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

Amazon could be upgrading its next generation of Kindles with replaceable batteries for users — but is it enough to make up for ending support for its older but widely-used e-readers?

By Rowan Davies published 19 May 26

Amazon could be upgrading its next lineup of Kindles with replaceable batteries, making it easier for users to repair their own devices.

YouTube is rolling out its ‘industry-first’ likeness detection tool to all channel owners, and not just big content creators — but you’ll need to share your government-issued ID if you want the added layer of protection

By Rowan Davies published 19 May 26

YouTube's likeness detection tool is rolling out to all channel owners, but you need to submit a government-issued ID to get started.

Smartphones showing the Apple Music home page

I’ve switched back to Apple Music temporarily, and I forgot how much I loved this underrated feature for new music discovery — and I think I prefer it to Discover Weekly

By Rowan Davies published 17 May 26

Discovery Station has become one of my new favorite tools to discover new artists and genres in Apple Music.

YouTube is turning its TV app into a one-stop shopping platform — here’s how its new Buy with Google Pay tool allows you to buy products from advertisers in ‘just two clicks’

By Rowan Davies published 14 May 26

YouTube's new Buy with Google Pay feature allows you to buy products without leaving your TV's YouTube app.

The Ticketmaster website on a laptop arranged in San Francisco

Ticketmaster president says queue placements aren’t randomized despite previous claims, but it’s still not giving us music fans the explanation we deserve

By Rowan Davies published 14 May 26

The president of Ticketmaster says the company doesn't randomize queue positions, and he's dug the live music giant into a massive hole.

Two smartphones showing visual cars from Spotify's new Party of the Years experience

Spotify’s new Wrapped-style feature crashed under demand — but users were even more disappointed by the results

By Rowan Davies published 13 May 26

Spotify crashed and users couldn't access its new Party of the Year(s) feature, but they were still left underwhelmed with it anyway.

Dua Lipa at the Vanity Fair Oscars 2026 party, and the Samsung S95B OLED 4K TV

Dua Lipa brands Samsung ‘dismissive and callous’ as she sues the tech giant for $15m for using her photo on TV packaging without her permission

By Rowan Davies last updated 12 May 26

Singer Dua Lipa claims Samsung used her image for its TV boxes without her consent, and is suing the consumer tech giant for $15 million.

Spotify’s new mobile experience is like a supercharged Wrapped, taking you through your entire music history since your first stream — here’s everything it offers

By Rowan Davies published 12 May 26

Your Party of the Year(s) is Spotify's latest experience that takes you on a nostalgic trip back in time over your music history.

Smartphones showing different parts of the Prime Video mobile app

Prime Video is copying Netflix with its own vertical video feed for movies and shows — but the TikTokification of streaming platforms isn’t what movie buffs are asking for

By Rowan Davies published 11 May 26

Prime Video is rolling out its new Clips vertical video feed for mobile, following Netflix and Disney+.

ICYMI: the week's 7 biggest tech stories from Apple's iPhone AI payout to Google's all-new Fitbit

By Hamish Hector published 9 May 26

Here's the biggest tech news from Apple, Nintendo, Google, and more for May 9, 2026.

The Huawei Watch Kids X1 next to an app tracking heart rate

Huawei has unveiled two new kids’ wearables to add to its lineup of smartwatches — the Watch Kids X1 Series — and they could prove to be serious competition for the Garmin Bounce 2 and Fitbit Ace LTE

By Rowan Davies published 8 May 26

Huawei has announced its new Watch Kids X1 series, and they both come jam-packed with handy child safety features.

Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro wants to merge Disney+ into a ‘super app’, but it’s not as thrilling as you’d think — instead you’ll be forced to see ads pushing theme parks and cruise lines, and who really wants that?

By Rowan Davies published 8 May 26

Disney CEO Josh D'Amaro wants to merge Disney+ with Disneyland Resort and Disney Cruise Line Navigator apps.

