Spotify passes 500 million monthly active users for the first time

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

Spotify says over half a billion people, 515 million to be exact, use its streaming service on a monthly basis as of March 31st. That’s an increase of 22 percent compared to last year, or 5 percent versus last quarter. Spotify said the user growth exceeded its guidance by 15 million, with CEO Daniel Ek commenting that the results represented the service’s second largest quarter of user growth in its history. Paid subscribers, meanwhile, now sit at 210 million, a 15 percent increase year-over-year.

The audio streaming service hit the milestone during a quarter of streamlining and cost cutting. In late January the company announced it would be laying off 6 percent of its global workforce, which is estimated to impact nearly 600 staff....

Continue reading…

BMW adds Digital Key Plus support for Pixel and Samsung devices

Image: BMW

BMW is finally expanding support for its mobile car key technology, dubbed Digital Key Plus, to select Android phones running Android 13.1 or later. Digital Key Plus can now be set up via the My BMW App on compatible Google Pixel and Samsung devices, which includes the Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 6 Pro, Galaxy S23 Plus / Ultra, Galaxy S22 Plus / Ultra, Galaxy S21 Plus / Ultra, Z Fold 3, Z Fold 4, and the Note 20 Ultra. Samsung phones will need to have the Samsung Wallet app installed to use the feature.

Digital Key Plus first debuted on iPhone and Apple Watch in 2021, and relies on ultra wideband (UWB) digital radio technology to allow BMW drivers to replace a traditional car key with their mobile device. The feature can be configured within the...

Continue reading…

Substack co-founder says ‘we don’t like or condone bigotry,’ doesn’t explain how Notes will moderate it

Illustration by The Verge

Substack CEO Chris Best may have not really answered Nilay Patel’s Decoder questions about whether racist speech would be allowed on its new Twitter-like Substack Notes platform. But last Friday — more than a week after Best’s interview on the Decoder podcast — co-founder Hamish McKenzie shared a firmer statement in (where else?) a Substack Note.

“Last week, we caught some heat after Chris didn’t accept the terms of a question from a podcast interviewer about how Substack will handle bigoted speech on Notes,” McKenzie said. “It came across poorly and some people sternly criticized us for our naivety while others wondered how we’d discourage bad behaviors and content on Notes. We wish that interview had gone better and that Chris had...

Continue reading…

Disney’s latest and biggest round of layoffs has begun

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge

“Thousands” more of Disney’s employees are being fired this week in the second of three rounds of company-wide layoffs meant to help get the entertainment giant back on solid financial footing.

Following CEO Bob Iger’s announcement back in March that Disney was seeking to lay off some 7,000 of its employees, Reuters reports that the second round of firings began today and is projected to continue through Thursday before picking up again later this year. While the frontline hourly workers at Disney’s parks and resorts aren’t expected to be affected by the layoffs, cuts are being made across a number of the company’s corporate arms, like ESPN, Disney Entertainment, the products division, and Disney Parks’ corporate leadership.

“The senior...

Continue reading…

Beau Is Afraid production designer Fiona Crombie doesn’t really know what’s in the attic, either

Joaquin Phoenix as Beau Wassermann. | Image: A24

The production designer behind A24’s Beau Is Afraid knew that the Ari Aster film was going to leave people bewildered as soon as she started reading the script.

Continue reading…

Apple’s App Store can stay closed but developers can link to outside payments, says appeals court

Illustration: The Verge

An appeals court has upheld the status quo in Epic’s antitrust lawsuit against Apple, affirming a decision that was largely a victory for Apple. In a ruling delivered on Monday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found that Apple’s closed app store and security restrictions didn’t violate antitrust law, but that Apple couldn’t maintain anti-steering rules that prevent users from learning about alternate payment options.

“There is a lively and important debate about the role played in our economy and democracy by online transaction platforms with market power,” the ruling states. “Our job as a federal Court of Appeals, however, is not to resolve that debate—nor could we even attempt to do so. Instead, in this decision, we faithfully...

Continue reading…

Twitter users are now wondering if mandatory blue checks are illegal

Illustration: Laura Normand / The Verge

Okay, I’ll admit it: I did not expect the Twitter checkpocalypse to result in Dril accusing Elon Musk of violating federal consumer protection laws.

It’s been four days since Musk removed the last “legacy verified” checkmarks, leaving Twitter’s blue checks in the hands of people who pay $8 per month for Twitter Blue. Or, at least, that was the idea. As of Monday morning, here’s how it’s gone:

• Legacy checkmarks did, in fact, disappear, leaving only checks bestowed through the paid Twitter Blue service.
• Elon Musk revealed that he was comping “a few” Twitter Blue subscriptions for celebrities, mainly ones who had criticized Twitter Blue verification, like LeBron James and Stephen King.
• As this was unfolding, a group of users, including...

Continue reading…

Google Authenticator finally, mercifully adds account syncing for two-factor codes

Along with cloud syncing, Google Authenticator is also getting a new logo. | Image: Google

Google Authenticator is adding a long-standing customer request: you can now sync your two-factor authentication codes to your Google account. So when you set up a new phone and log in to your account, Authenticator will be ready to go without requiring its own setup process. This also means that if you lose your phone or it’s stolen, getting back into your accounts from another device will be less of a nerve-racking ordeal.

Cloud syncing has become relatively common across other two-factor tools like Authy, but Google really dragged its feet bringing it to Authenticator, which launched all the way back in 2010.

“One major piece of feedback we’ve heard from users over the years was the complexity in dealing with lost or stolen devices...

Continue reading…

Supreme Court could decide if government officials can block social media users

Photo by Daniel Slim / AFP via Getty Images

The Supreme Court is set to hear two cases that could decide if the First Amendment allows government officials to block users on personal social media accounts where they post about their work.

The cases are O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier and Lindke v. Freed, both concerning public officials who use social media. The first involves two elected school board members who blocked parents who left repetitious comments on their posts. The second involves James Freed, the city manager of Port Huron, who blocked accounts and deleted comments from his Facebook page. Neither case applies to whether platforms can ban or otherwise moderate users, an issue that the Supreme Court is likely to take up at a later point.

Public officials blocking users...

Continue reading…

Sega of America is the latest video game studio to organize

Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega

Today, workers at Sega of America’s Irvine, California, office have filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The new union, Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega (AEGIS), is partnered with the Communications Workers of America and consists of a supermajority of 144 employees across Sega’s QA, localization, live service, marketing, and product development departments, making AEGIS the first video game union in the United States made up of workers across numerous departments.

The Verge had the opportunity to speak with workers ahead of the filing who talked about their experience with Sega, the organizing process, and what it means to be a part of a small but growing unionization force in the video game...

Continue reading…

Bored Ape Yacht Club creator wins lawsuit over copycat NFT collection

Image: Yuga Labs

A judge has ruled in favor of Bored Ape Yacht Club creator Yuga Labs in a lawsuit against conceptual artists Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen, whom Yuga Labs accused of trademark infringement over a parody of BAYC’s non-fungible token (NFT) collection. On Friday, a California court said that Yuga was entitled to protect the BAYC trademark and that Ripps and Cahen’s project, known as RR/BAYC, isn’t artistic expression protected by the First Amendment. “Defendants’ sale of RR/BAYC NFTs is no more artistic than the sale of a counterfeit handbag,” wrote US District Judge John Walter in a summary judgment.

Ripps and Cahen released a set of RR/BAYC NFTs last May featuring duplicates of BAYC artwork and selling them for less than a high-priced...

Continue reading…

Rad Power Bikes links up with Redwood Materials for e-bike battery recycling

Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge

Rad Power Bikes is partnering with Redwood Materials, a battery company founded by a former Tesla executive, to recycle e-bike batteries when they reach the end of their lifespan.

