The Verge

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Instagram chief Adam Mosseri shed some light on how the social network decides what you see in a new blog post published on Tuesday. The explanation seems to be meant at least in part to combat persistent rumors that Instagram intentionally hides or disfavors certain posts, which Instagram says isn’t exactly true.The short answer to how Instagram works is that it’s complicated. Instagram uses “thousands” of signals to determine what you see in your feed, according to Mosseri, and there isn’t just one algorithm that decides what shows up for you. But the company is also committed to better explaining why content is taken down and how the service surfaces posts, he writes. One of the more surprising revelations: most Instagram followers... Continue reading…

Why spend more? Continue reading…

Panic has announced that the Playdate, its $179 handheld console with a crank and a black-and-white screen, will be available to preorder in July with shipping starting later in the year. The company doesn’t have a specific date lined up just yet, but says it’ll provide at least a week’s notice before orders open.Panic is doing its best to avoid a PS5/RTX 3080-type stock situation by implementing its own ordering system. “The sooner you order, the sooner you’ll get one, but we’re not going to close the door on you,” says co-founder Cabel Sasser in a video update. The company is also announcing an adorable stereo dock accessory for the Playdate, which makes it look like an old TV and works as both a Bluetooth speaker and a... Continue reading…

Apple is extending support for spatial audio to macOS and tvOS. The feature will work with the company’s high-end AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, using the devices’ built-in accelerometers and gyroscopes to create a 3D audio effect that tracks the listener’s head movements.Apple initially announced spatial audio for the AirPods Pro last year and impressed us with the feature’s immersive quality. At this year’s WWDC, the company extended support for spatial audio to Apple Music and FaceTime calls.According to a press release from Apple, spatial audio for macOS will only work with the AirPods Pro and Max on Macs with the company’s latest M1 chip and the macOS Monterey operating system. During this week’s WWDC presentation, Apple said... Continue reading…

Photo: Marvel Studios A promising start for the trickster’s debut on Disney Plus Continue reading…

Image: Sony After a few weeks of leaks, Sony has today formally announced its latest flagship true wireless earbuds. The new WF-1000XM4 earbuds cost $279.99, and the previous WF-1000XM3s, released in 2019, will remain in the company’s lineup at $229.99. The new headphones will be available in either black or light gray — both with gold accenting. They’re available starting today from retailers including Amazon and Best Buy.Featuring a completely revamped design that’s 10 percent smaller than their predecessors, the 1000XM4 buds also have a new processing chip that results in improved noise cancellation “at all frequencies,” according to Sony. Image: Sony Battery life has been upped to eight hours of continuous playback when... Continue reading…

Sony’s new earbuds deliver on sound, battery life, and beat all comers at noise cancellation Continue reading…

Azio’s latest keyboard looks the part but struggles with the basics Continue reading…

Illustration by Maria Chimishkyan There are a lot of ways things can go wrong online. Password databases get breached, personal data gets leaked, and trackers pop up where we least expect them. We don’t like to dwell on the bad side of the internet because we want technology to be fun — but there’s a lot of hard, careful work happening to get you there.So this week, we’re putting together a guide to protecting yourself online. Some of it is basic hygiene — how to set up two-factor authentication, how to block tracking pixels in your email, and so on — but there are also a few more exotic problems in the mix, like Dogecoin scammers or the quantum security apocalypse. Taken together, it’s a full-spectrum reminder of all the things that can go wrong on the internet.Stay... Continue reading…

Microsoft is adding voice capabilities to its Outlook mobile app that will let people write emails, schedule meetings, and search using their voice. The new Cortana-powered voice capabilities will be available first in Outlook for iOS, with Android support coming soon.A new plus sign icon in Outlook mobile will appear soon that lets you activate the voice mode. You’ll be able to ask things like “When’s my next team meeting?” or search for co-workers, files, and calendar entries. You can even use voice to attach files quickly, as Outlook is using the Microsoft Graph to surface relevant documents.Dictation has been a big part of Word and Outlook on the desktop for years, and it’s now appearing in the mobile version of Outlook. You can... Continue reading…

