The Verge

Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photo from Getty Images President Donald Trump has issued an executive order telling the Department of Justice to not enforce a rule that demands TikTok spin off from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a ban.The order, issued on Trump's first day in office, is meant to effectively extend the deadline established by the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act for ByteDance to sell its stake by undercutting penalties on American companies like Apple and Google working with TikTok. It directs the attorney general not to take any action to enforce the Act for a period of 75 days from today to allow my Administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way." The AG is supposed to issue a letter to each provider stating that there has been no violation of the statute and that there is no liability for any conduct that occurred."The order furthermore instructs the Department of Justice to take no action to enforce the Act or impose any penalties against any entity for any noncompliance with the Act" and says they should be barred from doing so for any conduct that occurred during the above-specified period or any period prior to the issuance of this order, including the period of time from January 19, 2025, to the signing of this order."

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images Donald Trump has once again taken the US out of the landmark Paris climate agreement, abandoning the global effort to limit climate change. Trump signed an executive order today to exit.The Paris accord was adopted in 2015, committing nearly 200 countries including the US to working together to stop global average temperatures from rising much higher than they have already. 2024 was the hottest year on record, beating the previous record set in 2023.Scrapping efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the US can have repercussions for Americans and people around the world. The US was already the biggest historical emitter of planet-heating carbon dioxide emissions and the world's leading oil and gas producer, giving it big sway in global climate negotiations. Within America's borders, billion-dollar weather and climate disasters have already grown more prevalent (adjusted for inflation) in recent years.Exiting the Paris agreement is in clear defiance of scientific realities and shows an administration cruelly indifferent to the harsh climate change impacts that people in the United States and around the world are experiencing," Rachel Cleetus, policy director and lead economist for the Climate and Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in an emailed statement.Our planet's climate has stayed relatively stable for the last 11,000 years or so, supporting the rise of agriculture and civilization as we know it, until the Industrial Revolution. The Paris agreement aims to keep global temperatures within roughly the same temperature range, preventing warming of more than 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius.It might not seem like a big difference in temperature, but climate change has already become severe enough to supercharge weather-related disasters across the US including wildfires still burning around Los Angeles that leveled entire communities this month.Trump took the US out of the Paris accord the last time he was in office. Former President Joe Biden recommitted upon stepping into office in 2021. Now, the US will join Iran, Libya, and Yemen as the only countries not on board with the international agreement. It'll take one year from the date the Trump administration sends notification to the United Nations before US withdrawal from the Paris agreement will be official.

Photo by Alex Wong / Getty Images Brendan Carr is now formally the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, giving him the power to set the agency's agenda and usher through a host of regulations with major implications for the tech and media industries as soon as he has a Republican majority.In a statement, Carr named a few areas of focus: issues ranging from tech and media regulation to unleashing new opportunities for jobs and growth through agency actions on spectrum, infrastructure, and the space economy."Carr's priorities might also be gleaned from a document you might have already heard about: Project 2025. That's because he authored the FCC chapter of the Heritage Foundation's wishlist for a Donald Trump presidency. In that chapter, Carr proposes actions including: limiting immunity for tech companies under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, requiring disclosures about how platforms prioritize content, requiring tech companies to pay into a program that funds broadband access in rural areas, and more, quickly approving applications to launch satellites from companies like Elon Musk's Starlink.Carr also wrote about protecting the US from security threats stemming from China, including by addressing TikTok's threat to national security." Whether that's something Carr takes up as chair now seems more in doubt, as Trump has changed his tune on the app's danger to the US. While Trump was the first to try to ban TikTok from the US, he's now positioning himself as its savior - putting China and TikTok hawk Carr in a tricky position.The new FCC chair has also indicated that he could use his power to revoke spectrum licenses for networks over their decisions to host speech when he deems it a violation of the equal time rule. This came up in a scuffle about NBC's hosting of Kamala Harris on Saturday Night Live before the election - though the network seemed to comply with the rules for giving candidates similar time and placement on public airwaves by offering Trump an appearance on air later on.Regardless, Carr will need a third Republican vote on the commission to approve any measures that are not bipartisan in nature. Trump has nominated Olivia Trusty, a former Senate aide, to join the commission, pending Senate confirmation.Trump's pick to lead the Federal Trade Commission is also now in place. Andrew Ferguson, who was already serving as a commissioner, has a reported agenda that echoes parts of Carr's. It includes a desire to hold big tech accountable and stop censorship" and also to protect freedom of speech and fight wokeness."Correction, January 21st: An earlier version of this article said Mark Meador had been nominated to join Carr. Meador has been nominated to join the FTC, not the FCC.

