Technology news

Good things come to Pixel users who wait.After teasing private browsing at its Pixel event this past October, Google's finally delivered. Today, the search giant dropped a bunch of new features for its line of smartphones, including that built-in VPN for its Google One cloud storage service. Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro users will now have access to this VPN through the Google One app at no extra cost and with no subscription necessary.
VPN by Google One works by encrypting your internet activity and

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge As labor movements in the video game industry build up momentum, over 300 quality assurance workers at ZeniMax Online Studios, former Bethesda parent company and current subsidiary of Microsoft, are in the process of organizing a union. The workers are organizing in collaboration with CODE-CWA, which has assisted in the formation of Activision Blizzard’s two unions.In a statement on Twitter, ZeniMax Workers United posted: “Today we, a majority

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Facebook warns it could ban news in the US if Congress passes a bill that would require the platform to negotiate with and compensate publishers for their content. Andy Stone, Meta’s head of policy communications, said on Twitter that Facebook will “be forced to consider removing news” from Facebook if the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) is passed. Facebook previously threatened to block news in Canada and Australia wh

An alleged render of the unannounced OnePlus 11 shows a round camera bump and a beloved feature sticking around. | Image: OnLeaks via GadgetGang Reliable leaker OnLeaks is offering what’s likely an early look at the upcoming OnePlus 11, with an updated camera bump treatment and the beloved alert slider intact. The image, courtesy of GadgetGang.com, shows a sleek round camera bump, green and black color options, and the alert slider alive and well on the device’s side rail above the p

Image: Shein Online shopping behemoth Shein will spend $15 million on upgrades to its suppliers’ factories, the company announced today. The news follows a UK documentary report that found workers were subject to long hours and that wages were withheld, according to The Guardian.
Shein says that, through an independent audit, it discovered that workers at two factories in China were working 12.5- and 13.5-hour-long days — more than is legally permitted by local law. While it’s

Image: Krafton The world is full of mediocre video games, but occasionally there’s a game that makes me actually mad. It’s usually something I have high hopes for — a particularly creative idea or a genre I wish more developers were experimenting with. It’s often something whose priorities seem painfully and dramatically misplaced. The Callisto Protocol — a survival horror game released last week — is both.
The Callisto Protocol’s design was spearheaded

A Dishy McFlatface satellite dish. | Image: Starlink Starlink’s upcoming daytime data caps will be going into effect in February instead of December, according to revised language on the company’s website (via CNET). When Starlink first announced the caps in November, the company had said they’d kick in sometime this month. Now, they’ll be in place a little bit later than originally planned.
The terms of the data caps otherwise seem to be the same. As part of Starlink&rsq

SAVE UP TO 50%: Through Dec. 12, you can take 50% off orders from big retailers like Dick's, Bed Bath and Beyond, Lush, Petsmart, Big Lots, and more via DoorDash during its 12 Days of Deals event. No DashPass is required, but members do get extra perks.DoorDash wants to "Deck your Doorstep" this holiday season with 12 Days of Deals. Whether you need last-minute gifts, groceries, beauty products, or booze to get you through the holiday drama, DoorDash has you covered — and you won't ha

Samar Haddad / The Verge One of the more popular end-of-year items this year (and many of the past few years) is Spotify Wrapped, where the music service puts together a roundup of everything you listened to that year in various statistical formats, wrapped up (well, that’s what it’s called, right?) in bright, fun graphics. You can see what music categories you followed, get a playlist of your top 100 songs, see where you stand compared to others, and find out what your listening per

Photo by Sam Byford / The Verge Microsoft has offered Sony a 10-year contract to make future Call of Duty games available on PlayStation if its proposed Activision Blizzard acquisition goes ahead. Microsoft president Brad Smith confirmed the deal in an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal today, noting that “Sony has emerged as the loudest objector” to Microsoft’s proposed $68.7 billion acquisition and that “it’s as excited about this deal as Blockbuster was about the r

Image: Blizzard Ramattra, the sleek and terrifying new tank coming with Overwatch 2’s second season, will be much easier to earn than the previous hero Kiriko. Aaron Keller, Overwatch 2’s game designer, stated in a brief message on Twitter that developer Blizzard is lowering the level at which Ramattra unlocks from 55 to 45.
Hey all! Quick update on some changes coming to Season 2. After reviewing data for Season 1, we're moving Ramattra in to Tier 45 of the Battle Pass and making a

