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Billions of voice messages are sent every day. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Over the past few months of peak TV , the voice message has emerged as one of my favorite ways to talk about what I’m watching. I’ll finish this week’s episode of Andor , mute the show’s credits, and immediately start recording a voice message of my thoughts to send to a friend. The main reason we use voice messages (or voice notes, depending on where you are in the world) is their asynchronicity — we don’t have to both be free at the same time to communicate. Sometimes, he’s managed to watch the episode hours or even days before me and has already sent a message for me to listen to, while other times, I’ll be the first one to share my thoughts. But every week, the format is the same. The recording starts with a spoiler warning, and then... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/7sB9Hyi

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge An Instagram outage that started Monday morning is locking users out and telling many of them that “we suspended your account on October 31, 2022.” The platform confirmed the issue on Twitter , stating, “We’re aware that some of you are having issues accessing your Instagram account. We’re looking into it and apologize for the inconvenience.” We're aware that some of you are having issues accessing your Instagram account. We're looking into it and apologize for the inconvenience. #instagramdown — Instagram Comms (@InstagramComms) October 31, 2022 This morning, many users, including some of us here at The Verge , received notifications saying they’re suspended from the platform. Reports of the issue seem concentrated among iPhone... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/Wf8wuCQ

The fastest Fire TV yet offers extensive hands-free voice controls that you can’t get from any other streaming player, but it still puts too many ads in your face Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/wzeKrUt

Darin Fisher has been building browsers for decades. | Image: Darin Fisher Darin Fisher has built a lot of web browsers. A lot of web browsers. He was a software engineer at Netscape early in his career, working on Navigator and then helping turn that app into Firefox with Mozilla. Then, he went to Google and spent 16 years building Chrome and ChromeOS into massively successful products . Last year, he left Google for Neeva , where he worked on ways to build a browser around the startup’s search engine. And now, he’s leaving Neeva to join The Browser Company and work on Arc , one of the hottest new browsers on the market. Arc, which has been in an invite-only beta for more than a year, is trying to rethink the whole browser UI. It has a sidebar instead of a row of tabs, offers a lot of personalization options, and... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/VdoWLA4

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Now that he owns Twitter , Elon Musk has given employees their first ultimatum: Meet his deadline to introduce paid verification on Twitter or pack up and leave. The directive is to change Twitter Blue, the company’s optional, $4.99 a month subscription that unlocks additional features , into a more expensive subscription that also verifies users, according to people familiar with the matter and internal correspondence seen by The Verge . Twitter is currently planning to charge $19.99 for the new Twitter Blue subscription. Under the current plan, verified users would have 90 days to subscribe or lose their blue checkmark. Employees working on the project were told on Sunday that they need to meet a deadline of November 7th to launch the... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/VXedpGb

Photo illustration by William Joel / The Verge, photo by Christian Marquardt / Getty Images On his first day, Twitter’s new ‘Chief Twit’ quietly changed the homepage to send a message. Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/OqEKelk

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Telegram removed the ability for users on iOS to create pay-to-view posts due to Apple’s strict App Store guidelines ( via 9to5Mac ). In a post on Telegram , CEO Pavel Durov says creators on the platform have been using third-party payment or donation bots to sell access to certain posts on their channels, but that Apple was “not happy with content creators monetizing their efforts without paying a 30% tax to Apple.” Apple doesn’t allow developers to use third-party payment processors in their apps and charges up to a 30 percent commission on any in-app purchases. As noted by 9to5Mac , Telegram initially appeared to have been testing a paid posts feature, as spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra . However, Telegram said in a... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/0kJdQro

The Libby app puts thousands of books into your pocket for free. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge I wanted the convenience of ebooks, the curation of a local bookstore, and the affordability of a library. This is how I got it. Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/OQluSsL

The Spin 714 isn’t terrible, but it’s not the champion the 713 was Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/EHnC7Q8