Photo by Kevin Lamarque - Pool/Getty Images Vivek Ramaswamy has stepped down from co-leading President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), according to the Associated Press. The official line as to why Ramaswamy is moving on is that he plans to run for elected office - he reportedly intends to run for Ohio governor.Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE," spokesperson Anna Kelly says in the statement to the Associated Press. He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE, based on the structure that we announced today. We thank him immensely for his contributions over the last 2 months and expect him to play a vital role in making America great again."Trump gave DOGE, which is not a department of the US government, the remit to advise cuts to wasteful" government spending. Musk and Ramaswamy spelled out their plans in a Wall Street Journal article. But CBS News reported yesterday that Ramaswamy was on the way out:

Fujifilm has added two new models to its Techno-Stabi binoculars line with stabilization and increased magnification. | Image: Fujifilm Fujifilm has announced two new additions to its flagship Techno-Stabi line of binoculars featuring electronic stabilization, as spotted by PetaPixel. The new TS-L2040 and TS-L1640 deliver even more magnification than Fujfilm's previous top-of-the-line offering - 20x and 16x, instead of just 14x - while also being smaller and lighter without sacrificing features like waterproofing. Both new models can survive a complete dunking to a depth of one meter for 30 minutes.The Fujifilm TS-L2040, with 20x magnification, will be $1,299.95 when available for purchase starting on January 31st, 2025. The slightly cheaper TS-L1640, which offer 16x magnification, will be $1,199.95.Using binoculars with more than 10x magnification without a tripod or stable support can result in blurred images because humans are simply incapable of holding them steady enough by hand. Even imperceptible hand movements are exaggerated through a pair of binoculars, making it hard to focus on a distant magnified subject. Image: Fujifilm Fujifilm's new TS-L2040 Techno-Stabi binoculars (right) are smaller and lighter than the company's previous flagship model (left) which weigh about a pound heavier. Fujifilm's new models rely on a gimbal-mounted prism with plus and minus three degrees of electronic stabilization. They're also noticeably smaller and lighter than the company's existing Techno-Stabi TS-X14x40 binoculars - weighing 1.88 pounds instead of 2.9 pounds - making them easier for birdwatchers to carry on a hike.The two new models aren't entirely replacing Fujifilm's heavier and bulkier TS-X14x40 binoculars. Although the older model only offers 14x magnification for the same price as the company's new 20x offering, they feature a more rugged design with plus and minus six degrees of electronic stabilization.In a video comparing the old and new models, Fujifilm technical expert, Michael Bulbenko, says the older model is still a better choice for boaters given the extra movements while out on the water. Image: Fujifilm Fujifilm says both new models run on a pair of AAA batteries that offer up to 30 hours of stabilization. Other features of the new TS-L2040 and TS-L1640 include 40mm objective lenses on the front that allow more light in to boost brightness. Fujifilm's cheapest stabilized binoculars, the $749.95 TS12x28WP, feature much smaller front lenses that are just 28mm in size.Both new binocular models are powered by a pair of AAA batteries that Fujifilm says will keep the image stabilization continuously powered for up to 30 hours. The binoculars will also automatically power themselves off after 60 minutes if you forget to, so if you're headed out on a weekend birdwatching trip, you probably won't need to pack an extra set of AAAs.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images Donald Trump said today he'll declare a national energy emergency," a move meant to speed the development of fossil fuel infrastructure.The actions taken on his first day in office mark the start of President Trump's attempts to boost oil and gas and retreat from global climate goals. He campaigned on promises to drill, baby, drill," and undo Biden-era policies to reduce pollution and stop climate change.The US will fill our strategic reserves up again, right to the top, and export American energy, all over the world," Trump said in his inauguration speech.Trump also repeated vague pledges he's made to throw out environmental policies that haven't actually been put in place. He said his administration would end the green New Deal, and we will reverse the electric vehicle mandate, saving our oil industry." It's unclear what policies he's referring to with that statement.Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law, the most significant piece of climate legislation to date that opened up $369 billion for climate action and clean energy. Trump has previously said that he'd rescind any unspent IRA funds.I'm not that worried about having an EV mandate since there isn't one, but I am concerned that he might take steps to make EVs more expensive for American consumers," Pete Buttigieg, Biden's Secretary of Transportation, recently told The Verge. But Trump has said that he'll eliminate subsidies and tax credits Biden introduced to make electric vehicles more affordable.Biden-era tailpipe emissions standards are likely also on the chopping block. The Biden administration tightened pollution standards aimed at slashing greenhouse gas emissions and encouraging more EV sales.A new White House webpage says a priorities for the Trump administration include streamlining permitting, and reviewing for rescission all regulations that impose undue burdens on energy production and use, including mining and processing of non-fuel minerals."There's little detail on the page about what declaring a national energy emergency will entail outside of using all necessary resources to build critical infrastructure." It does say Trump wants to end federal leasing of areas for wind farms and take the US out of the Paris climate agreement, echoing promises he's made in the pastTrump signed an executive order to exit the Paris agreement later in the evening at his inauguration eve rally.Developing...

