YouTube’s premium subscriptions are about to get more expensive for long-time subscribers with legacy plans in more places. In December, YouTube told US subscribers with legacy YouTube Premium plans (stemming from discontinued services Google Play Music or YouTube Red) they’d need to start paying the current $13.99 per month price in the new year.

YouTube Music users in Europe have posted emails they received announcing a price increase for them, too, and just like the US, some report getting three more months at the current price before the hike.

In an email to The Verge, YouTube communications manager Paul Pennington confirmed prices are increasing for both YouTube Premium, which removes ads on the streaming videos and includes access...

Continue reading…

Apple’s redesigned Mac Mini M4 has ditched the previous M2 machine’s SSD that was soldered to the logic board, as confirmed by teardowns like this one posted on X, showing it has a single removable SSD module. It’s not Apple’s first desktop computer to go in this direction, as we saw similar modules in the Mac Studio and Mac Pro.

After this article was published, another teardown was published on the Brandon Geekabit YouTube channel, which also shows the removable drive and other parts.

However, as noted by MacRumors, it’s probably similar to their...

Continue reading…

Google is generally rolling out its Gemini AI-powered Vids app that lets you create video presentations using a prompt. Some of Vids’ key features include letting Gemini auto-insert stock footage for you, generating a script, and making AI voiceovers so you don’t have to speak. Google advertises that the tool can help turn customer support articles into videos, make training videos, share company announcements, create meeting recaps, and more.

Vids will be available by default for Workspace organizations with access, but Google notes possible usage limits may apply to features like “Help me create” and AI voiceovers starting in 2026.

First announced in April, Vids lets you drop in relevant docs, slides, voiceovers, and video recordings...

Continue reading…

Apple is showing some love to Android users by finally displaying their message reactions correctly. Now when an Android user reacts to an RCS message from an iOS user, the selected emoji will appear in line with the message bubble on iOS — instead of archaically appearing as a separate line like this: “ to ‘that wasn’t supposed to happen.’”

The Verge sent test messages and emoji reactions between iPhones running iOS 18.1 and different Android phones, confirming both devices now display reactions as intended. It’s unclear when this change happened or whose side — Google or Apple — had to make adjustments to get it working.

When RCS first launched widely on iOS in September, message reactions from Android users still weren’t being...

Continue reading…

Audi is making a big change to its branding for the Chinese market with a new logo that lacks the automaker’s famous four-ring emblem. Today in Shanghai, the company showed off the new “AUDI” logo — yes, it’s just Audi in all caps — on the front of a new E concept electric Sportback that notably lacks its broadly used “E-Tron” branding.

In a press release, Audi’s CEO Gernot Döllner said it’s hoping to tap into China’s “more tech-savvy” customers who “expect leading connectivity as well as automated driving.” Reuters reported in August that Audi was planning a rebrand for China, where the automaker sold less than 10,000 vehicles in the country in the first half of 2024.

Audi...

Continue reading…

The latest macOS beta changes the options you’ll see when you use AirPlay to mirror your screen. As reported by MacRumors, the new beta version of macOS Sequoia 15.2 lets you select a single window or app on your Mac to display on another screen, like your TV — or maybe something else, like a Vision Pro headset or Apple’s rumored smart display.

macOS 15.2 is expected to be released publicly in early December. It also brings new Apple Intelligence features, including Image Playground and ChatGPT integration for Siri. It’s also getting a new weather menu item that can give you the outside temperature at a glance.

The new AirPlay experience includes a new menu pop-up asking “what do you want to show” on Apple TV, with three large buttons...

Continue reading…

Take-Two Interactive is selling off its indie games label Private Division, which published titles such as The Outer Worlds and OlliOlli World, following rumors over the summer that Take-Two laid off most of Private Division’s staff.

