A bankrupt crypto firm tried to return funds — but customer data might’ve been stolen instead

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The bankrupt crypto firm Voyager Digital suffered a potential data breach when it started letting customers recover their funds last month, as first reported by Bloomberg. In a court document filed on July 28th, Voyager’s lawyers say they’re investigating reports that scammers targeted customers using potentially stolen personal information.

Voyager Digital reopened its platform for 30 days in June, allowing customers to withdraw the funds that had been trapped in the brokerage following its collapse last year. While customers withdrew over $491 million from the platform, their data may have been compromised during the process.

Voyager’s lawyers say they’re aware of “numerous scams and phishing attempts” affecting customers, some of...

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Tesla under investigation for Model 3 and Model Y steering wheels that freeze up

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is probing reports that 2023 Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles lose their steering control while driving. Approximately 280,000 vehicles could be affected by the results of the investigation, the agency reports. The news was first reported by CNBC.

NHTSA says it has received 12 complaints alleging loss of steering control and power steering in the vehicles. Five people filed complaints alleging an inability to steer the vehicle, while an additional seven people said a loss of power resulted in steering difficulties.

One complaint reads:

Vehicle steering lost power steering and the steering is stuck in straight position only while driving. Vehicle can travel only straight line...

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A new Samba de Amigo game is coming to Apple Arcade

Image: Apple

Apple Arcade is adding four new games this month, including a new Samba de Amigo game.

Samba de Amigo: Party-To-Go brings the maraca-shaking monkeys to mobile on August 29th — the same day another Samba de Amigo game, S_amba de Amigo: Party Central,_ hits the Switch and Meta Quest. It seems like the two games are essentially the same, with Party-To-Go simply being a mobile port of Party Central. One perk of playing Party-To-Go on Apple Arcade, however, is that you’ll get three exclusive songs from PSY (’memba him?), Lady Gaga, and Fitz and The Tantrums, which, coincidentally, kinda looks like my Friday-night party playlist.

According to Apple’s announcement, Party-To-Go also features the series’ first story mode, “where players join Amigo...

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Anker’s new 240W desktop USB-C charger can fast-charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro

Anker Prime 240W GaN Desktop Charger. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Anker’s newest desktop 240W charger can fast-charge multiple devices, supporting up to 140W charging that’s compatible with the 16-inch MacBook Pro. It leads off the company’s new lineup of “Prime” gallium nitride (GaN) chargers that were announced in June and is available for preorder on Amazon and direct from Anker for $199.99, with predicted shipping dates currently listed as starting in mid-September.

The lineup also includes an update to last year’s PowerCore 24K battery bank — now with a larger 27,650mAh pack. The new 250-watt Anker Prime power bank, besides being more powerful, can also dock on top of a new charging base that doubles as a 100-watt desktop charger. The 250-watt battery bank also supports a new Anker mobile app that...

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Marvel cuts in-house podcast team in half amidst Disney layoffs

Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images

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

This is gearing up to be a more eventful August than usual. For today’s issue of Hot Pod, I have news about how Disney’s spring layoffs hit the in-house podcast team at Marvel. I also have a Q&A I conducted with Warner Music Group’s senior vice-president of digital strategy and development, Allan Coye. Coye was the main force in launching Interval Presents, which is WMG’s in-house podcast unit. Finally, I have an update on SiriusXM’s second quarter earnings call from this morning.

Marvel’s podcast unit is the latest casualty of Disney cuts

Marvel wasn’t spared in Disney’s axing of 7,000 employees this spring, which included former...

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Amazon Clinic now offers video doctor visits in all 50 states

Image: Amazon

You can now start an Amazon Clinic video doctor visit in all 50 states as Amazon expands its virtual care service, which lets patients connect with “multiple telehealth provider groups” who each set their own rates for service. The company says those visits will cost an average of $75. Amazon will not accept insurance for the visits, however.

Previously, Amazon only offered a message-based version of this in 32 states that would allow you to get in touch with clinicians on its platform using a secure portal for chatting with them about your medical issues and work out a treatment plan. Message-based care is lower in cost, averaging $35 a session, according to Amazon, but it’s only been able to add messaging in another two states; the...

