently-launched channel packages before expanding to price hikes, hoop-jumping, and the return of physical media. Then the two turn their attention to Apple Music, a service both use despite their love of Android. What is it that keeps them on a rival’s platform, and is Apple’s Android app good enough to get other users to switch?
Samsung’s next Unpacked is set to kick off this Wednesday, and in addition to a very familiar Galaxy S26 lineup, we’re expecting two new earbud pairs perfect for pairing with your new phone. The Galaxy Buds 4 series might shy away from its predecessors’ AirPods comparisons, but that doesn’t mean Samsung isn’t following Apple’s lead on at least one upcoming feature.
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The Galaxy S22 is celebrating its fourth anniversary this week, but if you’ve been rocking with Samsung’s 2022 flagships since launch, this milestone probably hasn’t been going well for you.
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Android might not be an official mobile branch to any desktop operating system — not yet, at least — but the past decade or so has seen plenty of first and third-party integrations with Windows. WhatsApp users might be next in line for a big desktop upgrade, as it could be the next service to see native support for Microsoft’s “Cross-Device Resume” feature.
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Welcome to episode 89 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Abner, Will, and Ben talk all about the Pixel 10a, a device where the ‘a’ seems to stand for ‘again.’ Without much in the way of new features, the trio dive into all of the nuances that make the Pixel 10a stand out from its predecessor, before asking the obvious: is it time for smartphone makers to take longer generational breaks? Plus: We know when Google I/O is happening, and we talk all through how we’ll be controlling our Android-powered glasses.
Take a peek in Android’s settings menu, and no matter what smartphone you have, you’ll probably find Google’s Digital Wellbeing suite hanging around. At first glance, Digital Wellbeing is perfectly modern, sporting an updated Material 3-friendly design and a whole slate of features like app timers, Bedtime mode, and more. It even has its own space within the settings menu on Pixel, rather than being buried within sub-menus like other useful tools.
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Google initially debuted its Titan M security chip back in 2018 with the Pixel 3 before following it up with Titan M2 in its first-gen Tensor launch. Now, as we approach the tenth anniversary of Pixel and the five-year anniversary of that step into custom silicon, Google is rumored to be working on yet another step forward for its security coprocessor.
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We know Samsung has another round of earbuds coming soon, likely timed with next week’s Galaxy S26 unveiling. Ahead of Unpacked, we’re getting our first look at dummy units for both the Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro, and they’re really driving home how Samsung has heard all of your AirPod comparisons.
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The Pixel 10a is now available for pre-order, but depending on your situation, the Google Store might not be the best place to pick one up. From $100 gift cards and free earbuds to heavily-discounted — or even free — offerings from carriers, it’s not hard to make an already-affordable device an even better deal.
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The Pixel 10a is set to go up for pre-order starting tomorrow, but if you’re impatient, you don’t need to wait long to learn all about the phone. In addition to yesterday’s leaked specs sheet, we’re also getting a look at a leaked ad that paints Google’s budget phone as an affordable do-everything device.
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Welcome to The Sideload episode 22, a 9to5Google podcast. This week, Will welcomes Joe Maring back to the show to discuss his recent anti-buyer’s guide, a list of Android devices he currently recommends you stay away from. After discussions around the Pixel 9a and Motorola’s Moto G-series, Joe plays the first-ever round of a new game invented by Will, where he’ll have to figure out what smartphone is being described just from a handful of clues. Play along at home!
I’m not the first to sing the praises of Gboard. Google has done an excellent job evolving the once-basic AOSP keyboard into the most obvious choice on Android, to the point where I’m not sure why I’d recommend using anything else besides it. Now, Google might be working on fixing the one shortcoming I’ve found while typing on Gboard daily since its initial branding, and in a strange twist, it’s an idea taken directly from iOS.
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Welcome to episode 88 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Ben Schoon joins Damien and Will to talk through the announcement — and subsequent unannouncement — of Android 17. The group talks through how and why this launch fell apart before discussing exactly what expectations we all should have for Android updates in 2026. Then they turn to Samsung, which just confirmed an Unpacked announcement for late February for a series of phones that has us scratching our heads when it comes to big year-over-year improvements.
This episode was recorded prior to Android 17’s eventual release on Friday afternoon.
Well, that didn’t take long. After word of an early build of One UI 9 for Samsung’s upcoming foldables leaked out, we’re getting our first look at what the company’s wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 variant might look like, and in a twist, it’s even wider than Google’s original Pixel Fold.
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Samsung’s feeling reinvigorated in the foldable game. After catapulting itself back into the conversation with last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, the company recently launched a tri-fold model that, despite its sky-high price, can’t seem to stay in stock. We know Samsung is working on at least two additional book-style foldables for later this year, and now, its wider alternative is showing up with a fresh One UI 9 build.
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No matter how many dedicated apps you have installed on your PC, you probably live most of your life in the browser. Google’s well aware of this — it’s the entire concept behind ChromeOS, after all — and now, it’s bringing a new setting that’s going to allow Windows users to launch Chrome right from the jump.
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