Samsung has updated the user interface for its smart home app SmartThings, replacing the slightly muted color scheme of the old app — full of grays and earth tones — with a new UI and overall fresher look. The new interface launches on Android today with the iOS version “to follow” at some unknown time in the future, says Samsung.While the interface of the old app was oriented around the different rooms users had assigned for their smart home gadget, the new layout now focuses on five spaces:

So close! | Image: Apple Apple has a habit of, if not innovating outright, then at least presenting the most polished version of existing ideas. Its Universal Control, for instance, is basically a Logitech thing, done beautifully. One of its announcements at WWDC yesterday missed that mark but came achingly close to bringing back a defining feature of the dial-up days.The announcement in question is, of course, Focus, a new set of features meant to help iPhone users let people know when they are not to be bothered. “It turns out, it’s even easier to step away and focus if people know we’re busy,” Apple’s SVP of software engineering Craig Federighi said. “So we created an easy way to signal to others when you’re doing that.” Focus solves the problem of either:

Illustration by Maria Chimishkyan You can’t wipe all your info off the internet — but you can make it less available Continue reading…

The PS5 gets a family-friendly blockbuster Continue reading…

Illustration by Maria Chimishkyan Nearly 8 billion usernames have leaked since June 2011 Continue reading…

It can fit almost any Android phone, aside from the Galaxy S20 Ultra. | Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge The Razer Kishi is one of the best mobile controllers out there, and you can get it for significantly less than it usually costs at Amazon and Best Buy. Normally $80, the version of the controller made for Android costs $55. The Kishi is compact, yet it can expand to fit most phones (excluding the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra). It features passthrough USB-C charging, and its overall design looks like a Nintendo Switch, but people who are used to gaming on an Xbox Series X controller should feel at home with the feel and arrangement of the Kishi’s buttons, sticks and triggers.We saw a few fire sales on Microsoft’s Surface Duo folding Android phone last month, and Woot is back with another one — just for AT&T subscribers, though. You can get... Continue reading…

Photo Illustration by Grayson Blackmon / The Verge Y Combinator’s Michael Seibel on startups after the pandemic Continue reading…

Photo by Alexander Kramer for The Verge Adobe is now shipping new versions of more Creative Cloud apps that run natively on Apple silicon Macs. Lightroom Classic, Illustrator, and InDesign have all been updated for the M1 processor, and Adobe says that you can expect average performance boosts of up to 80 percent across the suite when compared to an equivalent Intel-based Mac.Adobe released an M1-native version of Photoshop back in March, while an update for Lightroom came in December. Many photographers (like me) still prefer to use Lightroom Classic, however, which Adobe maintains as a separate app within the Creative Cloud suite, so it’s good to see it get a performance boost to match the newer version.Based on the results of a third-party benchmarking report commissioned... Continue reading…

Still the best Alexa smart display Continue reading…

A huge global web outage swept across the internet this morning, taking out popular sites including Amazon, Twitch, and Reddit. The outages started at around 5:30AM ET, with a large number of sites affected. The Fastly content delivery network (CDN) was the source of the issues, which lasted for more than an hour.Major news sites like CNN, The New York Times, The Guardian, and the Financial Times were also affected. The Verge was also down for more than an hour, forcing us to head into Google Docs to share the outage news with readers.

Waabi is a new autonomous vehicle startup with a few things going for it to help it rise above the fray.For one, it’s founded by Raquel Urtasun, a renowned expert in computer vision who ran Uber Advanced Technology Group’s Toronto outpost, making it one of the few women-led AV startups in the world. Second, the Toronto-based company just came out of stealth having raised $83.5 million, which is among the largest Series A rounds ever raised in Canada.The round was led by Khosla Ventures, with additional participation from Urtasun’s former employer, Uber, and Aurora, the AV startup that ended up acquiring Uber ATG in a deal last year. Funding was also raised from 8VC, Radical Ventures, Omers Ventures, BDC, AI luminaries Geoffrey... Continue reading…