Canon's Live Switcher Mobile app is free for iOS and iPadOS devices. | Screenshot: YouTube Canon has announced a new live streaming app that can wirelessly connect to, and switch between, video feeds from three mobile devices. It's currently limited to iPhones and iPads running at least iOS and iPad0S 16. Android isn't supported, but an even stranger omission is that Live Switcher Mobile isn't compatible with any of Canon's digital cameras - that functionality will be added in the future," according to an FAQ.The app is available for download now and can be used for free, but with some limitations. Video quality maxes out at 720p, the output is watermarked, and the app's interface will occasionally be cluttered with ads - but those aren't presented to viewers. For $17.99 per month (which is over $215 per year) output quality gets a bump to 1080p, while ads and the watermark are removed. There's no option to increase the video resolution past HD. Image: Canon The mobile device serving as a live stream's primary camera also provides the switching interface. One device running the app is designated as the host which provides the switching interface and serves as the primary camera. Up to two additional devices can be connected providing video feeds from alternate angles, or a live screen capture of a video game being played.Switching between feeds can be done manually, but if you'd like to avoid poking a device that's serving as one of your cameras, the app can also be set to automatically switch between sources at set intervals of eight to 20 seconds. Multiple videos can be streamed simultaneously using a picture-in-picture effect, while text and image overlays can be added to personalize a livestream, add branding, or provide captioning.Canon says the app supports live streaming to YouTube, Facebook, and other platforms that support RTMP, but its comment display function is limited to those first two platforms.Although its functionality isn't as robust as the free OBS Studio app that also allows mobile devices to be used as video sources, Canon's Live Switcher Mobile is potentially an easier alternative for aspiring influencers just getting started with live streaming.It may currently be limited to mobile devices, but the company has confirmed the app will support Canon's digital camera connection in the future." With that added functionality, and maybe a bump to 4K streaming capabilities, its steep price tag could be easier to justify for those looking for a highly portable streaming solution.

