The Verge

Photo by Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Apple is allegedly threatening to fire an employee who posted a TikTok video with basic iPhone security tips. The employee, Paris Campbell, says she was told that she breached company policy by identifying herself as an Apple employee and posting about Apple-related topics.The company’s social media policy warns employees against posting about customers, colleagues, or confidential information — but Apple doesn’t specifically bar employees from posting about the technology entirely.“We want you to be yourself, but you should also be respectful in posts, tweets, and other online communications,” an internal document reads.

Photo by Tobias Hase / picture alliance via Getty Images Managing blood pressure at home is already difficult, and syncing blood pressure equipment up to an app doesn’t make the process any better, a new study found. In this case, just like many others, technology isn’t a good replacement for medical support.Millions of adults in the United States have uncontrolled blood pressure, and high blood pressure can put people at risk for heart disease and stroke. Helping people manage their blood pressure is a major goal for health systems — but just sending someone who has high blood pressure home with a cuff isn’t particularly helpful, research shows. What does help is pairing people’s at-home blood pressure tracking with education support programs, regular counseling about medications from... Continue reading…

Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 2. | Image: Niko Tavernise The Continental, a three-episode series that takes place before the events of the John Wick films, is coming to Peacock in 2023. In a press release, NBC announced that it has reached “a multi-year deal” for The Continental, which was originally set to premiere on Starz.Unlike the films, The Continental won’t center around Keanu Reeves as the titular assassin. It will instead explore the origin of the Continental Hotel that serves as a sanctuary for criminals throughout the John Wick franchise.The series is set in 1975 New York City and follows the younger version of Winston Scott (played by The Flight Attendant’s Colin Woodell) as he tries to gain control of the Continental Hotel. It will also feature Ayomide Adegun as a young Charon,... Continue reading…

Netflix Though Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities began as a bound collection of the director’s nightmarish ideas that weren’t quite ready to be realized, each chapter of Netflix’s upcoming horror anthology based on the book will tell a fully fleshed-out story meant to push the boundaries of the genre. While Cabinet of Curiosities is del Toro’s baby, he’s just one of the many masters of horror with their hands on the eight-episode-long series, and in a new featurette, he breaks down just what all each of his fellow directors has brought to the project.While del Toro’s obviously proud of the two original stories he wrote and directed for Cabinet of Curiosities, it’s the work of his fellow directors like The Babadook’s Jennifer Kent and T... Continue reading…

Android 13 is 2022’s big Android update. | Image: Google This year’s major Android update, Android 13, is officially releasing today for Google’s Pixel phones, the search giant has announced. The annual update is getting an official release a little earlier than usual, following Android 12’s release last October and Android 11’s release in September 2020.The list of updates arriving with this year’s version of Android is likely to be familiar if you’ve been keeping up with Android 13’s beta releases. There’s the ability to customize non-Google app icons to match your homescreen wallpaper that we saw in Android 13’s first developer preview, a new permission to cut down on notification spam, and a new option to limit which of your photos and videos an app can access. Image:... Continue reading…

The game will be based on the books. | Image: Warner Bros. Weta Workshop, which worked on Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, is developing a new video game set in the Middle-earth universe from J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. There aren’t many details about this new game just yet — though it sounds as if Weta could have a large well of material to choose from. “Middle-earth Enterprises have licensed the literary works of the series, providing Wētā Workshop with the broadest creative license to interpret the underlying lore of the books,” according to a press release.Weta’s game division is partnering with Take-Two publishing label Private Division on the upcoming title. There’s no announced release date, though the game is expected to launch in Take-Two’s 2024 fiscal year, which runs from... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The now bankrupt Three Arrows Capital (3AC) presented signs of mismanagement before the cryptocurrency hedge fund’s ultimate collapse. A report from New York Magazine reveals that 3AC co-founders Kyle Davies and Su Zhu faced criticism from banks and other traders before the company even entered the crypto market.In its early days, the Singapore-based 3AC got into foreign exchange (FX) trading and reportedly practiced something called currency arbitrage, which allowed Zhu and Davies to cash in on mispriced quotes from different brokers, even if it resulted in gains of just “fractions of a cent on each dollar traded.” According to New York Magazine, banks would sometimes try to contact 3AC in an attempt to call off or adjust the trade,... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Volkswagen “cannot guarantee” that its ID.4 compact electric SUV will be eligible for the new electric vehicle tax credits that are set to go into effect after President Joe Biden signs the Inflation Reduction Act. The automaker isn’t alone in its confusion.The auto industry is scrambling to adjust to the new rules requiring that EVs must be assembled in North America, using parts and supplies sourced domestically or from official trading partners, in order for customers to qualify for the $7,500 tax credit. Most EVs have batteries that are sourced from China, meaning the new rules are written in such a way as to effectively disqualify the vast majority of EVs on the road today.In an email to customers, VW says it “expects but cannot... Continue reading…

