2 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Your ISP may soon be able to troubleshoot your smart home network

Thread Group and the Broadband Forum are teaming up to help IoT devices and home internet work better together. The Broadband Forum — the organization that develops the standards ISPs use to manage gateways and routers — is adding support for connecting to Thread networks, giving ISPs visibility into both networks.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
This global IoT security certification is getting bigger.

The group behind Matter has released the next version of its Product Security Certification Program, a cybersecurity standard designed to provide a single security label for consumer IoT devices.

The update extends certification beyond devices to include apps, gateways, and remote processes, allowing companies to certify entire ecosystems. It also adds independent validation through physical test labs and is now integrated into the Matter spec, with companies seeking Matter certification encouraged to complete the security certification as well.

My backyard made me a color-changing smart lighting convert

Testing Govee’s over-the-top RGB lineup convinced me there might actually be room in my garden for a horse-race light show this summer.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Grok is our first line of defense.

The Justice Department argues that xAI’s Mississippi data center should be allowed to pollute the air because it’s “critical” for military operations, which honestly explains a lot.

Nicholi:

How are we going to keep losing the war against Iran without Grok?

Get the day’s best comment and more in my free newsletter, The Verge Daily.

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Uber eyes Houston for Lucid/Nuro robotaxi service.

The company has yet to launch in its first market (San Francisco, later this year) but is already gearing up for its second. In Houston, Uber will be competing for passengers with Waymo and Tesla. But the ridehail company is in it to win it, having already secured a 50,000 square-foot facility for maintenance, and a charging pitstop for its Lucid-made, Nuro-powered robotaxis.

Uber’s robotaxis are coming to Houston in mid-2027.
Uber’s robotaxis are coming to Houston in mid-2027.
Image: Uber
Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Here’s a preview of Google’s next arguments in Epic v. Google.

As we discussed, Epic and Google will be back in court July 16th to answer six specific questions from the court — as it decides whether to force Google to carry rival stores inside its own app store, or let it adopt “Registered App Stores” in the US instead. What do you think of the embedded arguments?

Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
The next movie “enhanced” for James Dolan’s Sphere will be The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

After The Wizard of Oz at Sphere topped $400 million in ticket sales over the last year, Sphere Studios says it “will use its advanced technologies” to present The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Sphere.

There are no details on how much that process will resemble the Google AI-powered approach to Oz, which Indiewire’s David Ehrlich called “…less a celebration of the original than an Emerald City-sized version of Cecilia Giménez’s Jesus fresco.”

An aerial picture of The Sphere in Las Vegas showing on the outside of the building a pair of lips and the words “The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Sphere coming 2027”
Image: Sphere Entertainment
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
“The retail SSD market has almost disappeared.”

That’s according to Silicon Motion (SMI) vice president Nelson Duann, who told Tom’s Hardware the memory shortage is pushing PC makers to buy third-party SSDs, while saying suppliers expect it will get worse in 2027:

The controllers we sell to module makers are now largely ending up in SSDs that are shipped to PC OEMs. The reason is that OEMs cannot obtain enough NAND directly from memory manufacturers, so they are increasingly sourcing SSDs from module makers instead.

Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Rivian lays off hundreds of employees just days after releasing the R2.

Rivian has had layoffs in 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and now, within a week of launching the long-awaited R2 SUV, layoffs in 2026. The Wall Street Journal reports the cuts made Tuesday affected less than two percent of its employees, which the company confirmed, saying it “restructured a handful of teams,” as it attempts to turn a profit for the first time.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Sonos is updating its app with new volume controls and navigation.

In a post on Reddit, Sonos CEO Tom Conrad says the company is rolling out a beta this week that will introduce tabbed navigation, a volume interface “that is easier to grab and fine tune,” and more control over player organization. It’s part of Conrad’s efforts to clean up the app more than two years after a messy redesign.

(Finally!) An update.

[Reddit r/Sonos]

David Pierce
David Pierce
Today’s Vergecast: The Mythos mess and your AI questions, answered.

Anthropic and the US government are once again at odds, this time over the Claude Fable 5 model that either is, or is not, or might be, far too dangerous to release to the world. The Verge’s Hayden Field explains what’s going on with Fable, Mythos, and the whole idea of American AI exceptionalism, before also answering your questions about how WhatsApp and Siri might one day work together, and whether Apple messed up by calling it Siri AI.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
EA is launching a platform for in-game ads.

With EA Advertising, companies can place ads across stadium signage, scoreboards, sponsored replays, and other in-game content in “a way designed to enhance, not disrupt, the player experience,” according to an announcement. EA has already partnered with brands like Visa, Lowe’s, Red Bull, and Xfinity to embed ads in its games.

Brands can place their logo on uniforms inside FC 26, for example.
Brands can place their logo on uniforms inside FC 26, for example.
Image: EA
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Android foldables are getting new gamepad controls.

Pixel foldables get the new feature first, which is being added to Android 17 alongside native controller remapping, but only rolls out “in the coming months.” We’ve seen control options like this in other foldables before, but it’s welcome to see Google bake it into the OS.

Google hasn’t said how customizable the bottom-screen controls will be.
Google hasn’t said how customizable the bottom-screen controls will be.
Image: Google
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Netflix was reportedly worried about antitrust scrutiny if it bought Roku instead of Fox.

Now Semafor reports Netflix was interested in acquiring the company before Fox closed its $22 billion deal, losing out once again after Paramount swooped in with a deal to buy Warner Bros. while enjoying a cozier relationship with this administration’s regulators.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Firefox is making it easier to customize your browser settings.

The Settings menu got reorganized in Firefox 152 so everything’s easier to find and manage, and it’s bringing Tab Groups to mobile, starting with Android.

Mozilla’s new roadmap lays out more changes on the way, like its AI Smart Window, Quick Answers, and the “Project Nova” redesign announced last month.

Before and after screenshots of Firefox’s updated settings menu
Firefox’s settings menu got a redesign, seen here before (left) and after (right).
Image: Mozilla
Lauren Feiner
Lauren Feiner
xAI’s gas-powered data center is necessary for national security, DOJ argues.

The Justice Department is trying to intervene and dismiss a case from the NAACP alleging xAI’s use of gas turbines in Mississippi are illegally polluting the air. Preventing xAI from using them would endanger national security, DOJ argues, because “Grok provides critical support for the Department of War’s military operations.”

TC Sottek
TC Sottek
Austin Powers 4 is here, and it’s… a Verizon ad.

“This is just typical phone company stuff,” says Seth Green, reprising his role as “Scotty don’t.” Some of the Powers band is back together, including Mike Myers as “Dr. Evil,” Mindy Sterling as “Frau Farbissina,” and Rob Lowe as “No. 2.” (Lowe still pulls off the image and likeness of the original No. 2, Robert Wagner.) Stay tuned as we dissect Verizon’s new phone plans, which, weirdly, this is all about.

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Disney is using Adobe AI for theme park Imagineering.

The R&D team at Walt Disney Imagineering has embraced Adobe’s Firefly Foundry platform to “accelerate the design and pre-production visualization pipeline” for Disney Parks and Experiences. The partnership will use AI models trained on Disney assets to turn sketches into fully rendered concept art, 2D images into 3D prototypes, and more.

Pour one out for Roku City

Under Lachlan Murdoch’s leadership, Roku will become a doorway to all things Fox.

Charles Pulliam-Moore