Laura Normand / The Verge Elon Musk reportedly ordered company-wide layoffs at Twitter on Saturday, according to a report from The New York Times . It’s unclear how many workers will be affected by the purported job cuts, but sources told the NYT that some departments will be affected more than others. Previous reports indicate Musk wants to cut down on Twitter’s workforce by 75 percent. Twitter currently has about 7,500 employees. As noted by the NYT , the layoffs could occur before November 1st, the day when employees are supposed to receive their stock grants, which “typically represent a significant portion” of their pay. Musk may not have to pay these grants if he lays off employees before this date. Sources familiar with the situation told the outlet that... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/bCV2DwX

Season 3 of The Witcher hasn’t even premiered yet. | Photo by Taylor Hill/FilmMagic Although season 3 of The Witcher hasn’t premiered yet, Netflix just announced a major change coming to season 4: Liam Hemsworth is replacing Henry Cavill as the titular Geralt of Rivia. Both actors posted about the change on Instagram, with Liam Hemsworth saying he’s “over the moon about the opportunity to play Geralt of Rivia.” Netflix nor Cavill provided a reason for the casting change. “My journey as Geralt of Rivia has been filled with both monsters and adventures, and alas, I will be laying down my medallion and my swords for Season 4,” Cavill said on Instagram . “In my stead, the fantastic Mr Liam Hemsworth will be taking up the mantle of the White Wolf. As with the greatest of literary characters, I pass the torch with reverence... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/tdQYUeD

The customization options let you take things in some wild new directions with your builds | Image: Alice Newcome-Beill A host of bugs and undercooked features keep the addictive building simulator from reaching its full potential Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/O1pq4Q0

Learn how to use Google Home Routines in your smart home. | Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge Google Home is Google’s smart home ecosystem, where you can control all your compatible smart home devices — such as smart lighting, smart cameras, smart locks, and more. The easiest way to do this is with Google’s smart home Routines. These are multi-action shortcuts that control one or more devices and / or trigger one or more actions to happen automatically based on another single action. For example, you can set a Routine that turns your lights off and your cameras on at 10PM each night. Or you can set one up that adjusts the brightness of your lights when the TV turns on and one that turns the bathroom light on when a motion sensor detects movement. Routines can be tailored by time as well, so if your doorbell rings after sunset,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/hjLsxHG

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge It’s not just you — Instagram and Facebook appear to be completely down for some users, as indicated by reports from Downdetector.com , as well as staff members at The Verge . While not everyone appears to be affected and some people can load all of Meta’s services without an issue, users outside the US, as well as some US residents on the West Coast, appear to be having more problems. If you open both apps and are affected by the issue, you may see some cached content displayed but receive an error message saying that the feed can’t be refreshed or the images and content might not load at all. Based on our tests, both websites may also completely fail to load on a desktop browser or display. That’s not how Instagram’s... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/qOENLF9

Driverless cars aren’t going to change the world. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The driverless car startups that haven’t run out of money, gone out of business, or been bought out want you to know that driverless cars aren’t going away. These companies insist that skepticism about the technology is expected but unwarranted and that driverless cars will, in the words of one co-founder , “change the world.” Where have we heard this before? Oh right, practically every tech company and Silicon Valley partisan that has emerged in the last decade or so has insisted that their only goal is to empower mankind and change the world (and not, I don’t know, make gobs and gobs of money). I do agree autonomous vehicles are coming (many are already here), but I think we need to rein in the “change the world” rhetoric. Like,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/5fWNvZC

Vjeran Pavic / The Verge In videos circulating on Twitter Friday morning, two men carrying boxes are seen standing near the entrance to Twitter’s San Francisco building, claiming to have been laid off by Elon Musk, who officially took over the company Thursday evening . There are plenty of problems with what these two men say to reporters. The most glaring is that one man identifies himself as a software engineer named “Rahul Ligma.” The Verge has confirmed that name does not exist in Twitter’s Slack or email system. There is also no evidence that the employee exists on LinkedIn. “Ligma” is, of course, also an internet hoax designed to elicit the response “lick my balls” from people who are in on the joke. That didn’t stop multiple outlets, including CNBC and B... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/7PepfnI