The $2,400 Dione is a luxury buy for people who don’t want to deal with surrounds or a subwoofer Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Snap is finding early success with its paid subscription service Snapchat Plus. The company says it has amassed 1 million paid users since launching Snapchat Plus in late June.A Snapchat Plus subscription gives users early and exclusive access to features for $3.99 a month, including changing the app icon and seeing who rewatched your story. In July, the company rolled out Snapchat for desktop to subscribers — the first major feature for paid users. New Snapchat Plus features include increased visibility when replying to Snap Stars. Snapchat is also introducing a new set of features today for its more than 1 million Plus subscribers. Among the updates is priority story replies, which makes Plus subscribers’... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Update August 15th, 10:55AM ET: Zoom has updated its Mac app to address the vulnerability, with version 5.11.5, which is available for download now.A security researcher has found a way that an attacker could leverage the macOS version of Zoom to gain access over the entire operating system.Details of the exploit were released in a presentation given by Mac security specialist Patrick Wardle at the Def Con hacking conference in Las Vegas on Friday. Some of the bugs involved have already been fixed by Zoom, but the researcher also presented one unpatched vulnerability that still affects systems now.The exploit works by targeting the installer for the Zoom application, which needs to run with special user permissions in order to install... Continue reading…

WeWork co-founder Adam Neumann. | Photo by Ryan Muir / Getty Images via The New York Times Adam Neumann, the co-founder and former CEO of the shared office startup WeWork, is working on a new rental real estate business that has received funding from Andreessen Horowitz. According to a report from The New York Times, the venture capital firm invested around $350 million in Neumann’s up-and-coming real estate business, called Flow, which aims to provide a consistent housing experience across a chain of branded apartment complexes.If you’re at all familiar with the story of WeWork, you might be having a bit of déjà vu. The company, which provides flexible office spaces for workers, was once valued at $50 billion. But after a failed IPO (initial public offering) and the layoffs of thousands of its workers, WeWork became more... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge | Movie stills by Alamy The site’s long history still has lessons for the internet today Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Uber is teaming up with Office Depot to bring on-demand office and school supplies to the Uber Eats platform. It’s the latest effort by the ride-hailing company to diversify its delivery options beyond takeout and groceries.Starting today, Uber Eats customers can place orders from 900 Office Depot and OfficeMax locations across the country. “From ink and toner, to backpacks, binders, and more, consumers will be able to shop for thousands of items and have them delivered right to their door,” the company says.In addition, members of Uber’s monthly subscription service, Uber One, will receive special benefits, like free delivery and a 5 percent discount on all orders with a $15 minimum purchase.“From ink and toner, to backpacks,... Continue reading…

The Ark is effectively a curved TV masquerading as a monitor. It’s fast and bright, yet its multiview features may be equally appealing to you Continue reading…

The Pixel 6 (left) next to the Pixel 6 Pro (right). | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge You have another chance to get a Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro at their lowest respective prices. The 6.4-inch Pixel 6 is $100 off, costing $499 unlocked at Amazon, Best Buy, or through the Google Store. The pricier Pixel 6 Pro has a 6.7-inch display, a higher-res screen, more RAM, and most notably, a telephoto lens with 4x optical zoom on its rear that sets it apart from many flagship phones out there. It normally costs $899, but you can get it for $649 through Amazon, Best Buy, or at the Google Store. To put the price in context, this beats the Prime Day price by $50.You can nab these phones at Target, too, and if you’re very lucky, you may find an especially good deal at your local store on the Pixel 6 Pro. Some Reddit users found the Pixel... Continue reading…

Intel is dropping support for the 20-year-old API across 12th Gen processors and ARC GPUs. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Intel is removing native support for DirectX 9 (DX9) from its new Arc graphics cards and Xe integrated graphics on 12th Gen processors, with support now coming from emulation thanks to DirectX 12.News of the DirectX 9 change comes from a recently updated support page on Intel’s website in which the company states it will drop support for the 20-year-old graphics API but offers reassurance that “applications and games based on DirectX 9 can still work through [the] Microsoft [Windows 10 and Windows 11] D3D9On12 interface.”Microsoft is now shouldering responsibility for optimizations to DirectX 9 games and associated bugsIn essence, while modern Intel GPUs won’t have dedicated drivers for older games that solely run on DX9, such as U... Continue reading…

