The Verge

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Last year, YouTube axed Premium Lite, its cheaper version of YouTube Premium, but the company has been testing a new version of the subscription in Australia, Germany, and Thailand, YouTube confirmed to Android Authority.The company confirmed the tests to The Verge as well, with spokesperson Jessica Gibby saying that it has been testing a different version" of the subscription with some users in Australia, Germany and Thailand for several months (with the most recent one beginning in Australia at the start of this year)." Gibby adds that we don't have anything else to share in terms of a broader rollout at this time."According to a screenshot shared by singer-songwriter Jonah Manzano on Threads, the Premium Lite subscription in... Continue reading...

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg offered a second buyout round to employees who don't agree with his actions, according to a report from 404 Media. In a message to employees seen by the outlet, Mullenweg gave employees until October 17th to decide whether they would resign in exchange for nine months of pay.New alignment offer: I guess some people were sad they missed the last window. Some have been leaking to the press and ex-employees," Mullenweg wrote in the message seen by 404 Media. You have until 00:00 UTC Oct 17 (-4 hours) to DM me the words, I resign and would like to take the 9-month buy-out offer' You don't have to say any reason, or anything else. I will reply Thank you.' Automattic will accept your resignation."Earlier... Continue reading...

Image: McLaren McLaren is updating the version of Google Chrome on its F1 racecar. By that, I mean: McLaren's got more Google Chrome logos and chrome finish than usual on the F1 car it's bringing to the US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, this weekend.McLaren's MCL38 continues the tradition of rocking Google-colored wheels and logos, but like last year's special British Grand Prix version, the livery for this weekend's race has a splash of literal chrome beneath the Chrome logo, looking like it came out of a custom car shop from the aughts. This time, however, McLaren has added extra Chrome logos and what looks like a heavier slathering of metallic chrome that extends down the sidewalls.It's a lot of chrome, as driver... Continue reading...

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The Federal Police of Brazil announced the arrest of the hacker linked to a breach that leaked 2.9 billion records that included sensitive personal information, including some Social Security numbers. The data from that hack, which came to light in August, was put for sale on the dark web in April by an entity identifying themselves as USDoD.As pointed out by Bleeping Computer, according to a machine translation of the department's press release, the hacker was linked to two publications selling" federal police data. The hacker also boasted of disclosing the personal data of 80,000 members of the FBI's InfraGard program, the department said.Security researchers at Atlas have created a tool to search the leaked records and told P... Continue reading...

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images Apple Pay will now include Klarna as an option at checkout. The addition of the buy now pay later (BNPL) service comes just months after Apple shut down Pay Later, its own BNPL service launched in 2023.Klarna lets users purchase products with four interest-free installments. Even though BNPL services like Klarna are rising in popularity, surveys suggest the services may lead to overspending. Image: Apple These loans are also harder to track because most aren't reported to credit bureaus. Earlier this year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a rule that classifies BNPL services as credit card providers, requiring them to investigate disputed purchases and provide refunds for returned products.Alongside... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge Google is making a big change to company leadership. In a memo to staff posted on Thursday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that Prabhakar Raghavan, the senior vice president in charge of search, ads, and other important segments, will now take on the role of chief technologist.Prabhakar has decided it's time to make a big leap in his own career," Pichai writes. After 12 years leading teams across Google, he'll return to his computer science roots and take on the role of Chief Technologist, Google. In this role, he'll partner closely with me and Google leads to provide technical direction and leadership and grow our culture of tech excellence."Raghavan has been in charge of ads and commerce since 2018 and was promoted to the head... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge Xbox is putting on a 20-minute no fluff, all games" showcase from third-party studios. Continue reading...

Photo illustration by The Verge / Photo: Digitas The future of marketing - and, in a way, everything else - is getting a shakeup. Continue reading...

