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Instead of a boring number or some dots of light to show battery level you get a silly face. | Image: Ugreen

Ugreen has a new collection of iPhone and USB accessories for IFA 2024 that really turn up the charm. The Uno line is a collection of GaN and Qi2 chargers, cables, a power bank, and a USB-C hub — each featuring tiny a screen solely for displaying robot-like emoji faces.
The most endearing ones by far are the $60 Uno Charger 100W four-port USB charger and $70 15W Qi2 magnetic power bank that sticks to MagSafe phones — each looks like a helpful little bot friend you’ve appointed to live on your desk and help with your charging duties. They’re also the most expressive, with their TFT screens showing up to half a dozen different faces to give some idea of the actual charge levels / rates of your device.
For example, the faces on the Qi2 power bank can greet you with a “Hi” message, look concerned when its battery level is below 20 percent, and get exceedingly joyous as it fills up — topping off with some loving heart-eyes at full charge. The 100W charger has similar multi-stage faces to indicate charging speeds.

Have I mentioned that the Qi2 power bank has a small kickstand that makes it look like it has skinny little arms to hold up your phone like a diminutive Atlas trying its best? Adorable.

Image: Ugreen

There’s also the $70 Uno 2-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charger, which I got to try ahead of time and is sadly a bit more limited. It certainly charges your iPhone and AirPods — just like many options out there from the likes of Anker and other brands, and there’s a small charm to the endearing face on the screen.
But here, it seems Ugreen couldn’t find an effective way to indicate the charge level of two different devices through emoji faces alone. Instead, the 2-in-1 displays just two faces, one to proclaim “I’m plugged in and ready to charge,” and another that confusingly communicates “Hey buddy, your devices are charging. Or maybe they’re full? I don’t know man, why don’t you check? I just work here.”

The 100W-capable USB-C to USB-C cable I also tested also has a screen, but with even less to communicate. Its friendly face doesn’t show up until you plug in a device to charge, and then it has just one expression of closed eyes joyously smiling. (Or maybe it’s laughing at me? What is your deal, you little cable goblin?!)
It’s still about as cute as it gets for a charging cord, but more informational screens in cables and fun chargers do exist elsewhere.
Ugreen’s new Uno line has six accessories in total, which ever-so-slightly take the boring out of commoditized tech. One even tries to make a 6-in-1 USB-C Hub a little kawaii. They’re set to launch between mid-September and October. Here’s the price breakdown for each one:

Uno 2-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charger 15W ($69.99)
Uno Qi2 Magnetic Wireless Power Bank 10000mAh 15W ($69.99)
Uno Charger 100W ($59.99)
Uno Power Bank 10000mAh 30W with built-in USB-C cable ($49.99)
Uno USB-C to USB-C Cable 100W ($8.99 for 0.5m, $12.99 for 1m / 2m, and $15.99 for 3m)
Uno 6-in-1 USB-C Hub ($19.99)

Instead of a boring number or some dots of light to show battery level you get a silly face. | Image: Ugreen

Ugreen has a new collection of iPhone and USB accessories for IFA 2024 that really turn up the charm. The Uno line is a collection of GaN and Qi2 chargers, cables, a power bank, and a USB-C hub — each featuring tiny a screen solely for displaying robot-like emoji faces.

The most endearing ones by far are the $60 Uno Charger 100W four-port USB charger and $70 15W Qi2 magnetic power bank that sticks to MagSafe phones — each looks like a helpful little bot friend you’ve appointed to live on your desk and help with your charging duties. They’re also the most expressive, with their TFT screens showing up to half a dozen different faces to give some idea of the actual charge levels / rates of your device.

For example, the faces on the Qi2 power bank can greet you with a “Hi” message, look concerned when its battery level is below 20 percent, and get exceedingly joyous as it fills up — topping off with some loving heart-eyes at full charge. The 100W charger has similar multi-stage faces to indicate charging speeds.

Have I mentioned that the Qi2 power bank has a small kickstand that makes it look like it has skinny little arms to hold up your phone like a diminutive Atlas trying its best? Adorable.

Image: Ugreen

There’s also the $70 Uno 2-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charger, which I got to try ahead of time and is sadly a bit more limited. It certainly charges your iPhone and AirPods — just like many options out there from the likes of Anker and other brands, and there’s a small charm to the endearing face on the screen.

But here, it seems Ugreen couldn’t find an effective way to indicate the charge level of two different devices through emoji faces alone. Instead, the 2-in-1 displays just two faces, one to proclaim “I’m plugged in and ready to charge,” and another that confusingly communicates “Hey buddy, your devices are charging. Or maybe they’re full? I don’t know man, why don’t you check? I just work here.”

The 100W-capable USB-C to USB-C cable I also tested also has a screen, but with even less to communicate. Its friendly face doesn’t show up until you plug in a device to charge, and then it has just one expression of closed eyes joyously smiling. (Or maybe it’s laughing at me? What is your deal, you little cable goblin?!)

It’s still about as cute as it gets for a charging cord, but more informational screens in cables and fun chargers do exist elsewhere.