The Orion spacecraft had an intimate brush with the lunar terrain on Monday, hugging the moon's curves just 80 miles above the surface. Shortly after it emerged around the bend, NASA's moonship delivered some mind-warping photographs that flipped the script on our place in space: The crescent rising in the distance was not the object folks are accustomed to seeing as a clipped fingernail in the sky. It was us."In this view, we see 8 billion human lives, all existing upon our pale blue dot, our b

Wednesday star Jenna Ortega clarifies that all those tweets you've been seeing on your timeline are misinformation. No, she didn't, but Ortega also didn't say that "Overwatch" is her favorite video game or that Indigo by RM is her favorite album. Spreading misinformation about Ortega's favorite things is just the latest meme proliferating on Twitter. The meme is a spin on the way popular unverified entertainment news accounts like @FilmUpdates, @PopBase, and @PopCrave post updates. These tweets

The DHS may need to come up with a better marketing slogan than “be your REAL ID self” before time is up. | Image: Department of Homeland Security The government has extended the deadline for when federal agencies like the TSA will start requiring Real ID cards, moving the date from May 3rd, 2023, to May 7th, 2025. This will give people an extra two years to get an updated driver’s license or ID card; after the deadline, they won’t be allowed to fly without them.The exten

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft is increasing the prices of its upcoming first-party Xbox games next month. From 2023 onward, new full-priced games from Xbox Game Studios like Redfall, Starfield, and Forza Motorsport will be priced at $69.99 instead of the usual $59.99. It’s a price increase that matches the pricing that competitors like Sony, Ubisoft, and Take-Two all offer their own games at.
Microsoft issued the following statement about the price increases:
We’v

Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, California, on Tuesday, November 29th, 2022. | David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Lies about climate change on Twitter escalated to unprecedented levels this year, according to new analyses. The unnerving rise of content that rejects widely accepted climate science — sometimes referred to as climate skepticism or climate denial — piles on top of growing concerns about misinformation and hateful content that’s proliferated since E

The pixel art in the new version of Dwarf Fortress. | Image: Bay 12 Games Dwarf Fortress, the cult classic simulator game that has been in development since 2003, is getting a new “premium” version this week with entirely new visuals. The original game is well known for its ASCII art, but the version coming to Steam and itch.io will feature really nice pixel art.Dwarf Fortress can be a mind-bogglingly huge game. At its most basic level, the game lets you manage a dwarven outpost in a

Google’s December Pixel update includes a couple of anticipated features for its newest phones. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge If you’ve been eager to try Clear Calling on the Pixel 7 but unwilling to download beta software to use it, then today’s your day — Google is taking it and a couple of other features promised for the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro public in today’s feature drop. That includes new speaker labels for transcriptions in the Recorder app and ac

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge After the brouhaha of Spotify Wrapped last week, Apple Podcasts has dropped its own end-of-year charts. Apple Podcasts’ daily charts already show which titles are trending year-round, but its year-end charts are an indicator of which shows are doing best on a consistent basis: and no surprise, true-crime programming reigns supreme.
Crime Junkie took the top spot on Apple’s list of biggest shows of 2022, followed by The Daily, Dateline NBC, Morb

Give the gift of warm drinks with an Ember temperature-controlled mug. As of Dec. 5, here are our picks for the best Ember Mug deals:BEST EMBER MUG2 DEAL: The Ember Mug² is equipped with a built-in battery and includes a charging coaster — $90.95 $129.95 (save $39) BEST EMBER TRAVEL MUG2 DEAL: The Ember Travel Mug² maintains your chosen temperature for three hours on a single charge — $139.95 $199.95 (save $60)With exactly 20 days until Christmas, shoppers might be sta

Save up to 42%: As of Monday, Dec. 5, you can save more than $200 on a pair of Sony Bluetooth wireless speakers on Amazon. These are the best deals:BEST BASS-HEAVY SPEAKER DEAL: Sony SRS-XB23 EXTRA BASS Wireless Bluetooth Portable Lightweight Travel Speaker — $64 $109.99 (save $45.99)BEST PARTY-FRIENDLY SPEAKER DEAL: Sony SRS-XG500 X-Series Wireless Portable Bluetooth Speaker — $298 $499.99 (save $201.99)If you need to get your home party-ready for the holidays, might we suggest inve

