Walmart will have PlayStation 5 consoles tomorrow for paying subscribers

Sony PlayStation 5 restocks are still trickling in. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

It’s time for another chance to buy the most sought-after console currently on the market: Sony’s PlayStation 5. Walmart once again has a restock of PS5 consoles coming up for Walmart Plus subscribers. The members-only drop is scheduled for tomorrow, April 19th, at 12PM ET / 9AM PT, and it’s set to include both the disc-based PS5 for $499 and the PS5 Digital Edition for $399. You’ll need a paid Walmart Plus account to get a crack at either one (no free trials allowed), and while the premium subscription costs $98 annually, you can subscribe for just one month for $12.95 to try your hand at a PS5.

We’ve been through this drill at Walmart many times before, and while nobody likes paying extra for access to purchase a console, the retail...

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Telegram now lets you set any sound for your notifications

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

In a new update, Telegram announced it’s letting users set any sound as their notification tone. You can use short audio files uploaded from your phone and save voice messages as notification tones from a chat.

Telegram says it currently supports audio files and voice messages under 300KB and less than five seconds long. You can assign a sound to specific chats or whole groups of chats from the Settings > Notifications and Sounds menu. If you don’t have a sound you want to use right away, you can choose from an array of options, ranging from a bell to Merlin the cat, available from Telegram’s Notification Sounds channel.

There’s new animated food emoji, too

Aside from custom notification tones, Telegram has also rolled out custom mute...

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Pro-Biden super PAC launches six-figure paid influencer program

Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

American Bridge, a Democratic super PAC, is jumping into the 2022 midterm elections with an eight-figure paid media program that includes big investments in podcast and influencer media to brandish support for President Joe Biden’s economic agenda.

American Bridge’s six-figure influencer program runs paid digital ads behind content that it’s worked to make with creators on platforms like TikTok and Instagram and falls under the PAC’s total media investment. Most of these influencers have anywhere between 20,000 to 100,000 followers — making them microinfluencers — and have increasingly been called on by both Republican and Democratic campaigns and nonprofits over the last few years. The creators tout strong followings in hotbed states...

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Playdate review: all it’s cranked up to be

Little, yellow, different

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Panic’s first Playdate handhelds begin shipping Monday

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Panic’s Playdate, its quirky Game Boy-like handheld with a crank, will finally begin shipping today, April 18th,the company announced.

“The first Playdate systems for customers in Group One will be shipped out gradually today and in the coming weeks,” Panic said in a press release. “Panic will be reaching out to customers in Group One when their units are shipping, and will also be in communication with any updates on when pre-order holders in other Groups can expect their Playdate systems to ship.”

It’s unclear when the orders in Group One will be fulfilled

It’s unclear exactly how many Playdates will ship in the first round, but spokesperson Jurge Cruz-Alvarez did confirm to The Verge that shipments will start more slowly and then...

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Parcast union contract with Spotify includes pay raises and diversity promises

Parcast Union

Unionized workers at Parcast, a podcast production company owned by Spotify, shared details of their new three-year employment contract today. The contract covers workplace issues like pay, diversity, healthcare, severance, and more. It’s rare for a tech company to have one union, let alone three, as is the case with Spotify. The Parcast unionization follows successful drives at Gimlet Media and The Ringer, which ratified contracts with Spotify last year.

The Parcast union announced in early April that it had reached a deal. The union, like Gimlet and The Ringer, is represented by the Writers Guild of America, East. (Disclosure: WGAE represents Vox Media’s editorial staff, which includes The Verge.)

The lowest-paid employees will receive...

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Netflix and Exploding Kittens are partnering on a mobile game and an animated series

The game will be included with a Netflix subscription. | Image: Netflix

Netflix is expanding its work in gaming by partnering with the makers of the silly card game Exploding Kittens on a mobile title and a TV series based on the popular franchise. Exploding Kittens — The Game, described as “an exclusive version of the beloved mobile game,” will launch in May, while the TV show, “an adult animated comedy series,” will launch in 2023. The new game will be the latest in an ever-growing series of mobile titles available to play for free with a Netflix subscription.

There’s already a version of Exploding Kittens available on the App Store and Google Play, but with Netflix’s version, there will be two exclusive cards at launch. Down the line, there will be new cards and game mechanics “themed around the animated...

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HP’s 11-inch Chromebook x2 11 is a much better deal now at $300

The HP Chromebook x2 11 tablet comes with its keyboard and pen in the box. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Almost anything becomes a little more appealing once the price goes down. Take HP’s Chromebook x2 11 tablet, for example. It’s currently selling for $299.99 at Best Buy, a price cut that’s mighty enough to outweigh its flaws. This one-day deal on the 11-inch tablet with Chrome OS makes for a much more compelling argument compared to its $599.99 regular price. When our own Dan Seifert reviewed the Chromebook x2 in December 2021, he scored it a 5.5 out of 10 due to its occasionally choppy performance. But for half price, it seems like a good deal.