Cars are lined up in traffic on Airline Drive in Houston, Texas, on April 13th, 2020. | Photo by MARK FELIX / AFP via Getty Images Traffic jams are linked to lower birth weights, new research finds. Pregnant people in the most congested neighborhoods gave birth to babies who weighed less than babies in less congested areas, according to a study published today in the journal Science Advances . A baby with low birth weight faces a greater risk of health complications — from infection to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The new study adds to the body of evidence showing that clearing up pollution from cars and trucks will help babies stay healthier. It shows that it’s not just the volume of traffic that affects air quality and health outcomes — the flow of that traffic matters, too. A baby with low birth weight faces a greater risk of health complications Babies... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/difORbj

Walmart and Netflix are expanding their partnership. | Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images Walmart and Netflix are expanding their digital Netflix merch shop to physical stores, the two companies announced on Thursday . The shop, called The Netflix Hub , will be coming to more than 2,400 Walmart locations. At the in-store Netflix zones, you’ll be able to buy things like “music, apparel, collectibles, games, and seasonal items” from big Netflix franchises like Stranger Things , Squid Game , and even the upcoming Knives Out sequel. Walmart and Netflix will also be selling “concession kits” of goodies like popcorn and candy to make watching Netflix at home feel like you’re at the movies. (Though in the case of the Knives Out sequel, you could just go see it at a theater .) Walmart will also be selling a $19.99 Netflix gift card, which... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/oINrJit

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Intel has confirmed that it will lay off workers soon as part of its plan to cut billions of dollars in spending. The announcement comes after reports that Intel is planning on cutting thousands of jobs . As part of its Q3 earnings, the company announced plans to cut around $3 billion in costs over the course of next year, and CEO Pat Gelsinger told Reuters that part of that would come from “people costs.” He also confirmed the job cuts to Bloomberg and added that the company was reducing factory work hours for some employees. By the end of 2025, the company hopes to have cut its costs by $8 to $10 billion a year. Intel is faced with an industry-wide shift in semiconductor availability as the pandemic shortages give way to overproduction... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/V7ryqQl

Amazon just reported its third quarter earnings for 2022. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon’s sales finally picked up in the third quarter following three consecutive quarters of single-digit growth, according to the company’s earnings released Thursday . But it’s expecting a tighter holiday season amid an uncertain economic environment, and the company’s stock fell more than 4 percent in after-hours trading. Sales hit $127.1 billion last quarter, up 15 percent year over year. That number was likely buoyed by Amazon’s successful Prime Day event in July, which it has called its “biggest Prime Day event ever.” Despite that growth, the company is predicting a slower holiday season. In its guidance, Amazon said net sales should grow between 2 and 8 percent year over year next quarter; last year, Amazon saw 9 percent growth in... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/e1iypTm

The beta UI’s homescreen certainly looks more modern. Valve is officially letting users try out a new version of Steam’s Big Picture mode, which makes the game client look like its popular Steam Deck handheld. The long-awaited change (we were hearing rumblings about it in July 2021 ) is a big upgrade for the gamepad-friendly version of the Steam user interface. In a news post , the company warns that the new UI has “rough edges” but says it’s looking to gather feedback from the community on it. In addition to the updated look, the test also includes new features, including a universal search that’ll surface results from your library, friends list, and the store as well as updates to the quick access and system menus and controller configurator. It’s likely to be a welcome change for people... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/TJeEux6

Apple’s updated App Store rules could have a big impact on developers. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple’s most impactful changes this week weren’t new iPads or operating systems. The company also shook up the App Store with new rules and ad slots designed to wring more money out of its tight grip over the iOS ecosystem. The changes have big ramifications for developers, either forcing them to share more of their money with Apple or deal with ads they don’t like. And as developers have found in the past, they don’t have much room to push back. In its changes this week, Apple updated its App Store rules to give itself a cut of some advertising revenue in social media apps and purchase revenue from Web3 apps. The company also expanded the scope of its App Store advertising in ways that further intrude on the presentation of developers’... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/HmGhb5d

