The Verge

One thing is immediately noticeable as I try on the new Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Watch 8 Classic just ahead of Samsung Unpacked. The squircle has taken over. The circle-face-in-a-square-case design was introduced last year with the Galaxy Watch Ultra, and it has now made its way to the rest of the lineup. At [...]

Google is adding new AI features to Android's Circle to Search and Gemini Live tools. The update was announced today, alongside the launch of the next-generation Galaxy foldables, and it includes new Gemini Live capabilities for Samsung devices and integrates Google's search-centric AI Mode chatbot right into Circle to Search. AI Mode made its debut [...]

Ikea is relaunching its smart home line in a move that will make its low-cost products work with other brands, with or without Ikea's own hub. Starting in January, the Swedish furniture giant will release more than 20 new Matter-over-Thread smart lights, sensors, and remotes with "more new product types and form factors to come," [...]

Bluetooth and quick-to-music features like Spotify Tap are the future of sound at Ikea now that the Sonos partnership has fizzled. It's an approach that Ikea's David Granath says will make sound more affordable and easier to use for more people. Our aim is to make sound accessible, functional, and enjoyable - without adding complexity," [...]

Over the last two weeks, I've sought to uncover why the Nintendo Switch 2 didn't work with a host of USB-C accessories that worked perfectly fine with other devices, including third-party docks and some of the best-reviewed webcams. But today, I have first-hand confirmation that existing gadgets can work - as long as their manufacturers [...]

Prime Day 2025 is the best time this year to get a big-screen TV. Sure, there are deals in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, but those are generally on the previous year's TV because most new models haven't been released yet. Prime Day, however, comes after most major TV refreshes - including [...]

Apple CEO Tim Cook is about to take over one of the most significant parts of Apple's business: its design team. The team currently reports to COO Jeff Williams, but once Williams begins his just-announced retirement late in the year," the design team will then transition to reporting directly to Cook," Apple says. The company [...]

In a significant albeit preliminary win for the president, the Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to go ahead with its plans to drastically reshape federal agencies by laying off employees en masse. The unsigned decision lifts a lower court ruling that briefly stopped the Trump administration from cutting down the federal workforce while [...]

Apple has announced that Sabih Khan, the company's vice president of operations, will take over for Jeff Williams as chief operating officer later this month. In an announcement on Tuesday, Apple said the move is part of a long-planned succession" that has Williams retiring at the end of this year. Williams, who oversaw the introduction [...]

Before this year's Prime Day event began, there were already some great early deals on Apple products, allowing you to save on the Apple Watch, iPad, and the MacBook Air. Now we can add Apple's second generation AirPods Pro with USB-C charging case to the list, which is currently down to $149 ($100 off) at [...]

Microsoft's new 12-inch Surface Pro is awesome, and at $115 off at Best Buy, it's a fantastic deal to jump on during Amazon Prime Day. Both Amazon and Microsoft are selling it for $699.99. No matter where you buy it, you can use the discount to cover most of the cost of the $150 keyboard, [...]

Google is introducing a new Gmail feature for those feeling overwhelmed by an onslaught of subscription emails in their inboxes. The Manage subscriptions view shows a list of emails delivered through active subscriptions, automatically sorted with the most frequent senders at the top, next to individual one-click links that will unsubscribe you from their mailing [...]

It's a great time to buy a new TV during Amazon Prime Day (or, days, rather), but that doesn't mean you should only consider 2025 models. You can get huge discounts on last year's models without compromising on much. For example, the excellent 2024 Samsung S90D OLED is available for its lowest price ever. The [...]

For years, Warner Bros. Discovery has been playing a desperate game of catchup in hopes of recreating the success that Marvel achieved with its live action comics adaptations. DC movies had their moments, but they never managed to come together in a way that felt right or intentional. And for a long time, it seemed [...]

Zoom has rolled out a standalone app for Meta Quest headsets. With the app, you can join or host meetings in virtual reality while appearing as your Meta Avatar. Zoom launched an app for the Quest in 2023, but it was only available through Meta's Horizon Workspaces app, and users could also only host a [...]

By definition, flash floods are notoriously difficult to warn people about well in advance. They form rapidly, giving forecasters hours of lead time at best to figure out where they might hit with specificity. We've seen this with devastating effect in Texas, where flash floods over Independence Day weekend killed over 100 people - many [...]

Amazon finally has listings for the Nintendo Switch 2 in the US - though right now, you can only register your interest for an invitation to purchase a console. If you're interested, here are links to the console and Mario Kart World bundle and the console on its own. It's a big change following Nintendo [...]

