Elon Musk won’t join Twitter’s board after all

Photo by PATRICK PLEUL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Elon Musk is no longer going to join Twitter’s board, Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has announced in a message to the company. Agrawal last week confirmed that Musk would be appointed to the board following his purchase of 9.2 percent of the company’s shares, but now says that Musk has decided against taking up the seat.

“We announced on Tuesday that Elon would be appointed to the Board contingent on a background check and formal acceptance,” Agrawal writes. “Elon’s appointment to the board was to become officially effective 4/9, but Elon shared that same morning that he will no longer be joining the board. I believe this is for the best. We have and will always value input from our shareholders whether they are on our Board or not. Elon is...

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Digital PS3 and PS Vita games rendered unplayable after ‘expiring’

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Players on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita are having trouble accessing their digital purchases after a strange expiration date suddenly appeared on certain games, as first reported by Kotaku. The problem seems to mostly affect classic titles, preventing users from playing Chrono Cross, Chrono Trigger, and Final Fantasy VI, as the games are now “expired.”

But here’s the odd part: the expiration dates are dated half a century in the past. Twitter user Christopher Foose shared an image of his Chrono Cross download, which shows that the game expired on December 31st, 1969 at 7:20 PM. He says the issue only occurred after redownloading the game, and that he’s now unable to play it on PS3 and PS Vita.

So did @PlayStation expire the PSOne...

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Here’s what happens when cops pull over a driverless Cruise vehicle

Police pulled over the Cruise vehicle for not having its headlights on. | Photo by Andrej Sokolow/picture alliance via Getty Images

It’s been a little over two months since Cruise started letting the people of San Francisco catch rides on its driverless robotaxis, and one of its cars already had a run-in with police. In a video originally posted to Instagram last weekend, the user captures the awkward — and somewhat comical — interaction between the San Francisco Police Department and the autonomous vehicle after it’s pulled over for not having its lights on.

After stopping the Chevy Bolt-turned-Cruise vehicle, a police officer goes up to its window, tries to (unsuccessfully) open the door, and starts walking back to his cruiser. The autonomous vehicle begins to drive away in what at first seems like the perfect start to a police chase, but then pulls over and puts...

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Meta will no longer allow the sharing of ‘publicly available’ private home addresses

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Meta is following the Oversight Board’s recommendation to remove an exception that permitted users to share a person’s residential address as long as it’s “publicly available,” the Facebook parent company announced in an updated post (via Engadget).

Meta’s response comes about a year after the company asked the Oversight Board to weigh in on its handling of private residential information. The Board issued a response in February, calling on Meta to tighten its policies surrounding the sharing of private home addresses over concerns about doxxing.

Although Facebook and Instagram already have rules in place to bar users from sharing someone’s home address, the Meta-owned platforms take no action against posts containing “publicly available...

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Kingdom Hearts IV announced at 20th anniversary event

Image: Square Enix

Kingdom Hearts IV is officially in the works. Square Enix announced the upcoming installment during an event in Japan to celebrate the series’ 20th-anniversary. You watch its trailer in the video embedded above.

The trailer doesn’t immediately start with Kingdom Hearts IV — it also includes clips from the newly-announced mobile game, Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link, so you’ll have to skip to the 4:09 mark to get a glimpse at Kingdom Hearts IV.

Once the trailer opens, you’ll see Sora wake up inside of an apartment as what appears to be a giant heartless sets foot in the city. Sora whips out his Keyblade, parkouring and grappling his way towards the enemy. At the very end of the trailer, Goofy and Donald Duck wander in darkness, coming...

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Microsoft seized Russian domains targeting Ukrainian media organizations

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Microsoft seized seven domains belonging to Strontium, also known as Fancy Bear or APT28, a Russian hacking group with ties to the country’s military intelligence agency, the company announced in a blog post (via TechCrunch). According to Microsoft, Russian spies used these sites to target Ukrainian media outlets, as well as foreign policy think tanks and government institutions located in the US and the European Union.

Microsoft obtained a court order to take control of each domain on April 6th. It then redirected them to a sinkhole, or a server used by cybersecurity experts to capture and analyze malicious connections. The company says it has seized over 100 domains controlled by Fancy Bear before this most recent takedown.

