The Verge

On Thursday, the Instagram account for a lecture series in Newport Beach, CA posted a photo of what appeared to be a cease and desist letter from the surveillance technology company Flock Safety. Flock has received significant backlash over its technology and work with law enforcement agencies, and this letter kicked off yet another wave [...]

Following significant backlash, Meta is turning off the feature it announced this week that let users generate AI images based on content from public Instagram accounts just by tagging them. The feature, as originally set up, meant that content from any public Instagram account could be used in AI creations without the account owner's permission. [...]

Last year, we told you about Xtra, the company that lets DJI sneak its popular cameras into the US, and Skyrover, a brand seemingly selling DJI drones in disguise. They're just two of the many firms DJI is suspected of starting to skirt the United States' foreign drone ban. But it appears the FCC is [...]

Apple has sued OpenAI, alleging that engineers stole Apple secrets to advance the AI startup's hardware plans. In its complaint, Apple says it uncovered "a pattern of theft of Apple's trade secrets by OpenAI employees who were formerly at Apple." In addition to OpenAI, the lawsuit also names IO Products - Jony Ive's hardware startup, [...]

When Niantic dropped the first Pokemon Go trailer in 2015, it was hard to grasp how a bunch of players could work together to catch a pokemon like Mewtwo. But this week at the game's 10th anniversary event in New York City, Pokemon Go showed the world how it's done. Almost 2,000 players (many of [...]

Advocates are demanding that the Department of Homeland Security release bodycam footage of the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican immigrant who was killed by ICE officers in Houston during a traffic stop earlier this week. But DHS claims the agents involved in the shooting weren't wearing body cameras because of the lengthy [...]

As the AI boom boosts demand for RAM, SK Hynix - one of the world's biggest suppliers of memory chips - launched on Wall Street Friday. The South Korean chipmaker opened at $170 per share and raised $26.5 billion, surpassing Alibaba's record as the largest debut of a foreign company, according to reports from The [...]

Spotify is giving listeners control to fine-tune what gets surfaced for them in Release Radar - one of its most popular weekly playlists. The new options allow you to narrow the playlist to a specific genre, focus on artists that are new to you, and more. Listeners can choose from up to five options like [...]

Netflix has shows and movies. And video games. And live sports. And podcasts. And also, apparently, YouTube videos? For a company that used to seem like the next big thing in TV, it all feels a little frenetic, and maybe a tad desperate. For a company that sees sleep as its primary competitor, it might [...]

Disney Plus is considering making some of its content free to watch, according to a report from Business Insider. A source tells the outlet that Adam Smith, Disney's chief product and technology officer, mentioned a free streaming tier during the company's town hall on Thursday. It's not clear which shows or movies the purported free [...]

If you're looking to declutter your nightstand and quickly charge up to three of your most-used gadgets, Anker's Prime Wireless Charging Station is an easy way to do both. The station has spots for your MagSafe-ready iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods, and right now it's down to a new all-time low of $134.99 ($95 off) [...]

The Trump phone was never a serious phone. Not when it was announced last June, in dodgy renders and with an incoherent spec sheet. Nor when Trump Mobile admitted - just two weeks later - that it wouldn't be made in the US. Not even when the company revealed the final phone, first to me [...]

Hello my friends! My protocol pals! My computational compadres! I'm David, a technology reporter and cohost of the Waveform Podcast. I'll be hosting a subscriber-only "AMA" today at 11AM PT / 2PM ET. For the next six weeks, I'm filling in for senior reviewer Allison Johnson, who you are all likely very familiar with. That [...]

This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear they're going to change your life. Opt in for Optimizer here. Bryan Johnson, best known as the man who wants to live forever, has an incurable autoimmune disease. The internet's most [...]

Though Instagram head Adam Mosseri doesn't want to filter out AI content on the platform, he argues that you "shouldn't have it in your feed" if you don't like it. "I don't think we should filter out AI content," Mosseri said during an interview on Lenny Rachitsky's podcast. "I think we should let you know [...]

A solar and home energy storage company is expanding into AI data centers, but not by building one - instead, it's offering to pay its customers to put its compute units in their homes. Sunrun is launching a pilot program for a new "distributed AI compute" program that will "place numerous compute nodes in homes [...]

I love it when a company challenges itself to make a cheaper version of a beloved product. Xreal's $299 A01 Plus is a stripped-down version of its $449 1S that's light on features but with just enough of the 1S' best qualities. These AR glasses are comfortable, they look good, and the screens are surprisingly [...]