Ugreen’s new Uno line has six accessories in total, which ever-so-slightly take the boring out of commoditized tech. One even tries to make a 6-in-1 USB-C Hub a little kawaii. They’re set to launch between mid-September and October. Here’s the price breakdown for each one:

Uno 2-in-1 Magnetic Wireless Charger 15W ($69.99)
Uno Qi2 Magnetic Wireless Power Bank 10000mAh 15W ($69.99)
Uno Charger 100W ($59.99)
Uno Power Bank 10000mAh 30W with built-in USB-C cable ($49.99)
Uno USB-C to USB-C Cable 100W ($8.99 for 0.5m, $12.99 for 1m / 2m, and $15.99 for 3m)
Uno 6-in-1 USB-C Hub ($19.99)

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The Osom OV1 smartphone was created by former Essential engineers and designers. | Image: Osom

Osom Products Inc. — the mobile phone company founded by former employees of Essential, which shut down after releasing a single phone — is reportedly shutting down this week, having released a single phone.
The news comes shortly after Osom’s former chief privacy officer sued the company, claiming that it’s out of money after its CEO used business funds to pay for personal trips and exotic cars.
During an internal meeting on Tuesday, Osom executives announced their decision to shutter the company, according to multiple sources who spoke to Android Authority. The report claims that most of the company’s employees will be laid off on Friday but will receive severance pay and be eligible for continued healthcare.
Osom was started by Jason Keats (the allegedly Lambo-loving CEO) and several former executives and employees of Essential after that company shut down in 2020, following poor sales of its Essential Phone and the departure of founder Andy Rubin. Osom’s stated goal was to create privacy-focused products, which included a USB-C cable with a switch to turn off its data transfer capabilities and the Osom OV1 smartphone, which the company revealed in early 2022.
The company partnered with blockchain company Solana later that year to launch a version of the OV1, now called the Saga, with a built-in crypto wallet and other apps that rely on Solana’s blockchain features. A few engineers will reportedly remain on at Osom as contractors to help deliver another security update for the Saga smartphone in December and complete the company’s obligations to Solana.

The Osom OV1 smartphone was created by former Essential engineers and designers. | Image: Osom

Osom Products Inc. — the mobile phone company founded by former employees of Essential, which shut down after releasing a single phone — is reportedly shutting down this week, having released a single phone.

The news comes shortly after Osom’s former chief privacy officer sued the company, claiming that it’s out of money after its CEO used business funds to pay for personal trips and exotic cars.

During an internal meeting on Tuesday, Osom executives announced their decision to shutter the company, according to multiple sources who spoke to Android Authority. The report claims that most of the company’s employees will be laid off on Friday but will receive severance pay and be eligible for continued healthcare.

Osom was started by Jason Keats (the allegedly Lambo-loving CEO) and several former executives and employees of Essential after that company shut down in 2020, following poor sales of its Essential Phone and the departure of founder Andy Rubin. Osom’s stated goal was to create privacy-focused products, which included a USB-C cable with a switch to turn off its data transfer capabilities and the Osom OV1 smartphone, which the company revealed in early 2022.

The company partnered with blockchain company Solana later that year to launch a version of the OV1, now called the Saga, with a built-in crypto wallet and other apps that rely on Solana’s blockchain features. A few engineers will reportedly remain on at Osom as contractors to help deliver another security update for the Saga smartphone in December and complete the company’s obligations to Solana.

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Image: Sony

Sony has started celebrating 30 years of PlayStation and seems to have confirmed a PS5 Pro design leak in the process. A blog post earlier today included a 30th anniversary image (above), and eagle-eyed observers have spotted a suspicious-looking PS5 design in the montage that looks identical to the PS5 Pro leak from a week ago.
Dealabs reported last week that it had seen retail packaging for the PS5 Pro and created a sketch that showed three black stripes in the middle of the outer facades of the console. Those three black strips can be clearly seen in Sony’s montage image, looking rather Adidas-like and unlike the stripe you can find on the PS5. In fact, the existing PS5 model is also in the montage, with a single stripe through the middle.

Image: Sony / Dealabs
Sony’s image vs. the leaked PS5 Pro sketch.

Image: Sony
Sony’s Instagram story.

Dealabs said it was expecting an announcement during the first half of September, but I don’t think anyone expected it would come in the form of a teaser image from Sony. The official PlayStation account on Instagram even posted the image with a “Your first look ” link.
We’ve known for months the PS5 Pro is real and that developers have been getting their games ready for this new console. A source familiar with Sony’s PS5 Pro plans tells me that all games released on or after September 16th need to support the PS5 Pro, so that suggests that Sony’s official announcement of this console is coming real soon.

Image: Sony

Sony has started celebrating 30 years of PlayStation and seems to have confirmed a PS5 Pro design leak in the process. A blog post earlier today included a 30th anniversary image (above), and eagle-eyed observers have spotted a suspicious-looking PS5 design in the montage that looks identical to the PS5 Pro leak from a week ago.

Dealabs reported last week that it had seen retail packaging for the PS5 Pro and created a sketch that showed three black stripes in the middle of the outer facades of the console. Those three black strips can be clearly seen in Sony’s montage image, looking rather Adidas-like and unlike the stripe you can find on the PS5. In fact, the existing PS5 model is also in the montage, with a single stripe through the middle.

Image: Sony / Dealabs
Sony’s image vs. the leaked PS5 Pro sketch.

Image: Sony
Sony’s Instagram story.

Dealabs said it was expecting an announcement during the first half of September, but I don’t think anyone expected it would come in the form of a teaser image from Sony. The official PlayStation account on Instagram even posted the image with a “Your first look ” link.

We’ve known for months the PS5 Pro is real and that developers have been getting their games ready for this new console. A source familiar with Sony’s PS5 Pro plans tells me that all games released on or after September 16th need to support the PS5 Pro, so that suggests that Sony’s official announcement of this console is coming real soon.