A key pillar of post-9/11 airport security theater may finally be going away. Multiple outlets are reporting that the Transportation Security Administration will start allowing passengers at a few select airports to keep their shoes on while going through security checkpoints. No longer will we have to gaze upon our fellow travelers' weird socks or [...]

Twitter co-founder and Block Head Jack Dorsey launched a new peer-to-peer messaging app over the weekend called Bitchat that runs entirely over Bluetooth. Bitchat relies on Bluetooth Low Energy mesh networks to send encrypted communications directly to nearby devices without requiring internet or cellular service. Bitchat addresses the need for resilient, private communication that doesn't [...]

Lately, it has been difficult to ignore a tendency at The New York Times to make astonishingly bad news judgments. The paper's obsession with a view from nowhere is long-standing, but as Republicans increasingly circulate insane conspiracy theories and racist nonsense, the cult of centrism has taken a self-destructive turn. The most recent - and [...]

Smartwatches aren't for everyone. Maybe you don't want to wear a screen-equipped gadget to bed, or you're just after something that's less obtrusive. Subtlety is where smart rings like the Oura Ring 4 shine, and Prime Day has knocked down its cost. It costs $296.65 ($52.35) from Amazon, which is both its best price and [...]

Microsoft's latest Windows AI features arrived first on new Copilot Plus PCs last year, but they were limited to a special range of laptops. That looks set to change thanks to Intel refreshing its existing Arrow Lake desktop CPUs later this year, that might just deliver Copilot Plus PC features in desktop PC form factors [...]

Apple's new Liquid Glass design language just got a little more... frosted. In the third iOS 26 developer beta, Apple dialed back the transparency of navigation bars, buttons, and tabs that once allowed you to clearly see the content beneath them. Apple already toned down the glassiness of Liquid Glass after many users complained that [...]

Grok, the chatbot developed by Elon Musk's xAI, was updated over the weekend with instructions to "assume subjective viewpoints sourced from the media are biased" and "not shy away from making claims which are politically incorrect" - part of Musk's ongoing attempt to shape the bot's point of view. Musk announced on Friday that xAI [...]

In a new post shared to its Windows blog, Microsoft says that it has reached a major milestone" when it comes to improving the speed of Edge's user interface. It now takes Microsoft's browser less than 300 milliseconds to start rendering the first parts of a website for users, whether it's text, images, or parts [...]

Since its launch, the Nintendo Switch 2 has been notoriously difficult to buy, with many retailers selling out of their allotted stock within minutes. Luckily, there's good news: starting at 7PM Eastern today, Walmart Plus members will be able to purchase Nintendo's latest handheld console - either the standalone Switch 2 or the Mario Kart [...]

President Donald Trump plans to impose a 25 percent tariff on goods imported from South Korea and Japan. The levy will go into effect on August 1st, which is when the Trump administration will begin enforcing sweeping tariffs on a wider swath of countries that fail to reach a trade agreement with the US. The [...]

One thing that has been missing from Bluesky until now was the ability to turn on notifications for specific accounts, but now Activity Notifications are live. If you want to know every time The Verge or ESPN, or one of your friends posts, you can, just by toggling the bell icon on their profile page, [...]

Tesla used to be the envy of the auto world, with sky-high valuations, a relentless focus on tech, and a CEO that commanded unprecedented loyalty from his customers. Now the company's reputation is in shambles, its financial future looks increasingly grim, and its costly bets on AI and robotics are unlikely to pay off anytime [...]

Last September, after successfully suing Google for running an illegal app store monopoly, Epic Games sued Samsung, too - alleging the phonemaker of illegally conspiring with Google to undermine third-party app stores. An "Auto Blocker" feature on Samsung Android phones, which was turned on by default, automatically kept users from installing apps from stores that [...]

Amazon Prime Day kicks off tomorrow, July 8th, but you don't have to wait until then to pick up Apple's latest pair of AirPods at a discount. Right now, theAirPods 4 are available for around $99 ($30 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart, while the AirPods 4 with noise cancellation are going for around [...]

A bigger, more powerful Switch means bigger, more intensive games that take more time and money to make. But as development costs skyrocket across the industry, Nintendo seems to have a plan to keep things in control as it transitions into the Switch 2 era. In response to a question during a recent shareholders meeting [...]

Hoping to recapture the popularity of the Barbie movie that grossed over $1.44 billion worldwide, toy maker Mattel has announced that Wicked's Jon M. Chu will direct its upcoming live-action Hot Wheels movie, with Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier, whose credits include Creed II and They Cloned Tyrone, writing the script. The film was first [...]

