Get ready to meet your AI best friend

Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge The new Microsoft Copilot is a big departure. It shed some of its Bing-y styling and its increasingly corporate vibes in favor of something warmer and friendlier, all in an effort to be more than just a work tool. It might just be a website redesign, but it feels … Read more

Epic and Disney want to make ‘what every Disney fan has ever wanted’

Image: Epic Games In February, Disney and Epic Games announced that they were collaborating on a “persistent universe” that would feature characters from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and more. Disney franchises have been featured in Fortnite for years, but this new universe promises to be something grander — and will be interoperable with Fortnite. … Read more

Google is testing verified checkmarks in search

The checkmarks are only being displayed on a limited number of businesses, and are only visible to some users right now. | Image: Google / Jay Peters Google is experimenting with a new verification feature in search that should make it easier for users to avoid clicking on fake or fraudulent website links. Some people … Read more

The new Ford Expedition adds Android Automotive and half of the Lincoln’s panoramic screen

Image: Ford Ford is launching a redesigned version of the largest SUV in its lineup, now including Ford’s brand-new Digital Experience infotainment system. The 2025 Expedition is the second Ford to get the Android Automotive-based system after the new Explorer, but the new SUV’s dashboard and UI look like a chopped-down version of the giant … Read more

Sony’s best ANC headphones and earbuds are getting Google’s Find My Device

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Sony has released new firmware updates for its premium wireless WF-1000XM5 earbuds and WH-1000XM5 headphones that adds support for new features introduced with the company’s LinkBuds Speaker, as well as compatibility with Google’s Find My Device network, potentially making them easier to locate if they go missing away … Read more

The big boys want in on crypto, too

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge A little over a year after the collapse of the crypto banks Silvergate and Signature, financial institutions are very interested in crypto. PayPal has used its proprietary stablecoin to pay auditors Ernst & Young LLP, using a hub provided by SAP. Visa “is helping to bridge existing fiat … Read more

Senator Laphonza Butler thinks supporting Big AI or human workers is a ‘false choice’

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Representing California in Congress comes with a unique challenge: navigating national politics while reflecting the interests of the most populous state in the US, including a large constituency from the tech industry. It’s a challenge both current California Sen. Laphonza Butler and Vice President Kamala Harris — who … Read more

The SEC is appealing a federal court’s ruling on Ripple

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is appealing a federal judge’s ruling in its yearlong legal battle against Ripple over sales of its XRP token. This extends the battle over whether Ripple violated securities laws, as an SEC spokesperson told CoinDesk, “We believe that the district court decision … Read more

Your smart fridge can now warn you when you’ve spent too long in the shower

The Samsung partnership will give Kohler smart shower users another way to control their setups. | Image: Kohler Samsung is integrating Kohler’s Anthem luxury smart showers into its SmartThings ecosystem, allowing users to control the shower, adjust its temperature, set timers, and manage presets, as well as monitor water usage through SmartThings-compatible devices. Kohler’s Anthem … Read more

Google’s AI search summaries officially have ads

Image: Google Google is rolling out ads in AI Overviews, which means you’ll now start seeing products in some of the search engine’s AI-generated summaries. Let’s say you’re searching for ways to get a grass stain out of your pants. If you ask Google, its AI-generated response will offer some tips, along with suggestions for … Read more

YouTube Shorts are getting less short

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube Shorts, the company’s answer to TikTok, is getting updates including longer video lengths, the company announced today. Beginning on October 15th, creators will be able to upload YouTube Shorts that are up to three minutes in length — a feature YouTube says was highly requested by users. … Read more

Google Lens now lets you search with video

Illustration: The Verge If you can’t capture what you want to search for with just a picture, Google Lens will now let you take a video — and even use your voice to ask about what you’re seeing. The feature will surface an AI Overview and search results based on the video’s contents and your … Read more