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

Spotify says it made ‘big numbers’ last year — but it needs to invest in these 3 areas if it wants to please its loyal subscribers

By Rowan Davies published 14 March 26

There's a lot that Spotify could be investing in, but these three areas are the first that spring to mind.

You can finally tell Spotify's algorithm to drop music you don't like and add in stuff you do in detail — the new change is the ‘next evolution’ of personalization

By Rowan Davies published 13 March 26

Spotify is rolling out a tool that lets you have full control over your Taste Profile, here's how your feedback tailors your recommendations.

A smartphone with Spotify's SongDNA feature

Spotify’s SongDNA feature doesn’t officially exist yet, but beta users are already calling it the ‘best Spotify feature’ to date

By Rowan Davies published 12 March 26

Users are already loving SongDNA for its in-depth song credits, and it's looking to be a handy new way to discover new artists.

An iPhone showing Spotify in the Apple app store, laying on top of a laptop keyboard

‘20 years ago, this industry was fighting for survival’ — Spotify claims it’s saved music, but its new report is only one side of the album

By Rowan Davies published 11 March 26

Spotify has revealed its 2025 revenue and payouts, but lesser-known artists are still struggling to make a living.

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Google will stop at nothing to get you to sign up to YouTube Premium — and its unskippable 30-second ads could be the final straw

By Rowan Davies published 11 March 26

Google is cracking down on more ads for YouTube's TV app, so a YouTube Premium subscription could become essential.

A split image of the MacBook Neo and iPad Air

I almost walked away with a new iPad until Apple unveiled the MacBook Neo — these are 5 reasons why I think the Neo is the better option

By Rowan Davies published 8 March 26

Apple's new MacBook Neo is the entry-level laptop I've always wanted, and it's just altered my plans to upgrade to iPad.

A business woman in a yellow suit with headphones around her neck has fun using a smartphone to listen to music

Tired of noisy airplane passengers? Good news — United Airlines says it will now ban those who ‘fail to use headphones’ for music and video

By Rowan Davies published 6 March 26

The airline company now has the right to remove passengers from flights and issue permanent bans if you play audio without headphones.

An iPhone with the search page in Apple Music

Apple Music is flagging AI slop before Spotify has even started — but there's a catch

By Rowan Davies published 5 March 26

Apple Music is rolling out Transparency Tags for AI-generated music, but the responsibility lies with record labels.

Apple’s new MacBook Neo is its cheapest, most colorful laptop so far — here’s how it compares to the Pro and Air

By Rowan Davies published 4 March 26

Apple just unveiled its affordable MacBook Neo model, but how does it stack up against other MacBooks price-wise?

Audible launches a cheaper audiobook tier that’s perfect for entry-level listeners as Spotify continues to hike prices — here’s what you get with the new $9 plan

By Rowan Davies published 4 March 26

Despite a few caveats, Audible's Standard tier is ideal for new customers and casual readers alike.

Sonos could finally be making good on its 'two products per year' pledge — if this Sonos AirPlay 2 speaker leak proves legit, I think it'll be the perfect mid-range portable buy

By Rowan Davies published 2 March 26

Best Buy Canada leaked an unannounced Sonos Bluetooth speaker, and it could be the perfect mid-range device we've been waiting for.

The poster for The Ballad of Wallis Island next to a still of Tyra Banks from the Reality Check Netflix docuseries

The 7 best movies and shows I've been streaming, including one of Netflix’s juiciest reveal-all series

By Rowan Davies published 1 March 26

Netflix's latest docuseries is the best new show I've watched recently – here's what else I've been streaming.

A close up of the Spotify app icon next to a smartphone showing the new Smart Reorder tool

Spotify’s new Smart Reorder tool gives one of its best features a handy upgrade — and it's already saving me hours of tweaking

By Rowan Davies published 26 February 26

Spotify upgraded one my favorite features, and it saves you bags of time trying to reorder songs to match BPM and key.

Spotify's Eternal Playlist Urn next to a smartphone with a generated eternal playlist thumbnail

Spotify and Liquid Death have revealed the world’s first music-streaming urn — and now you can play your departed grandma the pop bangers she’s missing out on

By Rowan Davies published 26 February 26

Spotify has partnered with Liquid Death for the first Bluetooth speaker urn, and it's the whackiest device I've seen this year so far.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra on stands

‘The brightness does not change’ — Samsung answers our 5 biggest Galaxy S26 Ultra Privacy Display questions

By Rowan Davies published 25 February 26

Samsung just unveiled the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and its new Privacy Display feature is one of its most valuable upgrades in recent years.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 smartphone lock screen

‘It feels leaps ahead of the other guys’ — the Samsung Galaxy S26 series wins in the AI department, and we’re not the only ones who think so

By Rowan Davies published 25 February 26

We had an early hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, and it’s exceeded all our expectations on the AI front.

YouTube Premium’s cheapest tier just got better — with background play and downloads

By Rowan Davies published 25 February 26

YouTube is adding downloads and background play to the Premium Lite tier, but ad-free music videos are still paywalled.

Two smartphones showing forecast readings in the Acme Weather app

Founders of long-lost weather app Dark Sky return with a new forecast platform, and it’s already better than Apple’s unreliable flagship weather predictions

By Rowan Davies published 24 February 26

After parting ways with Apple, Dark Sky founders are back with a new forecast app, Acme Weather.

Robert Aramayo accepting his BAFTA award for best actor for I Swear

The 2026 BAFTAs threw a huge curveball with Robert Aramayo’s best actor win — here’s when you’ll be able to stream his victorious performance on Netflix

By Rowan Davies published 23 February 26

Robert Aramayo surprised everyone with his big BAFTA 2026 win for I Swear – here's when you can stream it, depending on where you live.

The maps feature of the Strava app open on an iPhone 15 Pro

Strava now lets you track 5 much-requested new activities — including the world’s fastest-growing sport

By Rowan Davies published 23 February 26

Strava has added five new activity types, increasing its plethora of workout options to over 50.

Rachel Sennott in the promo poster for her HBO show I Love LA

I can’t stop talking about Rachel Sennott’s new satirical comedy I Love LA — here’s why it should be top of your HBO Max watch list

By Rowan Davies published 21 February 26

I've just finished bingeing Rachel Sennott's I Love LA, and it's made me even more excited for HBO Max's UK debut.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro against a leafy background.

Two Galaxy Buds 4 dummy models have surfaced ahead of Galaxy Unpacked — and no one can ignore the striking resemblance to AirPods

By Rowan Davies published 20 February 26

More images of the Galaxy Buds 4 have leaked on X, and they confirm a lot of new upgrades we were expecting to see.

WhatsApp running on a smartphone next to a smartphone with the Group Message History tool

WhatsApp is lifting a frustrating group-chat limitation I’ve hated for years — giving it the upper hand over iMessage and Telegram

By Rowan Davies published 20 February 26

WhatsApp is rolling out Group Message History, which lets new chat members easily catch up on messages posted before they joined.

Apple Music’s 5 new upgrades are just what the platform needs to one-up Spotify — but its new UI has users begging for simplicity

By Rowan Davies published 19 February 26

Apple Music's new features could breathe new life into the platform, but its UI redesign has divided subscribers.

YouTube is now an exhibit at one of the world’s biggest museums — and I'm shocked that 2006 is now considered 'vintage'

By Rowan Davies published 19 February 26

YouTube's watch page from 2006 is being recreated for an exhibit at the V&A museum, and I've never felt so ancient.

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