The Verge

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge In a bid to push people to its newer plans, AT&T is raising the price of some of its older Unlimited and Mobile Share plans. Single-line users will see up to a $6 a month increase, and people with family plans could have up to $12 a month added to their bills, according to Bloomberg.In a statement to The Verge, AT&T spokesperson Seth Bloom said, “we are encouraging our customers to explore our newer plans which offer many additional features, more flexibility for each line on their account and, in many cases, a lower monthly cost.” AT&T also said that affected customers started finding out this week and that the price changes will go into effect starting June 1st.In 2019, the company increased the prices of its Mobile Share Value data... Continue reading…

Photo: iOttie Cars have become bastions of electronic gadgetry — but that doesn’t mean that we can’t add a few of our own. Some of us are simply not content with what came with our vehicles, some of us want to have emergency gear available just in case, and some of us have older cars that need help in order to be able to accommodate modern electronics.Here are some of the gadgets that staffers at The Verge have used to upgrade their various vehicles.Bluetooth Aux Receiver for CarI’m one of those boring people who has little interest in cars other than as a way to get from point A to point B. As a result, I tend to hold on to a vehicle until it costs more to keep it running than to buy something new. My current car is a 2007 Honda Civic, which,... Continue reading…

Illustration by Harry Bhalerao / The Verge Gifts for moms of all kinds Continue reading…

A new Instagram test would make the app look even more like TikTok. According to TechCrunch, Instagram is experimenting with full-screen vertical home feeds. Upon opening the Instagram app, users immediately see vertical content meant to “bring video more front and center.” Instagram head Adam Mosseri confirmed the test in a video posted to Twitter, saying taller photos and videos would begin appearing in some feeds.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitter’s pending acquisition hasn’t put a freeze on all product testing, as we’ve seen hints of the upcoming edit tweets feature leak out. And, now, the company has announced a limited test for Twitter Circle. It’s a function that’s similar to Instagram’s Close Friends feature or, if you’ve been around for a while, Google Plus.Twitter Circle will let users pick up to 150 people to join their Circle, including followers and non-followers alike. Then, when they feel like tweeting without sharing to the masses, they simply pull up the Choose Audience menu while writing a tweet and choose Twitter Circle instead of Everyone (as shown below). According to Twitter, this is different from its Communities, which also hide tweets away in an... Continue reading…

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced Tuesday that it will close to double its cryptocurrency enforcement division, adding another 20 positions to the Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit — which has been newly renamed from the “Cyber Unit.” The total number of staff will rise from 30 to 50, increasing the agency’s ability to prosecute securities law violations related to new crypto products.In a press release, the SEC cited a booming period for crypto markets and a corresponding responsibility to keep investors safe from the growing risk of fraudulent investment schemes.“Crypto markets have exploded in recent years, with retail investors bearing the brunt of abuses in this space. Meanwhile, cyber-related threats continue... Continue reading…

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge Whether you’re trying to get rid of spam or avoid hearing from a former friend or ex, blocking someone’s phone number is a vital tool for helping to preserve your privacy. We’ve covered various methods of protecting yourself from robocalls, spam, and other daily annoyances. But blocking a number is often the quickest and easiest way of shutting down unwanted digital intrusions.When you block a number, you’ll no longer receive phone calls, texts, or FaceTime requests that come in from the blocked number. The person at the other end will go straight to voicemail whenever they call you, but this is their only clue that they’ve been blocked. Texts will still appear to go through as normal — even though you don’t have to deal with them.B... Continue reading…

1Password 8 for Mac came out of beta and into public release on Tuesday, bringing a more modern redesign and a number of new features to the popular password manager. But there’s one thing about the app that might be a game-changer for Mac users: a new Universal Autofill feature that means you can automatically enter passwords into apps the same as you can in browser tabs.Previously, like with most password managers, everything was seamless enough in the browser: load the webpage, click the icon, and it fills your password. But if you’re in a native app, you have to open your password manager, search for the account, and copy and paste your info into the app. With Universal Autofill, which 1Password assigns to a global ⌘\ keyboard... Continue reading…

