Tech – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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The latest tech news about the world’s best (and sometimes worst) hardware, apps, and much more. From top companies like Google and Apple to tiny startups vying for your attention, Verge Tech has the latest in what matters in technology daily.

How an OpenAI influencer trip backfired 

What did the content creators learn about ChatGPT at the “summer club” weekend trip?

Mia Sato
‘Not healthy’ LLM use is more common than you think

It’s not just Hank Green.

Robert Hart

Latest In Tech

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
1.5 million rechargeable hand warmers have been recalled following a fatality.

Several different models sold through Amazon, Walmart, and Ocoopa’s online store have been recalled after 1,480 reports of the devices overheating resulting in 15 fires, 350 burns, and the death of an 83-year-old in California, according to the USCPSC. Consumers with recalled hardware can reach out to Ocoopa for a full refund.

1/6Image: Ocoopa
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Gigabyte’s bringing back AM4 motherboards.

It’s launching a new B550 X series “engineered to be the most powerful refresh of the AM4 platform,” which is now 10 years old, as PC Gamer reports. The new motherboards were designed around the Ryzen 7 8500X3D that AMD recently relaunched as component shortages continue to drive up prices.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
New Jersey is suing Amazon, alleging it “unlawfully maintains” power over contract delivery drivers.

The antitrust lawsuit alleges that Amazon prevents unionization and restricts delivery network companies from hiring drivers at other companies, resulting in lower wages and “harsher working conditions” for “thousands” of New Jersey residents. You can read the complaint here.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Casio’s new ring watch adds vibrating alerts and heart rate tracking.

The company’s original smart ring is getting some big upgrades to compete with the Oura ring. The CRW-H001M-8 will launch in China first for around $295 with fitness tracking that includes a heart rate monitor and thermometer plus vibrating alerts for notifications from a connected phone. But you’ll need to charge the new model with a proprietary cable.

<em>Unlike the previous versions of Casio’s ring watch, the new smart model needs to be regularly charged using a proprietary cable.</em>
1/3Image: Casio
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Microsoft Paint is now one of the weirdest ways to play Doom.

The humble drawing app has gotten several useful upgrades over the past few years, but Mark Russinovich, the Microsoft Azure CTO, has found a way for Paint to play Doom… kind of. Instead of actually running the game, DoomPaint loads rendered frames into the app from the Windows clipboard at a very playable 35fps.

A screenshot of Microsoft Paint showing a frame from Doom loaded as a document.
Image: Mark Russinovich
Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Bending Spoons is buying Airtable.

The software conglomerate has agreed to acquire Airtable for around $1.29 billion in cash — a fraction of the more than $11 billion it was once valued at in 2021. This is just the latest feather in Bending Spoon’s cap, which has built a reputation for buying software companies that are past their heyday.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
You can now preorder Godox’s quirky camera with a transparent LCD viewfinder.

After launching in China last month, Godox’s C100 digital camera is now available for preorder in the US through Amazon for $44.90. That makes it more expensive than the smaller $35 Kodak Charmera, but in addition to its unique viewfinder, the C100 offers a slight bump in photo and video resolution to 1920x1080.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

A close-up of the Godox C100’s transparent viewfinder framing an outdoor scene.
Image: Godox
Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Streamlabs can use your old phone as a relay link.

Network Boost is a new feature that aims to provide reliable connectivity for IRL streamers. It requires a Streamlabs Ultra subscription (which starts from $27 per month) and works by pooling cellular and local Wi-Fi connections together on both the iPhone you’re broadcasting on, and a secondary iPhone or Android device running the Streamlabs Controller app.

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
WhatsApp now lets you ping the entire group chat.

The communications app has introduced an “@all” alert to get everyone’s attention instead of tagging people individually — a feature that’s thankfully restricted to admins for group chats with more than 32 members. You can now also start new group chats from existing groups, and polls have been updated, adding the ability to hide voter names, edit questions, and set voting deadlines.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
DJI’s upgraded Mic Mini 2S is now available everywhere except the US.

First announced nearly a month ago in China, DJI’s wireless Mic Mini 2S that adds redundant recording with 14.5GB of storage in each transmitter is now available globally, but not the US. A kit with two mics, a receiver, and a charging case is €189, £169, or CAD $265, according to PetaPixel.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

A person removes one of the wireless transmitters from the DJI Mic Mini 2S’ charging case.
Image: DJI
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Apple’s limiting bug report submissions after getting flooded with “AI slop.”

