Articles by Rowan Davies, Editorial Associate

Rowan is an Editorial Associate and Apprentice Writer for TechRadar. A recent addition to the news team, he is involved in generating stories for topics that spread across TechRadar's categories. His interests in audio tech and knowledge in entertainment culture help bring the latest updates in tech news to our readers.

He has been writing for publications since he started his studies at age 18. Rowan graduated from Cardiff University in 2023 after attaining a Master's in Creative Writing, and earlier a Bachelor's in Media, Journalism, and Culture. He began his journey as a writer at Cardiff University's Quench Magazine contributing to film/ TV, music, and culture sections, later becoming Music Section Editor.

In his free time, Rowan is a freelance writer for Cardiff-based culture magazine Buzz where he reviews music, film, and conducts interviews with featured guests. When he is not writing, you can find him at any given music gig, or endlessly scrolling TikTok immersing in celebrity news and drama.

Articles by: Rowan Davies

Two smartphones with the Spotify Mixed Playlist interface

Spotify didn’t tell anyone it updated its song-mixing feature, and users are obsessed with it — now I’m putting even more pride into how I curate my DJ-set playlists

By Rowan Davies Published 8 July 26

Spotify's Mixed Playlist feature just got a quiet upgrade, and its new customization tools have boosted it to a new level.

A conversation in Google Messages next to the Samsung Galaxy S26

Samsung Messages has just been killed off, forcing loyal users to make the switch to Google Messages, and not everyone is pleased — this is what you need to do

By Rowan Davies Published 7 July 26

Samsung Messages has finally shut down in favor of Google Messages, and this is what you need to do if you haven't made the switch.

This new interactive tool on the reMarkable Paper Pro turns your device into Tom Riddle’s diary from Harry Potter — and it’s one of the smartest e-reader features I’ve seen

By Rowan Davies Published 7 July 26

A developer has designed an ereader tool that mimics Tom Riddle's diary from the Harry Potter series.

The top of a Dyson HushJet Mini Cool fan next to a hand holding the Oppo Find X9 Ultra, next to two hands holding a Sony A7R VI

The best tech of 2026 so far — the 21 finest gadgets we've tested this year

By Mark Wilson Published 4 July 26

TechRadar has spent days testing 639 products across phones, TVs, laptops, cameras, smartwatches and more in 2026. These are the best ones we've reviewed so far this year.

2 Comments

The Steam Machine, a PS5, and a Garmin Forerunner 70 watch.

ICYMI: The week's 7 biggest tech news stories from PlayStation killing physical games to Anthropic finally re-releasing Fable 5

By Hamish Hector Published 4 July 26

As the USA turns 250, here's the week's biggest tech news stories from PlayStation, Valve, Garmin, WhatsApp and more.

A close up of pinned playlists in the Spotify library

Spotify confirms it’s fixing a major playlist organization problem — and this boost to ‘Your Library’ pinning is something I’ve wanted for years

By Rowan Davies Published 3 July 26

Spotify confirms it's increasing the number of items you can pin to Your Library from 4 to 20.

Samsung is pulling the plug on its Vascular Load tracking tool in the US just a year after it launched — but don’t worry, the company is offering an alternative

By Rowan Davies Published 2 July 26

Samsung is getting rid of its Vascular Load tool on Galaxy Watch in the US, but it's got another feature to replace it.

‘I’m returning mine’: The new Google Home Speaker is off to bad start as users complain of delayed responses — but Google says a solution is on the way

By Rowan Davies Published 2 July 26

The new Google Home Speaker is already facing its share of early issues, but the company says a fix is on the way.

Are you a YouTube Premium user? You could be paying more than you should be if you’ve subscribed through the Apple App Store

By Rowan Davies Published 1 July 26

The Apple tax might be the reason you're paying more for your subscriptions than you should be.

Two smartphones showing inverted colours in Spotify

A Spotify user just found a way to make it look like Apple Music — but there's something about it that doesn't sit right with me

By Rowan Davies Published 30 June 26

There's a hidden smartphone setting that lets you view Spotify in light mode, but it's a real eyesore.

The Samsung Galaxy Ring in Titanium Silver Colorway

Samsung reveals the Galaxy Ring 2 is in the pipeline, and it’s tipped to do things its predecessor hasn’t done before — here are 5 ways it could seriously compete with the Oura Ring 5

By Rowan Davies Published 30 June 26

SVP at Samsung says the Galaxy Ring 2 is on the way, and it's already looking to storm the fitness trackers competition.

