The Verge

Judge Sara L. Ellis of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois said during a hearing Thursday morning that she would require ICE agents in Chicago engaged in Operation Midway Blitz" to use body cameras. But the logistics of enforcing her order are yet to be worked out, since Chicago was not [...]

Fujifilm has announced an update to its Instax Mini LiPlay that first launched in 2019. The new Instax Mini LiPlay Plus offers similar functionality as the original with the ability to snap digital photos that can be immediately printed on the company's Mini instant film and the option to record an accompanying audio clip. Now, [...]

Pinterest is rolling out a tool that allows users to dial down the AI" in their feed, the company says. Users can select which categories they want populated with more or less AI-generated content. But Pinterest stops short of promising a feed that's completely free of AI: the tool will work only on eligible image [...]

Apple has partnered with NBCUniversal for a new subscription bundle that includes Apple TV and Peacock Premium for $14.99 per month, or Apple TV and the mostly ad-free Peacock Premium Plus for $19.99 per month. The newly rebranded Apple TV is $12.99 per month on its own following a price increase this summer, while Peacock [...]

AI agents spent years as a concept and then as an experiment. Now, AI companies are devoting even more time and resources than before to make their agents actually useful for end users, whether they're consumers or professionals. Anthropic on Thursday announced its next step toward that goal: Skills for Claude. The tool is made [...]

This is Lowpass by Janko Roettgers, a newsletter on the ever-evolving intersection of tech and entertainment, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week. Big hero images highlighting select TV shows and movies, a row of app icons, a bunch of additional content recommendations: At first glance, Meta's new Horizon TV app looks a [...]

OnePlus has announced OxygenOS 16, its take on Android 16, with upgrades to its Mind Space AI tool including complete integration with Google Gemini. Other updates include new lock screen customizations, improved connectivity options, and design tweaks throughout. Mind Space is where the biggest changes have been made. When it launched in June, Mind Space [...]

It wasn't the first watchmaker to release a wristworn calculator, but by making them affordable, Casio's calculator watches became an icon of 80s technology. It was even the timepiece of choice for Back to the Future's Marty McFly, and as 2025 marks the 40th anniversary of that film's release, Casio is once again resurrecting one [...]

If your laptop doesn't have enough ports, you can fix that issue with Ugreen's Revodok Max 208, an 8-in-1 Thunderbolt 4 dock that's on sale for $169.98 ($80 off) at Amazon and from Ugreen. The Revodok Max 208 has four Thunderbolt 4 ports and a gigabit ethernet port on the back, and three USB-A ports [...]

Hello, and welcome to Decoder! This is Jake Kastrenakes, executive editor at The Verge. I'm filling in for Nilay for one Thursday episode while he's settling back into full-time podcast hosting duties. We've got a very good episode for you today. My guest is Verge transportation editor Andy Hawkins, and we're talking about the federal [...]

In its quest to become the ultimate app for flexible work," Uber launched today a new pilot to allow its US drivers and couriers to earn extra money by performing microtasks" to train AI models. These tasks include audio voice recording, capturing and uploading images, and submitting documents in certain languages. The prompts will vary, [...]

Ekko Astral is not a trans band. They may have a trans frontwoman in Jael Holzman. Much of their material may deal with being trans. Plus, they may have grown their fan base from word of mouth online in spaces such as trans Twitter. But at the end of the day, they are not a [...]

The US Mint has revealed the design for a commemorative $1 coin honoring late Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs. The coin features a young Jobs sitting crosslegged in front of a California landscape of rolling hills, the Mint said. Of course, he's wearing a turtleneck. There's also an inscription: Make something wonderful." The 2007 [...]

As trade tensions grow between the US and China, Microsoft is reportedly preparing to move the manufacturing of its Surface laptops and tablets out of China. Nikkei reports that Microsoft is aiming to move manufacturing of Surface devices and data center servers out of China starting from 2026 at the earliest." The move will reportedly [...]

Google is making videos created with the AI filmmaking tool Flow even more realistic - and harder to identify as AI-generated at first glance. The company announced Wednesday that users can add in and change the shadows and lighting of their AI videos. The expanded editing features in Flow are tied to the Veo 3.1 [...]

When my household quit cable four years ago and I lost access to Seattle Mariners games on TV, I started streaming the radio broadcast on the Google Home speaker in my kitchen. Honestly? Baseball on the radio rules. You get to walk around and do stuff to the pleasant background sounds of the crowd. Sometimes [...]

Apple recently announced revised 14-inch MacBook Pro and iPad Pro models, each equipped with the new M5 processor. As expected, Apple's new M5 chip is supposedly faster than the M4, with better performance for graphically demanding applications. Apple also says the M5 is significantly better at handling AI-based tasks because its 10-core GPU has a [...]

Apple's new M5-powered iPad Pro is the first iPad to officially support the Thread smart home protocol. It comes with Apple's new N1 wireless networking chip, which adds Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread - the three wireless protocols the Matter smart home standard runs on. While other iPads and Macs reportedly have Thread radios, [...]

Following the debut of Amazon's $39.99 Fire TV Stick 4K Select, the company told The Verge that a name change was coming to the existing Fire TV Stick 4K" to clarify where it sat in the lineup. Now, Amazon has introduced that new branding, relaunching the product as the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus. [...]

Hello and welcome to a post-October Federal Holiday edition of Regulator. Last week, I caught wind that House Speaker Mike Johnson, along with several top House Republican leaders, had held an exclusive press briefing about the government shutdown that was restricted to "new media." The contents of the meeting were published as a "scoop" by [...]

A group of Democratic lawmakers are asking questions about YouTube's $24.5 million settlement with President Donald Trump. In a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, five Senators -Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) - asked for details about any settlement [...]

If you're looking for a great 360-degree action camera for your next adventure, the Insta360 X5 is an excellent pick that's on sale in black at Amazon and Best Buy for $499.99 ($50 off) through October 16th, which is an all-time low. It's also available directly from Insta360's online storefront for the same price with [...]

Logitech is launching a digital stylus for Apple Vision Pro that makes it easier to write, draw, and manipulate 3D designs. The Logitech Muse is essentially a pen-shaped Vision Pro controller that can be used like a paintbrush or pencil when navigating apps, making annotations, or creating art, providing a more natural experience in mixed [...]

Mint Mobile is trying something a bit less mobile" with its new prepaid 5G home internet plan that goes for as little as $30 a month. To get that price, you will need to also have a Mint phone plan and pay for at least three months up front. But it's still one of the [...]

Meta is adding group chats to Threads, allowing users to message multiple friends in shared conversations instead of sending separate DMs. Threads users can create a group chat by starting a new message and adding up to 50 people who follow their Threads account. The group chat name can be customized to make it easier [...]

Kobo announced an official remote control for its e-readers, allowing you to turn the page easily even when you don't have the e-reader to hand. While it won't quite allow you to read ebooks hands-free, it will help if you're trying to read while your hands are otherwise occupied by cooking or cats, or when [...]

Honor has announced what it's calling the Robot Phone," a concept device with an AI-enabled, gimbal-mounted camera that unfolds from the phone's rear and can shoot photos and film video in any direction. The phone - so far only seen in CGI form in a teaser video, with no glimpse of real hardware just yet [...]

Japan's government is dialing up the heat on OpenAI, formally asking it to stop ripping off Japanese artwork, according to ITMedia and reported by IGN. The company has been in copyright hell after the launch of its social video app Sora, which users swiftly filled with questionable AI-generated material. Minoru Kiuchi, whose many Japanese ministerial [...]

On Wednesday, the largest US group of unions called on employers and policymakers to join in an effort it's calling the workers first initiative on AI." Functionally, the effort by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) amounts to strengthened collective bargaining in the workplace and advocating for regulations to limit [...]

Apple just announced a new model of its best and highest-end tablet, the iPad Pro. The new device comes with a couple of internal upgrades over the M4-powered model, most notably a brand-new chip, the M5. Apple says the chip brings up to 3.5x the AI performance" of last year's Pro, whatever that means, along [...]

Apple just revealed that the Vision Pro headset is getting upgraded to an M5 chip. There's also a new strap called the Dual Knit Band, which the company says will help users achieve an even more comfortable fit." The M5 headsets will be available starting October 22nd for the same $3,499. But aside from the [...]

Apple is refreshing its 14-inch MacBook Pro with a new processor. Announced this morning via press release, the entry-level MacBook Pro now features an M5 chip, faster storage, and a claimed 24 hours of battery life. The rest of the design remains the same, and the price still starts at $1,599 for a 10-core CPU [...]