SAVE $70: As of Dec. 5, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro Titanium Smartwatch, 45mm is now on sale at Best Buy for $379.99. That's a savings of 15%.Winter is a great time for skiers and snowboarders to hit their workout and endurance goals. Having a decent smartwatch comes in handy during harsh weather conditions. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro is the perfect companion and fitness tracker for adventurers and winter fitness enthusiasts.As of Dec. 5, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro Titanium Smartwatch

Let’s face it — the holidays can be exhausting. After all of the shopping and family time, don’t you wish you could just chill out poolside or on a tropical beach with a cocktail for a few days?Get on Booking.com’s early 2023 travel deals and you can. You’ll save at least 15% off select hotels when you book and stay by March 31. Think about it: You can throw your bikini or board shorts into your suitcase and be chilling on a beach by next weekend. Here are just a fe

BEST TELESCOPE DEAL FOR BEGINNERS: Those who are taking baby steps in the astronomy world will benefit from the Celestron AstroMaster 70AZ Telescope— $125.99 $185.95 (Save $59.96)BEST COMPACT TELESCOPE DEAL: No need to clear out a closet for the Celestron 76mm Classic FirstScope — $49.99 $71.95 (Save $21.96)BEST REFLECTOR TELESCOPE DEAL: If you're in need of a powerful telescope that is suitable for beginners and pros alike, then the Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ-MD Newtonian Telescope

BrightDrop’s Zevo all-electric delivery vehicle. | Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge BrightDrop, the GM-backed EV logistics company, is announcing its first international client: DHL Express Canada. This comes alongside news that the company is commencing production of its Zevo 600 delivery vans at its Ontario-based CAMI assembly plant.
The CAMI plant is Canada’s first large-scale EV factory, according to BrightDrop. The company projects the location to output 50,000 Zevo EVs per y

Photo illustration by William Joel / The Verge | Photography by Joel Saget / AFP via Getty Images Slack CEO and co-founder Stewart Butterfield is leaving Salesforce in January, reports Business Insider. Butterfield helped co-found Slack in 2013 after Glitch — a social MMORPG — was shut down and Butterfield turned his focus to workplace communication tools instead. Butterfield is leaving Salesforce, the company that acquired Slack for $27.7 billion last year, after less than two years

UPDATE: Dec. 5, 2022, 11:30 a.m. EST This story has been updated with the latest Deals of the Day and 12 Days of Gaming picks at Best Buy. Here's a quick look:DEC. 5 DEAL OF THE DAY: The all-new Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro (Bluetooth, 45mm) is a durable, high-end smartwatch with titanium casing, a sapphire crystal glass display, and advanced workout and wellness features — $379.99 $449.99 (save $70) + free $50 Best Buy e-gift cardDEC. 5 12 DAYS OF GAMING DEAL: Last year's Call of Duty: Vang

Riot Games Riot Games shared more news on the progress of its free-to-play fighting game codenamed Project L in a brief but dense developer update on Monday. In a previous update last August, the team revealed a new fighter, Illaoi, and this time around, Project L executive producer Tom Cannon shared that she’s gone from “concept to an early playable form.”Though the Kraken Priestess looked pretty sick with her tentacle-based moveset, Cannon said that she’s nowhere close

UPDATE: Dec. 5, 2022, 12:30 p.m. EST This story has been updated to include new deals on pet tech, toys, and more.BEST PET TECH DEAL: The Petcube Bites 2 Lite will keep an eye on and toss treats to your pet while you're away — $109.95 $149 (save $39.05)BEST PET TOY DEAL: The Outward Hound Dog Brick puzzle toy lets your dog push, nudge, and paw their way to tasty treats — $11.17 $27.49 (save $16.32)BEST PET DNA KIT DEAL: The Embark Dog DNA kit will give you a breed breakdown and heal

Want a whiter, brighter smile for the holidays? As of Dec. 5, there are some great deals available on Crest Whitestrips teeth whitening kits on Amazon. Here are our favorite ones:BEST EXPRESS TEETH WHITENING KIT: Crest 3D Whitestrips, Radiant Express with LED Accelerator Light — $44.99 $77.99 (SAVE $33)BEST PROFESSIONAL TEETH WHITENING KIT: Crest 3D Whitestrips, Professional Effects — $29.99 $45.99 (SAVE $16)With the holidays coming up, expect a ton of photos and wide, cheesy smiles.