Photo by Scott Olson / Getty Images Who knew left-hand turns were so dangerous? Well, anyone who drives in a city, like an Uber driver, for example, has probably encountered their fair share of dangerous left turns. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration , 22 percent of crashes involve a vehicle making a left turn at an intersection. Uber has a novel solution to this problem: fewer left turns. Uber announced today that its in-app navigation system will now recommend fewer left turns in an effort to reduce crashes and make trips safer overall. The adjustments are expected to be “minor” with little impact on trip time, but the effect will hopefully make for a less stressful experience for drivers. Uber Video recording presents... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/I47Nbcd

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Tesla is facing a criminal probe over its claims about its driver assist technology, according to Reuters . The US Department of Justice launched an investigation late last year following more than a dozen crashes, some of which were fatal, involving the company’s Autopilot feature. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been promising actual driverless cars are coming since 2016 — a promise he has yet to deliver. He’s gone from saying that Tesla will have 1 million robotaxis on the road by the end of the year to 1 million people in the FSD beta program, which are wildly different things. The US Department of Justice launched an investigation late last year following more than a dozen crashes Tesla vehicles today come standard with a driver-assist... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/TUQaJkV

“For me, building a metaverse that looks like a meeting room... I just find that’s not where I want to spend most of my time.”  | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s CEO of gaming, is the latest tech exec to take a shot at Meta’s vision of the metaverse. When asked his definition of the metaverse, Spencer described it as “a poorly built video game” at the WSJ Tech Live conference today. Meta rebranded from Facebook last year as a testament to its focus on the metaverse, which it believes will become a place where you not only socialize with friends but also do serious work with colleagues. It seems as if Spencer doesn’t necessarily agree with the work aspect of the metaverse, at least in one form. “Video game creators have an amazing ability to build compelling worlds that we want to go spend time in,” he said at the conference. “For me, building a metaverse that looks like... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/fcpgLu0

Drew Anthony Smith Argo AI, the self-driving startup backed by Ford and Volkswagen, is shutting down, The Verge has learned. Employees were notified that an announcement would be made late in the day Wednesday. (The news was first reported by TechCrunch . ) The company, which was founded by veterans of Google and Uber’s self-driving car projects, has lost the financial support of Ford and VW, a source said. And according to TechCrunch , the company’s resources will be absorbed by both automakers. Argo is estimated to have around 2,000 employees, though it did announce a round of layoffs earlier this year. A spokesperson for Argo declined to comment. Ford, in an announcement as part of its third quarter earnings, said that Argo has been unable to attract new... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/ZKcUizv

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer has revealed that the company’s Xbox Game Pass subscription service is already profitable. Speaking at The Wall Street Journal ’s Tech Live conference , Spencer also revealed that Xbox Game Pass is around 15 percent of Microsoft’s overall Xbox content and services revenue. Spencer says he now expects Xbox Game Pass to stay at around 10–15 percent of Microsoft’s Xbox content and services revenue and that “it’s profitable for us.” “Game Pass as an overall part of our content and services revenue is probably 15 percent,” says Spencer. “I don’t think it gets bigger than that. I think the overall revenue grows so 15 percent of a bigger number, but we don’t have this future where I think 50–70 percent of our... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/8xgrIbu

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge A British hacker who brought the entire nation of Liberia offline more than seven years ago was arraigned before a US federal court today, facing new charges of access device fraud and money laundering conspiracy. The hacker, Daniel Kaye, has been accused of operating a dark web marketplace called The Real Deal for stolen login information for social media and bank accounts, US government devices, and a variety of illicit goods like drugs and unlawful hacking tools. The Real Deal allowed third-party vendors to set up online stores and purchasers to rate sellers based on their authenticity. “This case is an example of our persistent determination to work with our international partners to hold criminals accountable no matter how... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/EHJ8uKF