SETIA ALAM, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - 2024/07/21:A charging plug seen attached to BYD car 6 at the EvX expo. | Photo" Getty Images Automakers aren't doing enough to identify and prevent human rights abuses along supply chains for EV batteries, Amnesty International warns in a new report.The charity ranked 13 of the world's largest EV manufacturers, giving each a score based on its human rights policies and practices. BYD, one of the leading companies in global EV sales, and Mitsubishi scored the worst. They scored just 11 and 13, respectively, out of 90 points possible. Mercedes-Benz and Tesla scored the highest - earning 51 and 49, respectively.The scores are still pretty grim across the board, though, showing how much work the industry has to do to protect workers and communities near mines. None of the companies included in the report show that they are... Continue reading...

Amazon's 2024 lineup includes a new note-taking Kindle Scribe, a faster Kindle Paperwhite, an upgraded entry-level model, and the apt-titled Colorsoft. Earlier this week, Amazon refreshed its entire Kindle lineup while adding a new color model to the mix. The updated entry-level Kindle ($109.99) and Kindle Paperwhite ($159.99) are available now, while the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition and updated Kindle Scribe will launch on October 30th and December 4th, respectively.We've yet to fully test Amazon's latest e-readers, but we came away impressed after briefly tinkering with them. They're faster than prior models, particularly the new Paperwhite, and the Kindle Colorsoft offers an impressive color display, even if it doesn't rival a tablet.We'll let you know how they stack up to other models after we spend more time with them, but if you can't wait, we've rounded up all the info... Continue reading...

The latest update to the Philips Hue app adds the ability to customize the intensity and color of lighting effects. | Image: Signify Philips is introducing four new lighting effects through its Hue app including an underwater option simulating the glimmer of light beneath the waves. The added effects are part of a new app update, spotted by Hueblog, that also introduces the ability to customize the lighting effects already available through the app, as well as any new effects Philips introduces in the future.Existing lighting effects include options that can make Hue lamps and bulbs simulate the appearance of a candle with a soft flickering yellow glow, or a fireplace with more intense flashes of red and orange. Version 5.28 of the Hue app - which is now available for iOS, iPadOS, and Android - adds cosmos, underwater, enchant, and sunbeam effects, bringing the total... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Instagram is launching several new features designed to protect teens from sextortion scams, which occur when scammers threaten to share intimate images of victims unless they receive a payment or more photos.One guardrail that's rolling out soon will prevent people from screenshotting or screen recording disappearing images or videos sent in a private message. If the sender enables replays of the image or video, Instagram will block people from opening them on the web. This won't stop scammers from capturing the image or video by recording it with another device, however. GIF: Meta Starting today, Instagram will begin using certain indicators, like how new an account is, to detect scammy behavior as well. The... Continue reading...

Image: Netflix Seven years after Simon Stalenhag's The Electric State was picked up for a live-action adaptation, and a few weeks after first-look images were revealed, we finally have the first trailer. The clip sets up what seems like a big battle in a retrofuturistic world - but it's hard not to focus on the cartoonish tech and robots, which feel like goofier takes on Stalenhag's distinctive art.The Netflix adaptation is being directed Avengers-returnees Anthony and Joe Russo, and according to the streamer it's set in an alternate, retro-futuristic version of the 1990s," exploring life in a society where sentient robots resembling cartoons and mascots, who once served peacefully among humans, now live in exile following a failed uprising."It... Continue reading...

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge In early 2004, the world was shaking it like a Polaroid picture, flocking to theaters to see what was going to happen with all those hobbits, and wondering if that Tom Brady guy was something special. Meanwhile, a few folks around the world were inventing the web as we know it now: A world-shaking social network was brewing in a Harvard dorm room. A Google employee was dreaming up the future of email in their spare time. The coolest cellphone of all time was just about to drop. The internet was still a niche activity, but that was about to change - and fast.In so many ways, the digital world in which we now all live was created 20 years ago. Google went public and began to ascend to rule the web. Facebook, Gmail, Firefox, Flickr, and... Continue reading...

Image: Kristen Radtke / The Verge, Getty Images In 2024, you can go onto YouTube, one of the most popular media distributors in the United States and the world, and you can pull up Janet Jackson's 2004 performance at the Super Bowl. There are videos with her whole 11-minute performance and others that show only the three seconds that shook the country. Justin Timberlake, standing to Jackson's left and singing better have you naked / by the end of this song" from his song Rock Your Body," reaches across her body, grabs her garment, and yanks. A wardrobe malfunction" ensues, and instead of revealing a pretty red bra, you - for not even a full second - see her nearly bare breast, a star-shaped shield obscuring most of her nipple.It's just a nipple. They're everywhere on the internet... Continue reading...