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Offshore wind potential in the US is huge but untapped

In an aerial view, wind turbines generate electricity at the Block Island Wind Farm on July 7th, 2022, in Rhode Island. | Photo by John Moore / Getty Images

The US has some of the most potential for offshore wind energy in the world, says a new analysis by the University of California, Berkeley. Offshore wind resources are plentiful enough to generate up to a quarter of the nation’s electricity by 2050, in time to help meet global climate goals.

It will take a monumental effort to reach those goals, with very little offshore wind capacity installed in the US today. And the industry is currently facing mounting political and financial challenges even after the Biden administration moved to open up much of the country’s shoreline to offshore wind development.

But the report shows what’s possible in the long run if the US can harness the power of those winds at sea. “The good news about this...

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Both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are $50 off right now

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

If you’re in the market for a premium console from either Sony or Microsoft, now is the perfect time to pick one up. For the first time we’ve seen, both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are on sale — each currently selling for $449.99 ($50 off). The disc drive-equipped PS5 is discounted at Monoprice, while you can get Microsoft’s flagship Xbox on sale from Dell.

It’s refreshing to see both consoles running on deals that don’t require bundling with a game or added accessories. After they were so hard to get for around two years thanks to shortages, they’re now easily buyable and 50 bucks off — no fuss, no muss.

While the PS5 and Xbox Series X have a lot in common (both are capable of playing games in 4K at up to 120 fps, come with...

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The Verge’s 2023 back-to-school gift guide

Illustration: The Verge

From laptops and pens to consoles and streaming devices, here are the best supplies to help you or the student in your life prepare for the year ahead.

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Reddit has rolled out a bunch of changes to the logged-out web experience

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Reddit has rolled out some changes to the logged-out web experience that are intended to “deliver a more consistent, reliable, and fast web experience for people not logged in,” according to a post from an admin (employee) who goes by whizlogic. The changes are available globally on mobile web and desktop.

The updates could make Reddit better for those who stumble upon it through a search engine, whizlogic said. “These people are often looking for community-verified content on their mobile, tablet or desktop devices. While some people in this group know Reddit and are seeking it out specifically, many others visit Reddit infrequently or are just finding it for the first time.”

Here are just some of the changes:

• You can expect faster...

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Wyze’s new security camera can record continuously on battery power... but only for a day

The new Wyze cam has a whole new look, along with a higher price tag. The company’s previous outdoor camera was smaller, squarer, and cheaper. | Image: Wyze

The long-rumored Wyze Battery Cam Pro ($93.99 plus $5 shipping) arrives today, August 1st, and is the company’s first camera to record continuously on battery power. But this impressive feat comes with caveats: it requires a microSD card, and the battery won’t last more than a day when constantly surveilling your home, so it’s best to wire it up if you want true 24/7 coverage. Still, you’ll get a full day of recording if the power goes out, something no other battery-powered camera I’ve tested offers.

“Continuous recording will be available on both battery and wired,” Wyze spokesperson Kyle Christensentold The Verge. “The battery will not last more than a day, though, so we definitely recommend wired for most scenarios. The...

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Elon Musk’s X sues anti-hate researchers for allegedly scraping data from Twitter

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Image: Getty Images

X Corp., the parent company of the platform once known as Twitter, is suing the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) over claims it “embarked on a scare campaign” to drive away advertisers. The lawsuit accuses the CCDH of “unlawfully” scraping data from Twitter and using it to create “flawed” research studies about the platform.

The CCDH is an anti-hate organization that publishes research about the spread of hateful content on social media platforms like Twitter. One recent CCDH study claims Twitter has failed to act on 99 percent of hateful content posted by Twitter Blue subscribers, and another states that the anti-LGBTQ+ “grooming” narrative has grown exponentially since Elon Musk’s takeover.

To create these reports, X...

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YouTube is adding a slew of new TikTok-like features to Shorts

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

YouTube is rolling out more features to its TikTok competitor, Shorts — including several that TikTok users will recognize.

Most notably, YouTube is experimenting with adding previews of live videos to a user’s feed of Shorts (this is how TikTok live videos also appear). Viewers can click in to watch the stream and then scroll through a feed filled with other livestreams. Creator monetization features like paid chatting and memberships will be available in this feed as well.