The Blade 15 will cost you $3,499.99. | Image: Razer Razer’s new Blade 15 laptop comes with the world’s first OLED QHD 240Hz display and next-gen specs, giving the Blade 15 series a minor refresh. It sports a 12th-gen Intel Core i9-12900H processor and an Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti laptop graphics card that should help you take full advantage of the device’s upgraded display. Razer says the Blade 15 will go on sale in the last quarter of 2022 for $3,499.99.The laptop’s 15.6-inch display, which covers the entire DCI-P3 color gamut, features a quick 1ms response that should allow for a lag-free gaming experience as well as 400 nits of brightness. It comes with 32GB of DDR5 RAM, a 1TB SSD, and one additional M.2 slot that you can use to further increase storage space. You’ll also find Thunderbolt 4,... Continue reading…

The workers have reached an agreement with the company and set a date. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple Store employees in Atlanta have reached an agreement with the company to hold a union election on June 2nd, according to a copy of the stipulated election agreement obtained by The Verge. The news is an important step forward in the worker-led effort to organize with the Communications Workers of America.If the drive is successful, the Cumberland Mall location will be the first unionized Apple retail location in the US. In April, it became the first Apple retail location to file for a union election in the US. Workers at the Grand Central Terminal store in New York have also launched a union drive, as have workers at the Towson Town Center store in Maryland.Apple pushed to hold the vote in July, according to a source familiar... Continue reading…

Blizzard Blizzard has revealed its new Warcraft mobile game, Warcraft Arclight Rumble.Warcraft Arclight Rumble is a free-to-play action strategy mobile game that seems like a traditional Warcraft strategy game with a cutesy, Hearthstone-looking tower defense twist. In it, players will choose from one of five types of leaders taken from Warcraft lore to command their troops or “minis” in battle. Players will be able to play in PvE and PvP modes, earning gold to deploy more powerful minions to complete objectives like defeating a raid boss.Warcraft Arclight Rumble was first revealed, buried in Blizzard’s quarterly earnings report back in February. It represents the Blizzard arm of the publisher’s push into making original content for the mobile... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge In 2014, it was tough to be a keyboard nerd. I was using a 4-year-old keyboard I’d bought from Mattias that used Alp white switches similar to what had been found in old Mac keyboards. I desperately wanted something with the then-fabled Cherry Blue switch, but it was hard to find anything outside of a smattering of hard-to-find Corsair keyboards and imports from Ducky based in Taiwan.Eight years later people actually can understand everything I just typed above. Okay, maybe not everyone, but the size of the keyboard community has multiplied by many factors in the last eight years and there are more people than ever that know the difference between a Cherry Blue switch and an Alp white switch.Over the next three weeks, I’m hosting a... Continue reading…

Image: Paramount Plus Paramount Plus’ subscriber count has ballooned to almost 40 million with the service gaining 6.8 million subscribers in the first quarter of 2022 alone, Paramount announced in its earnings report on Tuesday. An increase in subscriber count led to more money for the company as well — its direct-to-consumer revenue, which includes Paramount Plus and its free TV streaming service, Pluto TV, increased 82 percent year over year.While revenue from subscriptions for both Pluto TV and Paramount Plus grew 95 percent year over year, advertising revenue increased 59 percent. The company says Paramount Plus subscribers watched more shows for longer periods of time as well. This, along with a higher subscriber count, was mostly driven by the service... Continue reading…

Warped Kart Racers. Later this month Apple is adding a Mario Kart-style racer to its gaming subscription service. Called Warped Kart Racers, the game brings together 20 different characters from 20th Television animated series like American Dad and King of the Hill, with gameplay that looks heavily inspired by Nintendo’s iconic racing series. It’s expected to debut on Apple Arcade on May 20th.The announcement comes as Apple details its lineup of Arcade games for May. Elsewhere on the service, BadLand Party — a multiplayer twist on the atmospheric platformer — will debut on the 6th; Goat Simulator launches on the 13th; and a 3D darts game closes out the month’s releases on the 27th.Apple has been quietly updating Arcade with notable games on a nearly... Continue reading…

