The Vergecast

Would you like Siri more if it had a face? This week on The Vergecast, we’re talking about AI assistants getting smarter… and uncomfortably personal. The Verge’s Jennifer Pattison Tuohy joins the show to talk about her early tests of Alexa Plus, which is finally AI-powered and a lot more capable. Jake shares his uncomfortable first interaction with Grok’s anime girlfriend. And Waveform cohost David Imel is here to talk about Sony’s RX1R III and other premium “compact” cameras. Finally, the THUNDER ROUND is back. New, improved, and still loud. Further reading: 24 hours with Alexa Plus: we cooked, we chatted, and it kinda lied to me Alexa Plus launches to “small number” of people More than a million people now have Alexa Plus Elon Musk’s AI bot adds a ridiculous anime companion with ‘NSFW’ mode I spent 24 hours flirting with Elon Musk’s AI girlfriend System prompt dump of xAI / Grok’s new AI anime girlfriend Elon Musk teases AI anime boyfriend based on Edward Cullen “We will, of course, have another character inspired by Mr. Darcy” xAI has open roles for building AI “waifus.” US government announces $200 million Grok contract a week after ‘MechaHitler’ incident Grok will no longer call itself Hitler or base its opinions on Elon Musk’s, promises xAI Sony’s pocket-sized RX1R camera returns with its first update in 10 years Original RX1R RX1R II Google exec: ‘We’re going to be combining ChromeOS and Android’ Our biggest questions about ChromeOS and Android merging Ikea goes all in on Matter/Thread Eric Migicovsky Texts.com Google Nest subscription The next batch of emoji includes Bigfoot Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of The Vergecast, we’re going to dive deep into why accessible design is universal design. First, guest host Victoria Song will chat with Jason Valley, a visually impaired Verge reader. Jason initially reached out to Victoria after her Live AI hands-on, challenging the notion that the feature was a “solution looking for a problem to solve.” Jason shares how the tech has helped him live a more independent life, what he’s hoping to see improve, and how the blind and low-vision community has enthusiastically embraced the technology. After that, Victoria sits down with Be My Eyes CEO Mike Buckley. Be My Eyes is an app that pairs blind and low-vision users with sighted volunteers to help them go about their day. Buckley gives his thoughts about how accessible tech design benefits everyone, why smart glasses and AI are a natural combo, and what challenges and opportunities in this space remain. And finally, we have features reporter Mia Sato on to answer a spicy question about smart glasses from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com). Specifically, do smart glasses belong in the bedroom? Further reading: Live AI on Meta’s smart glasses is a solution looking for a problem Meta’s smart glasses can now describe what you’re seeing in more detail The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses actually make the future look cool Be My Eyes AI offers GPT-4-powered support for blind Microsoft customers The principles of wearable etiquette Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Summer phone season kicks off with Samsung’s latest launch. Jake, Vee, and Allison talk about Samsung’s new lineup of foldables, including the very thin new Z Fold 7 and Allison’s disdain for the Z Flip 7 FE. Vee has impressions of Samsung’s new Galaxy Watch 8 lineup and its squircle-y new redesign. Then, it’s time to talk Big Tech shakeups. Apple’s COO is leaving, Zuckerberg is buying himself an AI dream team, X’s CEO is out — and its chatbot Grok is on a rampage. Finally, big things are in store for the Lightning Round… which shall henceforth be known as the THUNDER ROUND. Lots to talk about, including Lorde’s CD problems, Apple’s Liquid Glass changes, and HBO Max finally becoming HBO Max again. Further reading: Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2025: Everything announced at the July event Galaxy Z Fold 7 hands-on: Samsung finally made the foldables we’ve been asking for Samsung cuts price of its foldables with the Z Flip 7 FE Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 series hands-on: squircle squad Samsung seems to have leaked its own trifold phone design Samsung says its trifold phone should launch ‘this year’ Samsung snuck a trifold tease into (January) Unpacked One of Tim Cook’s possible successors is leaving Apple Sabih Khan Apple’s design team will report to Tim Cook A close look at who could succeed Tim Cook Mark Zuckerberg announces his AI ‘superintelligence’ super-group Meta is paying $14 billion to catch up in the AI race Meta’s ‘superintelligence’ hiring spree adds an AI leader from Apple Pay packages of up to $300 million over four years Meta is trying to win the AI race with money — but not everyone can be bought X CEO Linda Yaccarino is stepping down after two years X’s CEO is out after failing at basically everything she claimed she wanted Threads is catching up to X on mobile X has a new