Customers will be able to bring in their depleted batteries to Rad Power Bikes’ retail locations, after which the company will send them to Redwood Materials for processing and recycling. (Rad currently operates 10 retail and service locations in North America.) Select Rad stores in California and Washington will also serve as drop-off locations for old smartphones, laptops, and tablets, for Redwood’s growing consumer e-waste collection program.

It’s a noteworthy deal considering that Rad Power Bikes is the number one seller of electric bikes in North...

Continue reading…

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — all the latest on Nintendo’s huge sequel

Link in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom_._ | Image: Nintendo

Nintendo’s sequel to Breath of the Wild launches on May 12th.

Continue reading…

A big update brings the Kindle Scribe closer to being good

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

It’s almost an understatement to say Amazon’s Kindle Scribe fell short of our expectations when it first launched, but perhaps there’s hope yet for Amazon’s first 10.2-inch e-reader and writing device.

Today, the company launched four new Kindle Scribe features mostly focused on improving the lackluster note-taking experience. Truth be told, they’re relatively minor updates, but any change helps.

First up, Amazon introduced a “Bird’s Eye View” button in the Kindle Scribe Notebook app, which you can access from the top menu when you’re on a notebook page. Clicking on it gives you a preview of nine notebook pages and also allows you to quickly add, delete, or move any of them around. You can also swipe to the next nine pages for faster...

Continue reading…

Create generative AI video-to-video right from your phone with Runway’s iOS app

Runway’s new iOS app is its first available for mobile. | Image: Runway

AI startup Runway has launched its first mobile app on iOS, letting people use the company’s video-to-video generative AI model — Gen-1 — directly from their phones. You can download the app here, with free users offered a limited number of credits.

Gen-1 allows you to transform an existing video based on a text, image, or video input. Functionally, it works a lot like a style transfer tool (though, unlike style transfer, it generates entirely new videos as an output rather than applying filters). You can upload a video of someone cycling in the park, for example, and apply an aesthetic or theme. You can give the video the look of a watercolor painting or charcoal sketch, and so on.

Of course, because this is a generative AI, the output...

Continue reading…

AMD’s new Ryzen 7000 X3D CPUs have burnt out for some, and a BIOS update could prevent it

Image: Speedrookie (Reddit)

Some owners of AMD’s latest 7000X3D series CPUs have reported that their processors have burnt out randomly. Reports across Reddit and on YouTube suggest that a number of 7950X3D and 7800X3D owners have experienced burn damage to both the CPU and the AM5 socket, killing the processors and motherboards.

It’s a nightmare situation for any PC owner, particularly since, in many cases, these are new CPUs and motherboards that have only been on the market for a matter of weeks.

“Came home to my system idling full fan and QCode of 00,” said Reddit user Speedrookie. “Reset BIOS, play[ed] with memory, then took it apart to find the 7800X3D bulged out and took the socket with it.” Speedrookie posted a photo of the affected CPU with a visible bulge...

Continue reading…

Grimes says anyone can use her voice for AI-generated songs

Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

While major record labels have been trying to fend off songs using AI voice tracks of famous artists, Grimes has other ideas.

“I’ll split 50% royalties on any successful AI generated song that uses my voice,” Grimes posted on Twitter Sunday night. “Feel free to use my voice without penalty,” she said, claiming she has no label and “no legal bindings.”

At this point, Grimes’ Sunday night tweet seems to be just that — a late-night tweet that maybe, possibly, potentially could become something in the future. Grimes didn’t add much detail as to how arrangements like this would work but said the profit sharing could apply to “viral” or “super popular” tracks made using her voice that are already floating around.

Grimes isn’t the first artist...

Continue reading…

The next game from Genshin Impact’s developer is out on April 26th

Honkai: Star Rail. | Image: HoYoverse

The studio behind the massively popular online fantasy RPG Genshin Impact is back this week with its next game. Called Honkai: Star Rail, the game looks similar to Genshin but with more of a sci-fi twist. That means slick anime visuals, large worlds to explore, and a seemingly never-ending list of things to do, thanks to its live-service nature.