I never owned an iPod Mini. Even as a college freshman back at the time of its introduction, I was already more of a full-size iPod kind of nerd. Mine was the third-gen model with the backlit buttons, which I maintain was the best version ever released. I wanted the most storage possible for the flourishing music collection that I'd amassed through years of painfully slow downloads over Napster, LimeWire, and Usenet groups. (There were some legal iTunes purchases mixed in there, I promise.)But by 2004, the iPod had a starting price of $299 and could run as high as $399. Apple needed to offer a music player that many more people could afford. And that came in 2004, the year of the first-ever iPod Mini.Onstage at Macworld, Steve Jobs... Continue reading...

In 2004, I was an undiagnosed neurodivergent teenager who had given up on trying to fit in. It felt like everyone was trying to mold me into their version of perfect by chastising me when I did something wrong." It was confusing, exhausting, and demoralizing. I managed to make a few friends in high school who seemed to just get me, but the last thing I wanted to do was talk about how I felt - until all my friends started signing up for blogging accounts on Melodramatic.com.Shielded by the anonymity of a screen name, it was the first time I felt safe talking about my mental health - and discovered there were so many other teenagers like me who felt the same way. Even all these years later, if you search Melodramatic.com" on Reddit,... Continue reading...

It was a chilly winter morning in 2004. The scene was Stanley, Idaho - a city with a population of 101 and a current temperature of negative 17. My boyfriend, who had lured me here from London, England, handed me a bright red envelope and asked if I could drop it in the mailbox on my way into town.What's Netflix?" I asked, peering at the white letters printed on the side. It's DVD by mail," he said. They send you movies in the mail. You send them back when you're done. Then, they send you another one." It was a revelation.While Netflix had been growing in the US since its launch in 1998, it wouldn't cross the pond for another eight years. For the rest of the world, movie night in 2004 still meant a pilgrimage to the video store. As... Continue reading...

World of Warcraft, or WoW, is like the Red Hot Chili Peppers of the massively multiplayer online roleplaying genre: not only is it still going strong but it's also somehow even bigger than you thought. World of Warcraft's current numbers aren't public, but one recent educated guess came in at 7 million paying subscribers, which, at $15 / month, would make the game a billion-dollar earner by itself. Its developer, Blizzard, merged with Activision in 2008, and Microsoft gobbled up both companies in 2022, but World of Warcraft remains a load-bearing spine of the newly formed corporate turducken. The game that redefined gold mining for the 21st century is still a 19th-century gold mine for its landlords.It's also thriving in a subscription... Continue reading...

Hey buddy, maybe take a look around? | Image: Bluetti Bluetti has taken portable power to absurd levels with its new Handsfree Backpack Power Stations. They're available in big or bigger versions depending on how long - and how much gear - you want to keep powered in the great outdoors.They're primarily aimed at outdoor photographers, but Bluetti also thinks they'll appeal to hikers, rock climbers, campers, adventurers, bikepackers, and motorcyclists... any nerd that wants to move beyond the cubicle with their gadgets. A side panel in the backpacks provides access to all the inputs and outputs without having to first remove the solar generator. Those ports can also be managed and monitored over Bluetooth from the Bluetti app. GIF: Bluetti You can carry a ton of gear... Continue reading...

DJI tells The Verge that it currently cannot freely import all of its drones into the United States - and that its latest consumer drone, the Air 3S, won't currently be sold at retail as a result.A customs-related issue is hindering DJI's ability to import select drones into the United States."That's not because the United States has suddenly banned DJI drones - rather, DJI believes the import restrictions are part of a broader initiative by the Department of Homeland Security to scrutinize the origins of products, particularly in the case of Chinese-made drones," according to DJI.DJI recently sent a letter to distributors with one possible reason why DHS is stopping some of its drones: the company says US Customs and Border... Continue reading...