This week should have been a celebration for Doom developer id Software. The studio just launched Revelations, a meaty expansion for Doom: The Dark Ages that adds a powerful new weapon and more demonic levels to blast through. Even though I hadn't picked up The Dark Ages for more than a year, it only took [...]

Last month, Polestar shocked the auto industry when it announced that it was pulling out of the US. The EV company's decision came after the federal government denied its authorization to continue selling its cars despite a rule banning vehicles with Chinese-made connected vehicle software. Polestar, which is headquartered in Sweden but majority owned by [...]

Meta is in breach of the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), a preliminary investigation has found, over the "addictive" design of Instagram and Facebook. It's likely to be forced to redesign both apps and could face a fine of up to $12 billion. The European Commission said Meta "did not adequately assess the risks of [...]

Microsoft may once again be struggling to keep up with its own climate goals, according to its 2026 sustainability report. As reported by GeekWire, the report states that Microsoft's carbon emissions increased 25 percent in 2025, totalling 34 million metric tons "without select interventions." Microsoft says this was "driven primarily by the expansion of our [...]

OpenAI's Fidji Simo is departing her full-time role as the company's AGI chief and is transitioning to being a "part-time advisor," she said on X. The news follows Simo's original announcement in April that she would take a few weeks of medical leave due to a neuroimmune condition, shortly after she had taken on the [...]

Netflix is thinking about adding always-on channels that would stream specific shows and movies, according to The Wall Street Journal. The move sounds like a Netflix version of always-on services like Pluto TV and Tubi, except the big hook for those is that they're free - because of the ads you have to watch. Netflix [...]

OpenAI is already shutting down ChatGPT Atlas, its browser that could do tasks for you on your behalf, less than a year after launching it. Atlas was announced in October, but as part of its wave of news about ChatGPT Work today, the company confirmed that it will be "sunsetting" Atlas and is targeting an [...]

Bluetooth speakers with big sound and great features are hard to find for under $100, with most offerings being some variation of the same basic (and often small) design. Thankfully, through July 10th Woot has the Anker Soundcore Boom 2 on sale for $69.99, which is $20 cheaper than the discounted price at other retailers [...]

You can see if ads on Google Search, Google Discover, and YouTube were made or edited using AI from a new section in Google's "My Ad Center," as reported earlier by TechCrunch. The update, announced on Thursday, adds a "created or edited with AI" label under the "how this ad was made" tab. Users can [...]

If you're looking for a relatively affordable way to cut down on cooling costs, Google's Nest Thermostat can help. It's packed with smart controls and energy-saving features, and right now it's on sale in white for $79 ($50 off), which is its best price of the year, at Amazon. The smart thermostat is quick to [...]

Windows 11 updates could soon include fixes for more security issues at once. Microsoft said in a blog post on Thursday that it's now using AI to "identify potential issues earlier," which means "customers will see a higher volume of security updates included in each security release." Hackers, even amateurs, have increasingly been using AI [...]

About two weeks after OpenAI's GPT-5.6 was caught up in regulatory drama - rolled out only to government-approved organizations during a "limited preview" period - the company has received the Trump administration's greenlight for a public rollout of the model. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called it "the best model we have ever produced." To celebrate, [...]

The Schlage Sense Pro is a beautiful smart lock. Sleek, discreet, and simple to use, it's Schlage's smartest lock to date. Thanks to ultra-wideband (UWB), it unlocks as I walk up to my front door; I don't need to enter a code or tap my phone or press my finger against it. I've tested several [...]

If you're looking for a discount on a great pair of active noise-canceling headphones for your summer adventures (even if they're indoors), you're in luck. The Sonos Ace headphones in black are currently on sale for $279 (usually $399) at a variety of retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and directly from Sonos. Weirdly, the [...]

Personal digital assistants like the iconic Palm Pilot were one of many devices we thought went extinct with the arrival of the smartphone. But similar to Canon resurrecting a nearly decade-old digital camera to appeal to point-and-shoot fans, Talisman Design is crowdfunding a clamshell PDA called the PocketMage that combines a tactile keyboard with both [...]

After reentering the AI race with its first in-house Muse Spark model in April, Meta is now opening up the doors to developers with a new model that can plug into AI coding software with the new Meta Model API. Meta says that Muse Spark 1.1 is a "step-change" from the first generation, with improvements [...]

Last year, Image Line introduced Gopher for FL Studio, an AI chatbot that was basically a glorified instruction manual. You asked it how to do something, and it would serve up the relevant instructions. It's the kind of thing I actually use AI for on a semi-regular basis. But in the new release, Gopher can [...]