Here’s the basic premise:

Implanted with a Stellaron, the protagonist bravely set sail for the galaxy to drill down to the truth surrounding the so-called Cancer of All Worlds. Players will able to experience a vast universe abundant in distinctive cultures, landscapes, and scenery. From Herta Space Station where the story starts and you receive the prerequisite knowledge for the forthcoming...

Continue reading…

Here’s where you can preorder Nintendo’s Zelda-inspired Switch OLED

The Nintendo Switch OLED Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition is available to preorder for $359.99. | Image: Nintendo

We’re now just a few days away from Nintendo’s Zelda-inspired Nintendo Switch OLED launch on April 28th. The special-edition console retails for $359.99 and commemorates one of this year’s most anticipated video games, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, which will drop alongside a new Zelda-themed controller and carrying case two weeks later, on May 12th.

Where to preorder the Nintendo Switch OLED Tears of the Kindom Edition

For those eager to get their hands on the limited-edition console first, you can still preorder it directly from Nintendo as well as Amazon and Best Buy. Unlike the standard Switch, the Switch OLED boasts a vibrant seven-inch OLED display, 64GB of storage, and an improved kickstand, along with a handful of...

Continue reading…

The Skullcandy Jib True 2 wireless earbuds are a worthy impulse buy at just $16.99

The Jib True 2 come in some funky colors, but today’s deal is only on the light gray and blue combo. | Image: Skullcandy

I keep rubbing my eyes, thinking my vision must be off, but these wireless earbuds are really on sale for less than one Jackson. That’s right, the Skullcandy Jib True 2 Bluetooth earbuds are just $16.99 ($23 off) at Amazon in their gray-and-blue color combo. These ultra-affordable buds often sell for around $24, but this is a new low that makes them an easy choice for a child or anyone on a tight budget seeking wireless convenience.

The Jib True 2 aren’t going to win any awards in the sound department, but while their predecessors were a little overly bass-y, they were more than serviceable for the low price. Plus, this new model has built-in Tile tracking to help locate a missing bud should you misplace one. So they’re not just for...

Continue reading…

The Verge’s favorite pet tech

Olivia. | Photo by Helen Havlak / The Verge

If you’ve got a pet, it’s likely you have something cool that you use to either feed the pet, amuse the pet, watch the pet, track the pet, or travel with the pet. Well, the folks here at The Verge are no different: many have animal companions whom they feed, pamper, worry about — even obsess about — and totally enjoy.

We asked our co-workers to tell us about some of the techie (and not-so-techie) gadgets that they use to keep their pets clean, fed, and amused — along with portraits of the much-loved dogs and cats. We’ve got some great photos to show you. Enjoy.

Aslan

Mitchell Clark, former news writer

Photo by Mitchell Clark

Aslan.

We got the WOpet automatic feeder after our vet informed us that our cat Aslan...

Continue reading…

Apple’s mixed reality headset could connect to a battery pack that looks like the iPhone’s

The Apple MagSafe Battery Pack attached to an iPhone 12 Mini. | Image: Dieter Bohn / The Verge

More details are emerging about the design of Apple’s long-awaited mixed reality headset ahead of its expected unveiling on June 5th. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that the headset’s external battery pack — which is designed to sit in the user’s pocket during use — will have a similar design to Apple’s MagSafe iPhone battery pack and will use a proprietary connector to attach to the headset.

This circular connector is reportedly magnetic and designed to lock into the headset during use with a twist so it can’t be accidentally detached. Meanwhile, the opposite end of the cable is reportedly hardwired into the battery pack. The two “aren’t separable,” Bloomberg reports. So if this power cable develops a fault, it sounds like there’s no...

Continue reading…

Twitter claims dead celebs are subscribing to Blue from beyond the grave

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

After chief twit Elon Musk made good on his promise to remove Twitter accounts’ legacy verification blue ticks last week, numerous high-profile accounts now appear to be re-verified — including a number of dead celebrities.