OLED with few compromises Continue reading…

Samar Haddad / The Verge You’re sitting on the couch watching the latest episode of Bluey with your offspring when the doorbell rings or you hear a noise from the nursery. If you have a Google Chromecast hooked up to your TV, there’s no need to whip out your phone or crane your neck to see the Nest Hub smart display in the kitchen — you can just ask Google to show you a live feed of your doorbell or security camera right on said TV.Any compatible security camera from Nest, Arlo, Wyze, Eufy, Netatmo, TP-Link Kasa, and others can be streamed live on the big screen using any generation of Chromecast. And, as of last month, you can now stream the newer Nest Cams, too, as long as you have a Chromecast with Google TV. Here’s a full list of Nest cams that you can... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Text-to-image AI systems are booming in both ability and popularity right now, and what better proof than their appearance in the world’s hottest app: TikTok.The video platform recently added a new effect it calls “AI greenscreen” that allows users to type in a text prompt that the software will then generate as an image. This image can then be used as the background to a video — potentially a very useful tool for creators.The output of TikTok’s system is pretty basic compared to that of state-of-the-art text-to-image models like Google’s Imagen, OpenAI’s DALL-E 2, or Midjourney’s eponymous software. It creates only rather abstract and swirling images; a strength reflected in the dreamy nature of TikTok’s suggested prompts like... Continue reading…

Xbox One S | Photo by Tyler Pina / The Verge Official Xbox One sales have largely been a mystery, but now Microsoft is finally admitting the obvious: the PS4 outsold the Xbox One — by a lot.Microsoft stopped reporting its Xbox One sales figures at the beginning of its 2016 financial year, focusing instead on Xbox Live numbers. The change meant we’ve never officially known how well Xbox One was holding up compared to the PS4 after the Xbox One’s troubled launch. Analyst estimates have consistently put Microsoft in third place behind Sony and Nintendo, and now documents (Word doc) submitted to Brazil’s national competition regulator (spotted by Game Luster) finally shed some light on how the Xbox One generation went.“Sony has surpassed Microsoft in terms of console sales and... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Zoom has issued a patch for a bug on macOS that could allow a hacker to take control of a user’s operating system (via MacRumors). In an update on its security bulletin, Zoom acknowledges the issue (CVE-2022-28756) and says a fix is included in version 5.11.5 of the app on Mac, which you can (and should) download now.Patrick Wardle, a security researcher and founder of the Objective-See Foundation, a nonprofit that creates open-source macOS security tools, first uncovered the flaw and presented it at the Def Con hacking conference last week. My colleague, Corin Faife, attended the event and reported on Wardle’s findings.As Corin explains, the exploit targets the Zoom installer, which requires special user permissions to run. By... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Reddit now lets users purchase Ethereum cryptocurrency on the platform through an integration with FTX, the crypto exchange owned by billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried. In a press release, FTX announced that Reddit users can now use the firm’s payment system, FTX Pay, when managing their blockchain-based community points.Reddit first rolled out community points in 2020 as a way to reward users for interacting with a community. These points exist on the Ethereum blockchain and are stored in the “Vault,” a user’s blockchain-based wallet that also holds the collectible NFT (non-fungible token) avatars that Reddit introduced last month.Reddit displays a user’s community points next to their username as a measure of their reputation, but also... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Apple could eventually bring ads to more of the apps that come pre-installed on your iPhone and other Apple devices, including Maps, Books, and Podcasts. According to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has internally tested search ads in Maps, which could display recommendations when you search for restaurants, stores, or other nearby businesses.Apple already implements a similar advertising model on the App Store, as developers can pay to have their app promoted on a search page for a particular query, like “puzzle games” or “photo editor.” As noted by Gurman, ads on Maps could work in the same way, with businesses paying to appear at the top of search results when users enter certain search terms.Gurman believes that Apple... Continue reading…

I just played some Halo on an original Xbox, and it was still very good. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Moments after booting up Halo: Combat Evolved with some friends, stepping onto the legendary Blood Gulch map, and dying nearly instantly from a few well-placed pistol shots, I remembered exactly why wires are good.When my friends brought two original Xbox consoles along for a beach weekend, I expected that there would be some hassle getting them to work for our planned six-player matches. The game and consoles are more than 20 years old, likely predating even the dusty flat-screen TVs we were playing on. But to my surprise, just a few minutes after we had set up the consoles and connected them for system link play, we plugged in some controllers, made a Halo lobby, and began trash talking each other across the entire house.Modern... Continue reading…