Two smartphones showing lyrics in Spotify and Apple Music

I didn’t know you could do this hack in Spotify lyrics until now, and I’m truly astonished — but it’s only available to Android users, leaving us iOS minions on the back-burner

By Rowan Davies published 7 May 26

A user on Reddit has revealed you can zoom in on lyrics in Spotify, but it's only available on Android.

A close up of a smartphone with Spotify AI DJ

You asked, and Spotify listened — this popular Spotify feature is finally rolling out to new markets after years of begging the music platform

By Rowan Davies published 7 May 26

After a slow rollout, Spotify is finally expanding AI DJ to Austria, France, Germany, and more.

Three smartphones showing the revamped Vine app

Vine is coming back, and it’s being relaunched by the guy who killed it — say hello to Jack Dorsey’s Divine, a TikTok and Instagram Stories rival with a ferocious ambition to end AI slop

By Rowan Davies published 6 May 26

Jack Dorsey is relaunching Vine as Divine nearly 10 years after he killed it.

Google Nest Cam (battery) mounted outside to a wall

Google Home is rolling out its spring update, and your Nest camera app is about to get some handy improvements — and there are more automation capabilities on the way

By Rowan Davies published 6 May 26

Google Home is rolling out its monster spring update, which packs huge upgrades for the Nest cam app and automations.

‘I thought I was going mad’: Disney+ subscribers think the service removes Dolby Atmos from shows at certain times, even if you've paid for Premium — they think it's to reduce server stress at 'peak' times, but the streaming giant has yet to confirm

By Rowan Davies published 5 May 26

Disney+ subscribers have spotted changes in Dolby Atmos availability based on the time of day, believing its due to peak streaming times.

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The Xteink X4 ereader clipped to the back of an iPhone

This viral ereader has come out of nowhere, and bookworms can’t get enough of it — but it ‘could ring alarm bells’ for Amazon as it surpasses the Kindle Colorsoft on the retailer’s charts

By Rowan Davies published 5 May 26

The Xteink X4 ereader is the latest social media tech obsession, and it's emerging as a serious Kindle rival.

Spotify could be set to launch two new features, and one could solve a big pain point for lossless fans — but the other is something no one is asking for

By Rowan Davies published 5 May 26

Spotify could be solving a big lossless pain point for offline downloads, and playback speed control could be coming to music.

‘We pride ourselves on human curation’: Vocana is an indie music service determined to challenge Spotify’s payment system — I spoke with the platform’s President about the company’s inception, and how it’s planning to fix music streaming

By Rowan Davies published 3 May 26

Vocana is a US indie streaming platform ready to challenge Spotify's payment system and algorithm.

‘When I compare it to Spotify Lossless, Apple Music is the clear winner’: I signed up to Apple Music again, and this time it’s all about spatial audio — these are 5 Dolby Atmos-supported albums I think are perfect for new subscribers

By Rowan Davies published 3 May 26

Just got Apple Music? I think you should stream these Dolby Atmos-supported albums to kick-start your membership.

Google has rolled out an update for the Nest Wifi router ahead of the US router ban, but it’s still no match for the likes of Asus and Netgear

By Rowan Davies published 30 April 26

Google is giving the Nest Wifi router another round of updates even though the FCC has banned non-US routers.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 next to a smartphone with Google Messages

‘It disappeared right in front of my eyes’: some Google Messages users are fuming after a bug erased some of their most prized chats — here’s what a Google product expert recommends doing

By Rowan Davies published 29 April 26

Google Messages users are seeing their chats disappear, and it's all because of the Samsung Messages shutdown.

Three smartphones showing Spotify music, podcasts, and audiobooks

‘It is about choice — if you want to hear AI music or if you don't.’ One Spotify user got so frustrated with AI slop that they created an ‘AI blocker’, but it 'may violate Spotify's terms of service'

By Rowan Davies published 28 April 26

A Spotify user has built their own software that filters out AI-generated music from their listening experiences.

Taylor Swift is taking legal action against the rising threat of AI misuse — here’s why the singer has filed trademark applications to protect her identity

By Rowan Davies published 28 April 26

Taylor Swift has filed trademark applications to protect her sound and image, and I think other global artists will follow.

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