Month: April 2024

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Pretty soon, Apple might let you send your iPhone in for repair without disabling Find My and Activation Lock. In the fourth iOS 17.5 beta, 9to5Mac and MacRumors found that Apple is planning to introduce a new “Repair State” mode that keeps the anti-theft measures on while your iPhone is getting fixed.
Apple and many authorized repair providers currently ask you to turn off Find My when you’re getting your iPhone repaired. It has this requirement to “prevent anyone else from getting service for your device without your knowledge,” according to Apple’s support page.
But turning off Find My got a little more tricky with the introduction of Stolen Device Protection. When enabled, this feature forces you to wait one hour before performing certain actions, like turning off Find My. That isn’t too convenient if you forget to turn off Find My before you arrive at the Apple Store for a repair.
The new Repair State option should change this. As pointed out by 9to5Mac, it will let you confirm that your phone is getting repaired by entering your Apple ID and password. You can then continue to track your phone from other devices. The device will have a “Ready for Repair” in the Find My app when the option is enabled, along with a note that the “device remains fully functional,” 9to5Mac reports.
iOS 17.5 is expected to launch in May and add the option for users in the European Union to download apps from the web.

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Pretty soon, Apple might let you send your iPhone in for repair without disabling Find My and Activation Lock. In the fourth iOS 17.5 beta, 9to5Mac and MacRumors found that Apple is planning to introduce a new “Repair State” mode that keeps the anti-theft measures on while your iPhone is getting fixed.

Apple and many authorized repair providers currently ask you to turn off Find My when you’re getting your iPhone repaired. It has this requirement to “prevent anyone else from getting service for your device without your knowledge,” according to Apple’s support page.

But turning off Find My got a little more tricky with the introduction of Stolen Device Protection. When enabled, this feature forces you to wait one hour before performing certain actions, like turning off Find My. That isn’t too convenient if you forget to turn off Find My before you arrive at the Apple Store for a repair.

The new Repair State option should change this. As pointed out by 9to5Mac, it will let you confirm that your phone is getting repaired by entering your Apple ID and password. You can then continue to track your phone from other devices. The device will have a “Ready for Repair” in the Find My app when the option is enabled, along with a note that the “device remains fully functional,” 9to5Mac reports.

iOS 17.5 is expected to launch in May and add the option for users in the European Union to download apps from the web.

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The second-gen AirPods Pro offer a wealth of ecosystem tricks, along with some of the best ANC you can get in a pair of earbuds. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Earlier today, Beats announced the Solo 4 alongside the forthcoming Solo Buds. The latter joins a burgeoning lineup of wireless earbuds under the Beats brand, though, despite being an Apple product, they don’t offer noise cancellation and the kind of deep ecosystem tricks afforded by the latest AirPods Pro with USB-C. Fortunately, Apple’s second-gen earbuds are currently matching their all-time low of $179 ($70 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart.

Whereas the entry-level Solo Buds are geared toward both Android and iOS, the premium AirPods Pro are aimed squarely at Apple users. The refreshed earbuds continue to offer top-tier ANC, refined sound, and the same feature set as the second-gen model from 2022, save for some added dust resistance and an improved USB-C charging case that ditches Apple’s aging Lightning connector. What’s more, they offer Apple’s full suite of ecosystem tricks, including support for head-tracking spatial audio, audio sharing, and automatic switching between Apple devices. Newer modes like Conversation Awareness and Adaptive Audio — which rolled out via a software update in the fall — help round out the excellent feature set, allowing you to automatically dial back the volume when speaking or cancel unwanted distractions only when needed.

Read our hands-on impressions.

More deals, discounts, and ways to save

The Bose Soundlink Flex, one of the best Bluetooth speakers available, is on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for around $119 ($30 off), matching its lowest price to date. Rumor has it a larger, more expensive Soundlink Max is around the corner, but if you prefer something more affordable, the Flex continues to offer 12 hours of battery life, an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, and clear, rich sound with a surprising amount of bass.
If you’re a fitness buff who is not absolutely set on the smartwatch form factor, the Fitbit Charge 6 is once again down to $139.95 ($20 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. Fitbit’s high-end band offers a lot of bang for your buck, including a crisp OLED display, built-in GPS, compatibility with a host of Google apps, and the ability to sync with certain gym equipment via Bluetooth. It’s also one of the few Fitbits capable of EKG and EDA readings (and the only FDA-cleared EKG wearable you can get for under $200). Read our review.

