Apple backs off of breaking Face ID after DIY iPhone 13 screen replacements

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Soon after the iPhone 13 launched, repair experts found that swapping out iPhone 13 screens would break Face ID unless you also moved over a tiny control chip from the original screen. It’s a complex process that makes one of the most common types of repairs prohibitively difficult for independent repair shops. (Apple-authorized repair shops, on the other hand, have access to a software tool that can make a phone accept a new screen.) For indie repair shops, things may get easier soon, however, as Apple tells The Verge it will release a software update that doesn't require you to transfer the microcontroller to keep Face ID working after a screen swap.

The current transfer procedure looks to be quite challenging, requiring time, special...

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The latest League of Legends spinoff is coming to Netflix Games

Riot is bringing a new _League of Legends_experience to Netflix Games.

Riot Forge, a publishing subsidiary of Riot Games dedicated to smaller, self-contained games within the League of Legends universe in collaboration with Bit.Trip developer Choice Provisions, announced its latest game: Hextech Mayhem: A League of Legends Story.

_Hextech Mayhem_is a rhythm game in which you bounce _League of Legends_characters Ziggs and Heimerdinger to the beat of the music, unleashing city-busting bombs along the way. In addition to being available on Switch and PC on November 19th, the game will also be available at a later date to Netflix subscribers.

Netflix recently announced it’s integrating games into its mobile app. While the initial offering of...

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Emily Ratajkowski confronts her power — and yours

Illustration by Michelle Rohn

The model talks about her new book, copyright law, online harassment, and OnlyFans

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Squid Game director confirms season two, says he’s in the ‘planning process’

Image: Netflix

If you’re still reeling from the end of Squid Game season one, get ready to board the emotional rollercoaster once again because season two is coming.

COMEBACK SQUID: Hwang Dong-hyuk, the director, creator, writer of #SquidGame says the show will be back with more Gi-hun adventures. pic.twitter.com/uqC1DIdZqy

— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) November 9, 2021

The Associated Press tweeted out a brief clip of an interview with director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who confirms that season two is in the works. “I will say there will indeed be a second season,” Dong-hyuk tells AP while standing next to Lee Jung-jae, the actor who plays Squid Game’s beloved protagonist, Gi-hun. “It’s in my head right now. I’m in the planning process currently.”

I...

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Microsoft’s new $249 Surface Laptop SE is its first true Chromebook competitor

The Surface Laptop SE is designed for schools. | Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is going head to head with Chromebooks with a new $249 Surface Laptop SE, its most affordable Surface yet. While the software giant has attempted to compete with the popularity of Chrome OS in US schools for years, the Surface Laptop SE is the company’s first true Chromebook competitor.

Surface Laptop SE will be sold exclusively to schools and students, starting at $249. It’s part of a much broader effort with Windows 11 SE, a new student edition designed to compete with Chrome OS that will ship on a range of low-cost laptops in the coming months. You can read all about Windows 11 SE right here.

Image: Microsoft

The Surface Laptop SE is all plastic.

Surface Laptop SE is every bit the low-cost Windows...

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Lego’s new $800 AT-AT is practically big enough to conquer a real-life Rebel base

Lego has announced its latest supersized Star Wars set: an $800, 6,785-piece replica of the iconic AT-AT tank, most famously seen assaulting the Rebel base on Hoth in The Empire Strikes Back.

Unsurprisingly, the new set is part of the Lego Ultimate Collector Series lineup, which has offered ultra-accurate (and ultra-pricey) recreations of classic Star Wars ships and characters for years, like the recently released Republic Gunship or the adorable R2-D2.

And while Lego has released plenty of AT-AT sets before, none of them are anything close to as cool as the new one, which stands 24.5 inches high and measures 27 inches long, with posable legs and removable sides to show off the interiors.

The troop carrier is also fit to...

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Netflix’s gaming push could be its secret sauce for continued domination

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Netflix is finally mixing games into its gargantuan library of content. It’s a huge power play and a markedly different approach from rival services that are primarily focused on snapping up IP. It’s a new way for Netflix to keep subscribers hooked on its service — and gaming could just be its winning play for continued streaming dominance.

Netflix has been experimenting with gaming for a hot minute, but the global rollout of games within the Netflix app itself, announced last week, marks a significant shift in the streamer’s strategy for getting those games to its users. (Games began rolling out to Android devices last week, but the company says that an iOS launch is “on the way.”) Netflix’s games will now be accessible to users much...