Take-Two did not disclose the buyer of Private Division or how much they paid. In an emailed statement to The Verge, Take-Two spokesperson Alan Lewis wrote:

We recently made the strategic decision to sell our Private Division label to focus our resources on growing our core and mobile businesses for the long-term. As part of this transaction, the buyer purchased our rights to substantially all of Private Division’s live and unreleased titles.

Take-Two will continue to support No Rest for the Wicked, which...

Continue reading…

Mercedes-Benz is showing off its all-electric CLA prototype and sharing a few new details planned for the upcoming 2025 production version. The CEO of Mercedes-Benz Group, Ola Källenius, provides a limited tour of the car, in which he talks to its new AI assistant, and takes it for a spin in a new video posted by the automaker.

The CLA is camouflaged like the one spotted in September, but now we’re getting a look at the likely final version of Mercedes’ star logo headlights and a small look at the CLA’s interior. Mercedes-Benz says much of the tech from the EQXX Concept revealed in 2022 is incorporated into the CLA.

Källenius says this CLA “ushers in an era of a whole generation of new vehicles from Mercedes” that uses its newest...

Continue reading…

You can now buy a USB-C charger that finally hits the promised power spec for beefy laptops at a max rate of 240W. You probably do not need this charger, and you may not have a device that even supports its peak power, but it’s here now if you want one to future-proof your office setup.

Delta Electronics’ ADP-240KB charger is an AC power supply that supports the maximum charge speeds possible on the USB-C Power Delivery (USB-PD) standard. It’s available from US component distributor Mouser Electronics for $126.37 plus shipping, or slightly less if you want at least 10. It’s advertised as a desktop AC adapter and comes as a dull black brick with a standardized three-prong AC in port (the AC cable is not included).

Continue reading…

Suzuki and Toyota have been working together on a new 4WD-capable electric SUV, and in Italy yesterday, Suzuki revealed the fruits of the collaboration: a new compact called the E Vitara. It’s the automaker’s first EV, and it’s scheduled for production at Suzuki Motor Gujarat in India starting next spring.

The E Vitara will launch in Europe, India, and Japan “around” the summer of next year, and there will be a Toyota-badged version, which will probably look a lot like the Urban SUV Concept Toyota revealed in 2023. Toyota similarly shares its mediocre bZ4X EV with Subaru, which is rebadged as the Solterra EV.

Toyota and Suzuki have been slow to adopt EVs into their lineups, with Toyota refocusing on...

Continue reading…

Toyota revealed a custom Tundra pickup truck that can pop out five big-screen TVs from its bed for a wild tailgating experience designed to let you watch football from “any angle.” The one-off vehicle is a prototype built for the 2024 SEMA show in Las Vegas, where it’s on display alongside many other cool concepts, including Toyota’s Jeepy open-air Land Cruiser.

This “Ultimate Tailgate Tundra,” however, is unlike anything else at the show in terms of gadgety engineering:

With the push of a button, a custom-built staging shell rises from the bed of the truck on four electric actuators, revealing five 55-inch weatherproof outdoor screens.

Continue reading…

Amazon is starting up drone delivery operations at its Tolleson, AZ, same-day delivery site. Customers who live in the West Valley Phoenix Metro Area are eligible to receive packages via Prime Air and will have “access to the over 50,000 everyday essentials” that include household, beauty, and office/tech supplies — which Amazon claims is its largest selection yet for fast drone deliveries.

The news came after Amazon announced it was shutting down its testing zone location in Lockeford, California. The new Tolleson location integrates drone deliveries into Amazon’s delivery network for the first time, and the drones will deploy right next to the fulfillment center.

Amazon is using its latest MK30 drones that can carry up to 5 pounds...

Continue reading…

Ford is making its own branded specialty adapter to enable Tesla Supercharger access for its EV customers. The automaker will offer its new adapter alongside the current Tesla-produced one for customers still awaiting a complementary adapter and will start shipping it today.

The adapters are being manufactured by EV equipment supply company Lectron, which has already made its own “Vortex” NACS to CCS adapters. Lectron had to recall its adapters previously due to a design flaw where it could unlatch while charging.

