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
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 appears to be removing the “Guest” profile from its TV apps, starting on Apple TV and Roku.
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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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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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As announced earlier this year, Spotify Car Thing is dead, with all units having officially been disabled as of today.
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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 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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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 (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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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 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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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, 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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Live Activities are a really cool, but underused feature of iOS. Google Maps first announced that the app would support Live Activities back in 2023, but it’s still not arrived. However, after some tests went live earlier this year, we’re seeing more users reporting the feature is live.
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Samsung is changing up its Galaxy Buds series in a big way for the first time in years and, oh, would you look at that, they’re AirPods now. But, hear me out. That might be a good thing.
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Spotify has just announced that Car Thing, its discontinued car display, is dying. As in, the company will be killing any remaining units later this year.
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With the debut of the new iPad Pro, Apple put out a controversial ad that saw creative tools crushed by a hydraulic press. Now, Samsung is firing back at the ad with a brief Galaxy Tab S9 spot that says “creativity cannot be crushed.”
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The iPhone is the best-selling smartphone on the planet and, in the US especially, it’s clearly a dominant force. I’m an Android person by choice, but once in a while, I spend time with the latest iPhone to take a peek inside of Apple’s garden, trying not to get trapped within its walls. Over the past several months, I’ve been using the iPhone 15 Pro off and on and, well, I’ve got thoughts.
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Live Activities are a super useful feature of Apple’s latest iPhones, but also one that goes underused. Google Maps has been overdue to support the feature for years now and while it’s still not live yet, Google is testing Live Activities with some iPhone users.
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While it’s still yet to debut, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite is looking like a big deal for ARM-powered Windows machines and, now, it’s getting a more affordable cousin in the Snapdragon X Plus.
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Huawei this week revealed its super interesting new flagship smartphone, but around the corner still is the new “Watch Fit 3,” which does nothing to hide the fact that it’s a clear clone of the Apple Watch.
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It’s pretty clear that iMessage for Android is not going to be an easy task, but one of the apps that tried to do it (before we found out that it was a terrible security nightmare), Sunbird, is giving it another shot.
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Samsung has been the top player in the global smartphone market for a while but, recently, the company briefly lost its crown to Apple. Now, though, it seems like things are back in Samsung’s favor.
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Google Maps is perhaps one of the most widely used applications on the planet and, as such, even minor changes to its design are super important. But, on Apple’s CarPlay, Google Maps is in need of a massive overhaul, because it’s a bit of a dumpster fire.
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