Nvidia's RTX 5090 vs. RTX 4090. | Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition graphics card is arriving later this month, and we've managed to unbox one and compare its design to the RTX 4090. Just like our first look at the RTX 5090, this isn't a review. Performance figures, benchmarks, and impressions beyond the hardware are coming later.The first thing that's notable about the RTX 5090 is the packaging design has totally changed since the Founders Edition RTX 40-series. Nvidia has switched to housing the RTX 5090 inside a smaller bone-shaped gray cardboard shell that sits inside a much larger brown cardboard box. Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge A dog and his RTX 5090 bone. The outer box - which reads Inspired by gamers. Enhanced by AI. Built by Nvidia." - holds a new power adapter cable for the RTX 5090 that includes an updated version of the regular 12VHPWR connector. You'll need to use four regular PCIe eight-pin power connectors with this adapter, or a new 12V-2x6 cable. The 12V-2x6 is almost identical to the existing 12VHPWR, as the new connector has shorter sensing pins and slightly longer conductor terminals. The slight variation means that existing 12VHPWR cables will work... Read the full story at The Verge.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Rumors have been floating around for months that Apple might launch a brand-new iPhone model this year: the so-called iPhone Air, a new, super-thin iPhone that may mark the first big design shift for the line in many years.More than a facelift, the iPhone Air is a different strategy altogether, being neither a more affordable base model nor a feature-packed Pro phone. Instead, rumors describe a phone that's aimed to please people who are willing to sacrifice some function for a sleeker, slimmer design. Basically, it's the iPhone version of the original MacBook Air.Current rumors suggest the phone will debut as part of Apple's iPhone 17 lineup this fall, giving it the name iPhone 17 Air. Of course, it's not a done deal just yet. Apple could still change its plans or the rumors could turn out wrong. But enough reports have come out to suggest that something real is in the works. Here are all the rumors about the upcoming phone so far:The thinnest iPhone yetThe 17 Air will be very thin, but the rumor mill hasn't totally settled on the exact number.Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted a 5.5mm phone in January, which would make it slightly thicker than the 5.1mm M4 iPad Pro that debuted last May. Two days later, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman reiterated a claim he'd made in December: that the new phone would be about 2 millimeters thinner" than the 8.25mm iPhone 16 Pro. Supply chain analyst Jeff Pu has suggested it would be around 6mm.No matter who is closest, the 17 Air would be one of the thinnest Apple products ever, even more so than the iPhone 6, which currently holds the record for thinnest iPhone at 6.9mm - and was notably prone to bending. Encouragingly, Apple managed to make the M4 iPad Pro surprisingly sturdy.Battery woesApple is said to be working on novel ways to fit enough battery to meet its ultra-slim phone goal. A November 2023 rumor from ETNews said Apple was attempting to create a new, denser kind of battery that uses carbon nanotubes and a mix of materials like nickel, cobalt, manganese, and aluminum for future devices.But in November 2024, Korean leaker yeux1122 posted that Apple is using standard battery tech. They said the company had sought to get thinner internals to enable both more battery capacity and a slimmer phone but failed. The Information wrote later that month that Apple was having trouble finding space for the battery, SIM card, and thermal materials inside, limiting how thin it can be.A more recent rumor from leaker Digital Chat Station suggested that both Apple's phone and the also-rumored skinny Samsung Galaxy S25 will feature a 3,000 - 4,000mAh battery and measure somewhere between 5.xmm-6.xmm."The iPhone 17 Air's displayAll signs right now are pointing to every iPhone 17's OLED display using the same LTPO panel tech found in current Pro models. That could mean both higher refresh rates and less power consumption, as it enables the screens to raise their refresh rates to 120Hz and then drop as low as 1Hz. That's part of why Apple's always-on display feature works without a significant battery cost.As for screen size, rumors generally agree it will measure about 6.6 inches. That's a tad smaller than the 6.7-inch screen of the iPhone 16 Plus, which the 17 Air may be replacing this year. It's expected that the phone will get a Dynamic Island with Face ID, like the rest of the flagship line.In-house chips and Apple IntelligenceBloomberg's Mark Gurman recently said that Apple will outfit the iPhone 17 Air with in-house Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips, as well as its own bespoke cellular modem. That'll be a first for the company, which has been trying for years to develop its own modem in an effort to ditch Qualcomm. Apple is apparently confident it's done that now, and well enough to start putting it in phones, possibly starting with the iPhone SE 4 within the next few months.Apple will probably put a regular A19 chip in the 17 Air, reserving the A19 Pro chip for its Pro phones. The phone could also have 8GB of RAM and support Apple Intelligence AI features as a result.Camera dietRumors have been steadfast that the iPhone 17 Air will only have one camera on the back. Citing supply chain analyst Jeff Pu in October, MacRumors wrote that it will be a 48-megapixel shooter and that the phone will feature a 24-megapixel shooter for the front-facing selfie cam.How much will it cost?The iPhone 17 Air could be expensive despite lacking the fancy camera array of the Pro phones or the dual-camera setup of the base model. The Information even wrote that it could cost more than the $1,299 iPhone 16 Pro Max does now.Not every rumor agrees. The Wall Street Journal wrote in December that Apple is aiming for something cheaper than the Pro phones. That'd put it below $999, where the iPhone 16 Pro starts.Why is Apple making the iPhone 17 Air?Gurman reported in August that boosting sales is the big motivator for the Air redesign after years of Mini and Plus phone flops. Later, in his January 12th newsletter, he wrote that the company sees the Air strategy as a tried-and-true winner" for getting sales.The Journal's December story echoed that, saying Apple is trying growth with the iPhone 17 Air following its years of largely incremental upgrades." Although the iPhone still makes up about half of Apple's revenue, the outlet wrote, its last big wave of sales gains was in 2021," thanks to carriers' subsidies amid their 5G push.Apple has tried since 2020 to goose sales using four flagships, and the 17 Air approach is no different, CNBC wrote in November. Apple started with the iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max, then swapped out the Mini models for Plus" phones starting with the iPhone 14. But the Mini and Plus models haven't clicked with buyers. Most recently, the iPhone 16 Plus only made up 10 percent of Apple's screen orders in 2023 and 16 percent of them last year, Ross Young of display research firm DSCC told the outlet. The Air could theoretically replace the Plus as a slightly higher-end option.Drumming up sales isn't necessarily the whole story though, as Gurman also offered another explanation in January: Apple is using the phone as a testing ground for new technologies, including its in-house wireless and cell modem chips. But more than that, it's a stepping stone toward the smaller tech needed to eventually build a folding iPhone.

