Good Omens season 2’s first trailer is a heavenly missing persons case

Image: Amazon

Last month, Amazon confirmed that, after a lengthy hiatus, Good Omens was coming back for a second season on Prime Video — and now, we have our very first look. The new season once again stars Michael Sheen and David Tennant as unlikely (and unholy) buddies, and this time around, they have to deal with the sudden disappearance of archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm).

The initial season of the show was based on the novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, while season 2 “explores storylines that go beyond the original source material,” according to Amazon. Gaiman is involved again as executive producer and co-showrunner, working alongside Douglas Mackinnon, who is directing all of the new episodes. In addition to getting into the story, the...

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Apple’s view of the future is a lonely one

Screen for one, please. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Vision Pro is all about the ‘experience’ as you watch videos, FaceTime family, and get work done. But that experience looks awfully isolating.

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Sony’s next true wireless earbuds leak again ahead of rumored imminent reveal

An apparent leaked render of Sony’s WF-1000XM5 earbuds and charging case. | Image: WinFuture

Sony could be about to announce a successor to 2021’s excellent WF-1000XM4 earbuds, which we rank as the best true wireless earbuds currently on the market. The Walkman Blog, typically a reliable source of Sony audio leaks, has published a spec sheet for the upcoming WF-1000XM5 earbuds, and today, WinFuture has followed up with new images offering a clear look at their design.

From the images, the XM5 earbuds seem to be more compact and lightweight than the XM4s. (The Walkman Blog has a neat image comparison of the new earbuds overlaid on top of the old ones.) A spec sheet suggests the XM5 earbuds will weigh 5.9 grams each, an improvement over the 7.3-gram weight of each of the XM4s. (For reference, the AirPods Pro weigh 5.3 grams each.)...

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Apple’s new Proton-like tool can run Windows games on a Mac

Image: Apple

If you’re hoping to see more Windows games on Mac then those dreams might finally come true soon. Apple has dropped some big news for game developers at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this week, making it far easier and quicker to port Windows games to Mac thanks to a Proton-like environment that can translate and run the latest DirectX 12 Windows games on macOS.

Apple has created a new Game Porting Toolkit that’s similar to the work Valve has done with Proton and the Steam Deck. Apple’s tool will instantly translate Windows games to run on macOS, allowing developers to launch an unmodified version of a Windows game on a Mac and see how well it runs before fully porting a game.

Mac gaming has been a long running meme...

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Instagram’s recommendation algorithms are promoting pedophile networks

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Instagram’s algorithms are actively promoting networks of pedophiles who commission and sell child sexual abuse content on Meta’s popular image sharing app.

A joint investigation from The Wall Street Journal and academics at Stanford University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst has revealed the extent to which Instagram’s recommendation systems “connects pedophiles and guides them to content sellers.”

Accounts found by the researchers are advertised using blatant and explicit hashtags like #pedowhore, #preteensex, and #pedobait. They offer “menus” of content for users to buy or commission, including videos and imagery of self-harm and bestiality. When researchers set up a test account and viewed content shared by these...

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Volvo aims to shake up the EV market with the affordably priced EX30 compact SUV

Image: Volvo

EVs are getting big — too big, some say — so it’s refreshing to see Volvo trend in the other direction. The Swedish automaker’s next EV, the compact EX30 SUV, is powered by a modest battery that nevertheless manages to churn out a decent amount of range.

But more compelling than that is the starting price tag of $34,950, which is impressive when you consider how expensive EVs have gotten in recent years. Volvo is leaning into the “small” motif, referring to today’s announcement as an “unboxing” event. An early teaser image featured a giant hand coming down from the sky to pick up the EX30.

“We like to say the EX30 is small yet mighty, because it delivers on everything you’d want from a Volvo but in a smaller package,” Volvo CEO Jim...

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Instagram is apparently testing an AI chatbot that lets you choose from 30 personalities

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Meta could be the latest company to test the social potential of AI chatbots.