As expected, aliens have invaded Fortnite’s battle royale island. The game’s latest season — Chapter 2: Season 7 — is called “Invasion,” and it’s just kicked off with a sci-fi vibe that’s a big change from last season’s prehistoric theme.Among the changes are flying saucers that players can hack and then pilot, weapons like a rail gun that can shoot through structures and a scanning device, along with a crafting material called nuts and bolts that lets players make classic weapons that were previously removed from the game.As always, the big draw of the new season is the battle pass, which introduces a number of characters to the game for those who purchase it. For season 7 that means Superman (who will be available to unlock later in... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple’s new Private Relay feature, which is designed to obscure users’ browsing data and protect their privacy, won’t be available in China, Reuters reports. The feature was announced during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference as part of a new subscription bundle called iCloud Plus. Other countries where Private Relay won’t be available include: Belarus, Colombia, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkmenistan, Uganda, and the Philippines.The move is the latest concession Apple has made in order to offer its services in China, a market which Reuters notes accounts for almost 15 percent of its revenue. Chinese citizens’ access to the internet is heavily regulated, and there is restricted access to technologies like... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple Music has flipped the switch on its previously announced lossless-quality streaming and spatial audio features. Starting now, if you’ve got the latest iOS, iPadOS, and macOS updates installed, you’ll be able to stream select tracks both in standard lossless/CD-quality audio and high-resolution lossless (if you have an external DAC for the latter).Apple said both features would arrive “today” during the WWDC keynote, but it took many hours after the event concluded before customers started seeing them appear in the app. You still might not if the rollout hasn’t reached you yet. The update is server-side on Apple’s part.Be aware that lossless audio files take up considerably more storage when downloaded and also burn through more... Continue reading…

During the privacy segment of WWDC, Apple talked about moving Siri’s processing from the cloud onto your device, using the “Neural Engine” built into Apple silicon. While having the voice processing happen on your phone instead of one of Apple’s servers is obviously better for privacy, it can also help speed up performance and reliability, as Apple showed off in its demo.The power of on-device learning.Now let’s see how fast it is when I try it.

Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images A new report citing an internal letter to Amazon’s human resources department alleges mistreatment of women within Amazon’s Prime membership division, including but not limited to harassment and disproportionate growth opportunities for men versus women at the company.Citing a letter to a former head of diversity and inclusion, as well as accounts from 11 former and current workers within the Prime unit, Insider reported Monday that the Prime team had been anonymously accused in March of being “institutionally biased against women.” The memo’s author — whose identity Insider says it independently verified but did not name in its report — described a culture in which women were often overlooked for promotions, demeaned and condescended... Continue reading…

At today’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple showed off its new version of macOS, and with it a feature called Universal Control, which lets you use your Mac’s mouse or trackpad to control the cursor on an iPad or another Mac’s screen, reaching into and across multiple devices. On paper it doesn’t sound that groundbreaking, but Craig Federighi did something really cool during the demo: he moved his cursor onto an iPad, then clicked on a photo and dragged it across two other computers to drop it into a Final Cut timeline.The feature is called Universal Control, and could be incredible if it actually works this well.While Logitech’s Flow and programs like Synergy have similarly allowed users to easily jump between computers,... Continue reading…

Illustration by William Joel / The Verge Apple has just updated its App Store Guidelinesd, the document that tells iPhone and iPa that tell iPhone and iPad developers what kind of behavior the company will tolerate and where it’s likely to reject apps or crackdown after the fact — and as TechCrunch reports, many of today’s changes are aimed directly at scammers and fraudsters who prey on Apple users. But not all of them.I just put the entire thing through a diff checker to show you exactly what’s changed. Check out all the differences here for yourself, or read on for the highlights.Apple is warning fraudsters it’s coming for their entire accountsApple already had a section titled “5.6 Developer Code of Conduct” that warned devs not to “prey on users or attempt to rip off... Continue reading…