The frame-shaped Echo Show 15 is currently down to $200 at multiple retailers. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge If you’re looking to upgrade the shoddy bulletin board in your kitchen, Amazon’s biggest Echo Show yet is currently discounted for the first time ever at Amazon and Best Buy. The Echo Show 15 launched in December for $249.99, but today, the price has dropped to just $199.99 at both retailers. On the surface, the Echo Show 15 looks like a scaled-up version of the Echo Show 10 with slimmer bezels. However, the larger, 15.6-inch screen allows for some additional functionality that you can’t get with any other Echo Show.The 1080p touchscreen can display multiple blocks of information simultaneously, dividing the home screen with calendars, weather, news, and reminders, among a handful of other useful widgets. While the Echo Show 15 is... Continue reading…

Spot, the most famous four-legged robot in the world, sometimes seems more like an animatronic entertainer than an industrial machine. But creators Boston Dynamic want to remind the world at large in a new video that this thing can do work, too.The new Spot spot, titled “No Time To Dance,” shows the quadrupedal bot carrying out a range of tasks in an industrial setting. Spot takes readings from gauges, uses an infrared camera to scan some equipment, and generates work orders for human employees. And, yes, then it does a little dance as well.Boston Dynamics is very good at making Spot seem cuteIt’s a slick video — testimony to Boston Dynamics’ ability to make a robot that has been tested for use with both the military and law... Continue reading…

Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images The state of Georgia offered Rivian $1.5 billion in tax incentives for the buzzy EV company to build a factory east of Atlanta, according to documents signed by the company and local officials in the state. The factory will cost $5 billion to construct, and eventually produce 400,000 electric vehicles a year. In order to receive the money, Rivian agrees to create 7,500 jobs, with an average wage of $56,000 a year, plus benefits, by the end of 2028.Georgia officials are portraying the agreement as the largest economic development deal in the state’s history. Rivian has said it will start construction of the $5 billion facility in the summer of 2022 and expects to start making vehicles there in 2024. In addition to its R1T electric... Continue reading…

The Ford F-100 Eluminator. | Becca Farsace This 1978 Ford F-100 “Eluminator” pickup truck is the oldest vehicle I’ve ever driven, and also perhaps the newest. That’s because, despite its vintage exterior, everything inside, from the drivetrain to the dash, is less than one year old. Oh, and it’s fully electric.Turns out what I’m really driving is a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition, but you couldn’t tell from its gloriously restored 44-year-old truck shell from the outside. It’s a beautifully done restomod with fresh gray and copper accents, an F-100 Custom badge, and slick retro wheels.A hopeful display of support for smaller shops and tinkerersFord Performance, the automaker’s motorsports division, designed and commissioned the F-100 Eluminator and was built by... Continue reading…

Tables can now be more nicely formatted, and easily set up with rich text. | Image: Google Google has announced new dropdown and table tools for Google Docs, as it attempts to evolve its word processing software into more of a collaborative productivity tool. The search giant calls small modular features like these “smart chips,” and they’re part of the “smart canvas” initiative it launched last year. The features are rolling out over the course of this month across all Google Account tiers.The dropdown tool lets you insert a small dropdown menu into a Google Doc, with a list of customizable options to choose from. Meanwhile, there are also new table template options that can be used to quickly add nicely formatted tables into a document. It looks like a huge improvement from Google Docs’ current barebones table creation... Continue reading…

Photo Illustration by Grayson Blackmon / The Verge Stories and lessons from his new book, Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making Continue reading…

Hello, audiophiles!I am very excited to bring you my first public edition of Hot Pod. Following the trail blazed by Nick and Ashley, I’ll be in your inbox every Tuesday with scoops, news, analysis, and japes (quality of the latter not guaranteed). And, the closest I will ever get to being in a makeover montage, today I also get to introduce a fresh new look for Hot Pod courtesy of the ace design teams at The Verge and Vox Media. Readers will notice that we have an updated logo and layout with some hotter colors to accompany the Hot Pod name.So, what’s my deal? Like everyone else in modern media, I hopped around a bit before landing at The Verge. I have done stints at MSNBC, Paramount Plus, and, most relevant to you, covering media and... Continue reading…

Spotify’s Roblox debut consists of a series of interactive islands with rotating themes. | Image: Spotify Spotify has launched its own digital space on Roblox, called Spotify Island, allowing players to make music, play games, and interact with virtual artists, the company announced in a press release. Although it’s called Spotify Island, it’s more like a virtual archipelago — players can hop between other interactive music-themed islands that change throughout the year.Spotify calls its digital island an “audio oasis,” which features distinct Spotify branding, from the vibrant green color of the landscape to the heart-shaped “Like” icons scattered around the island that players can collect and exchange for virtual merchandise. The more hearts users collect, the higher they climb on the game’s leaderboard.