“We believe...

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Twitter reverts change that left blank spaces in place of deleted embedded tweets

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Twitter has confirmed it reversed a change that altered the appearance of deleted tweets embedded on websites outside of Twitter (thanks to @RuinDig on Twitter for pointing this out). Instead of leaving a blank gap in place of the deleted tweets, the site will go back to displaying the tweet’s original text.

“After considering the feedback we heard, we’re rolling back this change for now while we explore different options,” Twitter spokesperson Remi Duhé said in an emailed statement to The Verge. “We appreciate those who shared their points of view — your feedback helps us make Twitter better.”

If you head to any third-party webpage with an embedded tweet (like this one from The Verge), you’ll see that you can once again see the tweet’s...

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Apple TV Plus’ Friday Night Baseball debut wasn’t the homerun fans expected

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple TV Plus’ first-ever live baseball broadcast left some fans frustrated and disappointed, with complaints about connectivity issues and the quality of the commentary surfacing during and after the games (via iMore). The streaming service aired the New York Mets against the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros against the Los Angeles Angels last night, and I think the fans of all four teams can agree on one thing: Apple TV Plus’ Friday Night Baseball debut did not go down as expected.

For starters, anumberoffans said their broadcasts were interrupted during the games, despite their internet working just fine. When the stream cut out, viewers got an error message that read: “There’s a problem loading this video. If this...

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The era of fixing your own phone has nearly arrived

Inside a Pixel 5 smartphone. | Image: iFixit

Fresh off big wins with Google, Samsung and Valve, iFixit says more parts deals are nigh

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Google Fi cuts unlimited plan pricing while increasing high-speed data

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google Fi is cutting the prices across its two unlimited cellular plans, in addition to adding more high-speed data (via 9to5Google). The Simply Unlimited plan has dropped from $60 / month to $50 / month for one line, while the full-featured Unlimited Plus plan now sits at $65 / month for one line, compared to its previous $70 / month price. This marks the first price cut for the Unlimited Plus and Simply Unlimited plans since their debuts in 2019 and 2021, respectively.

The cheaper cost comes with more high-speed data

The cheaper cost comes with more high-speed data on both plans, increasing from 22GB to 50GB with the Unlimited Plus plan and from 22GB to 35GB with Simply Unlimited. As noted on the MVNO’s updated plans page, Google Fi...

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The Roomba i3 Plus self-emptying vacuum is $90 off for Verge readers

The iRobot Rooma i3 Plus packs a self-emptying clean station and new smart mapping features.

It’s time for some spring cleaning, but let’s be smart about it — both with the tech we buy to help us and the money we spend.

Wellbots has an extra special discount on one of the most popular and affordable iRobot robovacs around, and it’s exclusive to Verge readers. From now through Sunday, April 10th, you can get the Roomba i3 Plus for $459 when you use code VERGE40. This promo code knocks an additional $40 off the already-discounted price of $499. It’s not the lowest price we’ve ever seen for this robot vacuum, but it’s the best price since early 2022 — and since iRobot added more features like smart mapping via a firmware update, making it an even better value. Additionally, if you’re in the US, purchasing from Wellbots may not...

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This motorized gaming bed lets you rest your gamer head

The gaming lifestyle. | Image: Bauhutte

Here at The Verge, we occasionally like to write about gaming thrones, whether they’re shaped like scorpions, semi-circles, or... well, I’m not sure how to describe this one. But the thing with thrones is that the crown often weighs heavy — being MVP and getting play of the game every round can be tiring. Thankfully, Gizmodo found just the thing to help with that: a motorized gaming bed that moves you from the sleeping position to the pwning position with the press of a button, all the while keeping your gaming setup within arms’ reach.

The Bauhutte Electric Gaming Bed and Bed Desk are made to work in tandem: your rig goes on the adjustable desk, which is designed to have a bed placed under it, and the bed frame uses motors to elevate...

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Amazon Prime is getting more expensive in Canada now, too

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The cost of Amazon Prime is going up in Canada just months after the company announced a price increase for US subscribers.