Image: LG FuboTV, one of the best over-the-top services for sports enthusiasts, is finally arriving on newer LG Smart TVs.While the app was already available on many set-top boxes like the Apple TV or Chromecast, it’s now available on LG’s native webOS platform on 2018–2021 Smart TV models (including LG’s fantastic OLEDs). That’ll give any consumers with newer LG models the ability to access the service’s 100-plus sports and entertainment channels directly from their sets, rather than having to rely on a third-party device for access.“Over 90 percent of FuboTV’s viewership is on the big screen and today’s launch on LG Smart TVs expands FuboTV to even more smart and connected TV platforms,” Mike Berkley, FuboTV’s chief product officer, told The... Continue reading…

You’ll get some fancy, new features, if you have the right devices. Apple announced iOS 15, macOS Monterey, watchOS 8, and iPadOS 15 software at WWDC 2021. The public beta period will begin in July, and whether you’re curious to download them then, or just waiting for the final release, you’ll need to have the right hardware to do it. Apple usually eliminates support for a few devices each year as it leaps ahead with major software releases, so you’ll want to check below to see if your iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, or computer makes the cut.For iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, Apple is extending support for all iPhone models that currently have iOS 14, along with the seventh-generation iPod Touch.Here’s the list of supported devices for iOS 15:

On Monday, the Federal Trade Commission charged the executives of the long-defunct MoviePass app over allegations that they fraudulently blocked customers from using the service as advertised while failing to protect their data privacy. The FTC also announced that it had reached a settlement with MoviePass and its executives as a result of the investigation.Under the proposed settlement, MoviePass, its parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics, its CEO Mitch Lowe, and chairman Ted Farnsworth are forbidden from falsely representing their business and data security practices to customers. Any businesses controlled by these entities are also required to roll out comprehensive information security programs to protect consumers.“... Continue reading…

Apple just wrapped up its WWDC 2021 keynote, and it was jam-packed with news and announcements, including our first looks at iOS 15, the new macOS Monterey, big improvements to FaceTime, and more.Our live blog has moment-by-moment commentary on what Apple announced from Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn. But if you just want to know the big-ticket items from the show, we’ve got you covered right here.iOS 15 brings big improvements to FaceTime, updates to notifications, and more Apple announced iOS 15, which brings improvements to FaceTime such as spatial audio, a new “SharePlay” feature that lets you share media with people on FaceTime virtually, updates to Messages, a new look for notifications, the ability to set different... Continue reading…

Apple Siri is finally coming to third-party devices. Apple announced at its WWDC keynote that HomeKit accessory makers will be able to integrate Siri voice control into their products starting later this year. The voice assistant will be routed through a HomePod if the devices are connected to your network.Apple hasn’t released a comprehensive list of devices and brands that will support Siri. The company demoed it on an Ecobee thermostat during its WWDC keynote presentation. It also announced support for Matter — a new interoperability standard that has big players like Amazon, Google, and Samsung on board — will come with iOS 15.Apple also revealed a number of smaller smart home features. Home Keys, which allow you to remotely lock and... Continue reading…

Apple will let people share the data from their Health app with family members or others, the company announced. It’s one of a new slate of health features for iPhone.With permission, someone can share access to their overall heart rate and movement data. They’ll also be able to share access to alerts, which will ping authorized users when the feature notices things like a high heart rate or change in mobility. The person they’re sharing the data with can message them directly about any changes.“Many people around the world are caring for someone, and we want to provide a secure and private way for users to have a trusted partner on their health journey,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, in a statement.The... Continue reading…

Apple has announced the next version of macOS at its WWDC keynote, after showing off iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. It’s calling it Monterey, in keeping the California location-based theme it’s had since 2013.The company is promising even more interoperability with iOS, including the ability to share a keyboard and mouse between a Mac and an iPad. The feature is similar to the one found on Logitech keyboards and mice, letting you seamlessly move your cursor and files between a Mac and iPad.The jaw-dropping drag-and-drop demo.Macs are also getting the ability to act as an AirPlay target, allowing you to use your Mac’s screen and speakers to play content from your iPhone and iPad, or even another Mac if you’re feeling spicy.Apple has... Continue reading…