Production line of a Fiesta. | Image: Getty Ford is ending production of the Fiesta in Europe to make room for electric cars. The automaker’s compact four-door vehicle will be the last combustion engine vehicle to roll off its Cologne, Germany plant, and it’ll instead begin production of a Ford-VW all-electric crossover by next Summer ( via Automotive News ). Ford plans to invest $2 billion to build new electric vehicles — 1.2 million of them — over the next six years. Ford Europe’s GM of passenger vehicles, Martin Sander, posted a solemn legacy video on Twitter celebrating the compact car and teasing four-passenger EVs as the ones taking the helm. One is certain to be an all-electric version of the Ford Puma crossover, of which the current combustion version outsold the Focus and... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/EmQlxIr

James Gunn speaks onstage at the Marvel Cinematic Universe Mega-Panel during 2022 Comic-Con International in 2022. | Image: Daniel Knighton / Getty Images After months of searching for a new leader to head up its answer to Marvel Studios, Warner Bros. Discovery has chosen director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran to lead its recently formed DC Studios division. Though it at one point seemed as though Warner Bros. Discovery was eyeing Dan Lin to head up DC Studios , company CEO David Zaslav announced today that it ultimately decided on Gunn and Safran, who will serve as both co-chairs and co-CEOS of the division while overseeing all of its various film and television projects. In a statement about the surprising move, Zaslav expressed confidence in Gunn and Safran’s “singular and complementary talents” and excitement at the idea of them shaping the future of WBD’s various superhero... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/xr6luEy

Illustration: The Verge Earlier this summer , Google’s parent company Alphabet made it clear that it was trying to get into fighting form as its profits slipped. The company’s earnings report , released on Tuesday, however, shows that it still appears to be on the same path of growing revenue but shrinking profits. This quarter, the company reports that it earned around $69 billion and made $13.9 billion in profit. That’s compared to its exceptional Q3 2021 , when it brought in $65.1 billion in revenue, netting $18.9 billion and making for a fifth straight quarter of record-breaking profits. As another point of comparison, the company earned almost $69.7 billion last quarter, with profits of around $16 billion. Google’s revenue in Q3 2021: $65.1 billion 2020:... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/JEBmiHw

Stage Manager’s external display support is only available on iPads with an M1 chip. | Image: Apple Apple’s getting closer to shipping Stage Manager’s promised external display support on iPadOS 16. As pointed out by 9to5Mac , Apple has included the feature with its release of the iPadOS 16.2 developer beta, which comes one day after the company launched iOS 16.1, iPadOS 16.1 , macOS 13 (aka Ventura), and tvOS 16.1. When Apple first announced Stage Manager at WWDC in June , it initially limited Stage Manager to iPads with an M1 chip, claiming older chips just don’t have enough power. While it later backtracked on this decision after facing criticism from users, it did still reserve support for external displays in Stage Manager for iPads with the M1 chip. The feature lets you hook up your iPad to an external display or Mac, giving you... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/BkYy70H

Image: World’s Edge / Xbox Game Studios It’s time to get your “ wololo ” on the go go go. To accompany today’s Age of Empires 25th anniversary broadcast (man, a lot of games are turning 25 this year ) World’s Edge and Xbox Game Studios announced Age of Empires is going from PC to iOS and Android. This is the latest attempt by Microsoft to break into the mobile gaming market , and it’s already got a leg up with its acquisition of Activision Blizzard King , which is slated to complete in 2023. Age of Empire s has been brought to mobile before, but this seems to be the most faithful adaption of the game yet. In 2015, Age of Empires: Castle Siege , a tower defense game, and Age of Empires: World Domination , a real-time strategy game, both arrived on mobile. Both games were short-lived,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/gDFceNW

You’ll be able to store a lot more stuff in your Workspace account. | Illustration: The Verge Google is about to give Workspace Individual subscribers a whole lot more storage. Soon, every account will be upgraded from 15GB to 1TB of storage, the company announced on Tuesday , meaning people on that tier will be able to store a lot more than before. Google launched Workspace Individual in July 2021 as a way for one-person businesses to use some of the company’s more premium Workspace perks without having to pay for higher-priced options designed for larger enterprises. While this increased storage will make it easier to store more documents and assets, it also means individuals might have a lot more stuff to move if they ever want to take things from Google to another platform. That could make it harder to switch, which is... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/ixRq9WC