Lectron’s CEO Christopher Maiwald said in a State of Charge interview that the problem had been fixed. In an email to The Verge, PR representative for Ford Eddie Fernandez wrote that the new adapters are not connected to the...

Continue reading…

Google’s Pixel 9 launched with a cool new standalone weather app that can summarize outdoor conditions using AI. As reported by 9to5Google, the company is rolling it out to older Pixels running Android 15 with all the latest updates installed, including one of ours here at The Verge.

The standalone Google Weather app will pull saved locations from the built-in weather service already present on Pixels to let you track weather in multiple locations, arrange weather data blocks, track weather on a map, and get a summary so you don’t need to figure out if an umbrella is needed for the day.

If you have a Pixel 6, 7, or 8...

Continue reading…

Dropbox is cutting its workforce by 20 percent today — laying off 528 people — amid slowing growth for its core cloud storage business. The latest round of cuts comes after Dropbox laid off around 500 people in early 2023 to redirect efforts to its AI division.

“We’re making more significant cuts in areas where we’re over-invested or underperforming while designing a flatter, more efficient team structure overall,” writes Dropbox CEO Drew Houston in a blog post titled An update from Drew. At the same time, Houston mentions that the market is moving towards where the company placed its “biggest bets,” which includes Dropbox’s Dash AI search product.

For its second-quarter earnings this year in August, Dropbox reported an increase of...

Continue reading…

Apple’s week of episodic hardware releases continues today with a new video announcing the updated MacBook Pros with M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips. Their announcement follows the updated M4 iMac on Monday and the redesigned M4 Mac Mini on Tuesday.

Like the iMac and Mac Mini videos, the new MacBook Pro video is available to watch on Apple’s website by clicking the “watch the announcement” link on the product page or over on the company’s YouTube channel. This video yet again starts with Apple’s SVP of engineering, John Ternus, doing the hardware reveal honors. He says it’s “packed with pro features, Apple Intelligence, and Apple silicon that’s more powerful than ever before.” Then he opens the new notebook and a gust of wind blows his hair...

Continue reading…

OpenAI is reportedly working with Broadcom to develop new custom silicon designed to handle its large AI workloads for inference and secured manufacturing capacity with TSMC, according to sources speaking to Reuters. OpenAI has reportedly built a chip development team of about 20 people, including lead engineers who previously worked on Google’s Tensor processors for AI.

Still, on its current timeline, the custom-designed hardware may not start production until 2026.

In the meantime, the sources also said OpenAI is incorporating AMD chips into its Microsoft Azure setup. AMD introduced its MI300 chips last year, which was a big part of the news this summer that its data center business has doubled in a single year as it chases market...

Continue reading…

Cadillac is launching a new performance version of its all-electric Lyriq SUV. The new 2026 Lyriq-V, the luxury automaker’s first EV to get a V-Series badge, will come to North America, Australia, and New Zealand to start, plus other markets later. The specific launch date and pricing have not yet been revealed, but we can expect 2026 model-year vehicles to be available this time next year.

In an email to The Verge, Cadillac production communications representative Katie Minter wrote that the company will share more information on the features and specifications of Lyriq-V in early 2025.

Although we barely know anything about the Lyriq-V, GM says that V-Series vehicles are AWD standard and have “instantaneous acceleration,” which is also...

Continue reading…

Apple is finally removing the Lightning port from its lineup of Mac accessories. Earlier today, the company announced a new iMac with M4 with updated versions of the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad that all have USB-C. Apple is also selling them individually in the Apple Store. All three have featured the proprietary Lightning port since 2015.

The prices haven’t changed from their Lightning versions: the USB-C Magic Mouse is $99; the Magic Keyboard, which is so far seemingly only available as the larger model with a numpad, is $199; and the Magic Trackpad is $149. All three are available in black or white. USB-C aside, their designs are overall unchanged. And I regret to inform you after looking at the iMac page’s “View...

Continue reading…