The price increase marks the first hike for Canadian subscribers since the service launched there in 2013. Currently, Amazon charges $79 for an annual subscription or $8 monthly. After the price increase, Prime memberships in Canada will cost $99 per year or $10 per month. Student subscriptions will hike a dollar from $4 to $5.

Andrew Gouveia, a spokesperson for Amazon Canada, tells The Verge that the price change will go into effect on April 8th for new subscribers and after May 13th for existing members, who will see the price change reflected at the time of their renewal. The Toronto Starearlier reported the...

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Nissan plans to launch its first EV with a solid-state battery by 2028

Nissan plans to launch its first EV with a solid state battery by 2028 | Photo by Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP via Getty Images

Nissan revealed a prototype production facility in Yokohama, Japan, on Friday, where the company says it plans to manufacture solid-state batteries for use in electric vehicles. The company said in a statement that it plans “to establish a pilot production line at its Yokohama Plant in fiscal 2024, with materials, design and manufacturing processes for prototype production on the line to be studied at the prototype production facility.” Nissan aims to bring its first EV with all-solid-state batteries to market in 2028.

All-solid-state batteries could, in theory, charge more quickly, hold more power, and last longer than lithium-ion batteries that most EVs use now. Nissan said it expects to eventually use the batteries across its vehicle...

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Amazon says union and NLRB “suppressed and influenced” Staten Island election

It’s asking the election results be overturned. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Amazon has officially filed its objections to the Amazon Labor Union’s win in Staten Island, New York, and is asking the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to order a new election. The objections expand upon a document the company recently submitted that signaled its intent to fight the election results — the company now says that ALU members “intimidated employees,” “recorded voters in the polling place,” and “distributed marijuana to employees in exchange for their support,” according to an excerpt posted by _Financial Times_reporter Dave Lee.

The full complaint was not immediately available from the NLRB on Friday. The Amazon Labor Union didn’t immediately reply to The Verge’s request for comment.

In a statement emailed to The Verge,...

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Samsung, please don’t go big for your next smartwatch

The Galaxy Watch 4 lineup is already big enough. | Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge

While all gadgets have their design challenges, there’s one that continues to plague smartwatches — battery life. There are a few ways to mitigate that, but unfortunately, many smartwatch makers choose the absolute worst solution: making the smartwatch bigger.

The latest example might be Samsung. According to a SamMobilereport, the company is mulling a “Pro” version of the next-generation Galaxy Watch. Details were scant, except for one thing: this “Pro” model could potentially pack a much larger 572mAh battery.

If true, that would be a meaningful upgrade. Poor battery life is one of the biggest complaints usershavereported with Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 lineup. It’s also common for “Pro” models to act as the premium option with longer...

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Substack accidentally sent duplicate emails for some of its newsletters

In especially bad news for those who try to reach Inbox Zero, Substack had a problem today that sent out some of the platform’s newsletters for a second time. _Verge_contributing editor Casey Newton noted it sent out a second copy of the free edition for his Platformernewsletter (which you can subscribe to here), and several of us have seen additional copies for some of the emails we subscribe to in our inboxes.

Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie tells The Verge it was a “one-off bug.”

Looks like Substack just re-sent this week’s free @platformer post to you all. Not sure what happened — also getting lots of notifications for older posts from other Substacks.

— Casey Newton (@CaseyNewton) April 8, 2022

It’s unclear exactly how many...

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Jeep rehashes last year’s all-electric concept with Magneto 2.0

The all-electric Jeep Magneto 2.0 concept is based on a two-door Wrangler. | Image: Stellantis

Jeep unveiled an updated Magneto 2.0 concept EV that renews its teasing of what the iconic off-roader could look like as a fully electric vehicle. Jeep didn’t mention any hardware upgrades for its custom-built motor but appears to have made some significant performance refinements from last year’s model.

The Magneto 2.0’s motor operates at a lower RPM now, with higher peak amperage that it’s now capable of delivering for up to 10 seconds. It offers up to 850 pound-feet of torque — more than triple from last year — and 625 horsepower.

quicker than a Tesla Model X Plaid and Rivian R1S

Jeep Magneto 2.0 carries the same mutant villain nameplate from last year’s prototype and still has a six-speed manual transmission — rare for an EV but...