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Illustration: Cath Virginia / The Verge

A startup funded by the cofounder of Yahoo and CTO of Intel is suing Nvidia and Microsoft for allegedly infringing on its patent for a key innovation in AI chips and being part of a buying cartel that allegedly sought to artificially fix lower prices for the technology.
In a new lawsuit, Texas-based Xockets says Nvidia has infringed on its patented data processing unit (DPU) technology, which helps make cloud infrastructure more efficient by accelerating data-intensive workloads. Xockets says the chip giant inherited the infringement through its 2020 acquisition of Mellanox. It claims Mellanox initially infringed on its patent after Xockets publicly demonstrated its DPU tech at a conference in 2015.
Xockets alleges that three of Nvidia’s DPUs — BlueField, ConnectX, and NVLink Switch — are based on Xockets’ patented technology. The startup also accuses Microsoft of infringing on its patents, alleging that as an Nvidia customer, Microsoft has “privileged access to NVIDIA’s infringing GPU-enabled server computer systems and components for AI.”
Xockets says it’s made Nvidia aware of the alleged infringement — it alleges the startup’s founder and board member Parin Dalal raised the issue to Nvidia’s DPU business VP in February 2022. Xockets accuses Nvidia of pursuing a strategy of “efficient infringement,” which basically boils down to infringe now, let lawyers figure out the rest later.
“Xockets accuses Nvidia of pursuing a strategy of ‘efficient infringement’”
Xockets is also accusing Nvidia of monopolizing the market for GPU servers for AI and participating with Microsoft in a buying cartel through an organization called RPX, a company Xockets says was “formed at the request of Big Tech companies to enable and create buyers’ cartels for intellectual property.” Xockets alleges that RPX enabled members like Nvidia and Microsoft to jointly boycott innovations like Xockets’ in order to drive prices lower than if each company had negotiated on its own. Through the alleged cartel, Xockets claims, Microsoft and Nvidia are able to “monopolize GPU-enabled generative artificial intelligence by controlling the equipment and platforms necessary to access this capability.”
Xockets is seeking damages for the alleged infringement and for the court to order the companies to stop violating its patents and antitrust law. Though it’s facing two of the largest companies in the country, Xockets investor and board member Robert Cote, an IP lawyer, told The Verge that Xockets has “more than enough wherewithal to take on Goliath.”
Dalal is a current employee at Google, where he’s a principal engineer of machine learning and AI, though Google does not seem to have an official role in the litigation. Cote said he could not comment on Google.

Illustration: Cath Virginia / The Verge

A startup funded by the cofounder of Yahoo and CTO of Intel is suing Nvidia and Microsoft for allegedly infringing on its patent for a key innovation in AI chips and being part of a buying cartel that allegedly sought to artificially fix lower prices for the technology.

In a new lawsuit, Texas-based Xockets says Nvidia has infringed on its patented data processing unit (DPU) technology, which helps make cloud infrastructure more efficient by accelerating data-intensive workloads. Xockets says the chip giant inherited the infringement through its 2020 acquisition of Mellanox. It claims Mellanox initially infringed on its patent after Xockets publicly demonstrated its DPU tech at a conference in 2015.

Xockets alleges that three of Nvidia’s DPUs — BlueField, ConnectX, and NVLink Switch — are based on Xockets’ patented technology. The startup also accuses Microsoft of infringing on its patents, alleging that as an Nvidia customer, Microsoft has “privileged access to NVIDIA’s infringing GPU-enabled server computer systems and components for AI.”

Xockets says it’s made Nvidia aware of the alleged infringement — it alleges the startup’s founder and board member Parin Dalal raised the issue to Nvidia’s DPU business VP in February 2022. Xockets accuses Nvidia of pursuing a strategy of “efficient infringement,” which basically boils down to infringe now, let lawyers figure out the rest later.

Xockets is also accusing Nvidia of monopolizing the market for GPU servers for AI and participating with Microsoft in a buying cartel through an organization called RPX, a company Xockets says was “formed at the request of Big Tech companies to enable and create buyers’ cartels for intellectual property.” Xockets alleges that RPX enabled members like Nvidia and Microsoft to jointly boycott innovations like Xockets’ in order to drive prices lower than if each company had negotiated on its own. Through the alleged cartel, Xockets claims, Microsoft and Nvidia are able to “monopolize GPU-enabled generative artificial intelligence by controlling the equipment and platforms necessary to access this capability.”

Xockets is seeking damages for the alleged infringement and for the court to order the companies to stop violating its patents and antitrust law. Though it’s facing two of the largest companies in the country, Xockets investor and board member Robert Cote, an IP lawyer, told The Verge that Xockets has “more than enough wherewithal to take on Goliath.”

Dalal is a current employee at Google, where he’s a principal engineer of machine learning and AI, though Google does not seem to have an official role in the litigation. Cote said he could not comment on Google.

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Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge

Tesla updated the roadmap today for its out-of-beta Full Self-Driving (FSD) advanced driver-assist system. The automaker says it will launch the feature in the Cybertruck later this month, roll out a more robust v13 update in October, and launch it in Europe and China within the first quarter of next year — pending regulatory approval.
Tesla started delivering its polarizing Cybertruck to customers more than nine months ago, and one of the biggest omissions (and hype deflators) was not just the lack of FSD but also Autopilot features like lane-keeping. Now Cybertruck will get these features in September, starting with Autopark — which means that Cybertrucks can soon automatically pull into visible parking spots in lots and on streets.

Due to popular demand, Tesla AI team release roadmap:September 2024- v12.5.2 with ~3x improved miles between necessary interventions- v12.5.2 on AI3 computer (unified models for AI3 and AI4)- Actually Smart Summon- Cybertruck Autopark – Eye-tracking with sunglasses ️ -…— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) September 5, 2024

However, the big business move on Tesla’s refreshed FSD roadmap is inching closer to international markets in Europe and China, which, according to Reuters, is already boosting Tesla’s share price. The company has struggled in the European Union, where automakers must obtain preapproval from safety regulators before launching new car technologies.
Although Tesla expects regulatory approval for FSD, it’s not guaranteed. Tesla must demonstrate to EU regulators that FSD is at least as safe as human drivers, which, based on the company’s projections, it might have already. Meanwhile, FSD and Autopilot have been linked to hundreds of crashes and dozens of deaths in the US.

As for China, Tesla started the registration process for FSD with Chinese regulators earlier this year so it could begin internal testing. Tesla has had a less capable iteration of FSD available to customers in China, and its competition is brewing with Chinese automakers launching their own self-driving tech, including vision-based systems.
Tesla’s “supervised” FSD v12 update is supposed to prove that the company’s camera-only approach can succeed. And now the company is already talking about v13 for an October release that has “6 times improved miles between necessary interventions.” Tesla also released its parking lot self-driving ASS (Actually Smart Summon) update this week. It also says it will release updates on eye tracking with sunglasses this month and is adding FSD park, unpark, and reverse abilities in October.

Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge

Tesla updated the roadmap today for its out-of-beta Full Self-Driving (FSD) advanced driver-assist system. The automaker says it will launch the feature in the Cybertruck later this month, roll out a more robust v13 update in October, and launch it in Europe and China within the first quarter of next year — pending regulatory approval.

Tesla started delivering its polarizing Cybertruck to customers more than nine months ago, and one of the biggest omissions (and hype deflators) was not just the lack of FSD but also Autopilot features like lane-keeping. Now Cybertruck will get these features in September, starting with Autopark — which means that Cybertrucks can soon automatically pull into visible parking spots in lots and on streets.

However, the big business move on Tesla’s refreshed FSD roadmap is inching closer to international markets in Europe and China, which, according to Reuters, is already boosting Tesla’s share price. The company has struggled in the European Union, where automakers must obtain preapproval from safety regulators before launching new car technologies.

Although Tesla expects regulatory approval for FSD, it’s not guaranteed. Tesla must demonstrate to EU regulators that FSD is at least as safe as human drivers, which, based on the company’s projections, it might have already. Meanwhile, FSD and Autopilot have been linked to hundreds of crashes and dozens of deaths in the US.

As for China, Tesla started the registration process for FSD with Chinese regulators earlier this year so it could begin internal testing. Tesla has had a less capable iteration of FSD available to customers in China, and its competition is brewing with Chinese automakers launching their own self-driving tech, including vision-based systems.

Tesla’s “supervised” FSD v12 update is supposed to prove that the company’s camera-only approach can succeed. And now the company is already talking about v13 for an October release that has “6 times improved miles between necessary interventions.” Tesla also released its parking lot self-driving ASS (Actually Smart Summon) update this week. It also says it will release updates on eye tracking with sunglasses this month and is adding FSD park, unpark, and reverse abilities in October.

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

YouTube is developing new tools that aim to give creators on the platform more control over content that copies their voice or likeness using generative AI. In its announcement post, YouTube said the new likeness management tech will help to safeguard its creators and partners while enabling them to “harness AI’s creative potential” by promoting responsible AI development.
The first tool, described as a “synthetic-singing identification technology,” will allow artists and creators to automatically detect and manage YouTube content that simulates their singing voices using generative AI. YouTube says the tool sits within its existing Content ID copyright identification system and that it’s planning to test it under a pilot program next year.
The announcement follows YouTube’s pledge last November to give music labels a way to take down AI clones of musicians. The rapid improvement and accessibility of generative AI music tools have sparked fears among artists regarding their use in plagiarism, copycatting, and copyright infringement. In an open letter earlier this year, over 200 artists, including Billie Eilish, Pearl Jam, and Katy Perry, described unauthorized AI-generated mimicry as an “assault on human creativity” and demanded greater responsibility around its development to protect the livelihoods of performers.
A separate tool is also in the works that can identify facial deepfakes of creators, actors, musicians, and athletes on the platform. The system is still in active development, and YouTube hasn’t indicated when it’s expected to roll out.

YouTube is also pledging to crack down on anyone scraping the platform to build AI tools. “We’ve been clear that accessing creator content in unauthorized ways violates our Terms of Service,” the platform said — which hasn’t prevented companies like OpenAI, Apple, Anthropic, Nvidia, Salesforce, and Runway AI from training their AI systems on thousands of scraped YouTube videos. The protections against this activity include blocking scrapers from accessing YouTube and investments in scraping detection systems.
“As AI evolves, we believe it should enhance human creativity, not replace it,” YouTube said in its announcement. “We’re committed to working with our partners to ensure future advancements amplify their voices, and we’ll continue to develop guardrails to address concerns and achieve our common goals.”
YouTube also says it’s developing ways to give creators more choices regarding how third-party AI companies are permitted to use their content on the platform and will share further details later this year.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

YouTube is developing new tools that aim to give creators on the platform more control over content that copies their voice or likeness using generative AI. In its announcement post, YouTube said the new likeness management tech will help to safeguard its creators and partners while enabling them to “harness AI’s creative potential” by promoting responsible AI development.

The first tool, described as a “synthetic-singing identification technology,” will allow artists and creators to automatically detect and manage YouTube content that simulates their singing voices using generative AI. YouTube says the tool sits within its existing Content ID copyright identification system and that it’s planning to test it under a pilot program next year.

The announcement follows YouTube’s pledge last November to give music labels a way to take down AI clones of musicians. The rapid improvement and accessibility of generative AI music tools have sparked fears among artists regarding their use in plagiarism, copycatting, and copyright infringement. In an open letter earlier this year, over 200 artists, including Billie Eilish, Pearl Jam, and Katy Perry, described unauthorized AI-generated mimicry as an “assault on human creativity” and demanded greater responsibility around its development to protect the livelihoods of performers.

A separate tool is also in the works that can identify facial deepfakes of creators, actors, musicians, and athletes on the platform. The system is still in active development, and YouTube hasn’t indicated when it’s expected to roll out.

YouTube is also pledging to crack down on anyone scraping the platform to build AI tools. “We’ve been clear that accessing creator content in unauthorized ways violates our Terms of Service,” the platform said — which hasn’t prevented companies like OpenAI, Apple, Anthropic, Nvidia, Salesforce, and Runway AI from training their AI systems on thousands of scraped YouTube videos. The protections against this activity include blocking scrapers from accessing YouTube and investments in scraping detection systems.

“As AI evolves, we believe it should enhance human creativity, not replace it,” YouTube said in its announcement. “We’re committed to working with our partners to ensure future advancements amplify their voices, and we’ll continue to develop guardrails to address concerns and achieve our common goals.”