Govee’s Glide Triangle Light Panels are on sale at Amazon right now for $84.50 (50 percent off) when you clip the on-page coupon, which drops them to their best price to date. The modular LED panels don’t support Thread or some of the more advanced features found in the competition — specifically Nanoleaf’s like-minded Shapes Triangles — but they can still sync with your music and support both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

The second-gen AirPods Pro offer a wealth of ecosystem tricks, along with some of the best ANC you can get in a pair of earbuds. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Earlier today, Beats announced the Solo 4 alongside the forthcoming Solo Buds. The latter joins a burgeoning lineup of wireless earbuds under the Beats brand, though, despite being an Apple product, they don’t offer noise cancellation and the kind of deep ecosystem tricks afforded by the latest AirPods Pro with USB-C. Fortunately, Apple’s second-gen earbuds are currently matching their all-time low of $179 ($70 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart.

Whereas the entry-level Solo Buds are geared toward both Android and iOS, the premium AirPods Pro are aimed squarely at Apple users. The refreshed earbuds continue to offer top-tier ANC, refined sound, and the same feature set as the second-gen model from 2022, save for some added dust resistance and an improved USB-C charging case that ditches Apple’s aging Lightning connector. What’s more, they offer Apple’s full suite of ecosystem tricks, including support for head-tracking spatial audio, audio sharing, and automatic switching between Apple devices. Newer modes like Conversation Awareness and Adaptive Audio — which rolled out via a software update in the fall — help round out the excellent feature set, allowing you to automatically dial back the volume when speaking or cancel unwanted distractions only when needed.

Read our hands-on impressions.

More deals, discounts, and ways to save

The Bose Soundlink Flex, one of the best Bluetooth speakers available, is on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for around $119 ($30 off), matching its lowest price to date. Rumor has it a larger, more expensive Soundlink Max is around the corner, but if you prefer something more affordable, the Flex continues to offer 12 hours of battery life, an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, and clear, rich sound with a surprising amount of bass.
If you’re a fitness buff who is not absolutely set on the smartwatch form factor, the Fitbit Charge 6 is once again down to $139.95 ($20 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. Fitbit’s high-end band offers a lot of bang for your buck, including a crisp OLED display, built-in GPS, compatibility with a host of Google apps, and the ability to sync with certain gym equipment via Bluetooth. It’s also one of the few Fitbits capable of EKG and EDA readings (and the only FDA-cleared EKG wearable you can get for under $200). Read our review.

Govee’s Glide Triangle Light Panels are on sale at Amazon right now for $84.50 (50 percent off) when you clip the on-page coupon, which drops them to their best price to date. The modular LED panels don’t support Thread or some of the more advanced features found in the competition — specifically Nanoleaf’s like-minded Shapes Triangles — but they can still sync with your music and support both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

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Image: Fubo

The face-off between streaming TV service Fubo and Warner Bros. Discovery is continuing to escalate. Fubo announced via a late afternoon press release that it has dropped Discovery networks effective immediately — “including Discovery, HGTV, Food Network and TLC, among others” — and has been unable to reach a separate deal to bring Turner sports networks TNT, TBS, and truTV to its customers.
The company claims that it had little choice but to drop the batch of Discovery channels after talks with WBD went nowhere, and it’s accusing WBD of bad-faith negotiations and an “abuse of massive market power that ultimately limits consumer choice.”
Fubu says that it offered WBD “market rates” to secure all of this content but that it never received a counteroffer. The entertainment giant is claimed to have insisted on “above-market rates.” Fubo goes on to sound the alarm, basically saying that this is exactly the type of behavior it predicted back when Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, and Fox announced plans to develop their own sports-centric streaming service.
Fubo wasted little time suing the companies, hoping either to ensure fair terms for its own streaming deals long into the future or, failing that, to block the service’s launch entirely. It has garnered support from Dish and DirecTV, both of which have voiced concerns over being put at a disadvantage in having to compete against the sports mega-service.
Here’s a section of today’s news release from Fubo:
Warner Bros. Discovery has also denied our customers the choice of subscribing to their Turner sports content separately from Discovery content through a more affordable skinny sports bundle. Yet Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that it plans to make this must-have content available in its forthcoming sports streaming joint venture with The Walt Disney Company and Fox Corp.
This all sounds like the familiar back-and-forth that we tend to hear whenever streaming services and content owners squabble over a deal renewal. They’re asking for too much is a constant refrain, and Fubo is framing the removal of Discovery networks as its best effort to “avoid passing on these extra costs to consumers.” As is, the service’s plans start at $79.99 / month, so a price hike would put Fubo out of reach for even more people.
In the event that the Discovery networks stay gone for the foreseeable future, shouldn’t Fubo get… cheaper? You’d like to think so! But it doesn’t usually work that way.
These are the networks that have vanished as of today:

American Heroes
Animal Planet
Cooking Channel
Destination America
Discovery Channel
Discovery Life
Discovery Family
Discovery Familia
Discovery en Español
DIY
Food Network
HGTV
Investigation Discovery
Motor Trend
OWN
Science
TLC
Travel

The Verge has reached out to Warner Bros. Discovery for comment. I’ll go ahead and assume that the company will paint Fubo as the unreasonable party in this dispute.

