Apple ordered to open encrypted user accounts globally to UK spying Apple has reportedly been ordered by the UK government to create a backdoor that would give security officials access to users’ encrypted iCloud backups. If implemented, British security services would have access to the backups of any user worldwide, not just Brits, and Apple would not be permitted to alert users that their encryption was

PS Plus members can score nearly 20 percent off a PlayStation Portal right now Sony can be somewhat stingy about offering discounts on first-party accessories like the PlayStation Portal, which is why the latest PlayStation sale is worth checking out. Now through February 19th, PlayStation Plus members can buy two PlayStation 5 accessories and get 20 percent off purchases over $100. If you aren’t a PS Plus member, you

I tested ChatGPT’s deep research with the most misunderstood law on the internet In the vast number of fields where generative AI has been tested, law is perhaps its most glaring point of failure. Tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT have gotten lawyers sanctioned and experts publicly embarrassed, producing briefs based on made-up cases and nonexistent research citations. So when my colleague Kylie Robison got access to ChatGPT’s new…

Elon Musk’s computer coup Elon Musk and the team at the Department of Government Efficiency figured out one thing really fast: if you control the computers, you control everything. And so Musk and his merry band of engineers have spent the last week or so parading into various US government agencies and taking control of their systems. There’s so

Amazon will pay $4 million to settle driver tip theft lawsuit Amazon has agreed to pay the District of Columbia $3.95 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that the retail giant had stolen more than $60 million in tips intended for its Flex delivery drivers. DC Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb announced the settlement today, which includes $2.45 million in penalties and requires Amazon to clearly

DOGE staffer resigns after reporters uncover racist posts Marko Elez — the 25-year-old Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer who has reportedly been combing through the Treasury Department’s payment systems — resigned from his position after the Wall Street Journal uncovered an old social media account linked to him with numerous posts promoting racism and eugenics. “99% of Indian …

Tinder adds new Explore categories to help you find likeminded dates Tinder is updating its Explore page with new categories to help you find dates with similar relationship goals. With the update, you can now browse profiles in groups such as “Serious Dater,” “Long-Term Partner,” “Non-monogamy,” and “Short-Term Fun.” The dating app notes that you can only qualify for the Serious Dater category if you have

Apple’s new iPhone SE might be announced next week Apple’s next iPhone SE might be announced “as early as next week” ahead of it being on sale later in February, Bloomberg reports. The new phone has already seemingly appeared in photos and video and Bloomberg says Apple’s inventory of the current iPhone SE has started running low, which all could point to an imminent

Nintendo patents show the Switch 2 Joy-Con may indeed work like a mouse — and so might a new controller Newly-published Nintendo patents show that the company has been exploring a version of its Joy-Con controllers that can work like a computer mouse, a feature Nintendo has hinted will be coming to the Switch 2. In its Switch 2 teaser video last month, Nintendo showed two Joy-Con controllers sliding along the ground, much like you’d

Sony apparently hates fun, axes the Bloodborne demake with another copyright claim Will Sony ever release a remake or remaster of Bloodborne, the Dark Souls successor that became one of our favorite games of 2015? Even Sony’s former games chief isn’t sure — but that isn’t stopping Sony’s copyright enforcers from shutting down fun in the meanwhile. Last week, it axed the 60fps mod that let the

Trump has California’s high-speed rail in his crosshairs again President Donald Trump has set his sights on California’s high-speed rail plan, calling it “the worst-managed project” with massive cost overruns that deserve to be investigated. “They have hundreds of billions of dollars of cost overruns,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Times. “It’…

Deadline for government’s ‘Fork in the road’ mass resignation program delayed by court A federal judge in Massachusetts temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s “deferred resignation” program, meant to push out career government workers as part of the Elon Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency’s alleged effort to cut federal spending, several outlets report. The program gave employees a deadline just before midnight o…

Sonos explored creating a MagSafe speaker for iPhones Not long before last year’s software quagmire thrust the company into controversy, Sonos tinkered with an idea that some employees believed might resonate with Gen Z customers. Engineers at Sonos prototyped a miniature speaker that could magnetically connect to the back of Apple’s recent iPhones.  At least conceptually, the since-abandoned p…

The Sonos app fiasco: how a great audio brand nearly ruined its reputation In May 2024, Sonos released a completely rebuilt and overhauled mobile app for Android and iOS. The new software was meant to improve performance, make the app feel more customizable, and allow for new features in the future. But customers immediately complained about countless bugs, degraded Sonos speaker system performance, and features that h…

Another bill wants to ban kids from social media Lawmakers’ efforts to limit the use of social media by kids are continuing into 2025 with the Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA). The bill, which would prevent kids under 13 from creating social media accounts, advanced through the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday, as reported earlier by Politico. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Ted

Today is your last chance to snag a preorder deal on Samsung’s latest Galaxy phones Thousands of retailers and carrier stores in the US will be stocked with the Samsung Galaxy S25 ($799.99), S25 Plus ($999.99), and S25 Ultra ($1,299.99) on Friday, February 7th. Hardware-wise, the S25 series is a marginal improvement over last year’s S24 series, with the most noteworthy changes coming in the form of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8

AMC is upping the price for its A-List Stubs subscription Following AMC’s recent changes to its Stubs program — a set of perks that actually seemed like a solid way to get people to sign up — the theater chain is now planning to raise the subscription service’s prices. Variety reports that, beginning May 7th, a membership to Stub’s A-List tier — which currently allows

Shipping companies warn of delays and new charges from Trump’s China tariffs In the two days since President Trump enacted new tariffs on goods from China, none of the major US shipping companies and couriers have yet announced detailed policies on new fees, though some have warned of possible delays and disruption. Despite that, both senders and recipients are already reporting being asked to pay import taxes

What’s on your desk, Nick Statt? What exactly is a producer? Well, according to Nick Statt, who is senior producer on The Verge’s Decoder podcast with Nilay Patel, “the word ‘producer’ means a lot of things in a lot of different contexts.” In his case — here at The Verge and in the world of audio — it means he and

Microsoft Teams is getting a Facebook-like feed and follow button Meta is shutting down its Workplace platform next year, but Microsoft is planning to keep the dream of Facebook at work very much alive. Multiple sources at Microsoft tell me the company has started testing a fully integrated Facebook-like feed inside Microsoft Teams recently. Teams users will be able to post to the feed, known