YouTube starts rolling out redesigned video player that gives off Liquid Glass vibes [Gallery]
YouTube is rolling out, or at least widely testing, a new video player design for its web experience that feels much different.
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Author
Ben Schoon is a Senior Editor at 9to5Google, a sister site of 9to5Mac. Ben has been working for the publication as one of its primary news writers for the past 5 years. 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 lived with his wife Melissa, married in 2019.
He primarily covers Android products, including Google Pixel devices, Samsung Galaxy smartphones, as well as devices from OnePlus, Oppo, LG, 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; Galaxy S21 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, Fitbit Versa 3, Nest Thermostat, Galaxy Z Fold 2, and Fitbit Sense.
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
Philips Hue lighting is getting even more expensive on July 1 as a ‘direct result’ of tariffs
In the smart home world, Philips Hue already has some of the more expensive options, and now those prices are going even higher thanks to US tariffs.
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Google teases Pixel 10 in latest ‘Best Phones Forever’ ad that pokes fun at iOS 26 [Video]
In its continued “Best Phones Forever” series, Google pokes a bit of fun at how many iOS 26 features are “inspired” by Pixel, while also teasing the Pixel 10.
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This new Android foldable claims to have Apple Watch support… somehow
The Apple Watch is a stellar wearable, and one that’s enticing enough to prevent many from switching to Android. But with its upcoming foldable, Vivo claims to, somehow, support the Apple Watch.
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Samsung and ‘anybody’ making smartphones outside of US subject to same tariff as iPhone, Trump says
President Trump has confirmed that the 25% tariff mentioned for iPhone earlier today will also apply to Samsung and “anybody” making smartphones outside of the United States.
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Google says 1 billion RCS messages are sent daily in the US following iPhone adoption
After a years-long wait, Apple finally added RCS messaging support to the iPhone last year, and that’s resulted in over 1 billion RCS messages being sent every day in the US alone between both Android and iOS devices.
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Google Maps lets you customize your car icon on Android Auto and CarPlay – how to do it
New updates to Google Maps have made it possible to show a custom car icon during navigation through both Android Auto and CarPlay. Here’s how it works.
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YouTube investigating widespread low quality video playback issues on iOS
Google has confirmed it is investigating an issue causing low quality in playback of videos and Shorts through the YouTube app on iOS.
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Google Maps for CarPlay fixes route previews in latest update
A frustrating bug in Google Maps for CarPlay has left users without the typical route preview before starting turn-by-turn navigation – thankfully, it’s been fixed.
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Oppo will let you control a MacBook with its latest foldable [Gallery]
A new feature debuting on the Oppo Find N5 will allow Mac users to control their machines from their smartphones, as well as better integrating their phone with macOS overall.
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Waze for CarPlay update makes it easier to navigate home, work, or to search
A new update to the Waze app on Apple CarPlay is making it much easier to navigate home or to work with just the press of a single button.
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Here’s how Apple Invites work on Android [Gallery]
Apple just launched its latest app, Apple Invites, which allows for a quick and easy way to send out invitations to an event. But, how does that work for an Android user? We’ve tested out how Apple Invites will work for Android users, and it’s surprisingly well done.
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YouTube removing ‘Guest’ profile from TV apps, but the mode is still there
YouTube appears to be removing the “Guest” profile from its TV apps, starting on Apple TV and Roku.
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Samsung’s copy of iPhone Live Activities will support Google Maps and more [Gallery]
With its One UI 7 update, Samsung is adding support for “Live Notifications” and the “Now Bar,” the company’s take on the “Live Activities” functionality Apple has been building out on iPhone for a while. With the Galaxy S25 now official, Samsung is confirming additional support for apps including Google Maps.
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Galaxy S25 ‘Slim’ is probably thicker than ‘iPhone 17 Air’ as leak reveals 6.4mm design [Gallery]
Samsung and Apple are both preparing to launch new, thinner smartphones in 2025, but it sounds like Samsung’s Galaxy S25 “Slim” won’t match what’s rumored for the “iPhone 17 Air” per a new leak that reveals how thin the device is.
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Spotify officially kills Car Thing, remaining units have stopped working
As announced earlier this year, Spotify Car Thing is dead, with all units having officially been disabled as of today.
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Here are all of the ways Samsung’s One UI 7 update copies iOS [Gallery]
Samsung’s One UI 7 update is huge and, for the most part, pretty good, but there’s some clear influence throughout as Samsung has seemingly been trying to replicate a bunch of features and design traits from iOS. Here’s a list of all of the ways Samsung’s Android 15 update tries to copy iOS.
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GM’s mission to eliminate Android Auto and CarPlay has been thwarted by this clever third-party kit [Gallery]
GM has made its stance clear on the future of equipping its vehicles with Android Auto and CarPlay. It won’t be. However, a clever third-party kit promises to restore the functionality.
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Stardew Valley now has multiplayer on Android and iOS – how to access the hidden mode
After a few months waiting, Stardew Valley’s latest major update has debuted on Android and iOS with a ton of new additions, and now it turns out that it also has a hidden multiplayer mode.
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OnePlus has a new ‘Share with iPhone’ tool that no one is going to use [Gallery]
OnePlus (and Oppo) have launched a new solution for sharing files with iPhone users wirelessly, all baked into the latest Android 15 update. But… uh… it’s probably not going to be all that popular.
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Oppo shows off ColorOS 15, full of smooth animations and lots of iOS… ‘inspiration’ [Video]
Ahead of a rollout starting in November, Oppo has revealed ColorOS 15 with some big UI changes, but also a lot of… let’s say “inspiration” from iOS.
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Oppo previews Find X8’s shutter button, works just like iPhone 16 Camera Control [Video]
Oppo is adding a new feature to its upcoming Find X8, with a shutter button that works exactly like Apple’s new “Camera Control” feature on iPhone 16.
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How to add a Google Gemini shortcut to your iPhone homescreen
Google’s Gemini has been available on iPhone for months now, but it’s not super easy to access since it’s hidden under a few clicks in the main Google app. Now, though, there’s a super easy way to access Gemini from your iPhone’s homescreen or using the Action Button.
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Google Maps adding incident reports on Apple CarPlay, but still not on Android Auto
Google Maps, like Waze, supports user-based reports of incidents such as crashes, road conditions, and police speed traps, and support for that functionality is finally showing up on CarPlay.
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