The Doctor Strange sequel is a bloated comic book event in movie form Continue reading…

Dish Network has recruited Samsung to help make its cloud-based 5G a reality. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Dish Network owes us a 5G network — that was the linchpin of the deal that allowed T-Mobile to buy Sprint, bringing our wireless carrier options down to three. With Dish’s first deadline fast approaching, the company has announced a new partner: Samsung. The company joins Dish as a vendor while it attempts to build a 5G network from scratch.Dish isn’t building just any old 5G network, either. It’s basing the network on a newer, cloud-based technology called O-RAN (Open Radio Access Network) that relies on off-the-shelf (rather than proprietary) hardware. Samsung is supplying vRAN (Virtualized Radio Acc... you get it) software and radio units to help make the whole thing work.Dish promised the FCC it would cover 20 percent of the... Continue reading…

The new Wyze Room Sensor costs $24.99 and detects temperature, humidity, and motion. | Image: Wyze The long-awaited Wyze Room Sensor launches today. Originally promised in 2021, this is a small, wireless device that pairs with the smart home company’s Smart Wi-Fi Thermostat, which launched in December 2020. Designed to optimize comfort in your home and help manage hot and cold spots, the Wyze Room Sensor detects temperature, humidity, and motion. The sensor only works when paired with the thermostat using the Wyze app, so it can’t be used as a standalone temperature monitor.Each sensor costs $24.99 plus shipping, or $69.99 plus shipping for a three-pack. They can be bought in a bundle with the Wyze Smart Wi-Fi Thermostat ($70.99) for $145.96 (plus shipping).Room sensors are a popular add-on to smart thermostats to give you greater... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (or ACM) has rejected Apple’s proposed App Store changes that would let dating app developers use third-party payment systems, according to 9to5Mac and the Coalition for App Fairness. The Dutch regulator ordered the change in December and has been going back and forth with the company over how it should be implemented — and charging Apple millions in fines along the way. Now, Apple could face further penalties.According to a journalist’s tweet translated by 9to5Mac (and now available in full, below, in English), the regulator says Apple’s most recent proposal for letting developers use third-party payment systems is an “improvement” over its previous ideas, but it’s still “not... Continue reading…

A Galaxy Note Light Continue reading…

A cross-play widget will appear in the bottom right of the screen when the test is available. | Image: EA FIFA 22 will see a test of cross-play functionality in the “near future” between players on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Google’s cloud-gaming service Stadia, EA has announced. Cross-play will be limited to Online Seasons and Online Friendlies game modes, the developer says, letting you play against friends on other platforms, or climb Online Seasons Divisions against a cross-platform playerbase.EA says it’s limiting cross-play to these two modes in an attempt to limit the chance of the feature “introducing new issues into the game.” Cross-play can be enabled or disabled from a menu available in the bottom-right corner of the game’s main menu, and there’s also the option to opt in or out of it in the Matchmaking Options menu.... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Facebook is shutting down its podcast platform less than a year after it launched. Creators will be unable to upload new shows to the service as of this week, and the platform will close altogether on June 3rd, reports Bloomberg News. Facebook confirmed the closure of the platform to The Verge but not the specific date.The move is part of a broader re-evaluation of Facebook’s audio products. The company is also shuttering the site’s Soundbites and Audio hubs, and integrating its live-streaming Live Audio Rooms feature (essentially a clone of once-buzzy audio app Clubhouse) into its broader Facebook Live suite.Facebook spokesperson Adelaide Coronado told The Verge that the changes would “simplify” the company’s audio offerings.“... Continue reading…