A phone on a green background showing the WhatsApp username setup process

WhatsApp just opened username reservations for three billion people — here’s how to claim your handle before it's taken

By Rowan Davies Published 29 June 26

WhatsApp is tightening the screws on its privacy with the announcement of usernames.

Netflix subscribers are furious at the platform’s latest update — now users are required to use separate email addresses for account profiles, but some think they've found a handy workaround

By Rowan Davies Published 29 June 26

A new Netflix update requires you to add email addresses to individual profiles, and users think it's another password crackdown situation.

Two smartphones showing Spotify's Reserved notification and in-app pop-up

Spotify tries to explain how its 'Reserved by Spotify' early ticket access will work — but it still hasn't answered my biggest question

By Rowan Davies Published 18 June 26

Spotify is rolling out its ticket priority tool Reserved, but it raises questions on who the 'bigger fans' really are.

The new Google Home Speaker is launching next week, and you can pre-order your new smart hub right now — but you’ll need Google Home Premium for the full Gemini package

By Rowan Davies Published 17 June 26

Google has announced that its new Google Home Speaker will be go on sale on June 25.

A smartphone showing Spotify's new Track Reactions

Spotify's new Track Reactions update gives you yet more ways to judge your friends' music taste in Collaborative Playlists — but I'd like the emoji list to be even more brutal

By Rowan Davies Published 17 June 26

Spotify's new Track Reactions give you a new way to interact with your friends in Collaborative Playlists.

The Roku homescreen next to a smartphone with the Fox News app

‘Time for a new streaming stick’: Fox is acquiring Roku for $22 billion, and users of the streaming devices are far from happy

By Rowan Davies Published 15 June 26

Fox and Roku have entered a $22 billion agreement, but Roku users fear the damage it could cause.

A close-up of the Miko cassette player by Gadhouse with wired earbuds plugged in

I ditched Spotify and bought a cheap cassette Walkman — one month on I've fallen back in love with music and my tape stash is overtaking my vinyl collection

By Rowan Davies Published 13 June 26

I used a cassette player for the first time, and it's become my favorite way to enjoy the albums I love the most.

23 Comments

The Trump T1 phone, Link in bed, and an iPhone

ICYMI: here's the week's 8 biggest tech news stories from WWDC 2026 to Trump's not-so-made-in-America phone

By Hamish Hector Published 13 June 26

The week's biggest tech news from Nintendo, Apple, Trump Mobile, and more for June 13, 2026.

Two smartphones showing Spotify's New Music Friday Playlist and Olivia Rodrigo's new album

Spotify is giving one of its best playlists a big visual upgrade to give subscribers ‘a closer connection’ to its New Music Friday curators — and I think it could be the update it’s always needed

By Rowan Davies Published 12 June 26

Spotify is rolling out videos to its New Music Friday playlist, spotlighting its editors new music recommendations.

Google says a ‘certain speaker’ will finally go on sale next week, marking its first new smart hub in over six years — and it could just be the reason I abandon my trusted Amazon Echo

By Rowan Davies Published 12 June 26

Google might have just confirmed that the new Google Home Speaker is officially arriving next week.

2 Comments

Does your Apple TV support tvOS 27? These two models have surprisingly been dropped from upgrade support much earlier than expected

By Rowan Davies Published 11 June 26

tvOS will come with a handful of performance boosts, but Apple is leaving two models out of the update.

Some Spotify users are convinced the platform is creating AI artist profiles and bios, and I think these conspiracy theories are getting out of hand — and there are other music fans who agree

By Rowan Davies Published 10 June 26

Spotify is facing more scrutiny over AI slop, but the accusations are getting out of hand.

The Philips Skylight attached to a home ceiling mimicking a blue sky

Philips just launched a new ceiling light that looks like a skylight, and I think it looks incredible — but its lack of smart features might not justify its hefty price tag

By Rowan Davies Published 10 June 26

Philips is launching an impressive ceiling light that mimics natural daylight, but it doesn't have smart home integration just yet.

An iPad showing a 3D-rendered aerial view of a city in Apple Maps

Apple Maps has a huge iOS 27 upgrade on the way for Flyover that will help you ‘see cities around the world like never before’ — and users think it’s down to Gaussian Splatting, the next big 3D photography craze

By Rowan Davies Published 9 June 26

Apple Maps' Flyover view will look even more detailed in iOS 27, and it could give Google a run for its money.

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Rowan Davies

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