Your guide to the internet’s most (and least) important moments Image: William Joel / The VergeHi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 12, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome. I’m so psyched you found us, and also, you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been testing the Superlist tasks app, reading about the high-stakes …

Apple is getting ready for Prime Time Image: AppleI’m trying to remember the last time a company’s big event came for prime time TV the way Apple’s 8pm ET keynote is trying to lock down our attention tomorrow. The only company I can think of that’s done it successfully lately is Victoria’s Secret with its Fashion Show. While I suspect there’s some overlap in audience between that an…

Google researchers use off-the-shelf headphones to measure heart rate Illustration: The VergeTypical heart rate monitoring in wearable tech, like smart watches or wireless earbuds, relies at least partially on photoplethysmography (PPG), which uses light pulses to measure blood activity. It works generally well, but it has its limitations. Google scientists wrote in a new research blog spotted by 9to5Google yester…

Google is investigating Android 14’s multiple profile update bug Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeGoogle is looking into an Android 14 bug that’s been wreaking havoc for people with multiple user profiles. On October 27th, a Google representative acknowledged the bug and said the team is “working hard on a fix” for it. Thanks for sticking with us. Our team is looking into this storage issue affecting s…

Govee’s colorful LED light strips are on sale just in time for Halloween Govee’s LED light strip can add a splash of pizzazz to your staircase with color-changing, dynamic lights. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The VergeHalloween isn’t the only holiday on the horizon now that October is drawing to a close. Once the clock strikes midnight on October 31st, Mariah Carey will defrost, peppermint mochas will inevita…

Apple says BMW wireless chargers really are messing with iPhone 15s Illustration: The VergeUsers have been reporting that their iPhone 15’s NFC chips were failing after using BMW’s in-car wireless charging, but until now, Apple hasn’t addressed the complaints. That seems to have changed as MacRumors reported this week that an Apple internal memo to third-party repair providers says a software update later this y…

Threads third-party app support could become a reality Illustration: The VergeInstagram boss Adam Mosseri said in a reply on Threads last night that his team is working on an API for Threads, despite concern that it would help publishers push content more than it would creators. TechCrunch spotted his reply in a thread in which Platformer’s Casey Newton told another user the lack of a developer API …

That’s one pricey subscription Illustration by Cath Virginia / The VergeNetflix is at an all-time high. Disney is cracking down on password sharing. And Apple TV Plus has doubled its prices. Will the streaming squeeze ever end? Continue reading…

Sonic Superstars is so close to being a Sonic classic Image: SegaWith Sonic Superstars, I’m starting to get the feeling I’ve been here before. In Sonic’s return to the 2D format, there’s a good game here with lots of moments where I was pleased to see the innovation of Sonic Team shining through. These ideas were, unfortunately, buried in slower-than-it-should-be-for-a-Sonic-game moments with techn…

Apple’s Journal app is kind of smart — and kind of basic The Journal app itself is incredibly basic — it’s the Moments page that’s really interesting. | Image: David Pierce / AppleThe Apple Journal app is so simple that, at first, it felt like I was missing something. The whole app is just one screen: a reverse-chronological timeline of your journal entries, with a big plus button down at the bottom. …

Microsoft is improving its Xbox app for Windows handheld gaming PCs The new compact mode in the Xbox app. | Photo by Tom Warren / The VergeMicrosoft has started testing new updates to its Xbox app on Windows 11 that improve the experience on handheld devices and smaller screens. In an Xbox test app released earlier this week, Microsoft has introduced a new compact mode that greatly reduces the sidebar on the lef…

Humane’s Ai Pin could cost $1,000 — and require a subscription Image: TEDThe Ai Pin, the new gadget / wearable device / projector / thing from the secretive startup Humane, might cost as much as $1,000 and may require a monthly subscription for data, according to The Information. The mysterious device has been in development for years, but we got our first good look at it during co-founder Imran Chaudhri’s …

The jury finally hears from Sam Bankman-Fried The royal “we.” | Photo Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photo by Michael M. Santiago, Getty ImagesHe was an introvert! Continue reading…

Google’s Bard chatbot now responds in real time — and you can shut it up mid-sentence Illustration: The VergeGoogle’s Bard AI chatbot can now reply to your questions in real time, as spotted earlier by 9to5Google. Bard previously only sent a response when it was complete, but now you can get a glimpse at your answer as it’s getting generated. If you don’t want Bard to respond to your questions in real time, you can still switch …

Instagram tests collaborative carousels your friends can add to Illustration: Alex Castro / The VergeInstagram is testing a new feature that will let your friends add to your posts. When you’re about to post a carousel, Instagram will give you the option to let followers submit their own photos and videos that they want to include. The submissions won’t get added to your post by default, as you’ll have to ap…

Meet the dwarfs from Disney’s live-action Snow White, which has been delayed Snow White (Rachel Zegler) and (alphabetically) Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, and Sneezy, in Disney’s Snow White. | Image: DisneyDisney’s delaying its upcoming live-action Snow White remake starring Rachel Zegler, but the studio’s also just released a new photo of the film’s take on the seven dwarfs that’s rather… let’s say “intere…

Meta wants Threads to be the ‘de facto platform’ for online public conversations Illustration: The VergeInstagram boss Adam Mosseri has high ambitions for Threads: he wants it to become the “de facto platform for public conversations online,” he said on Friday. Big statement to make on the one-year anniversary of Elon Musk taking over Twitter! Meta’s aspirations came up as part of a question Mosseri answered in an AMA: “What…

Disney’s cozy life sim won’t be free to play after all Image: DisneyIf you were expecting to try out Disney Dreamlight Valley — the Disneyfied version of Stardew Valley — for free when it’s released, you might be a bit disappointed. Disney says it’s doing away with the free-to-play option and will instead charge $39.99 to play the base game. With the global launch of Disney Dreamlight Valley set for…

Onewheel follows up its massive recall with a new $3,200 board for ‘pros’ Image: OneWheelOne month after Onewheel recalled every single one of its electric skateboards after four known deaths and a year of delay, the company’s releasing its fastest, most powerful, and most expensive board yet. It’s called the Onewheel GT S-Series, and the $3,200 board will already come with the new safety mechanism it told the governm…

X launches two new subscriptions to boost your replies Image: The VergeX, the platform previously known as Twitter, has introduced a new $16 per month Premium Plus plan that lets subscribers pay more to get the biggest boost for their replies. Not only does the plan offer the “largest reply boost,” but it also removes ads from your For You and Following feeds, according to a page detailing the featu…