head of product Elon Musk’s xAI buys Elon Musk’s X for $33 billion on paper xAI updated Grok to be more ‘politically incorrect’ Grok stops posting text after flood of antisemitism and Hitler praise “In other posts it referred to itself as “MechaHitler”. Musk makes grand promises about Grok 4 in the wake of a Nazi chatbot meltdown Adobe’s new camera app is making me rethink phone photography Ikea’s latest speaker lamp ditches Sonos for Spotify and inexpensive Bluetooth Ikea ditches Zigbee for Thread going all in on Matter smart homes Perplexity launches Comet web browser OpenAI’s next big launch could be an AI web browser E Ink is turning the laptop touchpad into an e-reader for AI apps Lorde’s new CD is so transparent that stereos can’t even read it I tried playing Lorde’s new CD Appeals court strikes down ‘click-to-cancel’ rule Nothing’s ‘first true flagship’ phone plays it a little safe Adding calendar events with a screenshot is AI at its finest The government’s Apple antitrust lawsuit is still on Apple just added more frost to its Liquid Glass design Apple’s second-generation Vision Pro might launch this year Nvidia briefly became the first $4 trillion company on Wednesday The makers of Cameo just launched... a birthday-tracking app? Nintendo is ending its cost-saving Switch game vouchers HBO Max is officially HBO Max again Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this episode of The Vergecast, we kick off Hot Girl Vergecast Summer with a classic Vergecast segment: the mic test. Guest host Victoria Song is joined by Vergecast producers Andru Marino and Erick Gomez to see how the Nothing Headphone 1, Sony WH-1000XM6, Apple AirPods Max, and Bose QuietComfort Ultra hold up against what’s possibly the noisiest street in Brooklyn. After that, Victoria is joined by Ladder CEO Greg Stewart to talk about what it takes to build a successful strength training app — especially for people just starting out. As it turns out, it’s quite challenging, between curating playlists, accommodating users’ different access to equipment, skill levels, and preferences for coaching styles. (And maybe, some occasional beef with Peloton?) Lastly, we answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com) about AI fitness summaries, whether people actually like them, what’s frustrating about them, and what scenarios they might actually be useful for. Want to learn more about the topics in this episode? Here are some handy dandy links for your reference: Nothing Headphone 1 review Sony WH-1000XM6 hands-on Apple AirPods Max review Bose QuietComfort Ultra review A lazy person’s guide to getting into shape Ladder isn’t done trolling Peloton The unbearable obviousness of AI fitness summaries Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One way to think about the tech industry is just as a series of people trying to build stuff they saw in movies and on TV. Some of that tech is great, some of it is deeply dystopian, and most of it would make the world a very different place if it suddenly existed. In this episode, a bunch of us try to figure out which tech we actually want to use. David is joined by The Verge’s Allison Johnson, Jennifer Pattison-Tuohy, Mia Sato, and Victoria Song — aka the hosts of Hot Girl Vergecast Summer — to draft their way through the movie, show, and game tech they’d want to make real. Some of the picks you’ll expect, and some we bet has never crossed your mind. And some big-name tech goes undrafted! Once you've finished the show, make sure you take the poll and tell us who won: https://forms.gle/Q1wFhpzCdM3B5bqj9 Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's already the heat of summer, and the news keeps coming. Nilay, David, and Jake start the show with a bunch of tech news, including the latest on Tesla's robotaxi launch, some updates on the Trump Phone, new devices from Fairphone and Unihertz, and Meta's shifting strategy for face computers. After that, The Verge's Adi Roberston joins the show to talk about two important AI lawsuits that were both decided this week — one involving Anthropic and the other involving Meta — and what this particular battle means for who will win the AI war. Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for another round of Brendan Carr is a Dummy, some huge news in the HDMI world, and the end of the Blue Screen of Death. Further reading: Tesla’s robotaxis are operating in a regulatory vacuum Here’s a running list of all of Tesla’s robotaxi mishaps so far The Trump Phone no longer promises it’s made in America The smaller Fairphone 6 introduces swappable accessories The Titan 2 is a modern BlackBerry with 5G, Android, and two screens A week in Xbox VR with Microsoft and Meta’s new $399 headset Meta announces Oakley smart glasses that shoot 3K video Anthropic wins a major fair use victory for AI — but it’s still in trouble for stealing books Meta’s AI copyright win comes with a warning about fair use Senate confirms Trump’s FCC pick, Olivia Trusty FCC Seeks Public Comments on Changing Broadcast Ownership Rules Trump’s