Beta Android accessibility feature uses facial expressions to control your phone

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google is developing a new accessibility feature for Android that lets you control a phone using facial expressions like a smile or raised eyebrows, XDA Developers reports. The “Camera Switch” feature has arrived with version 12 of Android’s Accessibility Suite app, released alongside Android 12’s fourth beta. The new version of the app isn’t available via Google Play just yet, XDA reports, but there’s an APK to sideload if you want to give it a try.

According to XDA Developers, facial expressions (which also include looking left, right, or up) can be used to access a number of controls, ranging from scrolling, going home, or viewing quick settings or notifications. Screenshots show you can adjust how sensitive the software is when...

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The fan-equipped Zephyr Pro gaming mouse is much cooler than the original

Cooler, quieter, cheaper

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New Trailers: Dopesick, Impeachment: American Crime Story, Midnight Mass, and more

Michael Keaton stars as a doctor who prescribes OxyContin to his patients in Dopesick | Hulu

In addition to keeping up with The Good Fight and Ted Lasso(seems like people either really loved or really hated the latest Christmas-themed episode; I liked it but admit I found it a bit jarring that the show hit pause on several promising plot lines so Ted could wear a Santa hat_)_, I also got caught up in _The White Lotus, a_series that everyone on Twitter is apparently watching. Lotus has its first-season finale tonight, and while I’m an episode behind right now, I’m sort of pushing myself to see it through.

There are standout performances by Steve Zahn and Jennifer Coolidge, but the show’s just not clicking for me so far. Bad things happen to mostly awful people and one dies, but we don’t know who yet. The show takes place in Hawaii...

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T-Mobile investigating report of customer data breach that reportedly involves 100 million people

T Mobile may have suffered a customer data breach | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

T-Mobile confirmed Sunday that it’s looking into an online forum post that claims to be selling a large trove of its customers’ sensitive data. Motherboard reported that it was in contact with the seller of the data, who said they had taken data from T-Mobile’s servers that included Social Security numbers, names, addresses, and driver license information related to more than 100 million people. After reviewing samples of the data, Motherboard reported it appeared authentic.

“We are aware of claims made in an underground forum and have been actively investigating their validity,” a T-Mobile spokesperson said in an email to The Verge. “We do not have any additional information to share at this time.”

It’s not clear when the data may have...

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First Asian giant hornet (aka murder hornet) sighting of 2021 confirmed in Washington state

An Asian giant hornet attacking a paper wasps’ nest is all kinds of nope. | Washington State Dept. of Agriculture

The Washington State Department of Agriculture has confirmed the first sighting of a live Asian giant hornet (nickname: murder hornet) in the state this year, the agency said in a news release.

Yes I am back on my murder hornet BS. And coincidentally, I am writing this about an hour after a regular-sized (enormous) wasp was prowling around in my kitchen and I had to shoo it outside with a broom handle and a lot of swearing.

You may recall last year, when many of us were introduced to the Asian giant hornet after it was spotted in the US for the first time. The WSDA trapped its first specimen last August, and eradicated its first Asian giant hornet nest in October. I encourage you to read the news release of that eradication event...

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Twitter unblocks Indian politicians’ accounts after suspending them for violating disclosure law

Twitter has reinstated several Indian politicians’ accounts, after suspending them for a tweet about a child murder. | Illustration by Alex Castro

Twitter has reinstated the accounts of several politicians in India’s opposition party, which were suspended after party leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted a photo of himself with the parents of a girl who was allegedly raped and murdered in New Delhi, Reuters reported. Gandhi had tweeted his support of the girl’s family, saying that they deserved justice and others had shared his tweet.

However, Indian law prohibits the disclosure of the identities of children and sexual assault victims. According to a notice posted on the Lumen database, India’s National Commission for Protection of Child Rights requested Twitter take action. A Twitter spokesperson said in an email to _The Verge_that Gandhi submitted a copy of an authorization letter from the...

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ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 6 review: flexible flagship

An improved ThinkPad X1 Yoga with an updated screen

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Jury decides Apple should pay $300 million in patent dispute

Apple ordered to pay $300 million in a patent dispute | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple must pay $300 million in royalties following a retrial in a patent dispute, a Texas jury determined Friday. As reported by Reuters, the jury found that Apple should pay patent company Optis Wireless Technology and its related companies because the technology Apple used in its iPhones, iPads, and Watches allegedly infringed Optis’ patents.