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WarnerMedia and Discovery have completed their mega-streaming merger

Photo by Amy T. Zielinski/Getty Images

The parents of HBO Max and Discovery Plus have officially completed their merger, allowing WarnerMedia and Discovery to build what the companies have said will be “the most differentiated content portfolio in the world.”

Investors today approved the multibillion-dollar deal that will allow AT&T, WarnerMedia’s current owner, to offload its content powerhouse to Discovery and form a new business under the name Warner Bros. Discovery. This new business, the companies said last year, “will be able to invest in more original content for its streaming services, enhance the programming options across its global linear pay TV and broadcast channels, and offer more innovative video experiences and consumer choices.”

Discovery president and CEO...

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YouTubers are sick of comment spam, so YouTube is testing a stricter moderation system

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Many big YouTube creators have expressed frustration with an increase in comment spam on their channels in recent weeks, including Linus Tech Tips, Jacksepticeye, and MKBHD. The problem has been particularly acute for these high-profile creators, who often see more malicious commenters impersonate them in an attempt to scam their viewers.

“YouTube has a problem. Spam,” Linus Sebastian said to start a February 1st video on his Linus Tech Tips channel. “From crypto scams to health supplements to free Robux, it just keeps getting worse with each passing day.”

“YouTube comments spam has been next-level out of control for months,” reads the description for Marques “MKBHD” Brownlee’s April 1st video titled “YouTube Needs to Fix This.”

Y...

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Apple just leaked a dual-port 35W USB-C charger that could clear up the GaN mystery

Please do not pay Apple $50 for this outdated brick. | Image: Apple

See this white brick? It puts out a measly 30W of power to a single device, yet Apple charges $50 for it. Please do not buy one because we now have firm evidence that Apple is about to replace it with something much, much better — a 35W charger with two ports, likely powered by gallium nitride (GaN) technology that might also make it smaller.

That’s the word from 9to5Mac, which got this particular scrap of information from by far the most reliable source of Apple leaks: Apple’s own website. Apparently, the company accidentally threw a support document live for an “Apple 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter,” and 9to5 managed to snap a screenshot before it was pulled.

Screenshot by 9to5Mac

9to5Mac screenshotted an...

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Dancing With the Stars is heading to Disney Plus

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Wildly popular celebrity competition series Dancing With the Stars is heading to Disney Plus, marking the first live series to debut exclusively on the streaming service.

The series previously aired 30 seasons across 16 years on ABC, Disney’s broadcast TV network. Disney said the series has an exclusive two-season pickup on Disney Plus and will premiere in the US and Canada in the fall. The show will be shot in front of a live audience by BBC Studios’ production arm in Los Angeles.

Specifics about Disney Plus’ rights to past seasons are unclear. Asked whether Dancing With the Stars will air on broadcast at all moving forward or whether Disney Plus will get the entirety of the show’s catalog, Disney spokesperson Heather Levine told The...

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The US government reportedly paid to send Starlink terminals to Ukraine

The company often receives public assistance for its projects. | Photo by Nilay Patel / The Verge

Despite SpaceX implying that the US didn’t give money to send Starlink terminals to Ukraine in March, a report from The Washington Post reveals that the government actually paid millions of dollars for equipment and transportation. The report found that the US Agency for International Development, or USAID, paid $1,500 apiece for 1,333 terminals, adding up to around $2 million. USAID disclosed the number of terminals it bought from the company in a press release from early April that has since been altered to remove mentions of the purchase.

According to space reporter Joey Roulette, SpaceX donated 3,667 terminals to Ukraine, or around $10 million worth, after also factoring in the three months of data it provided with the terminals....

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The US is trying to fix medical devices’ big cybersecurity problem

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Medical devices are one major weak point in health care cybersecurity, and both Congress and the Food and Drug Administration took steps towards closing that gap this week —Congress with a proposed bill and the FDA with new draft guidelines for device makers on how they should build devices that are less likely to be hacked.