YouTube also says it’s developing ways to give creators more choices regarding how third-party AI companies are permitted to use their content on the platform and will share further details later this year.

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Illustration: The Verge

Google is testing its new “Ask Photos” feature that lets you explore your library of pictures in new ways. The feature, which Google first previewed in May, is rolling out to select Google Labs users in the US and will let you ask things like, “Where did we camp last time we went to Yosemite?” or “What did we eat at the hotel in Stanley?”
Using Google’s Gemini AI models, the Photos app will then offer a response based on the content in your photos, as well as pull up images relevant to your question.

GIF: Google
Google is putting an AI assistant in Photos, too.

Google says you can even use Ask Photos to complete tasks, such as summarizing things you did on a recent vacation or choosing the best pictures of your family to put in a shared album. You can sign up for the waitlist to access Ask Photos on Google’s website.
When using Ask Photos, Google will let you switch to what it now calls “classic search” — or the current way of finding images. But Google is giving this an upgrade, too, as you can now search for pictures using natural language, such as “Alice and me laughing” or “Kayaking on a lake surrounded by mountains.” You can then sort your search results by date or relevance. This feature is rolling out in English on Android and iOS, with more support for more languages arriving in the “coming weeks.”

GIF: Google
Google Photos’ “classic search” now comes with AI enhancements.

In preparation for this change, Google Photos replaced the Library tab with a new Collection page that’s supposed to make it easier to find all your photos and videos. While I haven’t really had time to explore the new tab, I’ll definitely be taking advantage of the natural language search so I can finally find specific images without having to scroll through thousands of images or narrow them down by location.

Illustration: The Verge

Google is testing its new “Ask Photos” feature that lets you explore your library of pictures in new ways. The feature, which Google first previewed in May, is rolling out to select Google Labs users in the US and will let you ask things like, “Where did we camp last time we went to Yosemite?” or “What did we eat at the hotel in Stanley?”

Using Google’s Gemini AI models, the Photos app will then offer a response based on the content in your photos, as well as pull up images relevant to your question.

GIF: Google
Google is putting an AI assistant in Photos, too.

Google says you can even use Ask Photos to complete tasks, such as summarizing things you did on a recent vacation or choosing the best pictures of your family to put in a shared album. You can sign up for the waitlist to access Ask Photos on Google’s website.

When using Ask Photos, Google will let you switch to what it now calls “classic search” — or the current way of finding images. But Google is giving this an upgrade, too, as you can now search for pictures using natural language, such as “Alice and me laughing” or “Kayaking on a lake surrounded by mountains.” You can then sort your search results by date or relevance. This feature is rolling out in English on Android and iOS, with more support for more languages arriving in the “coming weeks.”

GIF: Google
Google Photos’ “classic search” now comes with AI enhancements.

In preparation for this change, Google Photos replaced the Library tab with a new Collection page that’s supposed to make it easier to find all your photos and videos. While I haven’t really had time to explore the new tab, I’ll definitely be taking advantage of the natural language search so I can finally find specific images without having to scroll through thousands of images or narrow them down by location.

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Apple Pay hasn’t changed much since 2014, and maybe it hasn’t needed to. | Image: The Verge

When Apple launched Apple Pay in 2014, at an event 10 years to the day before this year’s iPhone launch, Apple promised the feature would “change the way you pay.” The company didn’t just let you save a credit card number on your phone; it let you pay for things with a single tap by transmitting information through an NFC chip. Apple was so bullish on mobile payments that Apple Pay was even one of the key selling points for the also-just-announced Apple Watch.
A decade later, Apple Pay is everywhere. You can use it to buy groceries and coffee; you can use it to ride the New York City subway or rent a Lime scooter. You can use Apple Pay and skip the whole multipage checkout process on lots of online stores. You can use it on your phone, your watch, your computer, countless websites, your TV, and your headset. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimated that 55.8 million Americans made an in-store payment with Apple Pay in the month of April 2023. Apple says Pay works at more than 85 percent of retailers in the US, but anecdotally, I can’t remember the last time I couldn’t pay just by double-clicking the power button on my phone. Apple Pay is so good, it can be dangerous.
Apple Pay is one of the most Apple-y Apple products the company has ever shipped. It was, and is, a study in both the power of integration and Apple’s unique ability to get its way in a competitive industry. While Google flailed around with its own mobile payments system — which has been Google Wallet and Google Pay and Android Pay and I think Google Wallet again, and honestly who can keep track anymore? — Apple just relentlessly iterated on Apple Pay until it became both great and ubiquitous. It’s gotten a little bloated as Apple has looked for more ways to make it profitable: Apple Pay begot Apple Cash and the Apple Card and Apple Pay Later and Apple’s whole idea about digital ID cards, which have all worked somewhere between “kind of fine” and “not at all.”
And maybe most Apple-y of all, Apple Pay has been ruthlessly controlled and locked down by its creator. Other developers haven’t been able to access the tap-to-pay features, so you can’t pay directly from any app other than Apple Wallet. Developers have no other choice but to add cards to Apple Wallet (and thus pay the 0.15 percent fee for each credit transaction). You can’t change the app that appears when you double-tap the power button, either, not that you would, because nobody can build a competitive mobile wallet app without tap-to-pay. Have you ever noticed that there are no Apple Wallet competitors? They simply aren’t allowed to exist.
Apple has argued, as it always does, that these restrictions existed in the name of security and privacy, but critics say they’re actually about processing fees and platform lock-in. Apple Pay was even named as a core tenet of the US government’s antitrust case against Apple. “While Apple actively encourages banks, merchants, and other parties to participate in Apple Wallet, Apple simultaneously exerts its smartphone monopoly to block these same partners from developing better payment products and services for iPhone users,” the Department of Justice wrote in its initial antitrust complaint earlier this year.
Apple Pay is about to become the perfect test case for the future of Apple
A decade after its launch, Apple Pay is about to become the perfect test case for the future of Apple. After the antitrust case in the US and a series of new rules in the EU, Apple announced that beginning with iOS 18.1, third-party developers will be able to enable tap-to-pay transactions in their own apps. Users will also be able to set a default app for contactless payments and change what happens when they double-click the power button. There will be hoops for developers to jump through and fees for them to pay, but the chip will be available.
Opening up NFC access has the potential to turn tap-to-pay into tap-to-everything. For years, Apple and others have talked about wanting to turn all your keys, ID cards, loyalty cards, tickets, gift cards, and more into digital objects that you can transmit or share with a tap. Until now, that hasn’t really taken off, but many developers might now be interested in building these tools because they can build them into their own app. Banks and fintech companies might add tap-to-pay so you can pay from the same place you manage your money. Maybe you’ll be able to get into a bar, on a flight, into your car, or into your office with only a few taps. Maybe every file sharing system will support NFC, so you can tap your friend a photo or PDF. Maybe the NFC chip will become as core a part of the iPhone’s value as the GPS chip or the camera, the ongoing connection between your device and the real world. And maybe, because Apple has such cultural power within the tech industry, it will be the catalyst for digitizing these other systems everywhere.
Opening up NFC access has the potential to turn tap-to-pay into tap-to-everything
Or maybe opening up the system might ruin the whole thing. Maybe, instead of a single place with all your cards that appears anytime you press a button, you have to download, log in to, and manage every single payment option in your life in an entirely different app. Maybe some companies will support third-party wallets and some won’t, so you’ll have to remember that your Visa and AMC Stubs card are here but your Discover card and library card are over there. Maybe there will be huge security flaws in how all of these companies manage things, and companies will begin to collect vast amounts of data you’d rather not give them. Maybe they’ll stop supporting Apple Wallet — because processing fees! — and force you into their ugly, slow, ad-filled, upselling apps. Maybe Apple wasn’t just moneygrubbing and was, in fact, preventing the true moneygrubbers from making mobile payments unusable.
These are plausible outcomes, and there are some less extreme possibilities, too. But we’re about to see Apple confront this new world in so many ways: as the company is pressured to change its App Store rules, give developers access to previously unavailable system features, and allow users to pick more of their own defaults, the question is the same across every surface. Was Apple’s legendarily tight control about preserving user experience and making sure users got the best of everything with the least amount of work, or was it about Apple making its devices worse just to make them harder to quit? No one’s ever had a fair fight with Apple before. But the playing field is beginning to level.