Last year, a jury awarded Optis $506 million in the dispute, but a judge vacated that award in April, and ordered a new trial focused on damages only. US District Judge Rodney Gilstrap said the first jury had not been allowed to consider whether the amount was awarded on the “fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory,” or FRAND, terms required in standard-essential patent cases.

The five patents...

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Ford asks court to dismiss GM’s lawsuit over “BlueCruise” driver assist feature

Ford seeks to have GM’s lawsuit over the name “BlueCruise” dismissed | Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images

Ford has filed a motion asking the US District Court in San Francisco to dismiss a lawsuit from rival GM over Ford’s BlueCruise self-driving feature. Last month, GM filed a trademark infringement lawsuit claiming that the name BlueCruise was too close to Super Cruise, the name of GM’s hands-free driving tech, which it introduced in 2017, as well as its autonomous vehicle subsidiary Cruise.

Ford said in its motion that the term “cruise” has been been in “ubiquitous use” over the past 50 years to refer to driver-assist features. “Consumers understand “cruise” to refer to a feature in their vehicle that performs part of the driving task or assists them in driving, and they do not associate that term with any one company or brand,” Ford...

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Apple’s controversial plan to try to curb child sexual abuse imagery

Apple ‘s plan to scan iOS devices for CSAM imagery has proven controversial | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Why privacy experts are concerned

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Go read this story of tech workers who secretly work multiple remote jobs

Some workers use remote jobs to juggle multiple employers | Photo by Fabian Strauch/picture alliance via Getty Images

For journalists and others in creative and technical fields, having a side hustle or doing freelance work is extremely common. In addition to a day job an editor, for example, one may write paid-per-piece articles for other publications who aren’t competitors of her primary employer, and typically (ideally) with her employer’s explicit or tacit approval. Some people do so for the needed additional income, some like the work.

And according to a story in The Wall Street Journal, a new website provides tips for tech workers who want to earn two full-time paychecks while working remotely, giving half-assed effort to one (or both) and without letting either employer know about the other. The WSJ describes the scenario:

Alone in their home...

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Inside HBO Max’s Scramble to Fix Its Glitchy App

The HBO Max app has suffered glitches | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

An upgraded Max app is in the works

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New and existing Google Fi subscribers can get $400 off the new Galaxy Z Flip 3

The new Samsung Galaxy z Flip 3 | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Google Fi new and existing customers can get the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 for $400 off, a significant discount on its $999 price tag. There are a few caveats, of course, and you have to purchase the phone first and keep it on a Fi plan for 30 days before you get the discount in the form of a bill credit. But if you’re an existing Fi subscriber and had your eye on the Flip 3 anyway, this deal makes a lot of sense.

If you’re an existing Google Fi customer on one of its full-service plans — data-only plans are not eligible— buy the phone at fi.google.com and activate it on your plan. You have to keep the phone active for 30 days to receive the discount, which comes in the form of a bill credit.

Non-Fi subscribers have to activate the...

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Acer’s Nitro XV282K KV monitor is great for next-gen console gaming, but it comes at a high price

Is a $900 monitor worth it for next-gen gaming?

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You can now buy DJI’s leaked $300 Mini SE drone

In June, we got wind that DJI was about to release its most affordable drone yet: the $299 DJI Mini SE. It appeared to be a revamped Mavic Mini for $100 less and a full $150 more affordable than the $449 DJI Mini 2, our current fav under the $500 mark. The only question was, would it have any real improvements over the aging Mavic Mini or just be an affordable rebrand?

This week, DJI quietly put the Mini SE on sale, and we now have the answer.

Here are the only differences between the $399 Mavic Mini and the new $299 Mini SE, as far as we can tell by poring over the company’s spec sheets and FAQ:

• It uses the DJI Mini 2’s newer chassis, with fewer exposed screws, stronger arms, and increased wind speed resistance
• It uses the DJI Mini...

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Google Stadia’s first game that responds directly to touch is coming this August

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Amplitude Studios’ upcoming strategy game, Humankind, will be the first Stadia release to feature a new touch-focused control scheme when it comes out on August 17th, according to 9to5Google and confirmed to The Verge by Google_._“Direct touch” is designed around multitouch finger inputs like a traditional mobile game, rather than the previous way you may have played Stadia on your phone, with a Bluetooth controller or gamepad overlay.