Placing live videos in more places on the app could help creators find a new audience with Shorts. It also mirrors the way TikTok has emphasized live videos as a way to sell products, fine-tune a target audience, and host splashy virtual events that boost...

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How to set up your own Contact Poster in iOS 17

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge

Apple is adding numerous features to the iPhone with iOS 17, and one of the most notable is Contact Poster — a way for you to create your own digital calling card through images, colors, and text.

Here’s how it works: when you call someone iPhone-to-iPhone and you’re saved in their contacts, your Contact Poster will appear on their screen. It replaces the much smaller notification and thumbnail picture that was previously displayed and gives you an opportunity to get creative with how you want to appear to your friends, family, or colleagues.

While you’re setting up your Contact Poster, you can also make changes to your Apple ID avatar based on the poster. If you head into Settings on your iPhone or Mac, for example, you’ll see your...

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Elon Musk wants a second chance to fail at X

Looks like Musk’s determined to make the same mistake twice. | Image: The Verge

I understand the driving need to prove to people that you are right, which is why I am to some degree sympathetic to Elon Musk’s ill-advised plan to rename Twitter and turn it into his long-dreamed-of financial heavyweight. He wasn’t right when he tried to rename PayPal in 2000 and create an internet upstart in banking; he’s not right now, either. But that isn’t going to stop him from trying to Show Us.

Musk says he wants to rename Twitter X, and the Twitter logo has already changed on the app to a Unicode X. There’s some history here with Musk and X: when Peter Thiel defenestrated him from PayPal, it was because Musk wanted to rename PayPal. You are never going to guess what he wanted to change the name to.

Musk wanted to change the...

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Meta could make highly targeted ads opt-in, but only in Europe

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

Meta is proposing to make some of its personalized, targeted ads an up-front opt-in choice for users in the European Union, reports The Wall Street Journal. If the EU accepts Meta’s proposal, the company says it would need three months or more to let users choose whether to allow the company to target ads based on what they do within its social media services.

The company’s proposal aims to end its ongoing fight with the EU over its use of personal data for advertisements under European privacy laws, the Journal says. Right now, EU users of Meta’s platforms can opt out of this sort of targeting rather than choose to opt in. For those who opt out, the company still targets ads using some broader demographics data, such as users’ general...

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Ford is restarting F-150 Lightning production after six-week shutdown for factory retooling

Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge

Ford is restarting production of its F-150 Lightning electric truck after a six-week shutdown for factory upgrades. The automaker says the increased capacity will allow it to triple production to a targeted annual run rate of 150,000 trucks by this fall.

The news comes after a somewhat dour earnings report in which the Blue Oval reported losing $1.1 billion before interest and taxes on its EV business, more than twice as much as it lost over the same period last year. It also follows news that Ford is slashing prices on the F-150 Lightning by as much as $10,000 as EV competition heats up and inventory rates at dealerships skyrocket.

A targeted annual run rate of 150,000 trucks by this fall

The Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, located...

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Super Bowl LVIII is getting slimed on Nickelodeon

That Lombardi trophy is going to be a sticky kiss this season. | Image: CBS Sports / Nickelodeon

The next Super Bowl is going to be a sticky one. CBS Sports announced that it’s connecting with Nickelodeon to air an alternate telecast of Super Bowl LVIII that gives the NFL a more family-friendly watching option by adding superimposed characters like SpongeBob SquarePants and animated slime-filled touchdowns.

This year’s Super Bowl will take place in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Raiders, on Sunday, February 11th, 2024, at 6:30PM ET. At that time, fans can tune in to their local CBS station or the Paramount Plus streaming app for the standard broadcast or let their kids change the channel to Nickelodeon — tricking them into enjoying some good gridiron.

.@Nickelodeon and @cbssports are joining forces to present a...

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Apple and its Vision Pro platform join Pixar's push to standardize 3D content

JigSpace running in Apple’s visionOS. | Image: JigSpace

Apple, Adobe, Pixar, Nvidia, and Autodesk are teaming up to promote open standards for the creation of 3D content. In a press release, the companies announced the formation of the Alliance for OpenUSD, which will drive the “standardization, development, evolution, and growth” of Pixar’s Universal Scene Description (USD) technology.