Vjeran Pavic Apple has just announced watchOS 8, the latest version of the company’s smartwatch platform for the Apple Watch. The new software succeeds last year’s watchOS 7 and is going to be first available for developers to test their apps with starting today, with a public beta coming in July. A final public release is expected later this fall.Apple is debuting a new Mindfulness app, an extension of the Breathe app that nags you to breathe throughout the day. It’s adding new animations and other features to help you relax.The Fitness app is getting more workout types for tai chi and pilates. The Apple Watch’s Health app will explicitly track your respiratory rate while sleeping and notify you if it’s outside of your normal patterns. ... Continue reading…

Apple Apple has always stressed user privacy as part of its core mission. At its WWDC 2021 event, it announced it would be adding a spate of powerful new functions to Mail and Safari, as well as giving users broader insight into what their installed apps are doing with their information.First, Apple’s Mail appears to have declared war on tracking pixels, which can be included in some emails to give third parties insight into if or when their messages were opened — though it didn’t provide much detail on how it will win said war. According to Apple’s manager of user privacy software Katie Skinner, Mail will also now hide user IP addresses by default. Safari, likewise, will hide IPs.More surprisingly, Apple announced it’s adding an App... Continue reading…

Image: Apple Apple is amping up iCloud with a new set of features called iCloud Plus. The cloud storage service will now come with access to a VPN, burner email addresses, and unlimited storage for HomeKit-enabled home security cameras.The VPN, called Private Relay, will route your internet traffic through two relays in order to mask who’s browsing and where that data is coming from. The burner email feature, called Hide My Email, lets you create single-use email addresses that will forward to your actual account; that way, you can provide a junk email to a service you don’t trust in case it starts spamming you. Apple already offers a similar feature through Sign In With Apple.Apple will also include unlimited storage for video from HomeKit-enabled... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple’s digital assistant Siri will process audio on-device by default in iOS 15, meaning you will be able to use the feature without an active internet connection. Apple says the upgrade will also make Siri faster.Processing audio on-device will make using Siri more private, says Apple. This follows the company’s well-established preference for implementing machine learning features on-device, rather than sending data away to the cloud to be processed.“This addresses one of the biggest privacy concerns for voice assistants, which is unwanted audio recording,” said Apple in a press statement. Obviously, if you don’t have an internet connection, then you won’t be able to carry out certain Siri functions like searching... Continue reading…

Apple has announced that AirPods will be getting some quality-of-life improvements with iOS 15, including the ability to boost the sound of people talking to you, better Find My support, and the ability to announce a wider range of notifications.Apple says the “Conversation Boost” feature will help people who have difficulties hearing other people’s voices when they’re talking. It will try to isolate the voice of the person in front of you, with sliders that let the user control how much ambient noise is let in. AirPods can already announce messages and texts, but now they’re getting the ability to read out other important notifications, like when a food delivery is made.The easy-to-lose headphones are also getting more... Continue reading…

Image: Apple Apple has announced a forthcoming update to its Wallet app that will allow you to use your iPhone as digital identification in US airports. The company showed how you’ll be able to scan your driver’s license or state ID in participating US states, which will then be encrypted and stored in the iPhone’s secure enclave. The company says it’s working with the TSA to enable the iPhone to be used as identification at airport security checkpoints.As well as secure ID, Apple says it’s working to allow hotels to distribute room card keys via Apple Wallet, allowing you to collect a room key before you arrive at a hotel. Home keys and work keys were also announced as coming to the Wallet app. Image: Apple ID cards can be... Continue reading…