A climate change activist was arrested after spray-painting Apple's 5th Avenue store as part of a protest against Big Tech's climate hypocrisy." Protestors from the Extinction Rebellion environmental group staged a demonstration at the New York City storefront on Sunday, and one individual spray-painted Boycott" beneath the Apple logo on the building's entrance, along with [...]

Ahead of Galaxy Unpacked this week, Samsung is announcing several new features coming to its smart home platform, SmartThings, including the ability to create routines using natural language. That means you'll be able to simply tell SmartThings what you want your smart home to do, and it'll take care of all the complicated details for [...]

Destiny: Rising, the mobile-exclusive sci-fi RPG shooter set in Bungie's Destiny universe, will be released for iOS and Android on August 28th. The launch date was announced by Chinese developer NetEase Games alongside the release of a new gameplay trailer that shows off some of the missions, strikes, PvP battles, and PvE features that players [...]

Microsoft has finally crossed an important milestone for Windows 11, months ahead of Windows 10's end of support cutoff date. Stat Counter, spotted by Windows Central, now lists Windows 11 as the most used desktop operating system nearly four years after its release, with 52 percent of the market, compared to 44.59 percent for Windows [...]

With two days until the official launch, more details have leaked about the trio of foldable phones Samsung is about to reveal. The latest leak details the screens, storage, batteries, and other core specs of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, and new Z Flip 7 FE. The new information comes from WinFuture's [...]

Even with the TikTok divest-or-ban law officially in effect since January, the app has only shut down service in the US for one day. Now, The Information reports that an agreement for a sale satisfying the law's requirements is close and would come with a new, separate version of the app. Any deal, however, would [...]

Amazon's next Prime Day event hasn't officially kicked off yet, but as usual, the retailer has already dropped a selection of early deals ahead of the four-day shopping event. While steeper discounts are surely to arrive when things kick off on July 8th, many of the current offers are already worth considering, especially if you're [...]

Grab your grill, your hot dogs, and your sparklers because it's time to celebrate... Summer Games Done Quick 2025. The annual speedrunning charity marathon benefitting Doctors without Borders is back starting July 6th and finishes July 12th. Here's how and most importantly what to watch as you enjoy the reason for the speedrunning season. Summer [...]

Here at this website, my colleagues and I follow our beats closely, from wearable tech and laptops to influencer culture and federal policy. Last year, I asked a bunch of staff at The Verge to pretend to be trend forecasters for a lighthearted collection of what's hot and what's not. Some of the predictions really [...]

The world of Chromebooks has its MacBook Air. Lenovo's latest Chromebook Plus 14 is an Arm-based thin-and-light with good specs, excellent battery life, a great keyboard, all-around solid build, and a fantastic OLED screen. But the best part is that its bright and punchy 14-inch panel comes standard on the base $649 configuration or as [...]

In May, we learned that the development of a sequel to the Cyberpunk 2077 game is moving forward at CD Projekt Red, and today, at the Anime Expo 2025 event, it officially announced a new season of the anime spinoff for Netflix. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 will have ...an entirely new story, fresh characters, and a [...]

I don't often get asked about the phones I'm testing when I'm out and about, unless it's a folding phone. Then I usually hear some version of the same thing: "Oh, I thought about getting one of those! But then I just got a [insert slab-style phone name here]." My anecdotal data matches the actual [...]

It's been an agonizing wait for more Deltarune. The first chapter of the episodic, parallel story to Toby Fox's acclaimed RPG Undertale came out nearly seven years ago. But the newly released third and fourth chapters are so good that I highly recommend playing everything that's available right now - even if there are still [...]

As exciting as it is to see how electric technology redefines automotive transportation, it's just as exciting to see how it alters what we already have. In the aftermarket, EV-converted restomods are quickly becoming big business. But direct from manufacturers, there's great potential in electrifying legacy badges by seamlessly blending old design with new technology. [...]

The sweeping layoffs announced by Microsoft this week have been especially hard on its gaming studios, but one Xbox executive has a solution to help reduce the emotional and cognitive load that comes with job loss": seek advice from AI chatbots. In a now-deleted LinkedIn post captured by Aftermath, Xbox Game Studios' Matt Turnbull said [...]

Ploopy has announced another desktop accessory called the Ploopy Knob that can function like a control dial for adjusting volume, scrolling documents, or scrubbing through media on a computer. The Canadian company isn't exactly a household name like Logitech, but Ploopy's open-source peripherals offer a lot of customizability, and like its mouse and trackballs, you [...]

Once upon a time in America, there was a tyrant. And Congress rejected him totally. The tyrant, of course, was King George III, the target of the Declaration of Independence. We take it for granted now, but the Declaration was an enormous political innovation - in it, the country that became the United States of [...]