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images I am really bummed that we are likely going to have to wait until 2024 for the next season of House of the Dragon and also kind of ashamed that I know more about Westerosi history than I do about, like, World War I (A Wiki of Ice and Fire is a real bottomless pit). I will also miss my day-after routine of HOTD pods like Talk the Thrones and Boars, Gore, and Swords , so if anyone has some fresh pods to recommend, hmu. Anyway, in the real world, Apple is hiking its subscription prices, Spotify is reporting earnings, and Taylor Swift is one of the last real music stars. Apple is raising its subscription prices Yesterday, 9to5Mac reported that Apple is increasing the prices of its plans for Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, and Apple One. It’s the... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2dZHvsO

Gloomwood ’s trusty cane sword. | Image: New Blood Interactive I have no idea how most people play stealth games, but for me, the genre is primarily about one thing: knocking guys out. What is my mission in any given Deus Ex or Metal Gear Solid level? Stopping a war? Saving the world? No. It is sneaking around a compound, making people not awake anymore, and stacking them in a little pile before I leave. By this admittedly specific standard, Gloomwood may be one of the best new stealth games around. Gloomwood launched in early access on Steam last month, and I still haven’t finished it; I’ve spent a couple hours working through the first of (I think) three current areas. The project is heavily inspired by the Looking Glass tradition of games, particularly Thief — its developers, part of a collective... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/Z4yUmXA

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Best Buy’s new MacBook upgrade program locks you into three years of monthly payments before giving you the option to upgrade to the latest and greatest machine ( via Apple Insider ). Called Upgrade Plus , it lets people with approved credit finance either a MacBook or MacBook Air via Citizens Bank. As an example, Best Buy says you can purchase the $999 M1-powered MacBook Air for as low as $19.99 for 36 months and then pay out the remaining $280.35 in month 37 to keep the device. That is, assuming you qualify for a zero-percent APR offer — the program’s FAQ indicates offers may carry interest of up to 29.99 percent, depending on creditworthiness. But if you don’t want to pay the higher amount on that last payment, Best Buy says you will... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/rvIglst

The final update for Chome on Windows 7 and 8.1 is scheduled to be released in early February. | Illustration: The Verge Google will release the final version of Chrome for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 sometime next year. Chrome 110, which is tentatively scheduled to be released on February 7th, 2023, will be the last version that supports the two older Microsoft operating systems, according to a Google support page ( via Android Police ). This could be a bigger deal than you might think. Despite Windows 7 first being released in 2009 and Microsoft officially ending support for it in 2020 , data suggests that the operating system is still running on a whole lot of devices: as recently as last year, that number was estimated to be at least 100 million PCs . That means a lot of people could soon be both an unsupported operating system and an unsupported web... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/dG1R8D6

It seems like Disney’s following in Netflix’s footsteps. | Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge If you subscribe to Disney Plus’ upcoming ad-supported tier , you may miss out on features that are available to other subscribers. Some code discovered by MacRumors ’ Steve Moser suggests that GroupWatch and SharePlay — features that let you remotely watch a movie or show with friends and family — won’t be available if you’re using the $7.99 version of Disney’s service ( via XDA ). Disney didn’t immediately reply to The Verge ’s request for comment on whether it’s actually planning to not allow ad-supported users to watch content with it or Apple’s system. The code seems pretty unambiguous; it’s a tooltip saying, “Groupwatch and Shareplay unavailable for accounts on the ads tier.” However, it could always be a placeholder or a decision that... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/aMB6rLp

The Wikipedia logo | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Wikipedia is one of the sturdiest survivors of the old web, as well as one of the most clearly human-powered ones, thanks to a multitude of editors making changes across the globe. But after celebrating the site’s 20th birthday last year, the Wikimedia Foundation is turning to new — and more heavily automated — tools in search of its next wave of contributors. It’s adding features designed to ease users into making their own edits, including suggestions for easy first steps like cross-linking different articles. It’s doing so while trying not to weaken the bonds of its individual communities — and, the Wikimedia team hopes, possibly even making them stronger. Wikimedia has been testing extra features for newcomers since 2019, and it’s... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/sKDyzXd