The U.S. government has just confirmed the first official case of pandemic fraud linked to foreign state-sponsored hackers.At least $20 million in COVID relief funds have been stolen by the China-based, state-sponsored hacking group, APT41, according to the Secret Service per NBC News. And officials believe there is much more of this going on that's yet to be discovered as over 1,000 related investigations are underway.APT41 is a sophisticated group that has carried out high-level attacks on the

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Facebook is testing ways for people to verify their age when using the platform’s dating app, including using an AI face scanning tool.
In a blog post today, Meta announced it would start prompting users on Facebook Dating to verify that they’re over 18 if the platform suspects a user is underage (you must be over 18 to use the dating service). Users can then confirm their age either by submitting a copy of their ID or by uploading a selfie vi

The Pro model of the Galaxy Watch 5 has improved battery life and a raised touch bezel. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge Kicking our deals post off this week, you can find the Bluetooth-exclusive model of the 45mm Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro discounted to $379.99 at Best Buy in the titanium gray color. You can also find the black model discounted to around $399 at Amazon and Best Buy. The Watch 5 Pro may be a little bit chunky, but it has a larger screen and improved battery life over the sta

SAVE $30: Disney+ is raising its prices on Dec. 8. If you want to save some cash before the price hike hits, sign up for an annual subscription to Disney+ Premium ASAP for $79.99/year.Disney+ may be getting more expensive in a few days, but there’s still a way to lock in the current prices. If you purchase an annual plan on or before Dec. 7, you can save up to $30 on Disney+ Premium. SEE ALSO:Best streaming services: We compare Disney+, Sling TV, HBO Max, Paramount+, and more
With Dis

The whole word is going goblin mode, it seems. The good folks over at Oxford, the published behind the Oxford English Dictionary, announced that "goblin mode" was 2022's Word of the Year.In what is surely not a coincidence, this is also the first year Oxford opened the competition to a public vote. Basically we've got Boaty McBoatface redux. It was a landslide victory — BBC reported "goblin mode" got 93 percent of the more than 300,000 votes. "Metaverse" finished second. Sorry, Zuck. Oxfor

Ready to upgrade your kitchen? Here are some of the best kitchen appliance deals as of Dec. 5.BEST CROCKPOT DEAL: Crock-Pot Oval Manual Slow Cooker, 7qt., for braising, stews, and slow cooking. $24.99 $49.99 (save $25)BEST AIR FRYER DEAL: Bella Pro Series Digital Air Fryer, 8qt., perfect for healthy meals in a pinch. $49.99 $129.99 (save $80)BEST STAND MIXER DEAL: KitchenAid Professional 5 Plus Series, 5qt., a classic for dedicated home cooks. $279.99 $449.99 (save $170)The holidays are a great

Illustration: The Verge FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried promised to testify before Congress after he finished “learning and reviewing” the events that caused the popular cryptocurrency exchange to file for bankruptcy last month.Bankman-Fried’s promise was made in response to a tweet from House Financial Services Chair Maxine Waters (D-CA) last week calling on him to join the committee’s hearing on FTX’s collapse on December 13th. But Bankman-Fried didn’t commit

Jarett Sitter / The Verge One of my favorite TikTokers, Bran Flakezz, quit his full-time job so he could have more time to do tequila shots on camera. I can’t stop laughing at the hangover solution he posted over the weekend, and I don’t even drink. This can’t be sustainable, right?
For The Vergecast’s three-part Creator Economies series, we explore emerging elements of the business of being a creator. We dig deep on creator funds and how giant pools of platform money cha

Illustration: The Verge When HBO Max and Discovery Plus merge into a single app next spring, the new platform will simply be called “Max.” That’s according to a report from CNBC, which notes that while a final decision hasn’t been made, Max “is the likely choice” and is being vetted by Warner Bros. Discovery’s legal team. The lawyers are also mulling over other potential names, according to the report, and the combined streaming service has been given th

We've rounded up the best deals of the day on Dec. 5 — here are our top picks:BEST TECH DEAL: Samsung Galaxy Watch5 Pro Titanium Smartwatch 45mm BT — $379.99 $449.99 (save $70) + $50 Promotional Best Buy E-Gift CardBEST HOME DEAL: Eufy 25C Robot Vacuum — $96 $249.99 (save $147.99)BEST STREAMING DEAL: Paramount+ Essential — $24.99 $49.99 (save $25) for your first yearCyber Week may be over, but the deals definitely aren't. Whether you're looking to save on your s