It’s likely that the re-appearance of their blue ticks is part of a wider (but unannounced) scheme by Twitter to restore verification to users with over one million followers. But hover over the blue ticks of the accounts of dead celebs, and Twitter will tell you they’re verified “because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number.”

Michael Jackson, Chadwick Boseman, Kobe Bryant, Barbara Walters, Anthony Bourdain, and Paul Walker are just a few of the many deceased stars to have regained...

Continue reading…

Every gadget we’ve X-rayed with a Lumafield CT scanner

See inside a few of our favorite things — retro, modern, you name it.

Continue reading…

Yes, I actually pay for Discovery Plus

Photo illustration by Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto via Getty Images

Out of all the streaming services I use — Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, and Funimation — Discovery Plus is the one that I use the most. And I don’t even get it for free through some kind of promotion — I actually pay for it.

At just $4.99 per month (or $6.99 without ads), it’s one of the cheapest streaming options out there, and for me, those five bucks go a long way. Discovery Plus is a melting pot of all the unscripted reality shows from Discovery itself, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Animal Planet, Investigate Discovery, The History Channel, and a handful of other networks that I haven’t even heard of before, like “Quest.”

That means it has some of the most bizarre, disturbing, cringe-worthy, and downright disgusting TV shows that I’ve ever...

Continue reading…

Apple’s luxe AirPods Max have dropped to their best price of the year

Apple’s noise-canceling AirPods Max are currently $100 off in multiple colors. | Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

Happy Earth Day, all! We’ve got a bunch of great deals to kick off the weekend, none of which have anything to do with Earth Day. Now that we’ve established that, let’s get to the deals!

First up we have Apple’s AirPods Max, whichare a little more affordable now that they’ve dropped to $449.99 ($100 off) at Amazon and Best Buy. The noise-canceling headphones are one of our top picks, boasting excellent sound, premium build quality, and spatial audio support that allows for a more immersive experience. While their battery life is only average, they pair well with other Apple devices, making them a particularly good buy for those who already own an iPhone, iPad, or other Apple gadgets. Plus, they come with a natural-surrounding...

Continue reading…

All of my favorite games this year are old

Final Fantasy VI. | Image: Square Enix

As I installed the original Final Fantasy, a game that first came out when I was three years old, on Sony’s most advanced console to date, I came to a realization: almost everything I’ve played this year has been old. Between the remakes, rereleases, and retro collections, it’s been a deluge of nostalgia. And I, for one, have welcomed it.

These kinds of releases are nothing new, of course. What’s been different through the early months is the sheer quantity of classic releases. Two of the biggest blockbusters so far this year — Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 — are remakes of titles from well over a decade ago. They’re both slick and gorgeous updates that don’t look out of place amongst modern big-budget releases, but part of what makes...

Continue reading…

AnkerMake M5 3D printer review: speed is not enough

Anker’s first 3D printer is blazing fast — but a year later, it’s still in beta.

Continue reading…

Rivian R1S review: king of the mountain

The R1S is one of the most comprehensively well-designed and engineered vehicles ever.

A trip to Big Bear in Rivian’s electric SUV showcases why it’s one of the most compelling vehicles on sale. As a first effort from a new automaker, it’s even more impressive.

Continue reading…

A real-life Pixel Fold has seemingly leaked for the very first time

Image via Kuba Wojciechowski

You’ve seen renders and perhaps even a plastic mockup, but real-life footage of Google’s first foldable phone? Unless we’re getting the wool pulled over our eyes, behold the Pixel Fold!

pic.twitter.com/zTpEo18K4y

— Kuba Wojciechowski :3 (@Za_Raczke) April 22, 2023

It’s true, there’s not a lot to distinguish this as the Google foldable in this video alone — no logos, no distinctive design touches like a big camera bar, just a selfie camera up front, internal bezels, and a folding screen with rounded edges. It looks like it could be a Samsung prototype as easily as a Google device.

Image via Kuba Wojciechowski

Image via Kuba Wojciechowski

Except that it comes from reliable leaker (and...

Continue reading…