Apple Pay hasn’t changed much since 2014, and maybe it hasn’t needed to. | Image: The Verge

When Apple launched Apple Pay in 2014, at an event 10 years to the day before this year’s iPhone launch, Apple promised the feature would “change the way you pay.” The company didn’t just let you save a credit card number on your phone; it let you pay for things with a single tap by transmitting information through an NFC chip. Apple was so bullish on mobile payments that Apple Pay was even one of the key selling points for the also-just-announced Apple Watch.

A decade later, Apple Pay is everywhere. You can use it to buy groceries and coffee; you can use it to ride the New York City subway or rent a Lime scooter. You can use Apple Pay and skip the whole multipage checkout process on lots of online stores. You can use it on your phone, your watch, your computer, countless websites, your TV, and your headset. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimated that 55.8 million Americans made an in-store payment with Apple Pay in the month of April 2023. Apple says Pay works at more than 85 percent of retailers in the US, but anecdotally, I can’t remember the last time I couldn’t pay just by double-clicking the power button on my phone. Apple Pay is so good, it can be dangerous.

Apple Pay is one of the most Apple-y Apple products the company has ever shipped. It was, and is, a study in both the power of integration and Apple’s unique ability to get its way in a competitive industry. While Google flailed around with its own mobile payments system — which has been Google Wallet and Google Pay and Android Pay and I think Google Wallet again, and honestly who can keep track anymore? — Apple just relentlessly iterated on Apple Pay until it became both great and ubiquitous. It’s gotten a little bloated as Apple has looked for more ways to make it profitable: Apple Pay begot Apple Cash and the Apple Card and Apple Pay Later and Apple’s whole idea about digital ID cards, which have all worked somewhere between “kind of fine” and “not at all.”

And maybe most Apple-y of all, Apple Pay has been ruthlessly controlled and locked down by its creator. Other developers haven’t been able to access the tap-to-pay features, so you can’t pay directly from any app other than Apple Wallet. Developers have no other choice but to add cards to Apple Wallet (and thus pay the 0.15 percent fee for each credit transaction). You can’t change the app that appears when you double-tap the power button, either, not that you would, because nobody can build a competitive mobile wallet app without tap-to-pay. Have you ever noticed that there are no Apple Wallet competitors? They simply aren’t allowed to exist.

Apple has argued, as it always does, that these restrictions existed in the name of security and privacy, but critics say they’re actually about processing fees and platform lock-in. Apple Pay was even named as a core tenet of the US government’s antitrust case against Apple. “While Apple actively encourages banks, merchants, and other parties to participate in Apple Wallet, Apple simultaneously exerts its smartphone monopoly to block these same partners from developing better payment products and services for iPhone users,” the Department of Justice wrote in its initial antitrust complaint earlier this year.

A decade after its launch, Apple Pay is about to become the perfect test case for the future of Apple. After the antitrust case in the US and a series of new rules in the EU, Apple announced that beginning with iOS 18.1, third-party developers will be able to enable tap-to-pay transactions in their own apps. Users will also be able to set a default app for contactless payments and change what happens when they double-click the power button. There will be hoops for developers to jump through and fees for them to pay, but the chip will be available.