A screenshot shared by leaker Alessandro Paluzzi on Twitter shows what seems to be an intro screen for the new Instagram feature. It says the chatbots will be able to answer questions, give advice, and help users write messages. It also says that users will be able to choose between “30 AI personalities and find which one you like best.”

Meta hasn’t announced any formal plans for such a feature, but chatbots would fit past statements about the company’s AI ambitions. In February, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Meta was “developing AI personas that can help people in a variety of ways” and that the company was exploring how to make such bots accessible through text...

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iPadOS 17 finally supports external USB webcams and cameras

Image: Dan Seifert / The Verge

The iPad is finally getting support for external USB webcams and cameras. Apple’s latest iPadOS 17 developer beta includes support for a variety of USB webcams and even cameras connected through devices like Elgato’s Cam Link 4K or mirrorless cameras that have webcam modes.

Twitter user Stephen Robles has demonstrated the USB webcam support and notes that it only works in FaceTime right now. That’s because this is a new underlying API in iPadOS 17 and developers will need to update their apps to support the new camera options. It will be particularly useful for apps like Zoom or Microsoft Teams to be able to use external USB cameras and webcams.

So, iPadOS 17 now supports external USB webcams #WWDC23 pic.twitter.com/2MRUqU1TKq

— Stephen...

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Riot and Coke think they figured out what leveling up tastes like

Coca-Cola / Riot Games

Coca-Cola has come up with a way for you to level up in real life. In a collaboration with Riot Games and in celebration of League of Legends, the two companies have developed a soft drink that they claim is what experience points taste like.

(Author’s note: there are many different words people across the world use for soft drinks. As an American, specifically a Midwestern American, I will henceforth use what I know as the word’s one true morphology: pop.)

Coke is calling the drink Ultimate Zero Sugar and, starting June 7th and lasting until July 18th, League players can unlock themed rewards by completing missions in the game. Here’s how you can get the cosmetics:

• Get seven assists in a single game to earn the Ultimate Teamplay emote. ...

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Elon Musk and Twitter, the entire story so far

Image: Laura Normand / The Verge

Forget Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and The Boring Company — Elon Musk is now the owner of Twitter.

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Twitter’s window to edit tweets is now one hour, but you still have to pay for it

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

When Twitter finally added its long-awaited edit button last fall, it limited the feature to Twitter Blue subscribers and only allowed changes on original tweets (not replies) within 30 minutes of the post, but now that’s changing.

The official Twitter Blue account now says that the tweet editing window has been doubled to one hour. The post announcing the feature was edited moments after it went live to note the change but, confusingly, didn’t add any other edits past the thirty-minute mark to demonstrate.

Blue subscribers now have up to 1 hour to edit their Tweets.

— Twitter Blue (@TwitterBlue) June 7, 2023

Twitter’s editing perk for Blue subscribers package arrived after Elon Musk said he would buy Twitter, but well before he...

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Microsoft has no shame: Bing spit on my ‘Chrome’ search with a fake AI answer

Illustration: The Verge

It was time to download Google Chrome on a new Windows 11 computer.

I typed “Chrome” into the Microsoft Edge search bar.

I was greeted with a full-screen Microsoft Bing AI chatbot window, which promptly told me it was searching for... Bing features .

Screenshot by Sean Hollister / The Verge

Search query: “Chrome.” Search result: “news articles about Bing features.”

I picked my jaw up off the floor and tried again. Same result every time.

Same exact text, too. This is clearly not Microsoft’s GPT-4 powered chatbot at work — it’s a completely canned interaction. Here’s how much of my screen it took up, and what it looks like zoomed in:

Screenshot by Sean Hollister / The Verge

Every...