FTC agrees to Omnicom merger — with a gift to X Paramount Plus with Showtime is getting a rebrand Paramount delays $35M settlement with Trump as media giant fears bribery backlash: sources The Paramount Risk in Settling Trump’s Lawsuit: ‘Bribery’? The HDMI 2.2 specification supports 16K video at 60Hz Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tesla is famous for throwing caution to the wind in the name of rolling out cool technology, so it was somewhat surprising to see its robotaxi service launch over the weekend in somewhat muted fashion. The Verge's Andy Hawkins joins the show to explain what, exactly, Elon Musk and co. launched, and what it says about the state of the self-driving revolution. After that, The Verge's Allison Johnson takes us through the history of MVNOs, and why they might just be the best deal in wireless carriers. We talk about Trump Mobile, Ryan Reynolds, e-SIMs, and what it would mean to make it easier to switch service. Finally, we answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline about how to free up storage on your iPhone. It's harder than it should be, but hopefully easier than you think. Further reading: Tesla’s robotaxi is live: here are some of the first reactions The Tesla Cybercab is a cool-looking prototype that needed to be much more than that Waymo says it will add 2,000 more robotaxis into 2026 How Donald Trump and Ryan Reynolds can easily sell you phone plans Trump Mobile is a bad deal How to clear up space on your iPhone when you’re running out of storage Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Starting a wireless carrier is easier than you might think. So is building a half-decent Android phone! But doing all the things Trump Mobile promises, at the price and on the schedule it says, seems awfully close to impossible. While Nilay's out, David and Jake chat with The Verge's Dominic Preston about what we know about Trump Mobile and the T1 Phone, why everyone wants to be a wireless carrier, and what it would actually take for this to work out. After that, David and Jake talk through some big news in the TV world, and the streaming takeover that appears to be happening faster all the time. Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for some brief FCC news, a check on the state of Siri, big questions about the ad-rich future of WhatsApp, a look at the new fediverse feed in Threads, and some thoughts on the Framework Laptop 12. Further reading: Trump Mobile launches $47 service and a gold phone Who is really behind the Trump Mobile T1 phone? Trump Mobile is a bad deal What is the deal with the Trump Mobile T1 Phone? What do Alabama, California, and Florida have in common? How Donald Trump and Ryan Reynolds can easily sell you phone plans Even Klarna is launching a mobile phone service now SmartLess Mobile | Don't get outsmarted. Get SmartLess Mobile. Eric trump interview Trump is giving TikTok another ban extension Vivo wants its new X200 Ultra smartphone to replace your camera Streaming is eating cable and broadcast TV’s lunch. | The Verge From Nieman Lab: For the first time, social media overtakes TV as Americans’ top news source Max will show autoplaying video previews suggested by AI Senate confirms Trump’s FCC pick, Olivia Trusty Apple’s upgraded Siri might not arrive until next spring WhatsApp is officially getting ads WhatsApp’s rollout of ads will change the app forever Signal says it won’t add AI or ads like WhatsApp. | The Verge Reddit will help advertisers turn ‘positive’ posts into ads Senate passes GENIUS stablecoin bill in a win for the crypto industry Threads is adding fediverse content and search to its feeds Framework Laptop 12 review: plastic fantastic | The Verge Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a small miracle that a bunch of us managed to get our heads out of Mario Kart World long enough to make a show about the Switch 2. But that's what we did! First, we chat with The Verge's Andrew Webster about his review, and why it feels like the Switch 2 is both everything we wanted and somehow still a little underwhelming. (Or at least just... whelming.) After that, The Verge's Ash Parrish tells us about her adventures traveling with the Switch 2, plus her recent time with the new Asus ROG Xbox Ally, and what she's learning about the future of consoles. Finally, The Verge's Sean Hollister helps us answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline all about console prices: why they keep going up, and whether they'll continue to be worth it. Further reading: Nintendo Switch 2 review: exactly good enough Nintendo says your bad Switch 2 battery life might be a bug Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller review: pro enough for me Mario Kart World review: the perfect Switch 2 launch game The Verge staff on the Switch 2: what we love and what we don’t Fortnite feels like a new game on the Switch 2 Xbox’s new handheld is a surprisingly comfortable way to play Gears of War Steam Deck, Switch, ROG: picking the perfect portable console Steam Deck OLED, ROG