Opening up NFC access has the potential to turn tap-to-pay into tap-to-everything. For years, Apple and others have talked about wanting to turn all your keys, ID cards, loyalty cards, tickets, gift cards, and more into digital objects that you can transmit or share with a tap. Until now, that hasn’t really taken off, but many developers might now be interested in building these tools because they can build them into their own app. Banks and fintech companies might add tap-to-pay so you can pay from the same place you manage your money. Maybe you’ll be able to get into a bar, on a flight, into your car, or into your office with only a few taps. Maybe every file sharing system will support NFC, so you can tap your friend a photo or PDF. Maybe the NFC chip will become as core a part of the iPhone’s value as the GPS chip or the camera, the ongoing connection between your device and the real world. And maybe, because Apple has such cultural power within the tech industry, it will be the catalyst for digitizing these other systems everywhere.

Or maybe opening up the system might ruin the whole thing. Maybe, instead of a single place with all your cards that appears anytime you press a button, you have to download, log in to, and manage every single payment option in your life in an entirely different app. Maybe some companies will support third-party wallets and some won’t, so you’ll have to remember that your Visa and AMC Stubs card are here but your Discover card and library card are over there. Maybe there will be huge security flaws in how all of these companies manage things, and companies will begin to collect vast amounts of data you’d rather not give them. Maybe they’ll stop supporting Apple Wallet — because processing fees! — and force you into their ugly, slow, ad-filled, upselling apps. Maybe Apple wasn’t just moneygrubbing and was, in fact, preventing the true moneygrubbers from making mobile payments unusable.

These are plausible outcomes, and there are some less extreme possibilities, too. But we’re about to see Apple confront this new world in so many ways: as the company is pressured to change its App Store rules, give developers access to previously unavailable system features, and allow users to pick more of their own defaults, the question is the same across every surface. Was Apple’s legendarily tight control about preserving user experience and making sure users got the best of everything with the least amount of work, or was it about Apple making its devices worse just to make them harder to quit? No one’s ever had a fair fight with Apple before. But the playing field is beginning to level.

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Snapchat is the app of choice for criminals targeting kids for sextortion or child sexual abuse material (CSAM), New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez alleges in a new lawsuit filed against the app’s owner, Snap.
The suit accuses Snap of violating New Mexico law against unfair practices and public nuisance based on design elements like its “disappearing” messages and alleged failure to police predators. “Snap has misled users into believing that photos and videos sent on their platform will disappear,” Torrez said in a statement. “But predators can permanently capture this content and they have created a virtual yearbook of child sexual images that are traded, sold, and stored indefinitely.”
Torrez’s office ran an undercover investigation similar to an earlier one it carried out against Meta, who it similarly sued for creating a “marketplace for predators.” In the investigation, Torrez’s office created a decoy Snapchat account that looked like it belonged to a 14-year-old named Heather. That account messaged other Snapchat profiles with names like “child.rape” and “pedo_lover10,” according to the attorney general’s office, which said several of the accounts tried to persuade the decoy into sharing CSAM.
Snap’s claims that its app is “more private” and “less permanent” than other social media apps is misleading, the attorney general alleges. While the app’s disappearing message feature may lead kids and teens to believe their photos are ephemeral, the attorney general claims they’re easily and frequently captured by predators. Torrez’s office said it found more than 10,000 records related to Snap and CSAM on the dark web in 2023 and added that “Snapchat was by far the largest source of images and videos among the dark web sites investigated.”
Torrez is repeating a strategy that has so far yielded success in his litigation against Meta by targeting the design of Snapchat’s product and thereby (in theory) avoiding some thornier questions about speech. Torrez says that Snapchat’s design features, including its disappearing messages and “Quick Add” button that let predators message minors, help make it “a primary platform used by criminals to carry out sextortion.” In the suit against Meta, a judge said the complaint could not be dismissed on the grounds of Section 230, the legal liability shield that protects tech platforms from being held responsible for their users’ speech.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals also recently handed down a legal victory for suits based on misleading product claims. It allowed a lawsuit to proceed against a Snapchat-based anonymous messaging app called Yolo, saying the app had falsely promised it would expose the accounts of harassing users.
In this Snap lawsuit, Torrez is asking the court to order the company to stop its allegedly illegal behavior, pay penalties, and disgorge any unjustly obtained profits. Snap did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Snapchat is the app of choice for criminals targeting kids for sextortion or child sexual abuse material (CSAM), New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez alleges in a new lawsuit filed against the app’s owner, Snap.

The suit accuses Snap of violating New Mexico law against unfair practices and public nuisance based on design elements like its “disappearing” messages and alleged failure to police predators. “Snap has misled users into believing that photos and videos sent on their platform will disappear,” Torrez said in a statement. “But predators can permanently capture this content and they have created a virtual yearbook of child sexual images that are traded, sold, and stored indefinitely.”

Torrez’s office ran an undercover investigation similar to an earlier one it carried out against Meta, who it similarly sued for creating a “marketplace for predators.” In the investigation, Torrez’s office created a decoy Snapchat account that looked like it belonged to a 14-year-old named Heather. That account messaged other Snapchat profiles with names like “child.rape” and “pedo_lover10,” according to the attorney general’s office, which said several of the accounts tried to persuade the decoy into sharing CSAM.

Snap’s claims that its app is “more private” and “less permanent” than other social media apps is misleading, the attorney general alleges. While the app’s disappearing message feature may lead kids and teens to believe their photos are ephemeral, the attorney general claims they’re easily and frequently captured by predators. Torrez’s office said it found more than 10,000 records related to Snap and CSAM on the dark web in 2023 and added that “Snapchat was by far the largest source of images and videos among the dark web sites investigated.”

Torrez is repeating a strategy that has so far yielded success in his litigation against Meta by targeting the design of Snapchat’s product and thereby (in theory) avoiding some thornier questions about speech. Torrez says that Snapchat’s design features, including its disappearing messages and “Quick Add” button that let predators message minors, help make it “a primary platform used by criminals to carry out sextortion.” In the suit against Meta, a judge said the complaint could not be dismissed on the grounds of Section 230, the legal liability shield that protects tech platforms from being held responsible for their users’ speech.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals also recently handed down a legal victory for suits based on misleading product claims. It allowed a lawsuit to proceed against a Snapchat-based anonymous messaging app called Yolo, saying the app had falsely promised it would expose the accounts of harassing users.