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images Elon Musk pitched sustainable energy, brain implants, and space exploration in an article published in a Chinese magazine run by the country’s internet watchdog and censorship agency, according to a translation from Yang Liu, a reporter for the Chinese state press agency, Xinhua. (via WSJ reporter Karen Hao).Formed in 2013, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) is in charge of creating and enforcing policies surrounding online content, user data, and digital security. The CAC later created a magazine that, according to China Media Project senior researcher, Stella Chen, typically includes regulatory announcements and research on internet policy. The magazine was initially called New Media before it was rebranded as China... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Uber is ending its free loyalty program, Uber Rewards, so it can turn its attention to its subscription-based Uber One membership. In an email sent to customers, Uber explains that users can still earn points until the end of August, and that the last day to redeem points is October 31st.“Thank you for being part of Uber Rewards,” the email reads. “It’s been a great ride, but we’ve decided to end Rewards soon, as we shift our focus to our new Uber One membership program.” Screenshot: Uber via Michael Konen The email sent to Uber Rewards users. Uber has since posted an update about the loyalty program’s imminent shutdown, which will take place on November 1st, 2022. Launched in 2018, Uber Rewards is a free... Continue reading…

The fate of Warner Bros. DC Comics movies is looking grim Continue reading…

The Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is meant to appeal to serious outdoors athletes, but relies on a touchscreen. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge Earlier this week, Samsung announced the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. It’s Samsung’s most durable smartwatch ever and at Unpacked it was clear that the company intends the watch to appeal to outdoor athletes. Apple also revealed at WWDC that watchOS 9 will feature a ton of new running metrics, adding fuel to rumors that a rugged Apple Watch may be on the way. It’s clear that both companies are looking to lure in users from the Garmin and Polar crowd — but aside from battery life and durability, there’s another obstacle that could derail these efforts. Touchscreens.For better or worse, Apple and Samsung have relied on touchscreen navigation on their smartwatches. That’s fine for casual exercise, or for the average person who isn’t traversing all... Continue reading…

Verge readers can save up to $200 on iRobot’s Roomba j7 and Roomba i3 Plus EVO for a limited time. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Great news, folks! Wellbots is currently taking up to $200 off cat Ubers — err, robot vacuums. OK, it may not be the most exciting news of the week, but most people would agree that there is nothing remotely fun about cleaning. Luckily, robot vacuums like iRobot’s Roomba j7 and Roomba i3 Plus EVO can expedite the entire process and make it a lot less hands-on.Right now, you can buy the Roomba j7 — our favorite robot vacuum — for just $399 ($200 off) at Wellbots when you use promo code THEVERGE200 at checkout, which matches the robovac’s lowest price to date. The vacuum offers a wealth of great features, including scheduling, obstacle avoidance, the ability to map out your home’s layout, and Alexa, Google, and Siri support so you can... Continue reading…

Image: YouTube YouTube is building a system that would allow users to subscribe to streaming services through the YouTube app, The Wall Street Journal reported, and could launch the so-called “channel store” as early as this fall. The Journal’s report didn’t say which services might be part of the store, only that YouTube has been talking with various entertainment companies.A channel store makes perfect sense for YouTube, and it’s been a long time in the works: The Information reported on a similar plan way back in early 2020. More recently, the company has been signaling this is coming: “I think whether content is distributed in a bundle, or where over time we explore other ways of distributing it, I think YouTube can be a great partner there,”... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge You may soon have the option to have your Facebook Marketplace purchases picked up and delivered by DoorDash. According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Facebook’s parent company, Meta, is partnering with DoorDash to deliver Marketplace items located up to 15 miles away.Not every item is eligible for delivery, though. Sources tell the WSJ that DoorDash will only deliver items that are small enough to fit in the trunk of a car, and that drivers are expected to make deliveries within 48 hours. Either way, it sounds like a helpful option for anyone who isn’t able to pick up an item themselves.It also fills a gap in Facebook Marketplace’s existing local delivery options, which only lets you get larger items delivered through a... Continue reading…