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge At a staff meeting this afternoon here at The Verge , several people started complaining about the problem of keeping their fabric-covered tech clean. It turned out that this is definitely a problem in search of a solution. For example, if you are keeping an Apple HomePod Mini , a Google Assistant speaker , or an Amazon Echo in your kitchen, the device is going to start accumulating crumbs and grease really quickly. Not to mention the pet hair that the fabric is going to attract or what it will look like after being carried from room to room by grubby little four-year-old hands. So how do you keep them clean? I looked it up in various sources, and most agreed: there are a few things you can do to try to keep the surface of your... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/7JdB1li

There’s an additional battery-saving setting that, combined with Low Power Mode, can get you an estimated 60 hours. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The Apple Watch Ultra can now last even longer on a single charge. In watchOS 9.1, Apple has added a workout setting that extends battery life to an estimated 60 hours by reducing GPS and heart rate readings. Battery life estimates for the Ultra can be a little tough to parse. The official line is that the watch lasts up to 36 hours with normal use and up to 12 hours during an outdoor run. However, Apple also introduced a Low Power Mode in watchOS 9 that limits or disables certain features to last enough to finish an Ironman race — roughly 14-15 hours. But to get that 60-hour estimate, you have to enable both Low Power Mode and the new “Fewer GPS and heart rate readings” setting. The vanilla Low Power Mode turns off the always-on... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/YvSl0V2

Plastic, Styrofoam, and other trash drain down from storm channels and wash up along the banks of Ballona Creek after the first major rain of the season in Los Angeles, California.  | Photo by: Citizen of the Planet / UCG / Universal Images Group via Getty Images We’ve known for years that plastic recycling rates are low, but they’ve managed to get even worse. The state of plastic recycling in the US is so abysmal that no plastic packaging can even be considered recyclable, according to a new report published today by environmental group Greenpeace. Households in the US tossed out 51 million tons of plastic waste in 2021, says the new report. Just 2.4 million tons of that plastic was recycled, or just under 5 percent — compared to 8.7 percent in 2018 . With so little of the waste recycled, no type of plastic used in the US meets an industry-backed standard for what’s considered “recyclable,” says Greenpeace With so little of the waste recycled, no type of plastic packagin...

Bravo to OnePlus for dropping the gimmicky macro camera. | Image: OnePlus OnePlus is bringing its signature fast charging feature to a lower price bracket in the Nord N300 5G. It includes 33W wired charging (with a charger in the box!) and will sell for $228 — an appealing proposition since most flagship phones don’t even include charging that fast. The N300 also bears a striking resemblance to parent company Oppo’s K10 5G , released in India earlier this year. It makes a few tradeoffs to hit its low price point, and we’ll be curious to see how they pan out. The Nord N300 uses a midrange MediaTek Dimensity 810 chipset with 4GB of RAM, which is a shift from the Snapdragon processors used in its previous Nord devices sold in North America. The N300 also breaks away from previous budget OnePlus devices by opting... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/K9sn2hE

Apple’s collaboration with U2 included special edition iPods. | Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images In a new memoir, U2 frontman Bono has spilled the beans on the internal discussions that lead to two of the band’s high-profile collaborations with Apple. The first saw the band star in one of the company’s iconic iPod ads, while the second is much less fondly remembered, and involved Apple pushing the band’s newly released album into the hands of everyone with an iTunes account. The anecdotes appear in Bono’s upcoming book, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story , extracts of which have been published by The Guardian . According to Bono, the Vertigo music video came about after members of the band met with then-Apple CEO Steve Jobs in October 2004 to pitch its upcoming song “Vertigo” as the soundtrack to one of the iPod’s silhouette commercials.... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/ZhBiPm0

Thomas Hedger / The Verge Automakers tout advanced driver-assistance systems like adaptive cruise control and emergency braking as a solution to the epidemic of traffic fatalities. But what if they’re just convenience features? Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/yvSx3RF

Easier to use and stable. But let’s check in again after a few months. Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/W9jGB0h

Nick Barclay / The Verge The Wire , an independent news outlet based in India, retracted its story that accused Meta of granting an Indian politician special permissions to remove posts on its platforms. In an update posted on Sunday , The Wire says it has decided to retract its report after “certain discrepancies” emerged in the evidence it used to back up its claims. “Our investigation, which is ongoing, does not as yet allow us to take a conclusive view about the authenticity and bona fides of the sources with whom a member of our reporting team says he has been in touch over an extended period of time,” the outlet explains. “We are still reviewing the entire matter, including the possibility that it was deliberately sought to misinform or deceive The Wire.” So... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/t1Kx4WU

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Meta — Facebook and Instagram’s parent company — was at the center of controversy in India, where a local publication claimed the company removed an Instagram post on behalf of an Indian politician. Meta pushed back on these claims and accused the outlet of using “fabricated” evidence, and it’s starting to look like that may be the case. After Meta and several experts online found inconsistencies in The Wire ’s reporting, the outlet decided to suspend access to its stories on October 18th and conduct an “internal review” of the documents it used as evidence. It later retracted its report on October 23rd due to “certain discrepancies” that emerged in its reporting. It’s an unusually difficult story to keep track of, drawing on the nuances... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/UheP495

Nick Barclay / The Verge Facebook might ban news sharing in Canada if the country passes legislation forcing the company to pay news outlets for their content ( via The Wall Street Journal ). In a post shared on Friday , Facebook parent company Meta says Canada’s proposed Online News Act falsely presumes that it “unfairly benefits from its relationship with publishers.” First introduced in April, the Online News Act compels online platforms like Facebook and Google to share revenue with the publishers they aggregate their news from. The goal of the bill is to ensure news outlets are fairly compensated for their work. Canada’s House of Commons Heritage Committee held a meeting about the legislation last week, but Meta says it wasn’t invited. If this type of law... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/EQGv8q4

PopSocket’s battery bank isn’t a small accessory. | Image: Mitchell Clark / The Verge We’re smack in the middle of new phone season and getting close to the time when some of us are going to have to start worrying about wish lists and stocking stuffers , so I want to look at an accessory that may be on some people’s radar: the PopGrip JumpStart , a $35 battery bank that attaches to your phone via PopSocket’s quick release mechanism and provides around a 50 percent charge via a built-in Lightning or USB-C cable. When I first heard about it, I hoped that the JumpStart would be both a good battery bank and a good way to hold my phone. Unfortunately, I found that it was relatively mediocre at the first job and worse at the second, making it a bit unclear who exactly this product is for. I will say a few nice things before I... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/qHDtmGE

Vincent Kilbride / The Verge From the very beginning, people on the internet have been obsessed with sex. That’s the argument laid out in a new book by journalist Samantha Cole, How Sex Changed the Internet and the Internet Changed Sex . Cole digs through early internet history to show how sexual content and communities were part of the internet from its earliest days and had a profound effect on how the online space deals with identity, community, and consent. From identity play on early bulletin board sites to the rise of online pornography as an industry unto itself, Cole makes the case that you can’t make sense of the internet without sex — even if today’s major platform companies would like to. Content note: This interview describes multiple sexual practices in... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/NEzs6OZ

The Verge After Facebook’s Bitmoji-style avatars invaded Instagram and Messenger, now they’re coming to Whatsapp, too. According to a report from WABetaInfo , WhatsApp is rolling out support for customizable avatars in the latest 2.22.23.9 beta on Android , but only for some users. Those with access to the feature will see a new “Avatar” category in their settings menu that they can use to customize the digital version of themselves. Just like on Meta’s other apps, WhatsApp will then generate a sticker pack with the avatar in various poses, which users can use to express themselves when messaging family and friends. WhatsApp is releasing the ability to set up an avatar to some lucky beta testers on WhatsApp beta for Android! An avatar is the best... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/lN1jItY