Pixar describes USD as the “first open-source software that can robustly and scalably interchange 3D scenes” while incorporating various assets, sources, and animations. The animation company notes that it has applications in the metaverse as well, calling it a “fundamental requirement” for people creating content in the metaverse.

The timing of this announcement is particularly interesting, as it comes just...

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Facebook needs stricter rules banning gender-based violence, says Oversight Board

The board wants Meta to patch up the policy loopholes that allowed content promoting gender-based violence to slip through moderation. | Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

Meta’s Oversight Board is urging the company to take a stricter stance against content that normalizes gender-based violence after discovering a Facebook post mocking an injured woman had remained on the platform for almost two years without being viewed by a human moderator. On Tuesday, the board asked Meta to address a gap within its bullying and harassment policy that seemingly permits content promoting gender-based violence by “praising, justifying, celebrating, or mocking it” to slip through its moderation practices.

An image depicting a woman with “visible marks of a physical attack, including bruises on her face and body” was published on Facebook in May 2021, alongside a caption in Arabic that alludes to her husband being...

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The Fitbit app is getting a streamlined new look this fall

There’s a new three-tab structure and a more minimalist overall design. | Image: Google

Fitbit’s been going through a lot of changes over the past year — and it looks like that’s only going to continue. The Google-owned app is getting a total redesign this fall, and select Fitbit users may see an invite to try a beta version starting today.

For starters, Fitbit is reorganizing how it presents your data. Going forward, the app will be divided into three tabs: Today, Coach, and You. The Today tab isn’t changing too drastically from what it is now, but the main metrics you see up top can be customized to highlight different focus areas. For example, if you want to sleep better, you’ll see your Sleep, steps, mindfulness, and Zone Minutes first thing. If your goal is to improve your heart health, the app will instead emphasize...

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Anker’s second 3D printer is the more affordable AnkerMake M5C

The AnkerMake M5C. | Image: Anker

Anker didn’t exactly knock it out of the park with its first 3D printer, the AnkerMake M5, but today, it’s trying again. The new AnkerMake M5C, shipping today in the United States, ditches some of the original’s clumsier features in exchange for a $400 price tag. That’s half what the AnkerMake M5 cost when it arrived last year.

The M5C still offers the same 49-point automatic bed leveling system, removable flexible magnetic plate for easy adhesion and removal, and remarkably fast printing speeds up to 500mm per second (though no promises about quality at maximum speed). It still prints down to 0.1mm in resolution, has a hefty aluminum base and dual screws for the Z-axis, and now boasts a one-piece design for faster, simpler setup....

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Sony’s take-anywhere XB100 speaker is on sale for less than $50

Few speakers offer as much bang for your buck — let alone charm — as Sony’s colorful XB100. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

The world of portable speakers is vast and varied — a fact that is immediately apparent if you punch the words “Bluetooth speaker” into Google or Amazon. Thankfully, if you’ve been scouring the web for something affordable that will still sound better than your phone, Sony’s SRS-XB100 speaker is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and direct from Sony for as little as $48 ($12 off), its lowest price to date.

Despite its pint-size design, the XB100 manages to dish out crisp, clear sound with a surprising amount of low-end bass. The rugged little speaker offers up to 16 hours of continuous battery life and IP67 dust and water resistance, too, making it as suitable for an outing in the park as a pool party in your own backyard. You can even pair...

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YouTube uses AI to summarize videos in latest test

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google is experimenting with the use of AI to auto-generate YouTube video summaries, according to a notice on a support page dated July 31st. The page, which we spotted via Android Police, notes that these summaries will only appear next to a limited number of English-language videos, and will only be viewable by a limited number of users. They’ll appear on YouTube’s watch and search pages, and are intended to give a brief overview of a video’s contents without replacing its existing description written by a human.

“​​We’re starting to test AI auto-generated summaries on YouTube, so that it’s easier for you to read a quick summary about a video and decide whether it’s the right fit for you,” the support page reads. Android Police notes...