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Microsoft announces Windows 11 SE, a new Chrome OS competitor

Windows 11 SE is a new edition of Windows for students. | Image: Microsoft

Microsoft has created a new edition of Windows 11 designed for students and schools. Windows 11 SE will ship exclusively on low-cost laptops that are built for K-8 classrooms, and it marks another attempt by Microsoft to take on Google’s range of Chromebooks and their popularity in US schools.

Microsoft has struggled to understand why schools and students have flocked to Chromebooks. The company tried an S Mode previously that essentially locked Windows 10 down to apps from the Microsoft Store. The restriction was more of an irritation for end users and schools, as there weren’t enough apps available in the Microsoft Store for it to make sense.

Image: Microsoft

Windows 11 SE comes with all the key Microsoft 365...

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PSA: Register now to better your chances of getting a PS5 for the holidays

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

All signs point to Sony’s PlayStation store opening the floodgates for yet another PS5 restock today at 2PM ET / 11AM PT. Before you get too excited, however, keep in mind that the chances for just anyone to waltz in and get one at that time are low. That’s because this one is apparently being hosted for people who received invites to purchase a console.

Sony opened up registration for a PS5 invite in mid-October and promised that it would host November restocking events for those lucky enough to have been extended an invite. So for today’s restock, it’s likely that those who registered in October are now having their chance to get a console. If you recall registering a while ago, you should check your inbox now.

Thankfully, all hope...

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Twitter will now let you pay to undo tweets and read ad-free news in the US

Twitter Blue subscribers can undo tweets before they’re sent. | Image: Twitter

Twitter Blue, the company’s subscription service, is adding new features while expanding to new countries and platforms. The service first launched in June in Canada and Australia on iOS, but starting Tuesday, Twitter Blue will be available in the US and New Zealand and on Android and the web.

Perhaps the most useful Twitter Blue feature is an undo button, which lets you recall tweets before they send. (I can think of a few times that would have saved me from an embarrassing typo.) Other features in the initial launch included a reader mode for tweet threads, bookmarks folders, the ability to theme your Twitter app and app icon, and, as of last month, a Labs program that lets subscribers try out some new Twitter features early.

But as...

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TSMC is partnering with Sony on its new $7 billion chip factory in Japan

Photo by Walid Berrazeg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

TSMC is teaming up with Sony (specifically, Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation) on its new $7 billion chip factory in Japan, the companies jointly announced today. The new plant, as had been previously announced, will focus not on cutting edge chips but rather older 22nm and 28nm processes in an effort to meet supply shortfalls for older chips have has steadily impacted everything from cars to smartphones.

The new factory had previously been announced last month by TSMC CEO C.C. Wei, although at the time, it had yet to be approved by TSMC’s board of directors. Nikkei reports that the board has now approved the new factory under a new subsidiary, Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing, Inc. (JASM). Sony’s semiconductor group...

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Let’s talk about the future of USB-C

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge

If you’re a longtime listener of The Vergecast_,_then you know thatUSB-C comes up a lot. Anytime our colleague Chaim Gartenberg joins the show, there is going to be a brief aside about the complications of USB-C and the many varieties of USB-C cables.

The reason USB-C can be complicated is that we have one plug that does multiple things — from low power to ridiculously high 240-watt power. From basic data to super high-speed data. Thunderbolt. Display monitors. Audio. The dream of a single cable and plug is great, but it’s also confusing.

For today’s Vergecast, we wanted to take a step back and focus an entire episode on what USB-C is, where it’s at today, and what’s in store for its future. How do we know what cable to buy? Why is...

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Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch review: bad timing

Decent hardware saddled with old and tired software

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Tim Cook says he owns cryptocurrency

Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Apple CEO Tim Cook has confirmed that he has invested his personal money in cryptocurrency during a discussion today at the New York Times’ Dealbook conference. “I think it’s reasonable to own it as part of a diversified portfolio,” the CEO said during a conversation with Andrew Ross Sorkin. “I’m not giving anyone investment advice, by the way,” he quickly followed up, without specifying which specific cryptocurrencies he has invested in.

“I’ve been interested in it for a while. I’ve been researching it and so forth ... I think it’s interesting,” the CEO continued.

Although Cook confirmed his own investment in cryptocurrency, he was a lot more guarded about Apple’s plans as a company. He ruled out investing the company’s cash balance in...

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The new Wyze Floodlight Cam offers a big field of view for a small price

Photo by Wyze

Wyze, the brand that’s known for its budget-friendly line of smart home products, has just introduced a new affordable security device to its ecosystem: the Wyze Floodlight Cam.

Photo by Wyze

The wired Wyze Floodlight Cam sits at a price of $84.99 (plus $14.99 for shipping), which is quite a bit lower when compared to other floodlight cams in the same range. Ring’s Floodlight Cam Wired Plus, for example, sells for $179.99. On the higher end of the scale, the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera costs $249.99, and the same goes for the feature-filled Ring Floodlight Cam Pro.

In terms of specs, it actually surpasses its direct competitor — the Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Plus — and it’s also almost $100 less. The Wyze...

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Google’s Nest Hub gets more sleep tracking features

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Google’s second-gen Nest Hub already comes with the ability to help you track your sleep pattern, thanks to its Soli-powered Sleep Sensing feature, but now Google is rolling out an update that should help you get a more detailed look at the quality of your slumber. According an announcement post on the company’s Keyword blog, the Nest Hub will now display a Sleep Staging chart that shows your various stages of sleep, including how long you were awake or experiencing REM, light, or deep sleep.

Photo: Google

Google is also adding an update to the Nest Hub’s sound detection. Instead of capturing all the sounds in your room while you sleep, it should only track the coughs and snores it detects from your calibrated...

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Why charging phones is such a complex business, with Anker CEO Steven Yang

Photo Illustration by Grayson Blackmon / The Verge

Better, faster, smaller chargers

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Loud typers are on trial in the Theranos courtroom

After two months, the Elizabeth Holmes trial has settled into some particular rhythms. Reporters and curious onlookers line up in the early hours of the morning for access to the trial, clutching coffees from the Starbucks down the street. Holmes shows up in colorful masks, often holding hands with her mother. And Judge Edward Davila lectures everyone sitting in the public section of the courtroom about typing too loudly.

I was in the courtroom last month for one such admonition. Apparently, jurors had been complaining that the typing noises from people taking notes about the trial — which isn’t recorded and doesn’t have a call-in line — were distracting them from paying attention to the testimony. Davila keeps threatening to kick...

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Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Spaces try to make it easier to get apps ready for augmented reality

Image: Qualcomm

While a lot of talk about the metaverse has focused on virtual reality experiences that use a VR headset to put people in digital environments, other approaches use augmented reality (AR) or mixed reality (XR) to blend digital and physical elements. Today at the Augmented World Expo, Qualcomm is revealing its Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform, a kit that will help devs expand existing apps and create new ones to take advantage of AR devices you wear on your head.

Today’s announcement doesn’t include mention of new hardware, however, Qualcomm is lining up some important partners for the mixed reality future that it’s been planning for the last decade. They include Niantic and its recently revealed Lightship platform for “real-world...

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Logitech’s cutesy Pop Keys keyboard is annoyingly form over function

For the aesthetic

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Logitech’s latest keyboard and mouse are cute, colorful, and ready for TikTok

Typewriter-style keycaps plus five emoji-focused keys. | Image: Logitech

Logitech has a trio of colorful new peripherals coming to the US this month: a $99.99 Pop Keys keyboard, a $39.99 Pop Mouse, and a $19.99 Desk Mat. In contrast with Logitech’s usual sensibly styled and office-appropriate peripherals, these Studio Series devices are bright and cutesy. They’re each available in three color-coordinate schemes: yellow and black; pink; and purple and yellow options.

If you’ve been eyeing the kinds of colorful, typewriter-styled keyboards that have flooded TikTok in recent months but want a model from a well-known household name, then the Pop Keys could be worth a look. You can read my full impressions of the keyboard in my review or read on for a summary along with my initial impressions of the mouse.

Both...

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The Verge’s favorite holiday gifts under $50

Illustration by Richard Parry

Great gifts don’t always require you to splurge

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Hisense’s U7G TV brings a speedy 120Hz refresh rate for a low price at Best Buy

Expect to see plenty of great deals on 4K TVs as we get ever closer to Black Friday at the end of the month. But one of those must-see deals is happening today at Best Buy. The latest version of Hisense’s 55-inch U7G Series TV normally costs $850, but the retailer is selling it for $650 while also throwing in three months free of Apple TV Plus. The TV comes equipped with a 120Hz panel with support for Dolby Vision, HDR 10, and HDR10 Plus. Google Assistant is available right out of the box, as are major streaming apps, including YouTube, Disney Plus, HBO Max, and more.

For the money, it seems tough to find a TV that’s better equipped to provide fast refresh rates for PS5 and Xbox Series X games than the U7G.

Note this model also is...

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Massive Comcast Xfinity outage disconnects TV and internet across the US

Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images for Comcast

This morning many Comcast Xfinity subscribers woke up without their usual services. Reports indicate the system is down, or at least unsteady, in areas stretching from Chicago to Philadelphia, New Jersey, and South Carolina. Looking at DownDetector, issues had been reported earlier in the Bay Area, but it’s unclear if those are connected to the problems people are having right now.

