What I track in a day

It’s a lot of stuff, generally. | Photo: Victoria Song / The Verge This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dis...

Whack-a-drone

In Pasadena, California, there's a cute red brick courtyard where one storefront isn't like the rest. The glass doors open onto a sparse industrial hallway, whi...

TikTok’s protection of minors should not be opt-in, warns EU

TikTok has attracted the ire of the European Union over its protection of children who use the video sharing platform. The European Commission announced prelimi...

Facebook considers giving up and becoming TikTok

Facebook is planning some big changes to try and keep its users from jumping to rival social platforms like TikTok - changes that sound dubiously similar to bec...

Microsoft pressures LG into killing unwanted McAfee ads

Microsoft has intervened to stop Windows 11 users with LG monitors from being bombarded with annoying McAfee trial pop-ups. In response to complaints about the ...

Alexa Plus is getting an AI update to handle more complicated instructions

Amazon is launching an update to its Alexa Plus assistant that will allow it to connect to smart home devices in new ways. With the update, Alexa Plus can link ...

The Echo Show 21 is a great smart home hub that’s $80 off

Echo Show's 21 attached to the adjustable stand, which is sold separately (and also discounted). | Image: Amazon Split between buying a smart calendar, a kitche...

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr’s war on the First Amendment

As the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Brendan Carr has authority over the nation’s TV, radio, and internet. But since Donald Trump was elect...

Claude’s voice mode is now available for Opus and Sonnet

Until now, voice mode has only been available on Claude Haiku, Anthropic's faster but less powerful model. Now the company is making its Opus and Sonnet models ...

Patreon is laying off 20 percent of workers

Patreon is laying off 20 percent of its workers, or around 93 employees, as reported earlier by 404 Media. In a memo to employees, Patreon CEO Jack Conte writes...

Corsair’s PC case with a panoramic glass design is $70 off

If only the air looked this cool as it flows through the Frame 4500X RS. | Image: Corsair On the hunt for a PC case that’s loaded with features and has a unique...

Tesla’s robotaxi promises are clashing with reality

In an earnings call yesterday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk did his best to paint a positive portrait of the company's robotaxi program. New cities are being added, more...

Geekbench 7 will push your computer or phone even harder for better benchmarking

Primate Labs is releasing Geekbench 7, the latest generation of its popular benchmarking tool. Geekbench 7 features new video and audio encoding / decoding test...

OpenAI is making big claims as it rolls out ChatGPT Health to everyone

OpenAI is rolling out ChatGPT Health to everyone in the US on Thursday, allowing more people to connect their medical records and health-tracking information to...

Amazon puts Luna cloud-streamed games like Fallout 4 inside Prime Video

The new strategy that Amazon gaming exec Jeff Gattis talked to The Verge about last month is getting clearer now that Prime Video has added a new Games tab on F...

Microsoft is testing free, ad-supported cloud gaming for Xbox Insiders

Xbox Insiders can stream games from their libraries for free in ad-supported streaming sessions starting today. The free streaming sessions are limited to games...

Amazon’s best 4K streaming sticks are up to 40 percent off

There’s no shortage of great shows and movies to watch, but discovering something new isn’t always easy. Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Plus and Fire TV Stick 4K Max...

The new Halo remake is a reminder of what Xbox used to be

It's impossible to talk about a new Xbox game without also talking about the state of Xbox. Microsoft's gaming division is in freefall: Recent headlines are dom...

Lawmakers prepare bill requiring AI ‘kill switch’

Lawmakers are preparing to introduce an "AI Kill Switch Act" that would require AI companies to shut down or throttle their systems on orders from the Departmen...

Apple’s OpenAI lawsuit is about who gets to define the post-smartphone era

Today on Decoder, I’m talking with Hayden Field, The Verge’s senior AI reporter, about the major trade secrets lawsuit between Apple and OpenAI and what this te...

Ford picks Apple Maps for its next EV platform and updated BlueCruise

Ford plans to embed Apple Maps directly into its Universal Electric Vehicle Platform, which will start with a $30,000 midsize pickup truck set for release in 20...

The sci-fi movie that imagines AI isn’t so dystopian after all

Imagine you are the parent of an inquisitive seven-year-old who loves his family, playing baseball, and hanging out with his friends. It's the life you've alway...

The right-wing boomers protesting data centers have a lot in common with the left

A person holds signs during a nationwide protest against AI data center expansion outside Peace Hall in New Port Richey, Florida. | AFP via Getty Images On a gr...

Google hit with $1 billion fine for breaking EU antitrust rules

The European Union has fined Google's parent company Alphabet €890 million (about $1 billion) for two separate violations of the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA...

Google now lets you sign in to your account using a selfie video

Google announced yet another way to gain access to your account if you get locked out, forget your password, or don't have access to the phone, computer, or two...

Framework’s premium laptop is shipping with less RAM

The Framework Laptop 13 Pro configuration you wanted may not be available for a while. | Image: Framework RAMageddon has claimed yet another victim, with Framew...

Lego’s Donkey Kong arcade machine lets Mario jump endless barrels — Miyamoto is reportedly happy

Carl Merriam has designed some of my favorite nostalgia-inducing Lego sets, including the Lego Nintendo Game Boy and Piranha Plant. He's assisted on the incredi...

Meta won’t have to face the next planned social media addiction trial

Less than a week before Meta's lawyers were set to return to a Los Angeles courtroom, the plaintiff accusing the platform of inflicting harm dropped the case. B...

Tesla’s revenues are bouncing back after a dismal two years

A Tesla Model 3 electric car is seen during the China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing on July 16, 2025. (Photo by Jade GAO / AFP) (Photo by J...

Price-hiked iPads are a little cheaper right now

The iPad Pro M5 is one of the iPads discounted for the sale. | Image: The Verge A number of Apple products got more expensive last month, so we’re happy to find...