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Samsung’s next foldable-focused Galaxy Unpacked will take place in late July

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked event, where it typically reveals new smartphones and other gadgets, is scheduled for sometime in late July, the company announced on Tuesday. For the first time, it will take place in Seoul, South Korea. Like other recent summer Unpacked events, expect the 2023 iteration to focus on foldables.

“The foldable category embodies Samsung’s philosophy of delivering innovation that pushes boundaries to reshape the future of mobile experiences,” TM Roh, Samsung’s president and head of its mobile experience business, said in a statement. “Hosting Unpacked in Seoul holds great significance both as it is a city that has become an emerging epicenter of innovation and culture as well as the foldable category.”

A rumor...

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Spotify’s podcast future isn’t very original

Illustration: Nick Barclay / The Verge

This is Hot Pod_,_ The Verge’s newsletter about podcasting and the audio industry. Sign up here for more.

When Spotify announced yesterday that it would lay off 200 employees from its podcast unit and combine Gimlet and Parcast into a single operation, it came as a shock to outside observers. But former and current podcast employees at Spotify have seen the writing on the wall for some time.

“We definitely have expected for several months now that they’d be axing people since the vibe at Gimlet had been very much one of walking on eggshells for months now,” one former Gimlet employee who was a part of yesterday’s layoffs told Hot Pod. “Zero joy. [The layoffs] were more just a matter of when. The fact that it was yesterday, that was the...

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With iOS 17, Apple lets you share AirTags with friends and family

Image: Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Apple’s AirTag item trackers are about to get more useful — with iOS 17, you’ll be able to share them and other Find My objects with up to five other people, the company has quietly revealed.

That means you can begin tracking communal property, not just wholly personal items. Where are the household car keys? What about the Apple TV remote we duct-taped an AirTag to because it unfortunately still does not come with a UWB locator of its own? It’s my turn to play Zelda — where’d the Switch go?

Frankly, it’s the excuse I needed to buy more than one single AirTag because the only personal property I lose is my wallet and Apple’s tracker makes a bit too much of a bulge. Other communal property, like a Find My-equipped coffee mug, might...

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Siri gets a bit smarter, but Apple Home is still lagging behind

Apple’s Siri voice assistant will soon be capable of responding to multiple requests at once. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Despite some hints toward a possible Apple smart display with its new StandBy feature for iPhones, Apple’s WWDC was underwhelming for the smart home. But Apple did announce one noteworthy addition, Siri will soon handle “multiple commands” in succession without you having to say its name again.

This might seem like a small update, but for anyone who uses voice control in the smart home, saying, “Siri, turn off the dining room lights and lock the front door” will be a huge improvement. However, it’s also another example of how Apple is still playing catch-up in the smart home.

I believe Apple plans to rely completely on Matter for its home automation efforts going forward

Both Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant have been smart enough...

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The Flash’s meta-ness is its only trick, and its undoing

Ezra Miller as two versions of Barry Allen and Michael Keaton as Batman. | Image: Warner Bros. Discovery

While the core conceit of Warner Bros. Discovery’s The Flash is solid, the movie’s too-meta nostalgia plays highlight everything that has gone awry with the studio’s superhero movie experiment.

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The SEC is trying to freeze Binance’s assets

Nick Barclay / The Verge

The Securities and Exchange Commission is trying to freeze the assets of Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. In an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order filed Tuesday (PDF), the SEC says it has made this decision to “ensure the safety of customer assets.”

The filing also claims that Binance has engaged in “violative conduct” for years in “disregard of the laws of the United States, evasion of regulatory oversight, and open questions about various financial transfers and the custody and control of Customer Assets.”

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao responded to the motion by retweeting a post saying, “We are about to find out how solvent #Binance is.”

“The SEC is being extremely aggressive in trying to freeze the...

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Apple will let you install its newest developer betas right now — for free

Illustration: The Verge

If you want to try out iOS 17, watchOS 10, or macOS Sonoma developer betas right now, you no longer have to pay for Apple’s developer program to be able to do so. As shown on an Apple developer website, you now only need an Apple ID to be able to try out developer beta releases (via MacRumors).