Four lightsabers from the franchise will be available. | Image: Epic Games Various lightsabers from the Star Wars franchise are returning to Fortnite for two weeks starting today, Epic Games has announced. These include the lightsabers wielded by Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren, Obi-Wan, and Mac Windu. The iconic weapons previously appeared in Fortnite in a 2019 event that coincided with the release of Rise of Skywalker. Their return is designed to coincide with May the 4th, aka Star Wars day.Lightsabers are just part of the Star Wars-ification coming to Fortnite over the next couple of weeks. Players will be able to go through Stormtrooper training to earn an Empire Banner, and the E-11 Blaster Rifle is also returning to the island. Previously available Star Wars-themed outfits, which include versions of Rey and... Continue reading…

Image: LiveWire LiveWire, the all-electric motorcycle brand that originated as a division of Harley-Davidson, is teasing the launch of an all new bike next week called the Del Mar. Electrek notes that it’s set to be a middleweight motorcycle, making it a more approachable alternative to last year’s LiveWire One. As well as announcing the date, LiveWire has also released a short teaser trailer, which appears to show the rear of the upcoming bike at the 0:06 mark.The Del Mar is expected to be a more accessible motorcycle in the company’s lineup, priced below the $21,999 LiveWire One. Motorcycle.com reports that the Del Mar will be built around LiveWire’s Arrow platform, which includes a battery pack, electronics, and motor, in a single unit that the... Continue reading…

Last month we took a deep dive into Mark Zuckerberg’s grand metaverse plan, and some of the hardware Meta is working on to deliver it, in the form of Project Nazare augmented reality glasses. Now The Information reports on a roadmap for virtual reality hardware that runs through 2024 with four headsets on the schedule, starting with the previously-teased Project Cambria VR headset we expect to see later this year.According to its sources, The Information says that Meta plans to release Project Cambria, which is a higher-end device than its current Quest hardware and known internally by the name Arcata, in September, followed by an updated version, currently codenamed Funston, following in 2024.The sources also indicate that the first... Continue reading…

Rocket Lab previously tested catching a dummy booster after dropping it from a second helicopter | Image: Rocket Lab Update May 2nd, 7:50PM ET: Shortly after launch, Rocket Lab’s Electron fell back to Earth and deployed its parachutes as planned. It then came into view of the company’s helicopter, which then successfully caught the rocket for a few brief moments. However, the helicopter pilot noticed “different load characteristics” that Rocket Lab had not experienced during previous testing.“At his discretion, the pilot offloaded the stage for a successful splashdown, where it has been recovered by our vessel for transport back to our factory,” Murielle Baker, a communications representative for Rocket Lab, said during the launch livestream. “The stage is in great condition though, and we look forward to assessing it in detail when it’s back here in... Continue reading…

Up to 580 buff horses. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Ford just started shipping its electric F-150 Lightning on April 26th, but it already has a surprise for soon-to-be owners: all versions of the truck will have higher horsepower than it originally announced, and the standard range model will have an even higher payload capacity, according to a press release from the company. While that’s good news for anyone who’s already got a pre-order, it could end up increasing the FOMO for those who don’t, and can’t get one — Ford stopped taking pre-orders for the truck in December, and is currently figuring out how to reach its goal of producing 150,000 Lightnings per year.When Ford announced its electric pickup in May 2021, the company estimated the standard battery pack version would make 426... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge In March, Google announced it was voluntarily recalling 1.7 million Fitbit Ionic smartwatches following reports of 78 burns. Now, a recently filed lawsuit says the recall didn’t go far enough, claiming that the same defect affects all of Google’s Fitbit devices.According to the court documents, all Fitbit smartwatches and fitness trackers share the same defect — a tendency to overheat, thereby causing burns or creating fire hazards. The complaint also accuses Fitbit of trying to deflect blame onto “consumer hygiene” when incidents are reported, and that the recall doesn’t adequately compensate Ionic owners.“Reasonable consumers,” the complaint reads, “purchase the Products to burn calories — not their skin — and to safely pursue a... Continue reading…