Ally and more: all the news about the handheld PC revolution Fortnite feels like a new game on the Switch 2 Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's a lot of news this week, so today's episode turned into a whole bunch of lightning rounds. Nilay, David, and The Verge's Jake Kastrenakes talk through all the vibes and news at WWDC, and why F1 seemed to outshine everything else. We also talk about the Switch 2 launch, and the news this week that Microsoft and Asus are building Xbox handhelds in both clever and confusing ways. After that, we run through for a bunch of AI news, including the ongoing decline of Google traffic to the web, the new Dia browser, and Sam Altman's ideas about how much water ChatGPT uses. Finally, it's time for another edition of Brendan Carr is a Dummy, followed by the news of Warner Bros. Discovery breaking up, some very fast flash drives, and a new Meta messaging app. Further reading: Craig Federighi confirms Apple’s first attempt at an AI Siri wasn’t good enough Ars: Apple’s Craig Federighi on the long road to the iPad’s Mac-like multitasking Nintendo’s Switch 2 is the fastest-selling game console of all time Nintendo says your bad Switch 2 battery life might be a bug Microsoft and Asus announce two Xbox Ally handhelds with new Xbox full-screen experience This is how Microsoft is combining Windows and Xbox for handheld PCs Xbox’s new handheld is a surprisingly comfortable way to play Gears of War Microsoft just teased its next-gen Xbox console, and nobody noticed The Nothing Phone 3 is coming to the US, and not in beta. HP reveals $24,999 hardware created just for Google Beam Online publishers are facing a chatbot calamity. Disney and Universal sue Midjourney for making AI ripoffs of their biggest characters Taboola’s clickbaity chumbox is evolving into an AI chatbot Alexa Plus now has a million users and could be coming to you this summer Amazon is about to be flooded with AI-generated video ads Dia, the AI browser from the makers of Arc, is now available in beta Sam Altman claims an average ChatGPT query uses ‘roughly one fifteenth of a teaspoon’ of water FCC’s last Democratic commissioner doesn’t know why Trump hasn’t fired her yet Republicans are barreling toward remaking the internet Trump-fired FTC commissioner resigns. Warner Bros. Discovery is splitting into two companies Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apple spent 90 minutes talking about the future of its software, and we're pretty sure only said the word "Siri" once. Nilay and David are joined by The Verge's Victoria Song and Allison Johnson, both of whom were with Nilay at the keynote, to talk about all the news of the day. They talk about the Liquid Glass design language, and why Apple decided to redesign all its software. They talk about Spotlight on the Mac, the new multitasking features on the iPad, the typing indicators on the iPhone, Workout Buddy on the Watch, personas on the Vision Pro, and everything else that Apple announced — or, in a few cases, pointedly didn't announce — on stage. We're just starting to try out some of this software, and it's all likely to change a lot before it hits your devices this fall. And we'll have lots of thoughts along the way. Further reading: Apple renames its operating systems Apple’s new design language is Liquid Glass Apple’s Liquid Glass redesign doesn’t look like much Apple’s ChatGPT integration makes it easier to search for more context on images and shop for things they see. Apple Intelligence takes on language barriers in messages and phone calls. Apple announces macOS Tahoe 26 with new design and revamped search features Apple’s Spotlight upgrades in macOS Tahoe have power users in mind Apple launches iPadOS 26 with a new look and way better multitasking Apple announces watchOS 26 with a wrist flick gesture and AI ‘Workout Buddy’ Apple’s visionOS 26 adds PSVR2 controller support and spatial widgets Apple’s AirPods update adds camera controls and more Apple’s new Games app lets you challenge your friends Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Developer conference season is almost over, but we've got one show left to see: Apple's WWDC begins on Monday. Nilay, David, and Joanna Stern spend time going through both what they expect to see at the show, and why this year's WWDC might feel a bit different than in years past. Apple is in a tricky place with regulators, developers, and users alike, and has some genuine explaining to do. After that, they talk about the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, and David's surprisingly easy adventure to acquire one. We also have a bit of smart glasses and AI gadgets news to discuss, so we do that too. Then it's time for Brendan Carr is a Dummy, and an update on a couple of the interesting new fediverse projects launching this week. Further reading: Verge subscriptions are on sale 40 percent off American Society of Magazine Editors Announces National Magazine Awards 2025 Winners Apple ordered to keep web links in the App Store Payment companies team