To see if you can install the developer betas, make your way to the software update section on your device. On my iPhone 12 Mini, I opened Settings, then tapped General > Software Update > Beta Updates > iOS 17 Developer Beta, and from there, I had the option to download and install the beta. Digging through the settings of my Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and Apple TV, I found options to install the latest developer betas on those devices, too.

That...

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Epic won’t say why it just purged Unreal Tournament 3 X from Steam

Image: Epic Games

Will Epic ever release the completely free version of Unreal Tournament 3 that mysteriously appeared on Steam nearly six months ago? It’s looking less likely — because yesterday, while we were distracted with a shiny new Apple headset, the company purged mentions of the new “Unreal Tournament 3 X” from Valve’s digital distribution platform.

“Hope you’ve been keeping well, but we still don’t have any new information to share here,” Epic Games technology comms manager Brian Sharon tells The Verge.

This was always a highly weird situation because Epic’s listing for the ad-free, DLC-free, cross-platform Unreal Tournament 3 X was never added to Steam as its own distinct game. Instead, Epic seemingly overhauled its listing for the original U...

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Apple finally made a TV

One way to think about the Vision Pro is as a portable, resizable TV. | Image: Apple

From a purely technical perspective, I had the same experience using the new Apple Vision Pro that most others who have tried it seem to. This headset is remarkably polished for a first-generation product: its screen looks much better; the field of view is much wider; and the gesture control is much more natural than any other headset on the market. The Vision Pro did get a little heavy on my face after a while, and obviously, all we’ve seen so far are controlled demos in a controlled situation, but there’s no doubt this is a remarkable piece of hardware.

Which brings up the other, much more interesting question: what is this thing for? Apple has a few answers: it’s for taking super-immersive videos of your kid’s birthday; it’s for...

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie is coming to Blu-ray next week

Image: Universal Pictures

The Super Mario Bros Movie is coming to Blu-ray on June 13th in the US and Canada. While the movie became available to buy or rent digitally earlier this month, you can now preorder a physical copy from Amazon, Best Buy, Target, or Walmart.

There are a couple of options to choose from, with a “Power Up” version of the movie coming with a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc, a standard Blu-ray disc, and a digital copy. It also has over 30 extra minutes of bonus content, including a documentary showing the making of the movie, a “Peaches” lyric video, and an interview with Anya Taylor-Joy, the voice of Peach. The price of the Power Up edition varies depending on where you buy it from, but it wavers around $30.

Watch the Power Up Edition again and...

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Netflix is launching its Queen’s Gambit chess game in July

Image: Netflix

The big game coming to Netflix this summer is... chess. But not just any chess: on July 25th, subscribers can download a new mobile title called The Queen’s Gambit Chess based on the streaming series of the same name. It sounds like the experience will combine story and character elements from the show with teaching players the ins and outs of the classic board game.

Here’s the official description:

Welcome to Beth Harmon’s world. Take lessons, play puzzles and matches, or compete against friends in this stunning love letter to the award-winning drama. Beyond the chess board, players can meet familiar faces like Mr. Shaibel and Borgov, visit iconic locations including Beth’s house, the Methuen orphanage, the Las Vegas tournament, and...

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TikTok is opening up its paywall and 20-minute video feature to more users

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

More TikTok users will now be able to make money by putting exclusive content behind paywalls. The company announced an expansion of Series today, a feature introduced in March that was previously available only to select users.

Series adds a paywall feature to TikTok, similar to other platforms like OnlyFans where creators can lock exclusive content that fans must pay to access. Creators can price their content between $1 and $190, and notably, premium videos can be up to 20 minutes long — double the current 10-minute cap that some users have.

The expansion opens up a new monetization method to users in select regions who are at least 18 years old, have 10,000 followers, and have met other account and views benchmarks. Users with as...