Some of the equipment had built-in GPS trackers. | Photo by Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images Russian troops stole almost $5 million worth of farm equipment from a John Deere dealer in the occupied city of Melitopol, Ukraine, only to discover that the machines have been shut down remotely, making them inoperable, according to a report from CNN. Some of the equipment, which comes with a remote locking feature and a built-in GPS, was tracked over 700 miles away in the Zakhan Yurt village of Chechnya.A source close to the situation told CNN that Russian troops gradually began taking machinery away from the dealer following their occupation of Melitopol in March. It reportedly started with two combine harvesters worth $300,000 each, a tractor, and a seeder, until troops hauled away all 27 pieces of equipment. Some of the equipment... Continue reading…

Twitter’s edit button has been a joke for longer than I can remember, but it’s finally officially becoming a reality — and Jane Manchun Wong, who makes it her mission to find hidden features in companies’ code, has just given us our first real glimpse at what it might look like.As you’d expect, the editing part is pretty simple: you press a button called “Edit Tweet” in the drop-down context menu, and then you can edit a tweet. Currently, it looks like you’ll get 30 minutes after you publish a tweet to hit that button; it’ll open a window with your entire original content laid out in front of you, and you can publish whatever you like — delete the whole thing and start over if you want. It’s not just for typos.

A Volkswagen employee wires the battery on a line for the VW ID.3 during a press tour of Volkswagen’s Transparent Factory. | Photo by Sebastian Kahnert/picture alliance via Getty Images The Department of Energy (DOE) opened up billions of dollars in funding today to build up domestic supply chains for batteries. Batteries will be crucial in the Biden administration’s plans to transition the nation to electric vehicles and clean energy.The DOE says in its announcement that it will give $3.1 billion to companies to boost “the creation of new, retrofitted, and expanded commercial facilities” to process materials, make batteries, and recycle them at the end of their lives. Another $60 million in grants from the DOE will fund efforts to find second uses for old EV batteries. The money comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that passed last year.The bigger picture: the Biden administration has set pretty big goals... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Michael Mignano, co-founder of Anchor and Spotify’s podcasting tech chief for the past three years, submitted his resignation last week, the company confirmed Monday. He will depart at the end of June.The shakeup follows two other high-profile departures in Spotify’s podcasting business. Last month, news broke that head of studios and video Courtney Holt, who cut blockbuster deals with Joe Rogan and the Obamas, will be leaving the company. Also in April, Gimlet Media director Lydia Polgreen announced her departure for The New York Times.Mignano co-founded DIY podcast distributor Anchor in 2015. Spotify snapped up the company in 2019 for more than $150 million and brought Mignano in as its top podcast tech czar, overseeing the company’s... Continue reading…

Conceited and DJ Diamond Kuts. | Paramount Plus Yo! MTV Raps played an instrumental role in turning rap music into one of the most influential art forms of the 20th century and shaping the trajectory of the music industry in ways that are still being felt today. There’s no way another show could recapture the magic that turned the original Yo! MTV Raps into a cultural phenomenon, but Paramount Plus is going to give it a shot with an all-new revival built around some of the biggest names currently in the game.Today, Paramount Plus announced the upcoming premiere of its new incarnation Yo! MTV Raps, a “comprehensive deep dive into the current state of hip hop” hosted by DJ Diamond Kuts and rapper Conceited. Like the original show, the new Yo! MTV Raps will feature a variety of segments... Continue reading…

It’s been almost a year since we told you how next-gen USB-C cables would nearly double the amount of power they can carry to 240W, enough to let you ditch the proprietary power brick for all but the beefiest gaming laptops. Now, we’re seeing the first signs of life: the first USB-C 2.1 cables have broken cover with up to 240W of power and up to 40Gbps of data. They’re from a Dutch manufacturer named Club3D (via Tom’s Hardware) that doesn’t sell cables on its website, and they don’t yet seem to be in stock at retailers yet either.Not that you’d necessarily want to buy one yet, of course! There aren’t any gadgets designed to use 240W of USB-C power yet, nor are there any 240W USB-C chargers, so these cables aren’t going to offer you... Continue reading…

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge For multiple lines of Android phones, the shift to Android 12 has been a rough one, including withdrawn updates and occasional bugs. Still, the number of issues we’ve seen for Google’s flagship Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro devices alone has been surprising. Today, Google announced the May 2022 update for Pixel devices is starting to roll out. It fixes a problem people noticed on the Pixel 6 phones after the March update, where the vibration for notifications was suddenly much weaker.Two fixes apply to all Pixel devices from the Pixel 3a through the 6, resolving issues that could cause the display to wake up without interaction and a problem that could crash the launcher, but one line is only for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro:

The election for the facility was held last week. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon workers at the LDJ5 facility in Staten Island, New York, have voted against organizing with the Amazon Labor Union at a count of 618 nos to 380 yeses. The facility has around 1,600 workers in total and began its election last week.It’s been a long road to the election at LDJ5. In October 2021, the ALU petitioned the National Labor Relations Board (or NLRB) to hold an election at four Staten Island facilities, including the sorting center. However, to make sure it had a sufficient showing of interest, the union refiled its petition to only include the JFK8 facility. In February, the ALU filed a new petition to hold an election for LDJ5, which was approved in March. The ALU pulled off a historic victory the next month, when workers... Continue reading…

It’s been a while coming. | Image: Roku Roku users can now play songs and videos from Apple Music on their TVs, streaming players, or Roku soundbars. Roku announced on Monday that the “app will be available to download later today.”It’s taken a while for Apple’s music service to make it to one of the most popular smart TV platforms. It was ported to Amazon’s Fire TV in 2019 and has since made it to at least one game console: the PS5 (though it doesn’t seem to be supported on Xbox or Switch). In my opinion, though, streaming music services make a lot of sense on TVs. If someone has a nice set of speakers, odds are they’re connected to the TV, and having album art displayed on such a large screen is a treat for most of us who usually only see it in thumbnail form.It may be... Continue reading…

Apple Pay recently expanded to let merchants receive payments on their iPhone. | Image: Apple Apple has been hit with an antitrust accusation by the European Union over its exclusion of rivals from its Apple Pay mobile payment system. The EU sent Apple a formal “Statement of Objections” with the preliminary view that Apple has abused its dominant position in mobile wallets on iOS.“The Commission takes issue with the decision by Apple to prevent mobile wallets app developers, from accessing the necessary hardware and software (‘NFC input’) on its devices, to the benefit of its own solution, Apple Pay,” reads the decision. “Today’s Statement of Objections takes issue only with the access to NFC input by third-party developers of mobile wallets for payments in stores.”According to the EU, Apple’s exclusionary behavior “leads to... Continue reading…

eBay is expanding its authentication services to include single graded trading cards over $2,000, the company announced today. The company is partnering with third-party trading card authentication and grading service Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) for the expanded service.eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee already includes sneakers sold for over $100, watches sold for over $2,000, and handbags sold for over $500. In January, eBay announced it was launching authentication services for ungraded trading cards purchased on the platform for over $750.Grading a trading card involves sending it off to a third-party service that inspects the card’s condition and assigns it a rating. Graded cards often fetch more money because they’ve been... Continue reading…

The 2nd generation Google Nest Hub introduced sleep tracking in 2021. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge In the leadup to Google I/O, Google has been sprinkling small updates here and there that indicate its big wearables push is well underway. The latest is a new Google support page for an integration that will enable Google Fit and Fitbit users to view their activity metrics on the Nest Hub.The page, which was first spotted by 9to5Google, offers simple step-by-step instructions on how to link Google Fit or Fitbit accounts to the display via Google Assistant. One thing that’s unclear is whether this applies to all Nest Hub displays or just the second-generation device. The latter introduced sleep tracking last year, thanks to Google’s Soli sensor technology. While the feature had its quirks, we found it to be convenient and reliable in o... Continue reading…

An aerial photo of a warehouse next to homes in Bloomington, California. | Photo by Wes Reel for The Verge California’s Inland Empire, a sprawling region just east of Los Angeles that was once known for orange groves and grape vineyards, is now ground zero of America’s warehouse boom. The rise of online shopping has triggered a dramatic change in the landscape here and across the country — every $1 billion in online sales drums up demand for 1.25 million square feet of warehouse space.Now, there’s an estimated 1 billion square feet of warehouses in the Inland Empire alone, according to a new analysis by the Robert Redford Conservancy for Southern California Sustainability at Pitzer College. That’s nearly 37 square miles of warehouses.The austere concrete boxes are relatively new transplants to the region, as an animated map released by... Continue reading…