Roku is updating its voice assistant with AI features that can answer questions about movies, shows, and actors, as well as help you find something to watch next. Now, instead of just following simple commands, Roku says its voice assistant can respond to questions like How scary is The Shining?" or What kind of fish [...]

What does "Xbox" mean? Some might say it can only refer to a box-shaped Microsoft game machine. Others will argue it's a collection of Xbox-native titles like Halo, Gears, Forza, and Fable. I think most would probably agree it's a game console experience, a way to kick back and easily play the latest games without [...]

Google is introducing new recovery tools that aim to make it less frustrating to regain access when you're locked out of your account. Instead of answering security questions or entering a recovery email address, Google's new security features allow account holders to verify their identity using a linked mobile number, or trusted friends or family [...]

Honor announced its Magic 8 and Magic 8 Pro flagships at a launch event in China today, with an international launch scheduled for later this year. They boast some of the biggest batteries in mainstream phones, along with a suite of AI features including a dedicated AI shortcut button. The version of the Magic 8 [...]

Ad-free podcasts are now officially available for Verge subscribers! There are a few steps to follow to set up ad-free feeds, so read on for instructions. If you're not yet a Verge subscriber but would like access to ad-free listening, you can go here. Like with all other subscription perks, subscribers can manage and update [...]

In May, The Verge reported that the US aviation system was so fragile that "the smallest disruption can throw the entire system into chaos." That disruption arrived on October 1st, when the federal government shut down over a budget dispute. Chaos has indeed ensued. More than 6,000 flights are being delayed every day, nearly twice [...]

Microsoft is busy rolling out new curvy and colorful new Office icons, and now it's revealing a set of design concepts it experimented with before finalizing these new icons. Some of the concepts are radically different from what Microsoft is shipping, with design explorations for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint that more closely resemble the Office [...]

We have some new insight into Apple's muddled rebrand of Apple TV Plus to Apple TV, courtesy of an interview with the company's senior vice president of services, Eddy Cue. Speaking on The Town podcast, Cue said that no consultants were involved, and that it was a collective decision to drop the Plus" from the [...]

London's iconic black cabs could soon face a new rival: Waymo. The Alphabet-owned company said today it intends to launch a fully driverless robotaxi service in London, starting in 2026 -marking its first effort to expand internationally. The UK currently doesn't have any fully driverless vehicles on the road. The government has said it will [...]

Samsung is finally about to reveal more details about its Project Moohan mixed reality headset. The company just announced a new Worlds Wide Open" Galaxy event that will take place on October 21st at 10PM ET, where it's promising to reveal details about the device. The headset will run on Android XR, a new mixed [...]

Netflix is no longer just a home for TV shows, movies, documentaries, and live WWE matches - soon, you'll be able to stream video podcasts, too. The streaming giant announced on Tuesday that it's partnering with Spotify's podcast studio and The Ringer to offer 16 series on its platform, including The Bill Simmons Podcast, Conspiracy [...]

Google might have yet another Pixel with a battery problem, and this time, affecting the brand new Pixel 10 Pro Fold. In a video published today, YouTuber JerryRigEverything, aka Zack Nelson, subjected the foldable to his usual durability tests, but as he's filming his bend test - after having already broken the phone open - [...]

YouTube is updating the look of the video player to be cleaner and more immersive" beginning this week. This includes updated controls and new icons to make the viewing experience more visually satisfying while obscuring less content," YouTube says. It started testing changes to the player earlier this year. A screenshot from YouTube shows how [...]

Meta has removed a Facebook page dedicated to tracking Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) action in Chicago after the Justice Department got involved. Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X Tuesday that Facebook had taken down an unnamed large group page that was being used to dox and target" ICE agents after outreach from the [...]

Apple is teasing the imminent launch of a new MacBook with an M5 chip. In an X post, Apple SVP of worldwide marketing Greg Joswiak wrote that something powerful is coming," and a short video in the post includes the words coming soon" and a silhouette of an Apple laptop. Joswiak's post also includes the [...]

OpenAI will soon allow erotica" for ChatGPT users who verify their age on the platform. In an X post on Tuesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the company will add support for mature conversations when it launches age-gating in December. As we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our treat adult users [...]

Any ebook reader will let you cram a Beauty and the Beast-sized library's worth of books in your pocket, but so will your phone. An ebook reader offers a more book-like reading experience, with fewer distractions and less eye strain, and many include extra features, like adjustable frontlighting. Some really are pocketable. Others are waterproof [...]