SpaceX is currently ahead of last year's record-setting pace for Starlink satellite deployments. SpaceX launched 1,589 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit in the first half of 2026, according to launch data compiled by Jonathan McDowell's satellite tracker, compared to 1,489 satellites deployed at the same point in 2025. 2025 was already a record year for [...]

Meta might be the next company to make an always-on AI wearable. The company is working on prototype "super sensing" always-aware smart glasses that could continuously record audio and snap photos "every few seconds," according to the Financial Times. The wearer could then ask Meta AI about the captured audio and images. However, the images [...]

Even though they haven't been officially announced yet, Samsung is giving you a chance to save some cash when you preorder what we're expecting to be the brand's updated Galaxy Z Fold phones. The next Galaxy Unpacked event will take place on July 22nd, 2026, and features the tagline A new shape unfolds." In addition [...]

As part of Microsoft's big Xbox "reset," which includes layoffs affecting 3,200 staffers, jettisoning studios, and shifting investments to focus on "higher priority projects," Obsidian Entertainment is changing its plans. The studio, behind games like Grounded and The Outer Worlds, is starting work on a new Fallout title and has canceled "multiple projects," including a [...]

When searching for an affordable electric vehicle these days, there are always tradeoffs. How much range are you willing to sacrifice, how much leg room and storage space, how many features, in the pursuit of that magic sticker price that won't break the bank? The Fiat Topolino is basically the ultimate embodiment of those tradeoffs. [...]

A little robotic switch-flipper has become my sidekick in combating cockroaches. Before I got the SwitchBot Bot Rechargeable, I'd tiptoe through the dark every morning, hoping I wouldn't step on one of those terrible bugs scurrying around as I made my way to the light switch across the room. Now I'm ready for battle before [...]

This week, Microsoft took a huge ax to its Xbox business. The company announced that it would be laying off 1,600 workers now, 1,600 more over the next fiscal year, and that it would be shedding four studios. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma hasn't been shy about why she's making such dramatic cuts, saying in a [...]

If you've got a summer trip coming up, the last-gen Twelve South AirFly Pro is one of those gadgets that can make a long flight feel a little shorter. It lets you use your wireless headphones with in-flight entertainment systems, and right now it's on sale for $39.99 ($15 off) at Amazon. That's the best [...]

OpenAI is overhauling ChatGPT's voice mode with a new model that it says is more like "talking to another person." The new GPT-Live-1 is designed to interrupt you less and will also wait for you to continue speaking if you pause mid-conversation. During a press briefing, OpenAI research lead Kundan Kumar called GPT-Live-1 the company's [...]

What if you had a drone that wasn't a buzzy, annoying fly people wanted to swat - but rather a cute dog that runs and jumps? What if it could do tricks on command and film your tricks as well? What if it could get right back up after a nasty-looking crash, dozens of times [...]

Google's upcoming Pixel lineup might cost more than last year's. A report from Dealabs spotted by 9to5Google suggests that Google could raise the starting price of its 41mm Pixel Watch 5 to $399, while adding LTE could bump the price to $499. That's a $50 jump from the base Pixel Watch 4, which starts at [...]

It's not a great time to shop for a gaming laptop. The unprecedented rise in cost for RAM (and storage to a slightly lesser extent) has made laptops with low-to-midrange specs cost much more than they should. Recent deals on gaming laptops worth your attention have been uninspiring, but one recently caught my eye: MSI's [...]

Fi Ultra is the first Starlink-enabled pet tracker you can buy. It expands on GPS and LTE trackers, adding automatic failover to T-Mobile's T-Satellite-branded direct-to-cell service when venturing into cellular dead zones. That lets owners tap into SpaceX's constellation of low Earth orbit Starlink satellites to track their pets anywhere in the US. But it [...]

For the last couple weeks, I've been in an extremely lucky position: I've been spending a lot of time playing games on Valve's Steam Machine. We gave the Steam Machine a 6, and I don't disagree with my colleague Sean Hollister's review. But even though I already own a PS5 and an Xbox Series X, [...]

For more than a decade, one question has loomed over the race to build autonomous vehicles: Are cameras alone enough to safely replace human drivers, or do truly driverless cars need additional, overlapping sensors like lidar and radar to navigate the world reliably? Tesla has bet billions of dollars that artificial intelligence and cameras are [...]

Samsung has announced that its next Galaxy Unpacked launch event will be held on July 22nd, with the tagline: "A new shape unfolds." It's long been rumored that Samsung is about to expand its foldable phone line to a third format, with a shorter and wider version of its big book-style foldables, to match Huawei's [...]