Part desk clock, part status board, all Nyan Cat Continue reading…

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, speaks during a news conference on climate action outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, November 17th, 2021. | Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images Congress has officially passed the Inflation Reduction Act after a successful House vote on Friday, clearing the way for the biggest clean energy package in US history. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill into law soon, bringing the US within eyeshot of reaching its climate goals under the Paris accord.The bulk of the bill’s spending — $369 billion — goes toward building up domestic manufacturing of electric vehicles and clean energy technologies plus making homes and buildings more energy-efficient. There’s another $4 billion to promote drought resiliency in the western US. Outside of climate initiatives, the bill also spends $64 billion on healthcare subsidies to prevent insurance premiums from rising for people who buy... Continue reading…

Twitch was all set to hold a giant maskless convention in San Diego this October in the midst of monkeypox and the continued threat of COVID-19 — but after an outcry that included both attendees and some of its own streamer partners, the platform has decided to require masks and proof of vaccination once again.“We’ve been listening to all of your feedback and know that many of you–especially those who are immunocompromised and the people who support them–want stricter health measures in place to help you feel safe attending TwitchCon San Diego in person,” reads the beginning of a major update to the company’s blog post announcing that tickets were on sale.To attend TwitchCon, attendees 5 years and older now need to wear an snug mask... Continue reading…

Peloton’s Bike Plus will return to its original $2,495 pricing from $1,995. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Peloton CEO Barry McCarthy had his job cut out for him when he took over the helm in February as the company laid off 2,800 employees. Now, roughly six months later, McCarthy has sent out a memo to staffers warning the company plans to eliminate an additional 784 jobs in a third round of layoffs, reports Bloomberg. Peloton will also increase the prices of the Bike Plus and Tread, while shuttering retail showrooms starting in 2023.Peloton spokesperson Ben Boyd confirmed the news in a statement to The Verge, writing:

Endling - Extinction is Forever title card | Herobeat Studios In a video game climate that bends over backwards to assure you the cute little creatures you play as or with cannot be harmed, it was shocking to hear the mother fox’s neck snap in Endling - Extinction is Forever. I was running with my trio of kits, trying to escape the murderous clutches of a furrier when he caught me. I struggled as he held me down before I heard the crack of the bones as the screen went dark, informing me I had failed as a mother and that my cubs were going to die. And while I thought that was a little too much, that kind of unflinching look at the reality of survival in a world ruined by climate change is exactly what the developers were going for.“We wanted to put everything there,” Javier Romello, CEO of Endling’... Continue reading…

V2V, or vehicle-to-vehicle technology, allows cars to receive messages about road conditions and crashes. Today, the DC circuit court released its decision, siding with the Federal Communications Commission, on its reallocation of part of the 5.9GHz band. It’s a big win for the FCC and a big loss for the auto industry, which has promised to use the airwaves to improve safety through a technology called “vehicle-to-vehicle” (V2V) or “vehicle-to-everything” (V2X) communication.The problem, as hilariously put by Judge Justin Walker in his opinion, is that this technology has never really existed. It was one of those “just around the corner”-type innovations that has always been promised but never actually delivered. It was a fantasy, and today, the court’s basically said as much.The problem, as hilariously put by Judge Justin Walker in his... Continue reading…

Samar Haddad; Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge So you’re the proud owner of one of Samsung’s foldables. Look at you, you early adopter! There are obviously a few more ways to use your phone than a typical slab-style phone, and that’s probably why you bought one.Flex Mode is one of those features. That’s basically just a term for whenever you use the phone’s main screen folded halfway. It’s most useful if you want to set the phone down and use it hands-free, like for video calls, and some apps are optimized by default to take advantage of it.Here’s how to use Flex Mode with the apps that support it natively — and also how to enable it for apps that don’t. I tested these steps on a Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 running One UI 4.1.1.For apps that support Flex ModeTo enter... Continue reading…

Hogwarts Legacy | Warner Bros. Hogwarts Legacy, the Harry Potter prequel game, has been delayed a second time according to a tweet from the game’s official Twitter account.

