Spotify is adding DMs

Spotify’s new messaging feature can even be used by free accounts. Spotify is introducing a direct messaging feature that allows users to share music, podcast, and audiobook recommendations with each other without leaving the app. Messages is rolling out in “select markets” this week, according to Spotify’s press release, and will be available on mobile … Read more

Elon Musk’s xAI is suing OpenAI and Apple

Elon Musk is suing Apple and OpenAI over claims that their deal to build ChatGPT into the iPhone is stifling competition in the AI industry. In a lawsuit filed on Monday, the Musk-owned X Corp. and xAI also accuse Apple’s Apple Store of “deprioritizing” rival chatbots and “super” apps, including Grok and X. Musk’s companies … Read more

This new delivery robot will bring the entire grocery store to you

Robomart’s RM5 is a level-four autonomous delivery vehicle comprised of 10 individual lockers. | Image: Robomart A new company aims to take the idea of sidewalk delivery robots and supersize it. Los Angeles-based Robomart unveiled its new delivery robot Monday, with the goal of making “on‑demand delivery work economically.” The level-four autonomous vehicle is the … Read more

Trump told a major offshore wind project to stop construction just before it reached the finish line

Attendees during a media tour of the Revolution Wind construction hub at the Port of Providence in Providence, Rhode Island, US, on Thursday, June 13, 2024. | Photo: Getty Images The Revolution Wind farm was already 80 percent complete before the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management sent it a letter Friday to “halt all … Read more

AI doesn’t belong in journaling

A blank page is supposed to be ‘inconvenient.’ | Image: The Verge, Getty Images In July 2023, I deleted the Day One journaling app from my phone and laptop. It was perhaps the best thing I’ve done as a lifelong diarist. The decision was prompted by Apple announcing its Journal app at WWDC that year. … Read more

Trump’s immigration crackdown could be slowing the hunt for child predators online

As President Donald Trump pushes federal law enforcement toward an immigration crackdown, agents and prosecutors fear he’s drawing resources from one of the most vulnerable groups: victims of child sexual exploitation online. Current and former government employees tell The Verge that the Trump administration’s laser focus on border security threatens to strain investigations into online … Read more

When the Blade Breaks

A charter boat fisherman was among the first to discover the wreckage – a “mess,” he called it, deep off the coast of Massachusetts. From behind a veil of pea soup-thick fog emerged hundreds of white and green fiberglass and Styrofoam pieces, some as small as a fingernail, some as large as a truck hood. … Read more

First Netflix House opens its doors on November 12th

Netflix House Philadelphia. | Image: Netflix The first two Netflix House venues now have their grand opening dates. Netflix House Philadelphia will open on November 12th at King of Prussia Mall, and Netflix House Dallas will open on December 11th at Galleria Dallas. These real-world manifestations of Netflix’s intellectual property span “more than 100,000 square … Read more

They’re trying to make deep-sea mining happen

A protest in Netherlands. This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on deep-sea mining and critical minerals, follow Justine Calma. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started This is not how I … Read more

The most fun way to look through old photos

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 95, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, new gadget season is starting, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I am listening to independent radio (shoutout to Seattle’s KEXP), reading about … Read more

What’s on your desk, Dominic Preston?

Not all of The Verge’s staff live in the US. For example, news editor Dominic Preston is based in London and is, as he says, “responsible for keeping our news coverage ticking over in UK mornings before the US team comes online.” He also curates our new Verge Daily newsletter and covers Android phones, especially … Read more

Will Trump help 4Chan escape the UK’s internet police?

After the United Kingdom began enforcing its sweeping Online Safety Act in April, British regulator Ofcom served violation notices to three notorious sites: 4chan, Gab, and Kiwi Farms, each of which risked multimillion-dollar fines. Late last week, Preston Byrne, a First Amendment lawyer representing them, struck back. Byrne announced he would sue Ofcom in US … Read more

Netflix wants its partners to follow these rules when using gen AI

Netflix has already faced backlash over the use of AI in  What Jennifer Did, director Jenny Popplewell’s 2024 true crime documentary that seemingly used AI-generated images in place of real archival photos. That documentary stood out as a shining example of gen AI’s ability to distort reality in situations where people are specifically looking to … Read more

Meta is going to stuff Midjourney AI images into your feed

Meta is partnering with Midjourney to “license their aesthetic technology” for use in its own models and products, Meta’s new chief AI officer, Alexandr Wang, announced on Friday. The partnership involves a “technical collaboration between our research teams,” Wang said, suggesting the deal involves more than simply using Midjourney’s existing product across Meta services. Wang … Read more

The power shift inside OpenAI

Fidji Simo is wrapping up her first week at OpenAI, where she is expected to oversee most of the company’s roughly 3,000 employees. To investors and partners, OpenAI leaders have been describing the former Instacart CEO as the kind of steady hand the company needs. Her mandate is clear: turn a chaotic, unprofitable startup into … Read more