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge Instagram appears to be working on a new Social Library" section in the app where you can easily access things shared in chat threads, your collections, and posts you've liked, according to an image shared by developer and leaker Alessandro Paluzzi.Judging from the looks of the screenshot from Paluzzi, the section will contain posts, Reels, and other media you've shared or received in chat threads as well as content you've liked or saved. A magnifying glass in the corner of the screenshot suggests this content will be searchable, too, which could make it a lot easier to quickly find a Reel or post you're looking for. Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge A screenshot of Paluzzi's Threads post. It's not clear... Continue reading...

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Getty Images JD Vance is, by his own admission, plugged into a lot of weird right-wing subcultures." His much-mocked comments about childless cat ladies and unassimilated Italian immigrants were made on a masculinist" podcast. He doesn't eat seed oils, a dietary restriction du jour on the extremely online right. When he was nominated to be former President Donald Trump's running mate, his X following list included Bronze Age Pervert and Raw Egg Nationalist, two pseudonymous right-wing bodybuilders who often promote eugenics and the great replacement" conspiracy theory. But perhaps no one online has shaped Vance's thinking more than the neoreactionary blogger Curtis Yarvin, a former programmer with ties to Vance's friend and benefactor Peter Thiel.... Continue reading...

Image: Apple Soon, Apple will let businesses customize how they appear in emails and phone calls on the iPhone. Apple announced on Wednesday how companies using its Business Connect tool can add their brand name and logo in ways that will pop up in iPhone apps used for email, phone calls, and payments.Apple first introduced Business Connect last year as a way for businesses to claim listings across Maps, Messages, Wallet, Siri, and its other apps.Each registered business can confirm its info is accurate and add additional details like photos or special offers. Collecting verified, up-to-date business information could be useful for Apple if it ever launches its own search engine or inside features for Apple Intelligence instead of sending users... Continue reading...

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Amazon has discontinued the Kindle Oasis, which was the only Kindle still available with physical page-turn buttons. The company announced a new Kindle lineup earlier today, but Amazon confirmed to The Verge that it's moving on from the Oasis.Once current inventory of Kindle Oasis sells out online and in stores, we will not restock the device," Amazon's Devon Corvasce says in a statement. Today, all of our devices are touch-forward which is what our customers are comfortable with."Amazon's own listing for the Oasis includes a message that the e-reader is currently unavailable."Amazon first introduced the Kindle Oasis in 2016, positioning it as a high-end e-reader with page turn buttons and a design with added bulk on the side to... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge Discord is fighting to keep its users anonymous in a court battle over piracy on the platform, claiming it would violate users' First Amendment rights to hand over too much of their information.Nexon, which publishes games including MapleStory, alleges that Discord has refused to comply with a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) subpoena issued by a federal court in Texas that ordered the platform to disclose user information connected to suspected intellectual property infringement. Nexon alleges that Discord members often use" the platform to provide pirated versions of video games," including Nexon's.In a recent court filing, earlier reported by TorrentFreak, Nexon said that Discord's counsel claimed the subpoena was too... Continue reading...

The F1 Arcade is a simulator. Just... a simpler one. | Photo: David Pierce / The Verge Confidence was my first mistake. As I plopped down in one of the 83 racing simulators in the new F1 Arcade location in Washington, DC, I told the company's CEO, Adam Breeden, that I'd raced plenty of times before. I picked Semi-Pro difficulty, even as Breeden told me he recommends most first-time arcade visitors pick something simpler. I adjusted the Vesaro simulator, started the race, and caused a six-car pileup on the race's very first corner.Luckily for me, the F1 Arcade is designed more for fun than fidelity, so my race wasn't over. It ended four minutes later, in dead-last place, as the onscreen timer mercifully ticked to zero. On a normal day at the arcade, this would signal it's time for someone else to race. For me, sitting at... Continue reading...