A wind turbine generates electricity at the Block Island Wind Farm on July 7th, 2022, near Block Island, Rhode Island. | Photo by John Moore/Getty Images California has set a hella ambitious goal to build up its offshore wind industry. The Golden State is aiming to reach 25,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2045, about as much as all of Europe has today.The target set by the California Energy Commission on Wednesday is the biggest commitment any state has made yet to develop wind farms off of their coasts. The goal is even more monumental considering the US’s fledgling offshore wind industry has really only gained a foothold on the East Coast.So far, there are two small projects off the coasts of Rhode Island and Virginia capable of generating just 42 megawatts of electricity. The first commercial-scale wind farm, to be built off the coast of Massachusetts, just received f... Continue reading…

Apple wanted a cut of boosted posts. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple and Meta may not be the best of friends right now, but at one point, Apple was in discussions with the social media company about how it could make more money from its presence on the App Store, according to The Wall Street Journal.Apple reportedly argued that it deserved a cut of certain portions of Facebook’s ad revenue. The specific ads in question were boosted posts, which let users pay to have their posts reach more people, the WSJ reports. Apple apparently argued boosted posts are in-app purchases, which it famously takes a portion of; Meta argued that they were ads, from which Apple doesn’t get a share. It seems that Meta won out.Apple hasn’t only wanted a share of boost sales from Meta. Matt Mullenweg, the CEO of Tumblr... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge In a recent (and very funny) blog post, The Verge’s Liz Lopatto bemoans the ad-ification and TikTok-ification of Instagram and other social media sites. “Can someone just build a simple photo app that isn’t sleazy and let me know where it is so that my friends can join it?” she asks. And she apparently hasn’t been the only one — it’s gotten to the point where Instagram is starting to walk back some of its changes due to user complaints.The comments section of Liz’s post soon became filled with various suggestions for alternative photo sites where you could post your cat pix and other cute / funny / beautiful photos and have your friends and family be able to admire and discuss them. I took a look at some of them (and some that I found... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge A proposal to let parents sue over addictive social media features failed in the California legislature this week. The bill, AB 2408, failed to pass out of committee for a full state Senate vote. It at least temporarily ends a controversial push to increase liability for social media in the state — an increasingly common practice among legislators.AB 2408, or the Social Media Platform Duty to Children Act, was one of numerous state-level social media proposals. It would have authorized civil penalties against social networks whose designs caused a “child user ... to become addicted to the platform,” either by design or in a way the operators should have known was harmful. It would not have applied to social networks that generate less... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon is everywhere: in the doctor’s office, in people’s homes, in their shopping carts, and now — in their therapist’s office, too. Amazon’s virtual healthcare program, Amazon Care, now includes a partnership with mental health company Ginger, according to an Amazon Care webpage. The new offerings were first reported by Insider.The webpage outlines the behavioral health options available through Amazon Care. Primary care providers on the platform can respond to some low-grade issues, like mild anxiety. For more serious concerns, patients can be referred to providers outside of Amazon Care. Ginger, a digital mental health platform that gives people 24/7 access to mental health coaches and therapists, will be available as an optional... Continue reading…

A souped-up smart button for Apple’s HomeKit smart home Continue reading…

The Galaxy Buds 2 and their wireless charging case have a very compact design. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge We’re just a couple days removed from Samsung’s Unpacked event, where it announced two new foldable phones, two new smartwatches, and one new premium set of earbuds — the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. While there are some trade-in deals if you preorder those buds before their release on August 26th, there’s a better deal happening on the similarly named base model.Right now, you can get the excellent value that is the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 for just $99.99 ($50 off) at Best Buy and Amazon. That matches their lowest price, and unlike some previous occasions, these are USA models that come with a full warranty. They’re also available in nearly all colors, including Best Buy’s exclusive darker phantom black.The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are sure to offer... Continue reading…

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge Every Wednesday and Friday, The Verge publishes our flagship podcast, The Vergecast, where our editors make sense of the week’s most important technology news. On Fridays, Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel, editor-at-large David Pierce, and managing editor Alex Cranz discuss the week in tech news with the reporters and editors covering the biggest stories.On today’s show, Nilay, David, and Alex are joined by Verge senior news editor Richard Lawler to discuss the foldable phones announced at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event this week: the Z Fold 4 and the Z Flip 4. Samsung basically owns the foldable category in the US, and the devices are getting better with each generation. But do people actually hold on to them? The crew shares their... Continue reading…

A Nissan Leaf being fed from a pole-mounted EV charger in Melrose, MA | Image: Only In Boston Electric utility poles do a lot for us: they power our homes, take nails for our yard sale and lost cat signs, and shine light for our streets at night. But arguably their greatest contribution yet is helping EV owners juice up their cars. We’re talking about pole-mounted EV chargers, an awesome and apparently feasible public charging solution found in a few places like Melrose, Massachusetts, which recently installed several with the help of the local utility, National Grid.The utility company worked with the city of Melrose to install the elevated chargers around town, helping EV owners who otherwise don’t have access to a garage or private parking space with dedicated charging. And according to the company, these charging stations... Continue reading…