The screenshots Google shared give a pretty good idea of how playing with direct touch works in Humankind. A single finger tap selects in-game objects, holding a finger down previews content, two fingers cancel, dragging your fingering around moves your view in-game, and three fingers brings up the pause...

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Motorola is updating its first-gen foldable Razr — with Android 11

Photo by Avery White for The Verge

You could be forgiven for forgetting about Motorola’s folding phones in light of new shiny ones announced by the likes of Samsung, but someone at the company must care about them — a new OS update has been released for the 2019 Razr, bringing it from Android 10, to Android 11 (via Droid-Life). Yes, that’s correct — the OS that started hitting Pixels in September of 2020 is the one that became available for the Razr today.

Note: The original Razr reboot and the Razr 5G both became available in 2020. However, the first one was announced in 2019, so I’ll refer to it as the 2019 Razr to help avoid confusion between it and the Razr 5G.

Getting the update only a few months after its much better successor isn’t too shabby

While it may seem like...

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A judge has ruled that Google infringed on Sonos’ patents

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

Google has infringed upon Sonos’ patents, according to an initial ruling from a US International Trade Commission judge. Sonos has been locked in a legal battle with Google after it sued the search giant, claiming that it had infringed on five of its patents relating to smart speakers. In a statement to The Verge, Sonos says that the ruling “is only a first step in a lengthy battle” but calls it an “important milestone in the ongoing effort to defend Sonos’ technology against Google.”

The suit began in January of 2020, with Sonos alleging that Google stole technology it had access to as part of a partnership between the two companies. In the lawsuit, Sonos says that Google used that tech in its own products and undercut Sonos. As part...

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Earth just had the hottest month since humans have kept track

Locals use water hoses to extinguish a burning trees in Koycegiz district of Mugla on August 3, 2021. - Turkey’s struggles against its deadliest wildfires in decades come as a blistering heatwave grips southeastern Europe creating tinderbox conditions that Greek officials blame squarely on climate change. The fires tearing through Turkey since July 28 have destroyed huge swathes of pristine forest and forced the evacuation of panicked tourists from seaside hotels.  | Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

July 2021 was officially the hottest month humans have ever recorded. This July narrowly beat out three previous months in 2016, 2019, and 2020 that had tied for the previous title. The fact that all of this has happened so recently just screams climate change.

The fact that all of this has happened so recently just screams climate change.

“In this case, first place is the worst place to be,” Rick Spinrad, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said in a statement. NOAA confirmed the new temperature record today, which Spinrad said, “adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe.”

(2 of 5) #July 2021 global surface temp was 1.67°F (0.93°C) above avg -- making...

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Reddit launches a TikTok-like video feed on iOS

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

If you opened your Reddit app today and noticed a new video button next to the search bar, you could be a tap away from experiencing the forum platform’s take on TikTok. TechCrunch writes that the video feed, which pulls content from subreddits you follow along with some you don’t, started rolling out to iOS users on Friday.

Loading up the feed on my own Reddit iOS app, the experience is unavoidably TikTok-like. You can scroll through a vertical, perpetual list of videos featuring content from the wide world of Reddit. Interaction options include upvoting and downvoting, along with commenting, “awarding” (using Reddit’s in-app currency to purchase medals and reactions), and sharing.

The video feed in the Reddit iOS app...

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Twitter is changing the contrast of buttons again after complaints of eye strain

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Twitter is readjusting the contrast on its buttons following feedback about its design updates from earlier this week. Some people have reported eye strain, headaches, and migraines due to the higher visual contrast in the colors of buttons and links, as well as the new font, Chirp.

We're making contrast changes on all buttons to make them easier on the eyes because you told us the new look is uncomfortable for people with sensory sensitivities. We're listening and iterating.

— Twitter Accessibility (@TwitterA11y) August 13, 2021

The changes in contrast also included a black follow button that’s filled in if you’re not following someone, which has caused confusion for many people who are used to it being the other way around. It’s...

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Apple says its iCloud scanning will rely on multiple child safety groups to address privacy fears

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple has filled in more details around its upcoming plans to scan iCloud Photos for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) via users’ iPhones and iPads. The company released a new paper delving into the safeguards it hopes will increase user trust in the initiative. That includes a rule to only flag images found in multiple child safety databases with different government affiliations — theoretically stopping one country from adding non-CSAM content to the system.