Devices like infusion pumps or imaging machines that are connected to the internet can be targets for hacks. Those attacks can siphon off patient data or put their safety directly at risk. Experts consistently find that devices in use today have vulnerabilities that could be exploited by hackers.

The FDA, which regulates medical devices, has been trying to get a handle on this problem for a while. Back in 2014, it...

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This HP Envy X360 laptop with an OLED screen is just $700 at Best Buy

Photography by Monica Chin / The Verge

Happy Friday, everyone. The deals capping off this week run the gamut from laptops and graphics cards to soundbars. Kicking things off, we have a noteworthy sale on the HP Envy x360 13-inch convertible laptop that has a gorgeous OLED screen. Normally this configuration costs $1,049.99, but it has been discounted to $699.99 at Best Buy. This is the lowest price we’ve ever seen for this model, which definitely warrants your attention.

This flexible 2-in-1 laptop is equipped with an 11th Generation Intel Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of built-in storage. This isn’t the most powerful laptop out there, but it’s more than enough juice for most apps. Plus, if you need a versatile, mobile machine that’s particularly great for watching...

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NYT’s new WordleBot tries to gamify something that probably doesn’t need it

photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images

We are several months into our new Wordle era (along with an expanded universe of clones like Worldle, Heardle, Numble, Poeltl, and many others) and a little over two months into The New York Times acting as stewards of the game after a “low seven figures” purchase. Besides altering the word list, the _Times_is introducing its biggest change yet by adding WordleBot, a tool that serves as a “daily companion” for your new favorite puzzle game.

Like Wordle itself, WordleBot operates in the browser and runs locally, evaluating the completed puzzles on whatever computer and stored session you’re using to play. As The New York Times describes it, the bot started as an attempt to mathematically prove the best starting word, developed with its...

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Block and Blockstream are partnering with Tesla on an off-grid, solar-powered Bitcoin mine in Texas

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Block and Blockstream, a company that makes Bitcoin infrastructure, are partnering with Tesla on an open-source, solar-powered Bitcoin mine, the companies announced Friday. Tesla’s 3.8-megawatt Solar PV array and its 12 megawatt-hour Megapack will power the facility, and construction has started on the project.

“Weʼre excited to start the construction of this facility using Tesla Solar and Megapack,” Adam Back, CEO and co-founder of Blockstream, said in a press release. “This is a step to proving our thesis that Bitcoin mining can fund zero-emission power infrastructure and build economic growth for the future.”

The goal is for the facility to be completed “later this year.” When it’s running, there will be a publicly available...

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Samsung Galaxy A53 5G review: a good deal gets better

An excellent midrange feature set at the right price

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Keep BTS in your pocket with new TinyTan Tamagotchi

Are you ready to be wholly responsible for miniature versions of these men? | Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

If you’ve ever wished you could spend all day long serving food to BTS... well, you probably can’t. But you’ll soon be able to do the next best thing: be solely responsible for keeping miniature versions of them alive on a Tamagotchi device. Bandai America has opened preorders for the TinyTan Tamagotchi, a version of the handheld game featuring the South Korean band. (BTS’s full name is Romanized as Bangtan Sonyeondan.)

“We are incredibly excited to offer a new interactive experience with the beloved TinyTan characters, who are the adorable mini versions of the members of world phenomenon BTS,” Trish Garrett, brand strategist for Bandai America, said in a statement. “The TinyTan characters add a really fun spin on the Tamagotchi play...

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How to check your Android phone’s notifications on a Windows PC

Image: Microsoft

Back in 2019, Microsoft finally got its own system for managing Android notifications from Windows. Since then, it has been possible to see notifications from your Android phone on your Windows 10 or 11 PC as they arrive and to pull up your entire SMS history along with any pending notifications on demand. You can even reply to messages and compose new texts right from your computer. Previously called Your Phone, the Windows app has recently (and appropriately) been renamed Phone Link.

Here’s how to get started. (These directions assume you’ve updated your PC to Windows 11, but the process will be similar for Windows 10.) You’re going to be going back and forth from your computer to your phone, so get set.

First, on your Windows...

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