DirecTV and Dish’s on-and-off merger saga switches back to off Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeDirecTV has dropped its plans to acquire Dish, the company announced Thursday. The deal would’ve created a TV service megamerger, but it fell through after Dish bondholders rejected the takeover. In September, DirecTV reached an agreement to acquire Dish, Sling TV, and EchoStar’s TV business for just one do…

Strava’s API debacle highlights the messiness of fitness data Strava is the de facto fitness data middleman. | Photo by Victoria Song / The VergeA few days ago, Strava upset its users over some restrictive API changes. It might seem odd for one app’s users to fume over an API, but at the heart of the matter is the inherent messiness of fitness data. Here’s a typical scenario. Say you’re all in on Garmin’s …

Sling TV’s streaming TV price goes up by $5.99 next month Photo by Chris Welch / The VergeSling TV is increasing its monthly subscription prices by $5.99 for all of its plans starting in December. The streaming TV provider said “rising costs” are to blame for the price hikes without specifying why — presumably, not all six of those bucks are intended to pay for its “arcade” library of interactive games…

You can easily disassemble this repairable smartwatch using just a Phillips screwdriver The Spectra smartwatch is now available for preorder through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. | Image: PocuterThe Spectra is a new smartwatch designed from the ground up to be hackable and easy to repair. It was created by Pocuter, a company that has spent the last few years honing an expertise in building small electronics like its tiny Poc…

Plex’s upcoming app redesign is a big swing at going legit Image: PlexPlex is beginning to test its “newly reimagined Plex experience,” which will be available first on mobile and is coming to TV platforms “very soon.” Plex says the new experience has been in development for almost two years and is “designed to bring everything you love into one seamless interface.” But don’t worry — while the new versi…

You can now try Microsoft’s Recall AI feature on a Copilot Plus PC Image: MicrosoftMicrosoft is releasing the first preview of its Recall AI feature for Copilot Plus PCs today. After a series of delays, Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel can now install a new build of Windows 11 that includes Recall and Click to Do — a feature that’s very similar to Google’s Circle to Search. Recall takes screenshots of almost…

Baidu’s supercheap robotaxis should scare the hell out of the US Image: GettyBaidu’s robotaxi division, Apollo Go, just rolled out its latest robotaxi across multiple cities in China, and if stakeholders in the US aren’t nervous yet, they should be. The RT6 is the sixth generation of Apollo Go’s driverless vehicle, which made its official debut in May 2024. It’s a purpose-built, Level 4 autonomous vehicle, me…

Hyundai recalls more than 145,000 Ioniq and Genesis EVs that can lose power while driving Photo by Patrick George for The VergeHyundai is recalling over 145,000 Ioniq and Genesis vehicles due to a 12-volt battery charging issue that could cause the EVs to lose drive power and increase the risk of a crash. NHTSA says the cause is the vehicles’ Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU), which is likely to get damaged due to an internal e…

Judge rules SiriusXM’s annoying cancellation process is illegal Image: The VergeA New York judge has determined that SiriusXM’s “long and burdensome” cancellation process is illegal. In a ruling on Thursday, Judge Lyle Frank found SiriusXM violates a federal law that requires companies to make it easy to cancel a subscription. The decision comes nearly one year after New York Attorney General Leticia James s…

Google is prepping Gemini to take action inside of apps Gemini could spring into action soon. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeGoogle released the first Android 16 developer preview earlier this week and keen-eyed observers are already uncovering interesting tidbits, including one that hints about a much more useful future for Google’s AI assistant. In Android Authority, Mishaal Rahman writes…

Amazon to invest another $4 billion in OpenAI rival Anthropic Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeAmazon announced today that it’s pumping another $4 billion into Claude AI maker Anthropic, bringing its total funding amount to $8 billion. This latest round follows $1.25 billion last September and another $2.75 billion in March. Along with the money, Amazon wrote in its blog post that Amazon Web Services…

Audi’s latest RS E-tron GT ‘Performance’ is its quickest car yet Audi RS E-tron GT Performance starts at $167,000 before destination charges. | Image: AudiAudi is giving its all-electric E-tron GT sports sedan higher performance, more battery range, and faster charging speeds for the 2025 model year. It’s also increasing its starting price. The lineup now includes a new entry S E-tron GT model that starts at …

SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds review: earbuds for your PlayStation or Xbox SteelSeries brings its EQ audio expertise to consoles and mobile devices. Continue reading…

Threads is overhauling its search and trending features Image: The VergeMeta is promising “long-overdue improvements” to its X competitor, Threads, including more precise search features and expanded trending topics. First, users will be able to search for posts within a specific date range or from a single account — similar to what X’s search allows. Threads is also testing a new trending page in th…

Elon Musk’s new DOGE plans are actually old ideas about mass deregulation Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty ImagesElon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have laid out their plans for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a currently nonexistent entity they say will “cut the federal government down to size.” Though DOGE isn’t a real department — and may in fact just be President-elect Donald Trump’s way of placa…

This cheaper Apple Pencil alternative now has tilt detection and a better tip The SonarPen 2 includes upgraded features like USB-C and finer pen tips. | Image: GreenbulbIn 2018, the SonarPen debuted as a cheaper alternative to the Apple Pencil by using audio signals transmitted to the iPad over a cable instead of Bluetooth. Its creators are back with an upgraded USB-C version that introduces additional functionality, incl…

Teen streamer dumped a meme coin for $30K, then things got weird Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeThe young streamer behind a viral meme coin called Quant was doxxed by the crypto community after he ripped off investors, as reported by Decrypt and The Crypto Times. During a livestream earlier this week, the kid giddily watched the price of his meme coin go up before selling his stake for $30,000 and fli…

Apple’s first smart display needs to make the smart home just work Some Apple Home users have shoehorned iPads into wall-mounted home controllers. However, reports indicate Apple is developing a dedicated home control device. | Photo By Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty ImagesThe smart home has an interface problem. Searching for an app on your phone, fighting with a confused voice a…

The government’s plan to break up Google Image: Alex Parkin / The VergeFor two decades, Google Search has been unstoppable. Invincible. So thoroughly dominant that would-be competitors often couldn’t even get funding, because investors didn’t see the point in trying. But earlier this year, a judge declared that Google’s power, and the way the company wields it, was an illegal monopoly….

A proposed climate tax on crypto mining is gaining momentum Image: Nick Barclay / The VergeA tentative proposal to tax cryptocurrency mining to raise funds for climate action took off during a United Nations climate conference that’s set to come to a close today. A levy on energy-hungry crypto mining, at $0.045 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity used, could generate $5.2 billion in revenue annually, …