Image: Fubo

The face-off between streaming TV service Fubo and Warner Bros. Discovery is continuing to escalate. Fubo announced via a late afternoon press release that it has dropped Discovery networks effective immediately — “including Discovery, HGTV, Food Network and TLC, among others” — and has been unable to reach a separate deal to bring Turner sports networks TNT, TBS, and truTV to its customers.

The company claims that it had little choice but to drop the batch of Discovery channels after talks with WBD went nowhere, and it’s accusing WBD of bad-faith negotiations and an “abuse of massive market power that ultimately limits consumer choice.”

Fubu says that it offered WBD “market rates” to secure all of this content but that it never received a counteroffer. The entertainment giant is claimed to have insisted on “above-market rates.” Fubo goes on to sound the alarm, basically saying that this is exactly the type of behavior it predicted back when Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney, and Fox announced plans to develop their own sports-centric streaming service.

Fubo wasted little time suing the companies, hoping either to ensure fair terms for its own streaming deals long into the future or, failing that, to block the service’s launch entirely. It has garnered support from Dish and DirecTV, both of which have voiced concerns over being put at a disadvantage in having to compete against the sports mega-service.

Here’s a section of today’s news release from Fubo:

Warner Bros. Discovery has also denied our customers the choice of subscribing to their Turner sports content separately from Discovery content through a more affordable skinny sports bundle. Yet Warner Bros. Discovery has announced that it plans to make this must-have content available in its forthcoming sports streaming joint venture with The Walt Disney Company and Fox Corp.

This all sounds like the familiar back-and-forth that we tend to hear whenever streaming services and content owners squabble over a deal renewal. They’re asking for too much is a constant refrain, and Fubo is framing the removal of Discovery networks as its best effort to “avoid passing on these extra costs to consumers.” As is, the service’s plans start at $79.99 / month, so a price hike would put Fubo out of reach for even more people.

In the event that the Discovery networks stay gone for the foreseeable future, shouldn’t Fubo get… cheaper? You’d like to think so! But it doesn’t usually work that way.

These are the networks that have vanished as of today:

American Heroes
Animal Planet
Cooking Channel
Destination America
Discovery Channel
Discovery Life
Discovery Family
Discovery Familia
Discovery en Español
DIY
Food Network
HGTV
Investigation Discovery
Motor Trend
OWN
Science
TLC
Travel

The Verge has reached out to Warner Bros. Discovery for comment. I’ll go ahead and assume that the company will paint Fubo as the unreasonable party in this dispute.

Read More 

This could be the perfect gas to get Google I/O started this year. | Illustration: The Verge / Shutterstock

I simply don’t know how to feel about an incoming update to the Google Phone app that adds sound effects to the Android dialer. First spotted as part of a beta update by 9to5Google, the app may soon let you tap one of six “Audio Emoji” buttons to play a short sound clip that both sides of the call can hear.
There’s clapping, laughing, crying (a sad, sliding trombone), partying, a drum sting (ba-dum ts) and… poop, which emits a fart sound. You can access the buttons during a call by tapping the option in the dialer’s overflow menu or with a small flag positioned toward the bottom.
The dormant adolescent in me wants to try the poop button at least once with a trusted friend who won’t disown me for having a questionable sense of humor. Personally, I’d much rather hear these sounds (except farts) in my conversations as organic, genuine reactions. Who will actually get meaningful use out of this feature after that novelty quickly wears off?

If we’re going to do this, I’d love to see user-customizable audio, plus, perhaps, prerecorded messages and text-to-speech shortcuts. This initial list covers the basics, but I think it might be missing the mark a bit.
Realistically, this could all just be a product of boredom from one of Google’s engineers, and it’s alright if that’s how far this goes. Just, please, don’t spam your loved ones with it, unless your goal is to get them off the phone as soon as possible. (Thankfully, there’s a cooldown period that limits how often you can use the effects.) Google I/O is coming up May 14th, so hopefully, by then, we’ll get further insight into its thinking for this one.

This could be the perfect gas to get Google I/O started this year. | Illustration: The Verge / Shutterstock

I simply don’t know how to feel about an incoming update to the Google Phone app that adds sound effects to the Android dialer. First spotted as part of a beta update by 9to5Google, the app may soon let you tap one of six “Audio Emoji” buttons to play a short sound clip that both sides of the call can hear.

There’s clapping, laughing, crying (a sad, sliding trombone), partying, a drum sting (ba-dum ts) and… poop, which emits a fart sound. You can access the buttons during a call by tapping the option in the dialer’s overflow menu or with a small flag positioned toward the bottom.

The dormant adolescent in me wants to try the poop button at least once with a trusted friend who won’t disown me for having a questionable sense of humor. Personally, I’d much rather hear these sounds (except farts) in my conversations as organic, genuine reactions. Who will actually get meaningful use out of this feature after that novelty quickly wears off?