What you’re getting today for $299.99 is a modestly sized tablet with a convenient 3:2 aspect ratio screen, making it taller than 16:9 alternatives, which is better for note-taking and web...

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How to use AirDrop on Apple’s iPhone and iPad

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Apple’s AirDrop is a hugely convenient feature for transferring photos, videos, documents, and other files between the company’s devices, including iPhones, iPads, and Macs. You can easily send something to a friend — or use AirDrop as a handy way of transferring files between your own products.

What’s great about AirDrop is its simplicity. Instead of trying to clumsily share files using Dropbox, Google Drive, or some other cloud storage, it’s an immediate transfer from one device to another that (in most cases) takes only seconds.

With AirDrop, Apple creates a peer-to-peer Wi-Fi connection between the two devices in an AirDrop exchange. These devices communicate directly and aren’t required to be using the same internet connection.

TO...

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First Thor: Love and Thunder trailer puts Mjolnir in Jane’s mighty hands

Marvel Studios

Jane Foster has always been more than the Odinson’s love interest, but you might not know that just from watching any of Marvel’s Thor movies so far — the last of which she simply wasn’t in. Thor: Love & Thunder wants to fix that and then some, judging from its first trailer.

When last we saw this particular Jane variant (another recently appeared in What If, where she was voiced by Natalie Portman), she and Thor were still in the midst of falling in love, Asgard was still standing, and Thanos had not yet laid waste to the entire universe. Portman’s live-action Jane Foster returns in Thor: Love and Thunder’s new trailer as a woman changed by the recent events of the MCU but still resolute in her desire to help make the world a better...

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Sen. Warren pushes TurboTax for answers about its efforts to block free tax filing

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

As millions of Americans file their 2021 income taxes online today, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is demanding answers from Intuit about its popular TurboTax e-filing product.

In a letter to Intuit CEO Sasan K. Goodarzi, Warren says the company has used “extensive lobbying and adroit influence peddling” to prevent Americans from filing their taxes for free online.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed suit against Intuit in March for deceptive marketing, an action Warren calls “both welcome and long overdue.” Reps. Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Katie Porter (D-CA) also signed onto the letter.

“scamming taxpayers into paying for services that should be free”

Many of Warren’s complaints center on the Free File program, an IRS partnership...

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Drones are setting down roots in wildfire-scarred landscapes

Illustration by Melissa Mathieson / The Verge

Tree-planting efforts get a boost from drones

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Fruit stickers are the scourge of the compost pile

Illustration by Melissa Mathieson / The Verge

When everything else decays, those little plastic stickers remain

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Chinese astronauts return to Earth after spending six months in space

The three taikonauts spent 183 days on the Tiangong space station. | Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images

Three Chinese astronauts, also known as taikonauts, safely returned to Earth yesterday after spending six months aboard China’s unfinished Tiangong space station, according to a report from Space.com. This is China’s second crewed mission to Tiangong and its longest so far.

The Shenzhou 13 spacecraft landed in the Inner Mongolian desert at 9:56AM local time on Saturday morning, departing from the space station’s core Tianhe module about nine hours prior. The crew took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi desert last October and spent a total of 183 days on the space station.

Wang Yaping made history as the first Chinese woman to conduct a spacewalk

This mission is not only China’s longest, but taikonaut Wang Yaping...

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This video teaches you how to build a retro flip-walker toy out of LEGO

Image: JK Brickworks via YouTube

This LEGO flip-walking vehicle looks like it has a mind of its own, but it’s really just powered by gravity and a tiny motor. Custom LEGO builder JK Brickworks walks us through the build in a video on YouTube, which was actually inspired by the old-school Bear Mobill toy made by Bandai in 1987. It looks like the original toy is supposed to be some kind of sci-fi military vehicle, but JK Brickworks gives it a flashy new look.

The hypnotic flipping motion is triggered by a forward-moving trolley in the center. It weighs down the machine just enough at the end of its track, causing the build to flip over on two legs, resetting the entire process. As shown in JK Brickworks’ video, the toy’s unique flipping motion lets it climb up small steps...

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Tesla will no longer include mobile connectors with every car

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Tesla has stopped including its mobile connector with new car purchases, and will instead sell the accessory separately for a cheaper $200 price, Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed in a series of tweets. The mobile connector comes with an adapter that allows drivers to charge their cars from a standard household outlet, with other adapters available for purchase separately.