up to help developers ditch App Store billing Apple could be adding camera controls and sleep detection to your AirPods Switch 2 launch: where to find restocks online and in-store Look inside the Nintendo Switch 2 with the console’s first teardown Mario Kart World’s designers had to rethink everything to make it open world Nintendo is updating even more games for the Switch 2 Here’s what’s inside Meta’s experimental new smart glasses Meta’s reportedly shopping for exclusive content on its upcoming VR headset Meta reportedly sidelined ‘Quest 4’ designs for a goggles-like mixed-reality headset FCC investigation looms over EchoStar’s missed interest payments and a new satellite From Ars Technica: FCC Republican resigns, leaving agency with just two commissioners Jony Ive’s OpenAI device gets the Laurene Powell Jobs nod of approval ChatGPT’s goal is to be a ‘super assistant’ for every part of your life Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Help us plan for the future of The Vergecast by filling out a brief survey: voxmedia.com/survey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We've talked many times on The Vergecast about the dream of the perfect charger. We call it The God Cable, and imagine it would charge everything, at full optimized speed, no matter what you plug in. Well, one company tried to make it – sort of. TwelveSouth founder Andrew Green joins the show to talk about how his company developed its newest product, the PowerCord, and why actually the God Cable might be both impossible and a bad idea. After that, The Verge's Tina Nguyen joins the show to talk about her experience at Bitcoin 2025 in Las Vegas, the rise of $TRUMP, and how crypto and the government became so intertwined. Finally, we answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline about AI agents, and the tasks we should (and shouldn't) offload to our chatbots. Further reading: The TwelveSouth PowerCord The Vergecast USB-C Holiday Spec-tacular Everything you need to know about switching to USB-C How a crypto bro shorted $TRUMP coin — and scored a dinner with the President Presidential seals, $100,000 watches, and a Marriott afterparty Trump’s media company says it’s buying $2.5 billion in Bitcoin The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act will soon ramp up in Congress. Crypto funds seized by the government may go into a ‘digital Fort Knox’ Google’s future is Google googling OpenAI’s new Operator AI agent can do things on the web for you Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a slowish news week ahead of some very busy news weeks, so of course Nilay and David start the show with a long discussion about party speakers. Eventually, they get into the news, beginning with some of the huge Apple redesigns planned for WWDC in June. For the first time in a long time, the stakes for Apple's software teams feel really high. After that, the hosts talk about Nilay's recent interview with Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and what the AI-ification of everything means for the future of the web. Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for another Brendan Carr is a Dummy, plus some talk about the Nintendo Switch 2, a bit of confusing tariff news, and more. Further reading: Graduation and prom season in full force, Alan sends a graduation procession with a party speaker on… her head? So so many softball and baseball games, Luis tips us to the Yankees Incredible at a dentist office from Oktawian Apple is reportedly going to rename all of its operating systems Apple is ready to replace Game Center with a more Xbox-like gaming app Get ready for Apple’s glassy operating systems overhaul. Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry The New York Times’ first generative AI deal is with Amazon The Browser Company explains why it stopped developing Arc The plan for nationwide fiber internet might be upended for Starlink FCC Commissioner Labels Trump Push to Chill Speech an ‘Administration-Wide Effort’ Carr's attack on Ergen looks gross Shut Down the Federal Communications Commission With the Switch, technology finally caught up to Nintendo Nintendo’s bold new era is full of safe bets The Nintendo Switch was an indie game haven, until it was overrun with slop The Nintendo Switch 2 sure seems to work just fine with a USB mouse There’s a Switch 2 unboxing video already. Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After more than a month of testimony, the Meta antirust trial is beginning to slow down. The Google search remedies trial, meanwhile, is about to heat up again, with closing arguments coming soon. The Verge’s Lauren Feiner has been in the DC courthouse for all of it, and has finally emerged to tell us about what she’s seen, and learned, from two all-important monopoly trials. After that, The Verge’s Victoria Song tells us about her latest experience with Google’s smart glasses prototypes, what Google is doing differently from Meta and Apple, and what she thinks Jony Ive and OpenAI might be building. Finally, we answer a question on the Vergecast Hotline about what to do now that Mozilla is shutting down Pocket. FTC v. Meta: The antitrust battle over WhatsApp and Instagram Did WhatsApp really need Meta? Why the FTC argues Meta is a closer rival to MeWe than TikTok Instagram CEO testifies about competing with TikTok: ‘You’re either growing, or you’re slowly dying’ Android XR is getting stylish partners in Warby Parker, Gentle Monster Xreal teases Project Aura smart glasses for Android XR We tried on Google’s prototype AI smart glasses Android XR and Project Moohan hands-on: Gemini is the killer app Mozilla is shutting down Pocket Raindrop.io Instapaper Matter Wallabag Readwise Reader Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bad news if you don't care about AI: this week was absolutely chock-full of AI news. First, Nilay, David, and The Verge's Alex Heath talk about the news that OpenAI and Jony Ive are teaming up to build... something. A gadget, for sure, maybe lots of gadgets. We don't know much, but we have a lot of thoughts, and a lot of questions. After that, the hosts talk through all the news at Google I/O, including what's new with Gemini, Google Search, Project Astra, Project Mariner, and the countless other ways Google is putting AI absolutely everywhere. Finally, in the lightning round, we buckle up for another round of Brendan Carr is a Dummy, talk through some late-breaking Apple gadget news, and marvel over the future of conference calls. Further reading: OpenAI is buying Jony Ive’s AI hardware company From The Wall Street Journal: What Sam Altman Told OpenAI About the Secret Device He’s Making With Jony Ive Details leak about Jony Ive’s new ‘screen-free’ OpenAI device Jony Ive says Rabbit and Humane made bad products The 15 biggest announcements at Google I/O 2025 Google launches AI Mode to everyone in the US, adds more features to AI Overviews Google’s 3D video calling tech is finally going to ship this year Project Astra 2025: Google’s universal AI assistant is now smarter and more proactive Google has a new tool just for making AI videos Google reveals $250 per month ‘AI Ultra’ plan Google Meet can translate what you say into other languages Google’s Gemini AI is coming to Chrome Google says its new image AI can actually spell Google will let you ‘try on’ clothes with AI Google is bringing an ‘Agent Mode’ to the Gemini app We tried on Google’s prototype AI smart glasses Microsoft CTO Kevin Scott on the birth of the agentic web Microsoft’s plan to fix the web: letting every website run AI search for cheap Google rejected giving publishers more choice to opt out of AI Search Google is stuffing even more ads into its AI results Google’s Gemini AI is coming to Chrome Google reveals $250 per month ‘AI Ultra’ plan FCC Chairman Carr seeks to designate NBC equal time issue for hearing FCC approves Verizon’s $20 billion merger after it commits to ‘ending’ DEI Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kids these days, you know? They love the '90s, they want everything to be colorful and bold and bouncy, and they really, truly love Snapchat. And the tech world is listening. On this episode, The Verge's Allison Johnson joins to talk about her review of the new Razr Ultra, the new-look Android 16, and why she thinks we're getting ever closer to a true flip phone resurgence. (Also: why we're not quite there yet.) After that, The Verge's Alex Heath explains what's going on with Snapchat, and how it's possible that the app is more popular than ever but still can't figure out how to cash in. It all makes us wonder: is there a business in chat at all? Finally, we answer a question on the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com!) about a possible outcome for Chrome after the Google search trial ends. Further reading: Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) review: looking sharp The best folding phones you can buy Android’s youthful new design language just dropped Snapchat scraps ‘simple’ redesign as it loses users in North America Zuckerberg offered to buy Snapchat for $6 billion. Evan Spiegel explains why Snap is betting on Spectacles Breaking down the DOJ’s plan to end Google’s search monopoly Why are companies lining up to buy Chrome? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Names are hard — but they don't have to be this hard. Nilay, David, and The Verge's Jake Kastrenakes start the show with some personal news, before digging into the monumentally silly thinking behind Warner Bros. Discovery re-re-naming its streaming service HBO Max. After that, and some more streaming news, we turn our attention to the gadget news of the week, including the long-awaited release of CarPlay Ultra and the latest announcements from the Android team at Google. Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for Brendan Carr is a Dummy, some debate on the future of Airbnb, and a brief party speaker update. Because the mystery continues. Further reading: It’s not Max, it’s HBO Max Max was an all-time bad rebrand How HBO’s creatives survived corporate chaos ESPN’s standalone streaming app launches this fall for $30 a month Fox One streaming service will arrive just in time for football season Netflix’s ad tier is growing really fast — and that means more ads Netflix is bringing back Star Search as a live show YouTube will stream an opening week NFL game for free Peacock’s NBA coverage will add an overlay with live shot stats Apple’s CarPlay Ultra is finally here, if you have a new Aston Martin Apple’s fancy new CarPlay will only work wirelessly Android 16 Material Three Expressive UI coming in beta this month Google’s splashy new Android UI is coming in beta this month. It’s Dieter! Warner Bros. is launching a cinematic universe for brands Here's How NBCU Is Integrating Brand Sponsors for SNL50 FCC threatens EchoStar licenses for spectrum that SpaceX wants to use Airbnb’s new app has all of your vacation extras in one place Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Verge's Will Poor recently came home from vacation and discovered he had an insect problem. More specifically, his Sonos speaker had an insect problem. Will brings us the story of what really happened there, and what he discovered about how the animal kingdom — and the electronics world — works. After that, The Verge's Andru Marino tells us about his research on all things AI podcasts. He tells us why people are so hooked on NotebookLM's Audio Overviews, where these generated shows fall short, and what all us human podcasters could learn from the bots. Finally, The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy helps us answer a question on the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com!) all about smart lights. Which get complicated faster than you think. Further reading: Oh no, Google is turning everything into a podcast Google’s NotebookLM AI podcasts add ‘interactive’ mode for some Q-and-A Steven Johnson on Google, NotebookLM, and AI research A guide to getting started with smart lighting: When to use smart switches and smart bulbs Inovelli smart switches Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Where will Meta, Apple, and Google be three years from now? It's starting to look like they might all be very different. Nilay, David, and The Verge's Richard Lawler start the show with Eddy Cue's testimony in the Google search trial, in which Cue argued that AI is taking over — and that Google should be allowed to keep paying Apple gobs of money. The hosts also chat about the latest in the Meta trials, and how the recent Apple ruling is already changing the App Store. Then, there are some gadgets to talk about: the panopticon-slash-killer-app coming for Meta's smart glasses, the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, and a lot of new iPhones. In the lightning round, we do another round of Brendan Carr is a Dummy, then talk about some new Netflix designs and the latest in our worldwide hunt for party speakers. Further reading: Eddy Cue is fighting to save Apple’s $20 billion paycheck from Google Apple’s Eddy Cue: ‘You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now’ Google searches are falling in Safari for the first time ever — probably because of AI Google's statement about Search traffic Apple is looking at adding Perplexity and other AI search engines to Safari Amazon now has a ‘Get book’ button in its iOS Kindle app Epic will use an EU account to bring Fortnite back to the US App Store Patreon’s iOS update allows creators to bypass in-app purchases Apple is trying to halt the App Store ruling. Apple files appeal to wrest back control of its App Store A new bill would force Apple to allow third-party app storesDOJ’s proposed Google changes would ‘deeply undermine user trust,’ search chief says Firefox could be doomed without Google search deal, says executive DOJ asks court to split up Google’s ad tech empire Threads was originally going to live inside the Instagram app | The Verge Instagram doesn’t want to be a ‘lean-back experience.’ | The Verge ‘TikTok is probably the fiercest competition that we have faced.’ | The Verge Instagram has spent up to $700 million in a year to lure creators. Mosseri calls the first version of Reels his ‘biggest mistake.’ | The Verge Meta’s new AI glasses could have a ‘super-sensing’ mode with facial recognition Apple is planning smart glasses with and without AR Apple ‘iPhone Air’ rumor suggests a bigger screen coming in 2027 Apple may stagger next year’s iPhones to make way for a foldable Microsoft’s smaller Surface Pro has a 12-inch display and starts at $799 Microsoft shrinks its Surface Laptop down to 13 inches, priced at $899 Microsoft’s new Surface devices ditch magnetic charging port for USB-C How Microsoft shrunk its Surface devices Policing News, Policing DEI: The FCC’s Shifting Priorities Erode Its Credibility OpenAI abandons plan to become a for-profit company Netflix is getting a big TV revamp Netflix will try a TikTok-like feed on its mobile app I put four robot lawnmowers through a brutal backyard battle Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices