Articles by Alex Blake, Freelance Contributor

Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.

Articles by: Alex Blake

An Android phone on a pink and orange background showing a beta One UI 8.5 feature called priority notifications

Samsung just launched the One UI 8.5 beta with 6 big upgrades – here’s how to try it

By Alex Blake published 8 December 25

The Samsung One UI 8.5 beta is here with new features for all the best Samsung phones – here's how to give it a spin.

The Pebble Time Round smartwatch against a white background.

Pebble just teased a mysterious new smartwatch, and we’re excited to see what it is

By Alex Blake published 8 December 25

Pebble has hinted at a new smartwatch, and it could be an updated Pebble Time Round.

Using the iPhone 16 Pro Camera Control at a soccer game

The iPhone 17 Pro has just lost a key camera feature, and Apple won’t explain why

By Alex Blake published 4 December 25

The iPhone 17 Pro’s camera can no longer use Night mode and Portrait mode together.

The iOS 26 beta 5 update being downloaded onto an iPhone 16 Pro.

Should you upgrade to iOS 26? Apple is now pushing iOS 18 users to upgrade, but many are hesitating for these 3 reasons

By Alex Blake published 3 December 25

Apple wants iOS 18 users to upgrade to iOS 26, but there are 3 reasons why some people are reluctant.

The Garmin inReach Mini 3 Plus satellite communications device.

Don’t want a Garmin Fenix 8 Pro? You can get one of its best features separately with the inReach Mini 3 Plus

By Alex Blake published 3 December 25

Garmin has launched the inReach Mini 3 Plus satellite communicator with some handy new features.

The bottom left corner of an Android phone, showing the Phone, Messages, Google icons and Google Search bar

Google’s latest Android feature could let your boss read your RCS texts on your work phone

By Alex Blake published 2 December 25

A new update to Google Pixel phones will archive your RCS texts, which your boss might be able to read.

The Jet Black Apple Watch Series 10 watch on a grey background

Some Apple Watch Series 10 owners are reportedly getting free replacements due to a paint flaw

By Alex Blake published 1 December 25

Some Apple Watch Series 10 owners are reporting that Apple is offering free replacements due to a paint defect.

The 5 most frustrating things about iOS 26 – and how I fixed them

By Alex Blake published 29 November 25

I don’t like everything about iOS 26, but I managed to fix its worst annoyances – here’s how.

Meta is kicking ChatGPT and Copilot out of WhatsApp – and forcing everyone to use its unpopular AI chatbot instead

By Alex Blake published 28 November 25

ChatGPT and Copilot will leave WhatsApp in 2026 after Meta banned rival chatbots from its app.

Epic’s Tim Sweeney says AI tags make ‘no sense’ as ‘nearly all future production’ will be made with AI anyway

By Alex Blake published 27 November 25

AI will soon become so prevalent in games development that AI tags are unnecessary, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney says.

Three phones showing ChatGPT's voice mode in action

ChatGPT’s voice mode just got a major upgrade – here are 5 things you need to know

By Alex Blake published 26 November 25

ChatGPT’s voice mode has been updated with some impressive new features – here's what's changed.

iOS 26 lets you banish a major annoyance in the Wallet app – here’s how to do it

By Alex Blake published 25 November 25

Sick of receiving ad-related notifications from Apple’s Wallet app? There’s a quick way to disable them in iOS 26.

Panic over – Google says your Gmails aren’t being used train its Gemini AI and explains what ‘Smart Features’ do instead

By Alex Blake published 24 November 25

Despite a recent report, Google says your emails aren’t being used to train its Gemini AI model – here's what's happening instead.

OnePlus just dropped its own Apple Watch SE rival with the affordable Watch Lite

By Alex Blake published 24 November 25

OnePlus has launched the Watch Lite smartwatch as it attempts to compete with the Apple Watch SE.

ICYMI: the 7 biggest tech stories of the week, from Google's AirDrop surprise to Gemini 3

By Alex Blake published 22 November 25

Here are the biggest tech stories of the past week, helping you catch up with everything you might have missed.

Black Friday scams are everywhere now – here are the 5 best ways to stay safe

By Alex Blake published 21 November 25

Here are 5 ways to keep fraudsters at bay this Black Friday and ensure your money stays out of scammers’ reach.

Will Apple block Google’s new AirDrop trick for Android phones? Here are 3 reasons why it might not pull the plug

By Alex Blake published 21 November 25

Android’s Quick Share now works with AirDrop. Here’s why Apple might allow that to continue.

Watch out, Apple fans – this scary scam is stealing personal accounts with real Apple Support tickets

By Alex Blake published 20 November 25

There’s a new phishing scam targeting Apple users, and it uses a masterful trick to build its victims’ confidence – here's how to protect yourself.

Garmin’s latest smartwatch update helps catch signs of stress in one key way

By Alex Blake published 20 November 25

A new Garmin update brings improved health metrics and new features to its smartwatches and cycling computers.

Three iPhones on a blue and green background showing the BandLab, Ladder and Tiimo apps

These are the 15 best iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV apps of 2025, according to Apple

By Alex Blake published 19 November 25

Apple’s App Store Awards have honored the best apps of 2025 across Apple’s platforms – here are all the key winners.

A person holds an iPhone while it is performing a 5G speed test.

It’s official – the iPhone 17 gets a big Wi-Fi boost from Apple’s new chip, but the Pixel 10 Pro still beats it

By Alex Blake published 19 November 25

The iPhone 17 range’s N1 chip has brought fantastic Wi-Fi speed improvements to the device, a new report claims.

Three Android phones on a green and blue background showing three apps

These are the 10 best Android apps of the year, according to Google

By Alex Blake published 18 November 25

The 10 best Android apps of the year have just been honored by Google – here's the full list and how to download them.

The HP Laptop 15 on a blue background with a TechRadar deals icon.

Get a touchscreen Windows laptop for under $400 with this excellent Black Friday deal

By Alex Blake published 18 November 25

The HP Laptop 15 has had a 20% price cut, letting you get one for just $400.

The MacBook Air M4 in front of a magenta background featuring the words 'Lowest price'.

You can now get 25% off Apple’s M4 MacBook Air, bringing its price down to its lowest-ever mark

By Alex Blake published 18 November 25

Amazon is discounting the M4 MacBook Air by 25%, bringing its price down to unheard-of levels.

The Spotify home page with the podcasts filter enabled

Spotify app crashing when you play podcasts? You’re not alone – here’s what we know

By Alex Blake published 18 November 25

Spotify users have been struck by an annoying crash relating to podcasts, but it might be fixed now.

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