TikTok may already be back online but Bluesky and X are quickly jumping on the vertical video train. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge While TikTok is already crawling back online in the US, uncertainty around the video platform's future has created an opportunity for Bluesky, X, and others to seize.Over the last few hours, both social media platforms introduced new features - including dedicated tabs and feeds for video content - that make it easier for users to discover and watch vertical videos in their apps. Yesterday, Instagram announced a new rival to CapCut - the video editor owned by TikTok's parent ByteDance - just after it went offline in the US.We had to get in on the video action too," said Bluesky with the launch of customizable feeds for videos. Users can swipe up or down on these feeds to flip through videos and create targeted feeds that only pull video content from specific hashtags, such as this #BookSky feed that riffs on TikTok's BookTok" reading community.

Image: ByteDance TikTok has returned - at least partially - in the US following a nationwide ban, but other popular ByteDance-owned apps, such as the digital card game Marvel Snap, video editing app CapCut, and the social platform Lemon8, are still blocked. None of these apps, including TikTok, are currently available to download on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, either.Though many users expected CapCut and Lemon8 to be affected by the law banning TikTok, Marvel Snap's ban took some by surprise - including its own developer. On Sunday morning, the game studio Second Dinner said in a post on X, This outage is a surprise to us and wasn't planned. MARVEL SNAP isn't going anywhere." Marvel Snap is published by Nuverse, a game developer owned by ByteDance. Screenshot: The Verge Users trying to open Marvel Snap, CapCut, and Lemon8 will see a message similar to the one TikTok displayed when it went dark on Saturday night. A law banning CapCut has been enacted in the U.S," the pop-up inside CapCut reads. Unfortunately, that means you can't use CapCut for now. Rest assured, we're working to restore our service in the U.S. Please stay tuned!"TikTok, along with several other ByteDance-owned apps, shut down in the US just hours before the federal divest-or-ban law went into effect on January 19th. The ban also affects TikTok Studio, TikTok Shop Seller Center, Hypic, Lark - Team Collaboration, Lark - Rooms Display, Lark Rooms Controller, and Gauth: AI Study Companion.Both Google and Apple display notices to users trying to search for ByteDance-owned apps. While the Play Store says, Downloads for this app are paused due to current US legal requirements," a banner on the App Store notes, TikTok and other ByteDance apps are not available in the country or region you're in."It's still not clear when Marvel Snap, CapCut, or Lemon8 will start working again or when they'll reappear in mobile app stores.