Apple’s upcoming iOS and iPadOS releases will automatically match US-based iCloud Photos accounts against known CSAM from a list of image hashes compiled by child safety groups. While many companies scan cloud storage services remotely, Apple’s device-based strategy has drawn...

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Twitter is pausing its verification program again, after giving fake accounts blue checks

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Twitter is once again putting a halt on applications to its verification program, saying that it needs to work on the application and review process that lets people into the blue check mark club. This change is coming after Twitter admitted that several fake accounts, which reportedly seemed to be part of a botnet, were incorrectly verified.

If you’ve recently applied for verification, there is a chance you’ll get it — Twitter Verified has said that it’ll still be reviewing existing applications, so the freeze is just preventing new people from being able to apply. Twitter hasn’t indicated that it’ll be making changes to the criteria that it uses to deem accounts as verifiable or not. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request...

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A Sonos survey suggests the company might build a voice assistant of its own

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Sonos might be developing a voice assistant alternative to Alexa or Google Assistant for its speakers, according to a customer survey spotted by VoiceBot.ai_._The survey, shared by a Sonos customer on Reddit, describes an on-device voice control system that would improve user privacy by not routing questions and commands through the cloud.

In the survey (pictured below thanks to Reddit user EdmundFitzgerald29), Sonos writes that its “potential new product offering” would use the wake word “Hey Sonos” and let users control playback, search through songs, and move music to other speakers with their voice. The survey claims that the assistant can respond faster because it would be processing everything on device, rather than relying on an...

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Immunocompromised people should get a third COVID-19 vaccine dose, CDC committee says

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Immunocompromised people should get a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee recommended today. After taking only a standard, two-dose series of the Pfizer / BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, patients may not generate enough antibodies against the coronavirus.

“I have known of patients who are immunocompromised and in the hospital, they did all the right things. They’re just suffering from a lack of good vaccine protection,” says Camille Kotton, clinical director of transplant and immunocompromised host infectious diseases at the Massachusetts General Hospital, during the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting today.

The decision follows the Food and Drug...

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Sony HT-A7000 review: a next-gen Atmos soundbar that’s (almost) perfect for gaming

For those who can afford to throw cash at something that sounds great

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The Lamborghini Countach, the poster car of ‘80s luxury, is back — and it’s a hybrid

Somebody get a doctor, this Lambo is sick

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How to locate your Android phone with Google’s Find My Device

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Phones have become so much a part of our daily lives that it can be immediately traumatic if you suddenly can’t find your phone — whether you’ve left it in a cab, accidentally dropped it out of your pocket, or lost it under your bed. If you have an Android phone, you can use the Find My Device feature to (hopefully) locate your phone.

Find My Device depends on two things being enabled: the feature itself (of course) and Google’s Location services. In addition, the phone also has to be turned on and signed in to a Google account.

The Find My Device feature comes as part of the standard OS on Pixels and several other Android phones, and is usually turned on by default. Be aware that some Android models may offer a different app; for...

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Facebook Messenger is adding end-to-end encryption for voice and video calls

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Facebook is adding end-to-end encryption for voice and video calls in Messenger. The company announced in a blog post that it’s rolling out the change today alongside new controls for its disappearing messages. Some users may also see new test features related to encryption.

Facebook Messenger got end-to-end encryption for text messages in 2016, when Facebook added a “secret conversation” option to its app. Now, that mode also supports calling. Facebook says it’s adding the feature as interest in voice and video calls grows, saying Messenger now sees more than 150 million video calls a day.

Image: Facebook

Encrypted video calling on Messenger

Facebook chat app WhatsApp already offered calling with end-to-end...

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Boeing Starliner launch delayed again as it returns to the factory for troubleshooting

Image: Boeing

Boeing’s Starliner astronaut capsule won’t be launching to the International Space Station until it’s gone through “deeper-level troubleshooting” to fix an issue with stuck propulsion system valves, according to a press release from the company. That troubleshooting means removing the capsule from the Atlas V rocket it’s been coupled to and bringing it back to Boeing’s facility.

The spacecraft’s initial launch attempt late last month was scrubbed hours before liftoff after engineers noticed a group of fuel valves in the Starliner’s propulsion section weren’t positioned as programmed. That valve issue, whose cause remains a mystery, is the latest engineering predicament to curse Starliner nearly two years after the capsule failed its...

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