In this Snap lawsuit, Torrez is asking the court to order the company to stop its allegedly illegal behavior, pay penalties, and disgorge any unjustly obtained profits. Snap did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Image: Flic

Shortcut Labs has been openly working toward the goal of turning its smart home hubs — the Flic Hub LR and the Flic Hub Mini — into Matter controllers for quite a while, and now the company tells The Verge it has done it. On Friday, Shortcut will release an update that, according to the company, lets its devices easily act as independent hubs for Matter devices without being part of the ecosystems from companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, or Samsung.
It’s a compelling idea: a way to build out a smart home without turning to one of the big tech companies and the privacy concerns and attempts at lock-in that come with that. Part of the promise of the Matter standard is that it gives users freedom of choice, but we’ve still mostly had to use at least one of those big ecosystems. Flic’s Matter controller update hints at a fuller version of that promise.

Image: Flic
The Flic Hub Mini (left) and Flic Hub LR (right) both gain Matter controller capability this week.

Shortcut Labs cofounder Joacim Westlund Prändel wrote in an email to The Verge that while the Flic with Matter can (for instance) control Apple Home devices after they’re paired with Flic, it’s not quite a two-way street. You can’t, for example, add a Flic device to the Apple Home app using Matter. You can, however, add Flic 2 buttons to Apple’s app through the devices’ already-existing HomeKit integration (though only with the Flic Hub LR, as the Hub Mini isn’t HomeKit certified).
“You have to use our products to control other Matter things,” Prändel told me in an interview, “but at least you won’t be at all dependent on any privacy concerns or any big tech.” Shortcut Labs doesn’t sync device data with any cloud servers, CTO Oskar Öberg, who was also in the interview, wrote in an email afterward. (You can review the Flic privacy policy here.)
No new hardware or other purchase is necessary; Matter controller functionality is coming to Shortcut’s hubs as a free update starting on Friday. And every Flic product is getting Matter support, said Öberg. He added that the company’s controller will “literally support everything that is in the Matter standard.”
Creating a Matter controller also allows the company’s Flic Twist, a smart button with a dial that’s useful for things like dimming lights or controlling smart blinds, to work with other products that use the standard. That’s because Matter doesn’t already support devices like the Twist. “In effect, our Flic Twist is the first rotational thing that you can do with Matter, which I think is really cool,” Prändel said.

GIF: Flic app
Flic’s app tells you what it’s doing at each stage of onboarding.

Öberg says one thing his team wanted to do is make setting up a device less opaque compared to the experience on other platforms, where a device can fail to onboard and it’s difficult to figure out why. But when you set a Matter device up through the Flic app, you can see what’s going on throughout the automated process, as shown in the screen recording above, making it easier to troubleshoot failures.
Shortcut Labs is relatively unknown in the tech world, and that’s part of what’s exciting about its Matter controller rollout. If such a small company can pull it off, maybe others will follow suit, bringing clever concepts and ideas along with them.

Image: Flic

Shortcut Labs has been openly working toward the goal of turning its smart home hubs — the Flic Hub LR and the Flic Hub Mini — into Matter controllers for quite a while, and now the company tells The Verge it has done it. On Friday, Shortcut will release an update that, according to the company, lets its devices easily act as independent hubs for Matter devices without being part of the ecosystems from companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, or Samsung.

It’s a compelling idea: a way to build out a smart home without turning to one of the big tech companies and the privacy concerns and attempts at lock-in that come with that. Part of the promise of the Matter standard is that it gives users freedom of choice, but we’ve still mostly had to use at least one of those big ecosystems. Flic’s Matter controller update hints at a fuller version of that promise.

Image: Flic
The Flic Hub Mini (left) and Flic Hub LR (right) both gain Matter controller capability this week.

Shortcut Labs cofounder Joacim Westlund Prändel wrote in an email to The Verge that while the Flic with Matter can (for instance) control Apple Home devices after they’re paired with Flic, it’s not quite a two-way street. You can’t, for example, add a Flic device to the Apple Home app using Matter. You can, however, add Flic 2 buttons to Apple’s app through the devices’ already-existing HomeKit integration (though only with the Flic Hub LR, as the Hub Mini isn’t HomeKit certified).

“You have to use our products to control other Matter things,” Prändel told me in an interview, “but at least you won’t be at all dependent on any privacy concerns or any big tech.” Shortcut Labs doesn’t sync device data with any cloud servers, CTO Oskar Öberg, who was also in the interview, wrote in an email afterward. (You can review the Flic privacy policy here.)

No new hardware or other purchase is necessary; Matter controller functionality is coming to Shortcut’s hubs as a free update starting on Friday. And every Flic product is getting Matter support, said Öberg. He added that the company’s controller will “literally support everything that is in the Matter standard.”

Creating a Matter controller also allows the company’s Flic Twist, a smart button with a dial that’s useful for things like dimming lights or controlling smart blinds, to work with other products that use the standard. That’s because Matter doesn’t already support devices like the Twist. “In effect, our Flic Twist is the first rotational thing that you can do with Matter, which I think is really cool,” Prändel said.

Öberg says one thing his team wanted to do is make setting up a device less opaque compared to the experience on other platforms, where a device can fail to onboard and it’s difficult to figure out why. But when you set a Matter device up through the Flic app, you can see what’s going on throughout the automated process, as shown in the screen recording above, making it easier to troubleshoot failures.

Shortcut Labs is relatively unknown in the tech world, and that’s part of what’s exciting about its Matter controller rollout. If such a small company can pull it off, maybe others will follow suit, bringing clever concepts and ideas along with them.

Read More