Instagram's logo for Edits. | Image: Meta Instagram head Adam Mosseri just announced a video editing app called Edits. Mosseri said the app is meant to rival CapCut, a video editing app that went offline along with TikTok. Edits is available for preorder on the iOS App Store.There's a lot going on right now, but no matter what happens, it's our job to provide the best possible tools for creators," Mosseri said in a video posted to Instagram. He goes on to describe the app:

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge First, TikTok was banned. Then, on Saturday evening, January 18th, it disappeared. Then, the next day, it reappeared. It may be back for good, but any time things get this uncertain, it's always a good idea to make sure you have backups of all your content - just in case.While the app offers instructions on how to download single videos, TikTok apparently doesn't like the idea of allowing its creators to bulk download their videos. You can also download - in TXT or JSON format - a certain amount of your data, which, according to the support page, may include but is not limited to your username, watch video history, comment history, and privacy settings." When I tried it, it did not include my videos.You can also share individual videos - the same way you can any file - but if you've got a library of a couple of hundred or more TikTok videos, that's going to be quite a job. In that case, it's a lot better to have a bulk download strategy.To find out how to do that, I went into TikTok and waded through a group of videos offering different methods for downloading your content. I tried several of the methods and found three that worked relatively painlessly. (All, incidentally, need to be done on a computer rather than a phone.)A caveat before I begin: not being an actual TikTok creator, I only had two published TikTok videos on my account, which I had made as an experiment some time ago. As a result, it didn't take much time for me to download them using any of the methods. If you're a true TikTok creator, expect downloads and conversions to take some time.The easy way: use Repurpose.ioSeveral people recommended an app called Repurpose.io. This is not a free app - it costs $35 a month or $349 a year. For a short time, Repurpose.io was offering free downloads from TikTok to Google Drive and Dropbox but had to withdraw the offer due to high demand." However, you still get to download 10 videos for free over 14 days, so you can try it out first.Repurpose.io lets you distribute your content on different platforms: you simply tell it where to upload the videos (besides TikTok, it will pull data from Instagram, YouTube, Zoom, and a number of other services) and where you want it to send them (besides Instagram and other services, you can save them to Dropbox, SoundCloud, Google Drive, and other apps). You can schedule regular transfers, repurpose only future content or all existing content, and even create clips (if, for example, you are sending YouTube videos to TikTok). Screenshot: Repurpose.io The Repurpose.io app is not free but does make it easy to transfer your TikTok videos to another platform. When I tried it, Repurpose.io easily picked up my two TikTok videos and transferred them to my Google Drive in a couple of minutes. While it should take a lot longer if you have, say, several hundred videos, the interface keeps you up to date on which videos have been transferred and how many are left.The paid app allows you to transfer an unlimited number of published videos to up to five different accounts. It could make a lot of sense if you are a dedicated TikTok video creator and are thinking of moving your videos to another service.The interesting way: use the DevTools consoleIf you don't mind playing a little with code, there's a free way to do it as well. A consultant named Joanne Moxam has published a handy step-by-step YouTube video on how to use Chrome's browser console to save all your links in one fell swoop, move the data to a spreadsheet, and then use an online tool to bulk download your videos.Below, I've summarized the steps that Moxam suggests (which I successfully tried). She strongly recommends that you do this by using the Chrome browser.

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 67, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, happy Switch week, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)This week, I've been watching Black Doves and The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, reading about Lorne Michaels and rodeos and Ben Shapiro, restarting Twin Peaks in honor of David Lynch, wading nervously into Lemon8 and RedNote, catching up on old episodes of Working It Out, and watching altogether too many Balatro strategy videos.I also have for you my most anticipated gadget of the year, the new season of Severance, an incredibly cool tech design exhibit to explore, a nifty new AI productivity tool, and much more. This week has been wild, with the potential TikTok ban and the upcoming US inauguration and seemingly 40,000 other things happening - but we've got some great ways to decompress. Let's dive in.(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you reading / watching / playing / cooking / building / cutting into small pieces this week? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer,... Read the full story at The Verge.

