Summer Upgrade Week

The sun is out, the sky is clear. It’s time to get outside and disconnect — from work, at least. This summer, we’re looking at all the ways to upgrade our free time indoors and out, from smart lights for the backyard to great gadgets to bring camping to ways to wind down at the local library. … Read more

Siri won’t be your AI girlfriend

‘Listen, that’s not what I’m here for.’ | Image: Apple Our early testing has already shown that Siri AI knows when to shut up, and that’s very much by design. In an interview with Mostly Human spotted by MacRumors, Craig Federighi said Apple’s new Siri won’t act all sycophantic like chatbots made by OpenAI, Google, … Read more

Roborock’s Q10 S5 Plus robovac is over half off, matching its best price to date

Roborock’s Q10 S5 Plus comes with a self-emptying dock and is under $300. | Image: Roborock Even at full price, the Roborock Q10 S5 Plus offers impressive value, boasting features typically reserved for pricier robovac models at a fraction of the price. That’s especially true today. It’s down to just $269.99 ($280 off) at Wellbots … Read more

A warrantless wiretap law is about to expire — but surveillance networks aren’t actually ‘going dark’

Congress has failed to pass a three-week extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), with the House voting 218-198 against reauthorizing the controversial warrantless wiretapping authority through July 2nd. After a short-term extension earlier this year, the spying program now appears set to lapse for at least a week. This is … Read more

Waymo introduces $30-a-month premium tier for riders who want faster pickups

Uber One, meet Waymo Premier. The robotaxi operator announced a new $29.99-a-month premium tier for riders who want a more elevated and exclusive autonomous experience. The invite-only membership service is aimed at Waymo customers who use the service most frequently, offering them a number of perks, including priority pickups, 10 percent cash back on every … Read more

Elon Musk is encouraging race riots on the eve of SpaceX’s IPO

Elon Musk, on the verge of becoming the world’s first trillionaire, is whipping up anti-immigration tensions amid ongoing riots in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Following a knife attack in the city on Monday, Musk declared support for Restore Britain, a hard-right populist political party that advocates for large-scale migrant deportation in the UK. He reposted statements … Read more

Is Apple TV the new HBO?

This is Lowpass by Janko Roettgers, a newsletter on the ever-evolving intersection of tech and entertainment, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week. Severance. Pachinko. Silo. Ted Lasso. Over the past couple of years, a number of Apple TV shows have become hits with audiences and critics alike. And yet, compared to the … Read more

The Nintendo Switch 2 is $15 off at Woot

The Switch 2 is still setting sales records. | Image: The Verge, Nintendo Woot is hosting a small, but welcome deal on the Nintendo Switch 2 through June 19th. New customers can save $15 on the $449.99 console with the code NEW15 used at checkout. Sure, these are microscopic savings, but come September, the Switch … Read more

The Weather Channel app now predicts bad allergy days

The Weather Company announced an “enhanced allergy experience” now available through its The Weather Channel app designed to help allergy sufferers better understand when their symptoms might flare up, and what’s causing them. While the app already provides static pollen counts, its “Health & Wellness” section is being expanded to take into account other factors … Read more

With the World Cup looming, there’s still no clear replacement for sports Twitter

Jayden Nelson of Canada celebrates 2-0 during the International Friendly match between Canada v Uzbekistan at the Commonwealth Stadium on June 1, 2026, in Edmonton Canada. | Photo by Dale MacMillan/Soccrates/Getty Images Three years ago, when the women’s World Cup kicked off in Australia and New Zealand, my social feeds were in a strange place. … Read more

Cash App’s launching a phone service

Cash App’s AT&T-based MVNO will offer an unlimited 5G data plan for $40 per month including taxes and fees. The new mobile service is powered by Gigs, the same firm behind the Klarna mobile service that launched last year with the same pricing and is “rolling out to select users, with broader availability planned in … Read more

YouTube is introducing DMs (again)

You have to be over 18 and already be connected with the person you want to chat with on other messaging platforms. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube is reintroducing private messaging after testing new ways for users to share videos and “have conversations about them” last year. In an announcement on … Read more

Ryanair is under investigation over charging parents to sit with their kids

Ryanair said the CMA’s investigation is “bogus.” | Photo by Nicolas Economou / NurPhoto via Getty Images European economy airline Ryanair is under investigation in the UK for charging parents mandatory fees to sit with their children. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was looking into whether the seating fees, which may be … Read more

Bluesky is getting ‘communities’

Bluesky will be getting “communities,” which will function as smaller spaces where you can “go deeper and hang out with people who care about the same stuff” sometime this year, according to head of product Alex Benzer. They will be built on the decentralized AT Protocol that underpins Bluesky, with Benzer saying that “it’s a … Read more