According to the Financial Times, Apple “has introduced a cap and a 30-day cool-off period” for researchers’ vulnerability reports for its operating systems due to an uptick in reports using AI that “can hallucinate security risks.” Apple is also reportedly using AI internally to help manage the recent “upsurge” in bug reports.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
These trackable batteries could help you locate a missing camera.

In addition to built-in USB-C charging ports, Falcam’s new 2,600mAh TagBatt rechargeable batteries support Apple’s Find My tracking network so you can potentially use them to find a camera that’s been misplaced or stolen. They’re available now in a $69.99 Sony NP-FZ100 version, and a $64.99 LP-E6 option for Canon cameras.

A Falcam camera battery next to a device with a tracking map on screen.
Falcam’s trackable batteries are a more discreet alternative to accessories like lens caps that hide an Apple AirTag on the outside of your camera.
Image: Falcam
Can Reddit fend off a new wave of AI SEO spam?

The era of AI-powered search has made Reddit mentions highly valuable. Subreddit moderators are catching brands trying to take advantage.

Mia Sato
Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
EchoStar’s Hughesnet falls victim to Starlink.

The original satellite internet company “for rural America” has filed for bankruptcy after running out of cash and hemorrhaging subscribers to SpaceX. The service will continue to operate during proceedings, but will pivot away from consumers to focus on businesses and governments. It follows EchoStar’s Dish filing for chapter 11 protection in June.

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
TikTok privately settles three more teen addiction cases.

Only 3,300 more lawsuits to go, all filed by minors claiming that TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat were designed to be addictive, resulting in harm to their mental health. The plaintiffs’ claims against Meta, Google, and Snap are still on track for a bellwether trial in October. The first case to reach trial resulted in a $4.2 million verdict against Meta and $1.8 million against Google.

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Amazon is now worth over three Elon Musks.

AMZN surpassed $3 trillion in market value for the first time on the strength of accelerating cloud-computing revenue. It joins only Nvidia, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Apple in ever reaching the milestone. It first crossed the $1 trillion mark in 2018.

David Imel
David Imel
Telegram briefly vanished from Apple’s App Store.

After a few hours, the app reappeared around 10:45PM ET. Apple issued the following statement:

We briefly removed Telegram from the App Store after our review found content that violates our strict guidelines prohibiting child sexual abuse material. The app was subsequently restored after the developer promptly removed the content and banned the user who posted it.

Telegram, in response:

I’m sure this stance will be applied equally to all other apps in the store, in the future right?

Update: Added Apple and Telegram statements.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
The White House will brief AI companies about its model testing framework on Tuesday.

Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google are all expected to attend the meeting, CNBC reports.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Who needs IMAX when you have iMacs?
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
T-Mobile shut down its 2G service today.
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Snap reports 971 million monthly active users ahead of its Specs launch event on September 16th.

That’s up from 932 million a year ago, according to Snap’s latest earnings report. The company also says its revenue is up 19 percent year-over-year, as it prepares to launch its $2,195 augmented-reality glasses next month.

An image of Snap’s Specs AR glasses.
An image of Snap’s Specs AR glasses.
Image: Snap
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Just peachy.

Leaker Evan Blass shared what appears to be marketing materials for the Pixel 11 Pro XL, and it shows the upcoming device in a peachy shade of pink. If the leaks are true, the Pixel 11 might come in a bunch of fun colors this year.

Image: Evan Blass
Image: Evan Blass
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
The Galaxy S27 Ultra might come with one less telephoto lens.

A report from ET News suggests that Samsung is planning to ditch the 10-megapixel 3x telephoto lens on its next-gen flagship, leaving it with a 50MP 5x telephoto lens and third camera. Samsung is reportedly making the change to cut costs amid surging chip prices.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Google Drive will let you add comments on video timestamps.

If you’re working on a video with others, the new feature should make it much easier to share specific feedback. You can only leave timestamped comments on the web, but on mobile, you’ll see those comments “as standard file-level comments,” Google says.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Google is teasing its next foldable.

In a new video on Monday, you can catch brief and shadowy glimpses of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, which is set to be fully revealed at an event on August 12th.

But the phone’s design has already leaked, if you want to see it ahead of time.

Microsoft is bringing Xbox 360 games to PCMicrosoft is bringing Xbox 360 games to PC
Jay Peters and Tom Warren
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Matte black everything.

Leaker Evan Blass posted what appear to be marketing renders of the Pixel 11 Pro, including a few showing off an excellent matte gray / black model. In the renders, it looks great.

Apple is also rumored to launch a gray / black option for this year’s Pro lineup. But the shade on this Pixel 11 Pro might be hard to top.

A leaked marketing render of a Pixel 11 Pro.
Image: Evan Blass