In the Google antitrust trial, defaults are everything and nobody likes Bing Illustration by Cath Virginia / The VergeThe first week of US v. Google begins with arguments over the power of deals and data. Continue reading…

Apple is now charging more for most Apple Watch battery swaps Photo by Victoria Song / The VergeApple has increased the price of most Apple Watch battery replacements, as reported by 9to5Mac. The swaps used to cost $79, but now, for Apple Watch Series 4 devices and newer, you’ll have to cough up $99. You can see the prices for yourself on the company’s Apple Watch Service and Repair website by sifting thro…

Google’s Fitbit Charge 6 will finally bring the physical button back This is not a physical button — and that was the problem. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeWe wouldn’t have been totally surprised if Google axed Fitbit entirely after recent woes, but it sounds like the company might be listening instead! 9to5Google is reporting that a Fitbit Charge 6, coming this year, will bring back the physical …

How to use Philips Hue’s new smart security system Illustration by Samar Haddad / The VergePhilips Hue Secure is a new smart home security system from the smart lighting company. The system was announced along with some new smart security cameras in August and is now live in the Hue app. However, if you’re a Philips Hue user, you don’t need to buy the new cameras to use the new security features…

Destiny 2 has one of the worst bugs in its history that’s melting bosses and PvP players Image: BungieDestiny 2 has one of the worst — and most hilarious — bugs in its history right now, allowing players to create guns with perks that are game-breaking in activities or PvP. Players can put shotgun frames on auto rifles, resulting in a weapon that obliterates someone in PvP in milliseconds due to the hugely reduced time to kill. Bung…

Developers fight back against Unity’s new pricing model Image: UnityThe game developers affected by Unity’s new pricing model are striking back. A collective of developers across 19 companies, mostly based in Europe and mostly developing mobile games, has put out an open letter urging Unity to reverse course on its recently announced pricing model changes. The letter contains some of the same sentime…

The EV revolution is on hold as the ‘Big Three’ autoworkers go on strike Photo by MATTHEW HATCHER / AFP via Getty ImagesAt midnight on Friday, the United Auto Workers (UAW) went on strike, imperiling the “Big Three” automakers’ plans to spend billions of dollars on electric vehicles in a bid to catch up to Tesla. It was a historic moment — never before had workers at all three companies gone on strike at the same ti…

Google to pay California $93 million over location-tracking claims Illustration: The VergeGoogle has agreed to pay $93 million to the state of California to settle claims it tracked the location of users without their knowledge. Under the terms of the proposed agreement, Google must also provide more information about the location data it collects on users. The settlement follows a “multi-year” investigation b…

Artifact co-founder Mike Krieger is coming to the Code Conference Artifact co-founder Mike Krieger. | Photo: ArtifactArtifact co-founder and CTO Mike Krieger will be onstage at the Code Conference this month, where he’ll discuss his new AI-infused news app in an interview with Platformer founder Casey Newton. The new company from Krieger and Kevin Systrom, the two founders of Instagram, is trying to build a di…

X can now ask users for government IDs to verify their paid accounts Users who choose to verify their X accounts using government-issued IDs will get a separate badge alongside their blue check. | Image: X / The VergeSocial media platform X (formerly known as Twitter) will now let paid users verify their accounts using a government ID in a bid to prevent impersonation and “maintain the integrity of the platform.”…

Samsung is bringing artwork from the Met museum to its Frame TVs Image: SamsungSamsung is expanding the art selection available on its Frame TVs with the help of a renowned museum. Today, the company and New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art announced a partnership that will bring 38 pieces from the Met to Samsung’s Art Store. The new artwork is available through a subscription costing either $4.99 per m…

The original Wizardry has been remastered — and you can play it right now Image: Digital EclipseFresh off the launch of The Making of Karateka, retro game studio Digital Eclipse has announced a remaster of the original action RPG title Wizardry. Even better — it’s out now in early access on both Steam and GOG. First released in 1981 and developed by Sir-Tech Software, the first Wizardry — or Wizardry: Proving Grounds …

How to manage camera and mic permissions on your desktop Image: Samar Haddad / The VergeIf you use Zoom, Google Meet, or any other video conferencing app, it’s likely that at one point you may find yourself frantically trying to figure out why your mic is muted or your camera isn’t working. Sometimes, it’s simply a matter of checking the mute or camera buttons on your app — but if that doesn’t work, y…

The iPhone 15 apparently has a slightly bigger battery iPhone 15 Pro made a bit more room for battery in there. | Image: AppleApple has given its iPhone 15 lineup minor battery capacity bumps by as much as 2.3 percent. The slight upgrade, which Apple has not officially published on its site, was uncovered from a Chinese regulatory database and published by MySmartPrice (via 9to5Mac). Apple indicates…

Horizon Worlds’ avatars now walk among the virtual universe with their own legs Meta used an AI model to help bring legs to avatars. | Image: MetaVirtual avatars in Meta’s Horizon Worlds universe have gained legs, according to UploadVR. You should now see them when looking at other users or checking out your own avatar in a mirror, but your own avatar’s legs aren’t visible from a first-person perspective. The addition of l…

Media mogul Byron Allen offers $10 billion to acquire ABC from Disney Allen is set to appear on stage at the Code conference starting on September 26th. | Photo by Chance Yeh/Getty Images for Allen Media Group / The Weather ChannelComedian and media mogul Byron Allen has reportedly made a $10 billion offer to acquire the ABC TV network, FX and National Geographic cable channels, and local stations from Walt Disney…

Today I learned this weird Windows keyboard shortcut that opens LinkedIn Photo by Becca Farsace / The VergeWindows never ceases to amaze me. Last month I discovered for the first time that you could pause the Windows Task Manager by holding down the CTRL key and today I’ve stumbled on a special keyboard shortcut that lets you launch LinkedIn, Word, and a bunch of other Office apps. If you’re running Windows try holdi…

Apple to issue iPhone 12 software update in France to address radiation concerns Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The VergeApple says it will release a software update for iPhone 12 owners in France, after regulators ordered a halt of sales of the phone over concerns the device was breaching strict radiation exposure limits. “We will issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators,” s…

The next emoji coming to your phone include head shakes and a phoenix Emojipedia’s renderings of what some of the new emoji in Emoji 15.1 might look like. | Image: EmojipediaThere are new emoji on the way… eventually. As reported by Emojipedia, the Unicode Consortium has formally approved Emoji 15.1, meaning a batch of new emoji will appear on your devices at some point in the future. There aren’t quite as many …

Google won’t repair cracked Pixel Watch screens Google currently offers no repairs for broken Pixel Watches. | Photo by Chris Welch / The VergeIf you crack the screen on the Pixel Watch, getting it officially repaired by Google isn’t in the cards. Several Pixel Watch owners have vented their frustrations about the inability to replace cracked screens, both on Reddit and in Google support for…