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Apple has bought an AR headset startup called Mira

Mira’s Prism headset from 2017. | Photo by James Bareham / The Verge

Apple has acquired Mira, a Los Angeles-based AR startup that makes headsets for other companies and the US military, according to a post from the CEO’s private Instagram account yesterday seen by The Verge and a person familiar with the matter. Apple confirmed the acquisition.

The news comes just one day after Apple unveiled the Vision Pro, a $3,499 mixed reality headset that the company has billed as a new “spatial” computing platform. It’s unclear how much Apple paid for Mira, which raised about $17 million in funding to date. Jony Ive, Apple’s former design chief, was an advisor to the startup at one point, according to two former employees who requested anonymity to speak without the company’s permission.

Apple shared its typical...

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Tesla supply chain manager moves to Rivian as Cybertruck production looms

Image: Tesla

As Tesla nears its deadline to begin Cybertruck production, the person responsible for buying the materials to build the electric trucks is leaving the company. The Information reports that Tesla’s supply chain executive Mustapha El Akkari, who oversaw purchasing of raw materials for the Cybertruck and other Tesla vehicles, is now moving on to rival electric vehicle company Rivian.

According to the report, El Akkari (whose Twitter profile mentions he is Tesla’s head of raw materials) was responsible for $16 billion in supply purchases at Tesla, which included materials like aluminum and steel. Now it looks like El Akkari will be doing similar work for Rivian by accepting a “senior director of structures and raw materials” position,...

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Why violence against women environmental defenders is undercounted

A woman with her children pass on February 22nd, 2019, near a mural depicting slain Honduran environmental Berta Caceres, a Honduran indigenous environmental activist shot dead for opposing the construction of a dam. | Photo by Orlando Sierra / AFP via Getty Images

More than 200 environmental activists are killed every year around the world. Often, the victims are Indigenous peoples defending their land. Other times, they’re small-scale farmers fending off industrial agriculture. Or they’re just people who happen to live in a place where logging and mining threatens their homes and livelihoods.

When their deaths do make headlines, we don’t often learn much about their lives. In many cases, even names and gender are missing from reports. There might not be as much attention paid to rural or marginalized communities. Or gender isn’t perceived as something that might have played a role in how that person was treated. That omission can sweep patterns of gender-based violence under the rug, researchers...

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1Password launches its public passkey beta

1Password users will need to download the beta browser extension to access the new passkey beta. | Image: 1Password

After several months of teasing, password manager 1Password has now launched its public beta for passkeys — a new login technology that allows users to replace passwords with authentication systems built into their devices. From today, 1Password users can now create, store, and share passkeys for supported websites by installing the 1Password beta browser extension for Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox, or Brave.

Passkeys can only be created for websites and services that have rolled out their own support. 1Password is keeping a directory of platforms where passkeys can already be used, in addition to a new tab where users can vote on which sites and services they’d like to see passkey support. This doesn’t guarantee that those platforms...

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The Verge’s 2023 Father’s Day Gift Guide

Illustration by William Joel / The Verge

Gifts for tinkerers, makers, and outdoorsy types that are far cooler than your basic mug or necktie.

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For better or worse, Apple is avoiding the AI hype train

At this year’s WWDC, the focus was squarely on Apple’s new Vision Pro headset. | Photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Five minutes into Google’s I/O conference in May, Verge staffers started taking bets on how many times “AI” would be mentioned onstage. It seemed like every presenter had to say it at least once or get stuck with a cattle prod by Sundar Pichai. (In the end, we stopped betting and made a supercut.) Watching WWDC, though, the book ran in the opposite direction: would anyone from Apple mention “AI” at all? It turns out, no, not even once.

The technology was referred to, of course, but always in the form of “machine learning” — a more sedate and technically accurate description. As many working in the field itself will tell you, “artificial intelligence” is a much-hated term: both imprecise and overdetermined, more reminiscent of sci-fi...

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