Marvel Snap is unavailable due to the ban on ByteDance apps. | Screenshot: Marvel Snap The divest-or-ban law aimed at TikTok is also taking down other ByteDance-linked apps, including the popular card game Marvel Snap. The app suddenly cut off access Saturday night, seemingly without warning, surprising gamers who weren't aware of its connection to ByteDance.The card game battler set in the Marvel universe is developed by Second Dinner, which is based in California. But the game is published by Nuverse, a company owned by ByteDance. As a result, it's subject to the same shutdown order.In a statement on X, Second Dinner called the takedown a surprise and said, Marvel Snap isn't going anywhere. We're actively working on getting the game up as soon as possible and will update you once we have more to share."Just before the calendar turned over to January 19th, 2025, the game disappeared from the App Store for iPad and iPhone players and from Google Play for players on Android. For players on PC, the game is still listed in Steam at the moment, but many players are reporting they were signed out and can't sign back in.An in-game message now tells players:

Genshin Impact developer Cognosphere has to change the way it does loot boxes. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge The Federal Trade Commission announced on Friday that Genshin Impact developer Cognosphere has agreed to a $20 million settlement and several restrictions on how it sells its loot boxes and manages children's personal data. According to the FTC, the company actively marketed" its loot boxes to children and misled players about their odds of winning prizes.Cognosphere allegedly also deceived children and other users about the real costs of in-game transactions," by requiring them to buy virtual money that involved multiple currency exchanges. Players often spent hundreds of dollars on prizes they stood little chance of winning," according to Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Samuel Levine. For years, loot boxes have been likened to a form of legal gambling.The complaint, filed by the Department of Justice, also accuses the Genshin Impact developer of marketing to kids using approaches like posts on social media channels and in-game banners. The company then allegedly collected their personal information in violation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule. Once the settlement is approved, the company is required to delete any data for children under 13 whose parents haven't consented to their data being collected.Other requirements of the settlement include that Cognosphere must offer an option to buy loot boxes directly and not just through virtual money. It's also forbidden from misrepresenting pricing, features, and winning odds for loot boxes, and it must disclose exchange rates for multi-tiered virtual currency.

Image: The Verge Microsoft is testing AI-powered Windows search in a new dev channel build for Windows 11 Insider testers. Announced in October, it uses semantic indexing to let users search for local files using more casual language. Like other Microsoft AI features, you'll need a Copilot Plus PC to use it.The feature applies whether you're using search boxes in Settings, File Explorer, or the taskbar. And you don't need to be connected to the internet for it to work, thanks to the NPU chips on Copilot Plus computers. For now, AI search is limited to Windows settings and files with image and text formats that include JPEG, PNG, PDF, TXT, and XLS. Image: Microsoft Microsoft says that search only works for files in locations you've chosen to index. Users can tweak those locations using options found under Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows, or turn on Enhanced" to index their whole machine. The company adds that the feature will eventually expand to include cloud data such as that stored in OneDrive.AI-powered Windows search will gradually roll out to Windows Insiders on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs," Microsoft writes, with support for Intel or AMD Copilot Plus computers later. The feature will work for machines set to Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish languages. Image: Microsoft In addition to the new search, the build also includes AI writing tools offered by Click to Do, a feature that lets you choose from context-sensitive menus of options when you hold the Windows key down and left-click on your screen. Now, when you click a block of text and select Rewrite, there's a Refine" option that can correct grammar for you.

Photo by NASA / Isaac Watson Canoo announced yesterday it is ceasing operations immediately" and that it has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Delaware. The EV startup estimates in its filing that its assets are worth $126 million and that it owes over $164 million to its creditors, TechCrunch noted yesterday.Now, the US will appoint a Bankruptcy Trustee to oversee the liquidation of the Company's assets and the distribution of proceeds to creditors," Canoo writes. The company says it chose to file after failing to get support from either the US Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office or foreign investors.Canoo had signaled its dire situation last month when it idled its Oklahoma operations and put its employees on a mandatory unpaid break." Before that, it had lost a steady stream of executives, including all of its founders.We are truly disappointed that things turned out as they did," Canoo chairman and CEO Tony Aquila said in the announcement before thanking various government and business entities Canoo has dealt with. Those dealings have included producing shuttles for NASA's Artemis crew and an agreement to build 4,500 electric delivery vans for Walmart.