Image: Supergiant Games The first major update for Hades II, which is still in early access, is out now, adding things like a new region, the game's sixth and final weapon, new pets, native support for Macs with M1 chips, and more.The big feature looks to be the new region. You might be able to guess what that region is based on the update's title - The Olympic Update" - but if you haven't played the game yet, I'm not going to say anything else. I'm looking forward to exploring it as soon as I can and trying to take down the boss, who seems to be featured in the update's release trailer. (I'll probably try to get there with the new weapon, Xinth, the Black Coat.")There are a bunch of other updates, too. Supergiant has added two animal familiars to the game:... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Two days after Google cut a world's first" deal to purchase electricity from advanced nuclear reactors, Amazon announced three new agreements of its own today.Each deal supports the development of small modular reactors (SMRs), which can be one-tenth to one-quarter the size of a traditional nuclear power plant. If these projects make it to the finish line, SMRs would be a source of carbon pollution-free energy for big tech companies trying to salvage their climate goals by turning to nuclear energy.Each deal supports the development of small modular reactorsAmazon signed an agreement with Energy Northwest, a consortium of public utilities in Washington state, to enable the development" of four SMRs by the early 2030s. Energy... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Airbnb is making it easier for hosts to find someone to manage their Airbnb. The new Co-Host Network," which is available starting today, lets you compare co-hosts and work with the co-hosts that you hire right inside the app. Third-party Airbnb management companies are quite common already, but a co-host network directly in the Airbnb app could be a more convenient option for some users.Co-hosts can help with things like managing your listing and messaging guests that have booked at your Airbnb. Hosts are also able to choose from a range of payout options for their co-hosts, such as a cleaning fee, a percentage per booking, or a fixed amount.Airbnb has been piloting a co-hosting hiring service for several years," Skift reports, but... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge If you're not familiar with Google Flights, you may not realize that you're not always seeing the cheapest flights in your search results. The default algorithm considers numerous other factors, such as trip length, stops, and travel times. It was, admittedly, easy enough to expand the results and view the full flight list before now, but Google is introducing a change that brings a new Cheapest" tab that will sort all your flight options based purely on price.Google Flights will build itineraries that include long layovers or mixed and matched flights from different travel agencies, airlines, and nearby cities in order to show you the absolute cheapest options. If you like what you see, it'll direct you to the appropriate websites... Continue reading...

Image: Square Enix A look at the first two chapters in the return of Max Caulfield. Continue reading...

You can save $120 on the OnePlus Pad and get a free keyboard case valued at $149.99. | Image: Dan Seifert / The Verge Apple's new iPad Mini might be hogging the spotlight, but it's not the only great tablet on the market. If you're looking for a slate outside of Apple's ecosystem, the original OnePlus Pad is a terrific Android tablet that OnePlus is selling for $359.99 ($120 off) - a new all-time low - until October 20th at 11:59PM ET. To make the deal even sweeter, OnePlus is also throwing in a free OnePlus Magnetic Keyboard worth $149.99. Note that to get the discount you'll have to apply the on-page coupon, which you can find when you click on the Claim Now" button under "Check out all offers."The last-gen tablet still offers excellent value for your money. Its MediaTek Dimensity 9000 processor is snappy enough, while the Pad's sharp 11.6-inch LCD... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Users on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac are having trouble downloading apps from Apple's App Store right now. When users tap Get" to download an app, the icon swirls briefly to indicate that it's loading, but then it reverts to Get," leaving them unable to install the app they want.Reports of App Store issues are starting to mount on social media. Meanwhile, several of us here at The Verge, including in the US and Europe, aren't able to download apps, either. Judging by DownDetector's App Store outage chart, it looks like issues started to emerge around 11AM ET.Even though users are experiencing issues downloading apps, the App Store can still update apps that are already installed.Apple's status page still indicates that its App Store... Continue reading...

Anker's new car charger will supposedly deliver up to 75W of power. | Image: Reddit A reliable leaker has shared details and an image of an unannounced car charger from Anker that would be the first from the company to feature a retractable USB-C cable. As the proud owner of an eight-year-old minivan lacking modern amenities like built-in USB ports, this would be a welcome alternative to a glove box stuffed full of unraveled charging cables.The new Anker Nano car charger, which plugs into a vehicle's auxiliary power outlet, will reportedly deliver up to 75W of power shared between a 30W USB-C port, and a 45W retractable cable with a USB-C connector on the end that's almost 30 inches long, according to Reddit user joshuadwx.Pricing is expected to be somewhere between $30 an $40, while availability could be either later... Continue reading...