If we’re going to do this, I’d love to see user-customizable audio, plus, perhaps, prerecorded messages and text-to-speech shortcuts. This initial list covers the basics, but I think it might be missing the mark a bit.

Realistically, this could all just be a product of boredom from one of Google’s engineers, and it’s alright if that’s how far this goes. Just, please, don’t spam your loved ones with it, unless your goal is to get them off the phone as soon as possible. (Thankfully, there’s a cooldown period that limits how often you can use the effects.) Google I/O is coming up May 14th, so hopefully, by then, we’ll get further insight into its thinking for this one.

Read More 

Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images

More news organizations, including the New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, San Jose Mercury News, and four others, are suing OpenAI and Microsoft for alleged copyright infringement.
The publications, all owned by the hedge fund Alden Global Capital, claim that both OpenAI and Microsoft trained on their articles without compensation or permission. The plaintiffs included as evidence several excerpts from conversations with both ChatGPT and Copilot showing that both chatbots reproduced lengthy excerpts of specific articles on command, indicating that their training datasets included the texts of those articles.
They also showed screenshots of Copilot, which can search the web in real time, reproducing entire news articles verbatim a day or two after those articles were posted, without “a prominent hyperlink” back to the original article. The companies also claim that chatbots often attribute false facts or hallucinations to publications.
“This lawsuit is not a battle between new technology and old technology. It is not a battle between a thriving industry and an industry in transition. It is most surely not a battle to resolve the phalanx of social, political, moral, and economic issues that GenAI raises. This lawsuit is about how Microsoft and OpenAI are not entitled to use copyrighted newspaper content to build their new trillion-dollar enterprises without paying for that content,” the complaint reads.
According to the publications, companies that use copyrighted material for their AI models “must obtain the publishers’ consent to use their content and pay fair value for such use.”
The complaint points to comments made by company executives, notably OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, that AI models cannot train without copyrighted material. The complaint also states that OpenAI demonstrated the ability to bypass paywalls, that its stores contained GPTs that offered the same, and that AI models can block chatbots from spitting out copyrighted work, but that OpenAI rarely deployed that capability.
The lawsuit echoes many of the same claims made by other news organizations in suing OpenAI and Microsoft. The New York Times filed its lawsuit in December, claiming ChatGPT reproduces its journalism verbatim. Digital news sites The Intercept, AlterNet, and Raw Story filed their own legal action in February.
OpenAI has sought to dismiss the NYT’s lawsuit, saying the publication manipulated ChatGPT into faithfully reproducing its work. At the same time, Microsoft invoked the VCR to claim AI models are merely tools, which could theoretically be used to infringe on copyright, but “are capable of substantial lawful use.”

Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images

More news organizations, including the New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Orlando Sentinel, San Jose Mercury News, and four others, are suing OpenAI and Microsoft for alleged copyright infringement.

The publications, all owned by the hedge fund Alden Global Capital, claim that both OpenAI and Microsoft trained on their articles without compensation or permission. The plaintiffs included as evidence several excerpts from conversations with both ChatGPT and Copilot showing that both chatbots reproduced lengthy excerpts of specific articles on command, indicating that their training datasets included the texts of those articles.

They also showed screenshots of Copilot, which can search the web in real time, reproducing entire news articles verbatim a day or two after those articles were posted, without “a prominent hyperlink” back to the original article. The companies also claim that chatbots often attribute false facts or hallucinations to publications.

“This lawsuit is not a battle between new technology and old technology. It is not a battle between a thriving industry and an industry in transition. It is most surely not a battle to resolve the phalanx of social, political, moral, and economic issues that GenAI raises. This lawsuit is about how Microsoft and OpenAI are not entitled to use copyrighted newspaper content to build their new trillion-dollar enterprises without paying for that content,” the complaint reads.

According to the publications, companies that use copyrighted material for their AI models “must obtain the publishers’ consent to use their content and pay fair value for such use.”

The complaint points to comments made by company executives, notably OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, that AI models cannot train without copyrighted material. The complaint also states that OpenAI demonstrated the ability to bypass paywalls, that its stores contained GPTs that offered the same, and that AI models can block chatbots from spitting out copyrighted work, but that OpenAI rarely deployed that capability.

The lawsuit echoes many of the same claims made by other news organizations in suing OpenAI and Microsoft. The New York Times filed its lawsuit in December, claiming ChatGPT reproduces its journalism verbatim. Digital news sites The Intercept, AlterNet, and Raw Story filed their own legal action in February.

OpenAI has sought to dismiss the NYT’s lawsuit, saying the publication manipulated ChatGPT into faithfully reproducing its work. At the same time, Microsoft invoked the VCR to claim AI models are merely tools, which could theoretically be used to infringe on copyright, but “are capable of substantial lawful use.”

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