Based on feedback received, we will drop mobile connector price to $200 & make it easy to order with car.

Note, mobile connector is not needed if you have a Tesla wall connector or to use Superchargers.

Recommend installing Tesla wall connector well before car arrives.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2022

On Saturday night, Twitter user @Tesla_Adri found that Tesla...

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Apple store workers at Grand Central Terminal start collecting signatures to form a union

Organizers need approval from at least 30 percent of workers to hold a union election. | Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Retail Apple employees at a New York City store in Grand Central Terminal have started collecting signatures to form a union, according to a report from The Washington Post.

The organizers, who reportedly go by Fruit Stand Workers United, announced in an update on its website that they voted to affiliate themselves with the Workers United labor union on February 21st, 2022. Workers United is the same group backing recent unionization efforts at Starbucks stores across the country.

At least three other stores are reportedly working towards organizing

As noted by The Post, organizers at the Grand Central location are currently handing out signature cards so employees can express interest in forming a union. If at least 30 percent of...

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UCF football team is trading jersey numbers for QR codes

The UCF Knights will have QR codes on the back of their jerseys. | Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

This spring season, the University of Central Florida’s (UCF) football team will don QR codes instead of numbers on the back of their jerseys (via SportsLogos.net). The team showed off their new garb on Twitter, sporting large, custom QR codes beneath their last names that you can scan to access players’ biographies on UCF’s website.

Custom QR codes for every player

4.16.22 Spring Game #ChargeOnpic.twitter.com/SuBYfp6yJC

— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) April 15, 2022

In a video posted by UCF coach Gus Malzahn (who also has a QR code stamped on his team polo shirt) you can see how exactly the feature actually works. Judging by the video, it looks like UCF will display players’ QR codes on its home stadium’s jumbotron as well.

Last...

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Twitter’s upcoming edit feature may keep track of tweet history

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Editing a tweet using Twitter’s upcoming edit button could leave a digital trace of your tweet’s history, according to reverse engineer Jane Manchun Wong. In a tweet, Manchun Wong explains that the edit function appears to have an “immutable” quality, which means Twitter may create an entirely new tweet when one is edited, all while preserving the previous versions of that tweet.

“Looks like Twitter’s approach to Edit Tweet is immutable, as in, instead of mutating the Tweet text within the same Tweet (same ID), it re-creates a new Tweet with the amended content, along with the list of the old Tweets prior of that edit,” Manchun Wong says.

Looks like Twitter’s approach to Edit Tweet is immutable, as in, instead of mutating the Tweet...

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Microsoft reportedly wants to bring ads to free-to-play Xbox games

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Microsoft is reportedly working on a program that will let brands showcase advertisements within free-to-play Xbox games, according to a report from Insider. Sources familiar with the situation told Insider that the ads wouldn’t disrupt gameplay and may appear on a billboard in a racing game, for example.

It’s not immediately clear how else Microsoft plans on implementing ads, such as having them show up as avatar skins or as videos inside game lobbies. But as Insider notes, Microsoft is reportedly concerned that the ads could “irritate” players, and is planning on building a “private marketplace” to let only select brands into the program.

Microsoft reportedly doesn’t intend to take a cut of the ad revenue

Sources also told Insider that...

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Satechi is offering a 20 percent off sitewide sale this weekend

You can save on everything from wireless chargers to Bluetooth keyboards at Satechi this weekend. | Image: Satechi

The Easter holiday is bringing some unusual — yet welcome — deals into the spotlight this weekend, including a sitewide sale at Satechi that’s knocking a considerable amount off on everything under the Satechi umbrella. The current promotion, which runs through April 17th and requires you to use one of two promo codes, covers a wide variety of peripherals and accessories, ranging from Mac-inspired keyboards to 3-in-1 chargers. Using coupon code EASTER15 at checkout will take 15 percent off your cart total, but if you purchase $100 or more, you can take 20 percent off with the code EASTER20.

If you’re not familiar with Satechi, just know that it offers plenty of functional basics, including charging cables and a number of sleek,...

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How to pause and disable Windows 11 updates

Photo by Monica Chin / The Verge

Windows 11 updates, which Microsoft sends to your system regularly, are meant to keep your operating system current. They are, for the most part, a good thing. But as long-time Windows users know, occasionally, an update can go wrong, and so some prefer to postpone updates for a week or two to make sure that there aren’t any problems being delivered with the update. In addition, sometimes updates come at an inconvenient time — for example, when you’re in the middle of a project with a tight deadline.

You can’t stop updates altogether, but you can pause them. There is also a way to disable updates, but it, too, is not permanent. If you want to hold off in case of any potential glitches or would rather put them off as long as possible,...