Adam Scott in Severance's season 1 finale. | Image: Apple After a long wait, Severance is back. Season 2 premiered on Apple TV Plus on January 17th, more than two years after the first season wrapped up. The wait was particularly hard because of how the season 1 finale ended - a massive cliffhanger that would completely upend the lives of almost everyone in this sci-fi thriller. Cliffhangers are a tricky business. They can help keep viewers interested in whatever comes next, but they can also be frustrating, seeming to withhold information purely for the purpose of keeping people hooked.Severance has managed this balancing act well so far, and I had the chance to talk to some of the creative team behind the show - creator Dan Erickson, director Ben Stiller, and star Adam Scott - about how they've pulled it off. Honestly it's just sort of guessing in your mind," Stiller tells The Verge. You try to think about what the stakes are that we've established, and hopefully you've earned it by the end."One of the trickiest parts for Severance, at least early on, was that the team wasn't really sure how audiences would react. It's a weird show that follows a group of office workers who have their brains surgically altered to separate their... Read the full story at The Verge.

The All-Fi hub that connects to AT&T's 5G network to provide home internet access in rural areas without broadband access. | Image: AT&T AT&T announced it will no longer offer its 5G Internet Air service in New York this week in response to the state's Affordable Broadband Act going into effect on Wednesday. The company says existing users can continue to use the service for 45 days without any charges, giving them time to find an alternate broadband provider, according to CNET.New York originally passed the Affordable Broadband Act in 2021, but the law was stalled for several years by pushbacks and legal challenges from broadband lobbying groups. Last December, the US Supreme Court declined to intervene, allowing the law to finally come into effect this month.It follows Congress' decision not to continue funding the federal Affordable Connectivity Program last year, which started during the covid-19 pandemic and offered discounts of up to $30 per month on home internet for qualifying households.The law requires internet providers with over 20,000 customers to offer two affordable broadband plans to low-income households that qualify for social assistance benefits like Medicaid or the National School Lunch Program. One plan offers download speeds of at least 25Mbps for no more than $15 per month, while the other boosts that to speeds of up to 200Mbps at a maximum of $20 per month.AT&T's Internet Air service offered New York residents download speeds of 40 to 140Mbps (which was temporarily slowed when the company's 5G network was busy) for $55 per month, or $60 for those not opting for autopay. Instead of complying with the new law and offering Internet Air at a discount, AT&T has instead ended its home internet services in New York. The company also doesn't offer home internet over fiber or DSL in the state.While we are committed to providing reliable and affordable internet service to customers across the country, New York's broadband law imposes harmful rate regulations that make it uneconomical for AT&T to invest in and expand our broadband infrastructure in the state," the company said in statements provided to CNET and Ars Technica.

Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images Bumble founder and executive chair Whitney Wolfe Herd, who stepped down as CEO at the beginning of 2024, is returning to the post in mid-March. Former Slack CEO Lidiane Jones, who succeeded Herd, has resigned for personal reasons" and will remain in the role until Wolfe Herd takes over.As I step into the role of CEO, I'm energized and fully committed to Bumble's success, our mission of creating meaningful, equitable relationships, and our opportunity ahead," Wolfe Herd says in a statement. We have exciting innovation ahead for Bumble in this bold new chapter."Bumble gained popularity in part because it was set up for women to message their matches first. But in April, it introduced a redesign and a feature that let men send the first message in response to prewritten questions.That redesign was announced following layoffs that the company said would better align its operating model with future strategic priorities," however, as Fortune notes, its share price has dropped by more than half since the redesign.Dating apps have struggled as of late, following the Bumble fumble" anti-celibacy ad it apologized for last year, as competitor Match Group (the owner of Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, and other services) reported a drop in users. In Bumble's most recent earnings report, it said that the number of paying users had increased from 3.8 million to 4.3 million over the last year, however, average revenue per paying user dropped from $23.42 to $21.17, and its total revenue dropped slightly.A 2023 Pew Research survey found that 52 percent of respondents thought they had come across a scammer on dating sites and apps, and 51 percent of women said their experiences had been negative. In the UK, an Ofcom report last year noted that usage of each of the top three largest dating services had declined from 2023, and survey data increasingly suggests Gen Z daters aren't using the apps as much.