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Your Google data and YouTube videos will be easier to migrate after GDPR challenge

Google Takeout is getting new features that will allow users to upload their Google account data to third-party services. | Illustration: The Verge

Google is making it easier to backup and transfer your personal data between third-party services, in response to a GDPR investigation by Italy’s AGCM competition watchdog.

In a press release announcing the changes, the AGCM said that Google’s binding commitments will “ensure significant automation of the procedure available for data export,” and “improve the interoperability mechanism that makes the data available in the Google ecosystem accessible to third-party platforms.”

Google has made three commitments to resolve the investigation. The first two involve enhancing Google Takeout, while the third will introduce a new solution to “allow direct data portability from service to service” for authorized third-party operators,...

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Meta’s AI ‘personas’ might launch next month

Illustration: Nick Barclay / The Verge

Meta could launch AI-powered “personas” in its services — which include Facebook and Instagram — as soon as next month, giving users a new way to search, get recommendations, and otherwise engage with its products, the Financial Times reports. Citing conversations with three company insiders, the FT notes that the chatbots could come with distinct personalities, including one that offers travel recommendations “in the style of a surfer” and another that speaks like Abraham Lincoln.

The imminent launch could help Meta compete on two fronts. On the one hand, built-in chatbots could be a way to boost engagement with services like Facebook and Instagram in the face of competition from the likes of TikTok. On the other, the chatbots could...

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Chevy’s Blazer EV starts shipping, and the electric SUV will cost buyers a little extra

Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge

Chevy’s Blazer EV is now going to cost interested buyers quite a bit more. Customers who have ordered the all-wheel-drive RS trim of the electric SUV will see their prices jump to $60,215, up from its original announcement of $51,995.

After destination fees, customers can expect to pay about $10,000 more for the 2024 Blazer EV RS AWD, which dealers will start to receive in August. Chevy also plans to build the 2LT AWD versions this fall, which will now cost $56,715 compared to its previous price of $47,595 a year prior.

The move is in contrast to recent EV price cuts from automakers like Ford, which reduced prices on its Mustang Mach-E SUV, including the Premium AWD trim, which has dropped from $53,995 to $49,995, and the F-150 Lighting...

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Google will ‘supercharge’ Assistant with AI that’s more like ChatGPT and Bard

Illustration: The Verge

Google is planning to update Assistant with features powered by generative AI, according to a report from Axios. In an email obtained by the outlet, Google tells staff members that it has already started exploring a “supercharged” Assistant powered by the newest large language models (LLM), similar to the technology behind ChatGPT and Google’s own Bard chatbot. According to the email, “A portion of the team has already started working on this, beginning with mobile.”

As part of this change, Google says it’s condensing the team that works on Assistant. The email obtained by Axios states that the company is “eliminating a small number of roles,” although it’s unclear how many employees are affected. According to Axios, Google laid off...

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Microsoft’s repairability push now extends to Xbox controllers, too

Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge

Microsoft has started selling controller parts on its online store. Owners of both the Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller and the standard Xbox Wireless Controller can head to the Microsoft store right now to buy replacement boards, sticks, buttons, covers, and more. Now, if your shoulder buttons are broken or your sticks are drifting, it means you don’t have to rely on third-party sources for parts and directions to attempt a repair that could be much cheaper than replacing controllers that can cost $59.99 or $179.99 brand-new.

The Elite series 2 controller repair kits range in price from $23.99 for button sets to $59.99 for a replacement PCBA and motor assembly. As you’d expect, prices are lower for the standard controller,...

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The best free apps for video meetings

Illustration: Samar Haddad / Photo by Becca Farsace

While many companies are encouraging their employees to return to the office, working remotely (when possible) seems to have caught on and is probably not going anywhere in the near future. Many of us are still using videoconferencing apps to keep in touch with work colleagues, family, and friends. Zoom continues to top the list of these meeting apps, but there are a bunch of other free applications out there that will allow you to meet others online.

What follows are descriptions of some of the more interesting free video conferencing apps. We’ve concentrated on applications that allow at least 10 or more participants. Rather than simply assume that Zoom is best for you, you may want to try one or two of these out for yourself to see...

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