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Ayn Odin review: a Nintendo Switch with Android

Cresting a new wave of inexpensive gaming handhelds

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Elon Musk wants to buy Twitter: here’s everything you need to know

Photo by Michele Doying / The Verge

Stay up to date with the latest in the Musk-Twitter saga

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You might see an ad after you finish today’s Wordle

When I finished Friday’s Wordle, I saw an add for the Spelling Bee. | Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge

I just finished Friday’s Wordle — which I am reminding you now is owned by The New York Times for reasons you’ll understand shortly — and when I did, I was surprised to see an addition to the results screen. Under the usual stats, the “next Wordle” countdown, and the share button, there was something new: a small banner advertising another puzzle, the NYT’s Spelling Bee.

For fans who appreciate Wordle’s simplicity, the ad may come as a rude surprise. Part of the appeal of Wordle is that simplicity: you take your shot at the day’s puzzle, decide whether or not your journey is worth sharing on Twitter, then close the tab and move on.

And that was by design, as noted in the_NYT’s_ profile of Wordle creator Josh Wardle:

But since Wordle...

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Apple’s still not catching scammy apps, and this time they’re on the Mac

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Scam app hunter / developer Kosta Eleftheriou, known for catching egregious scams that make it past Apple’s review process, has once again brought attention to a new crop of shady apps being peddled through the App Store. This time they’re on the Mac, and they’re using pop-ups that make it extremely difficult to quit an app without agreeing to outrageous subscription prices — all without Apple noticing, despite its argument that its App Review process keeps devices and users safe.

The app that started the hunt, which seems to have been discovered by Edoardo Vacchi, is called My Metronome. According to Vacchi, Eleftheriou, and user reviews, the app locks up and won’t let you quit it using keyboard shortcuts or the menu bar until you agree...

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This FF7 Buster Sword clock prevents you from casting snooze

The alarm clock looks cool, but it’s missing a very important button. | Image: Square Enix (with minor edits by Mitchell Clark / The Verge)

Are a Final Fantasy VII fan? Tired of oversleeping? Don’t want to use your phone as an alarm lest you get sucked into doomscrolling? Well, do I ever have the solution for you: a standalone digital clock fashioned after Final Fantasy VII’s iconic Buster Sword.

The miniature replica of Cloud Strife’s ridiculously large sword — specifically, the version in Final Fantasy VII Remake — is set at an angle reminiscent of how you see it on the game’s main menu screen. The time is illuminated prominently thanks to a display on the sword’s blade, and the materia near the hilt light up, too.

Image: Square Enix

A closer look at the clock. Wonder what materia those are.

If you like Final Fantasy VII Remake’s music — likeme...

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The Steam Deck is not a flop

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Valve’s Steam Deck handheld gaming PC has been the #2 top grossing product on Steam _for five weeks in a row,_according to SteamDB.

I am vindicated — because that means it’s not a flop.

Early estimates suggested over 110,000 people put down a $5 deposit for the unproven Linux handheld in the first 90 minutes after it went on sale last July, but there was always a chance they’d change their mind. I figured many would after reading critical reviews like mine! And while I have seen a handful of people in r/SteamDeck reclaim their five bucks... almost every other sign suggests to me that it’s selling well.

While we don’t have official sales numbers for the Steam Deck, here is some context that might put things in perspective:

...

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Go read this deep dive into the changes coming to Android 13

Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge

If you’re the kind of Android user that double-checks every app permission, stays informed on every new feature, and is actually interested in app split screen, then you need to go read this detailed explanation of the changes to expect in Android 13 later this year. It’s a thorough and organized changelog — with a table of contents — of developer preview 2 of the unreleased Android 13 and reads as if it’s an official internal guide for all the changes.

This thoroughly documented changelog of Android 13 is written by none other than former XDA Developers editor-in-chief Mishaal Rahman — who last year uncovered the technical reason why Microsoft Teams and Android 12 caused a failed emergency call. You might even catch foreshadowing of...

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Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook 2 360 offers a high-resolution screen for under $500

The red is no more. | Image: Samsung

It’s been over a year since Samsung released its shiny red Galaxy Chromebook 2. Its next shot at this device is now available for purchase, and it’s something, well, a bit different.

The new Galaxy Chromebook 2, as far as I can tell, is not nearly as red as its predecessor. (It’s pretty black and white.) But it does have a 360-degree hinge, and is more affordable with a starting price of $429.99, making it perhaps a more...practical purchase on multiple fronts.

What’s most interesting here is the display. Not only is this Chromebook 16:10 (a good aspect ratio — thumbs-up), but it also comes with a 2560 x 1600 screen. That’s certainly going to be one of the highest-resolution screens you can get at a $430 price point.

This is still a...

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