A message on the company’s outage status page (if you can reach it, which many people apparently can’t) notes there is an issue and currently says it will be resolved at 10:49AM ET, without revealing why there’s such a specific timeline. There are also reports that most can’t get through to phone support either. The Verge has contacted Comcast for a comment on...

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You.com wants to remake the search engine

You.com

Google Search organizes the way billions of people think about facts and data, and for years, it’s been organized around a principle dubbed “one true answer”: the idea that most people are looking for something best answered by a succinct factual snippet. But that’s not the only way people might navigate the web, and today, a company called You.com is trying something different: a search engine built around sorting and comparing results.

You.com, founded by two former Salesforce employees, is opening today in public beta and announcing a $20 million funding round led by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff. The service abandons the linear list of links you’ll find in most general-purpose search engines, opting for a grid of answers organized by...

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Peloton takes on strength training with its $495 Guide camera system, coming in 2022

Peloton is moving into strength training with its latest product, the Peloton Guide, a TV-connected camera that can display workouts and track your movements in real time to help make sure you’re doing things properly.

Peloton Guide is also the company’s cheapest product yet, set to cost $495 at launch in “early 2022” for a bundle that includes the Guide camera, the company’s newly updated Peloton Heart Rate Band, and a remote. You’ll have to provide other workout equipment like weights or resistance bands on your own, though.

Additionally, Guide owners will need a $12.99 per month membership (the same price that Peloton charges for its app-only subscription) to use the service, although if you already own a Tread or Bike and pay for...

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The case of Facebook’s puzzling podcast data

Photo by Michele Doying / The Verge

Hey hey, Tuesday’s back again. Today’s a relatively tame one, but Aria has a fun piece on the website that we’ll tease below, along with a whole debacle around attributing podcast plays to Facebook. We’re talking user agents, yes, and then we’re getting into the wild world of podcast prefixes. It’s gonna get wonky up in here; let’s get to it.

Music meets podcasting

(First up: Aria has a programming announcement — I’ll let her take it away.)

Morning, y’all! Aria here. I wrote a story for all of you about a funny feature popping up in podcasts: full musical tracks with lyrics and vocals.

Maybe you’re thinking, “Well, that sounds messy. Songs with words? Within a format that’s already… mostly words?” That’s an appropriate reaction. At...

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Motional’s robotaxis will be fully driverless in Las Vegas by 2023

Image: Motional

Motional, the autonomous vehicle company that is a $4 billion joint venture between Hyundai and Aptiv, announced the city in which it would launch its fully driverless robotaxi service in 2023, and surprise, surprise, it’s Las Vegas.

Motional first began testing its autonomous vehicles in Las Vegas through a joint partnership with Lyft nearly four years ago. The testing began as a weeklong pilot between Aptiv and Lyft during the annual Consumer Electronics Show in 2018 and has since gone on to complete over 100,000 passenger trips.

Motional as a joint venture was first announced in March 2020, when Hyundai said it would spend $1.6 billion to catch up to its rivals in the autonomous vehicle space. Aptiv, a technology company formerly...

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Mozilla’s Firefox browser arrives in the Windows store

Image: Mozilla

Mozilla is bringing Firefox to Microsoft’s Windows store today. Firefox is one of the first third-party alternatives available in the Microsoft Store, and it’s using its own Gecko browser engine instead of Chromium alternatives like Opera or the many other alternatives that leverage Microsoft’s Edge webview.

Microsoft’s new open store policies have finally made it possible for third-party browsers like Firefox to appear in the Microsoft Store. While we haven’t seen Chrome appear yet, Opera was quick to ensure its own browser is also listed in the store.

Firefox is available in both the Windows 10 and Windows 11 app stores.

“Previously, if you were on Windows and wanted to use Firefox, you had to download it from the...

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Fitbit is rolling out an ECG app to the Charge 5

Photo by Jay Peters / The Verge

Fitbit released its Charge 5 fitness tracker with a brand new design and a color screen in September, but it launched without two key software features: an electrocardiogram (ECG) app and Fitbit’s new Daily Readiness Score, which recommends how hard you should work out. More than a month after the Charge 5’s release, those features are now rolling out.

The ECG app takes a reading of your heart’s rhythm to assess for atrial fibrillation. To take the reading, open the app, put your fingers on the stainless steel panels on each side of the Charge 5, and wait for 30 seconds.

Image: Fitbit

Each side of the Charge 5 has a stainless steel panel where you place your fingers during an ECG test.

ECG apps are showing up...

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