Widgets can be placed anywhere on the home screen in iPadOS 15. | Image: Apple Weeks after introducing its most powerful iPad Pro devices ever, Apple is today announcing the latest version of iPadOS — and there’s a clear focus on making Apple’s tablets more capable productivity machines. At least if you find yourself using split-screen mode a lot, that is. Otherwise, there aren’t any radical changes for the platform.As rumored, iPadOS 15 will make the homescreen more customizable and allow for more flexible placement of widgets. You can now stick them anywhere you’d like, a capability that came to iOS 14 last year. But iPadOS 14 didn’t offer the same functionality, and widgets could only be placed in the Today View sidebar despite the tablet’s vast screen real estate.Apple is also bringing the App Library to... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge As expected, Apple offered a preview of iOS 15 at today’s WWDC 2021 keynote, highlighting some changes coming to FaceTime and notifications.FaceTime gets some major updates, with spatial audio and voice isolation, to help make conversations feel more natural and reduce distracting background noise. Portrait mode’s blurred backgrounds can also be used in FaceTime, and users can also share music and videos during calls. It’s also possible now to include Android users on FaceTime with a shareable link that opens the call in a browser. Shareable links make it easier to schedule FaceTime calls. Notifications get a new look, with contact photos on text notifications and bigger app icons, and they will get new filter modes... Continue reading…

06 June 2021, Schleswig-Holstein, Travemünde: A ferry emits exhaust fumes from a smokestack. | Photo by Daniel Reinhardt/picture alliance via Getty Images Not even a global pandemic could stop carbon dioxide concentrations from spiking. They reached historic levels yet again in May 2021, the month that scientists compare CO2 concentrations from year to year.Planet heating carbon dioxide in the atmosphere averaged 419 parts per million this May, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). That pileup of CO2 is comparable to where it was a little over four million years ago, when the average global temperature was about 7 degrees Fahrenheit hotter and sea levels were a whopping 78 feet higher than they are today.Without much more drastic action, scientists warn, CO2 levels will keep trending upward — which also brings the world closer to more inhospitable... Continue reading…

OnePlus has confirmed the N200 5G for North America, and has revealed a few key specs like a 90Hz screen to PCMag. | Image: OnePlus OnePlus recently confirmed that it would launch an affordable 5G device, the N200 5G, in North America, and has revealed a few more details — and a photo of the phone — to PCMag. Most notably, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau says that the N200 5G will cost less than $250 and will include a 90Hz screen.Lau says the N200 is “fully upgraded from OnePlus Nord N100,” a big-battery, budget 4G phone launched in the US earlier this year. He says that the N200 will get a 6.49-inch 1080p display, which will be a resolution boost from the N100’s 6.52-inch 720p screen. Its 90Hz refresh rate will make motion and animations on screen appear a bit smoother than the standard 60Hz rate. It’s a feature not often seen in the budget class, outside of OnePlus’s own... Continue reading…

Image: Apple What’s new in the Apple ecosystem? Continue reading…

How many operating systems can Apple update at once? Continue reading…

Confirmed: Ford’s first electric truck is a truck Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Less than two hours before Apple’s big Worldwide Developers Conference, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company would be launching a new interface for creators that shows how different fees affect their earnings on the platform. The announcement comes as Apple is under intense scrutiny for its App Store fees.Here’s a preview of what the new interface will look like. This example breaks down exactly how taxes and fees are taken away from a creator’s event revenue: Image: Facebook A screenshot of Facebook’s new payout interface. Zuckerberg wasn’t clear as to when the new interface would be launching beyond saying that there’d be “more to come soon.”Zuckerberg also says the company will keep paid... Continue reading…

Apple paid an unknown multimillion-dollar sum to a woman after iPhone repair technicians uploaded nude photos from her phone to Facebook. The Telegraph reported the 2016 payment based on court documents recently tied to Apple’s name, and Apple confirmed the incident in a statement to The Verge.The case involves an unnamed Oregon college student known as Jane Doe, who sent her iPhone to a major Apple repair contractor called Pegatron Technology Service. While the phone was being repaired at Pegatron’s California facility, two technicians uploaded sexually explicit photos and a video from her phone to her Facebook account. Court documents say the files were uploaded in a way that suggested Doe had posted them herself, and her attorney... Continue reading…