Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge You’ve no doubt allowed dozens (or even hundreds) of apps to live on your smartphone, and it’s important that you know what these apps are up to. Part of that is keeping tabs on how much communicating each app is doing with the outside world. We’ve previously written about how to check data usage on an Android device, and here, we’re going to focus on iPhones.There are a couple of reasons to watch how much data your phone is using. First, while unlimited data plans are much more widespread than they used to be, bear in mind that these plans often apply speed restrictions when you go over a certain point every month. And if you’re using a limited plan and apps go over your data allowance while you’re away from Wi-Fi, it could start... Continue reading…

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge TikTok’s attempt to stall the EU from designating it as a “gatekeeper” — companies with platforms powerful enough that they must follow strict Digital Markets Act (DMA) antitrust rules — has been rejected by a court. Bloomberg reports that the EU’s General Court has dismissed owner ByteDance’s request for an interim measure that would effectively would buy TikTok some more time to implement the regulations, finding that the company “failed to demonstrate the urgency” required. Although TikTok is appealing the EU’s gatekeeper designation, the bloc still hasn’t reached a final decision yet on the appeal. ByteDance asked for an interim measure in December so it wouldn’t have to comply with the regulations before the EU decided the outcome... Continue reading…

Lenovo's ThinkPad Z16 (Gen 2), along with its smaller Z13 sibling, launched in 2023 and have been going strong as solid options for ThinkPad fans who want a more futuristic design and AMD Ryzen performance. The laptops feature a slim aluminum body that helps set them apart from other more traditional ThinkPads.

One of the first laptops I ever bought for myself was an HP Pavilion with (if I recall correctly) a low-end Nvidia GeForce Go discrete GPU. This was about 17 years ago, and the laptop was chunky and prone to overheating to the point where I'd put ice packs beneath it to cool it down. As far as my parents were concerned, I bought the laptop for school work, but it ended up seeing a lot more Diablo II and Counter-Strike than essays and research.

Image: Samsung The FDA has authorized a sleep apnea detection feature for the Samsung Galaxy Watch, clearing the way for a software update to the Samsung Health Monitor app in the third quarter of this year that will enable the feature for US users. South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety gave its nod of approval last fall for using wearable devices to detect breathing interruptions that are commonly associated with the sleep disorder, and the update will roll out there first.Although doctors warn that smartwatches are unreliable tools for sleep apnea detection and other health disorders, that hasn’t stopped major wearables makers like Apple, Fitbit, Withings, and others from trying to enter the space.In December, Bloomberg reported that... Continue reading…

Microsoft teased last month that new features would be coming to Sticky Notes and that it'd soon make "biggest announcements" regarding the note-taking app. Well, it looks like part of Microsoft's effort to give the Sticky Notes app a new life is not only about adding new features but also involves revamping the UI.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 series is the first set of flagship Android phones to launch in the United States in 2024, and there's naturally a lot of buzz around it. Galaxy AI is the big talking point on the new phones, and we'll undoubtedly be seeing AI in one form or another in nearly every tech product this year. If you have already found the best case for the Galaxy S24, it's time to look at screen protectors. The Gorilla Glass over the S24's display should offer a good level of scratch protection, but if you think your usage is rougher than usual (or you're simply clumsy), then it's best to protect that display from dings and scratches with a quality screen guard. There are many to choose from, but here are some of the best we've found for the S24.

Image: Peacock Another adaptation of Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem will be streaming for English audiences. While Netflix’s 3 Body Problem is set to premiere on March 21st, today, Peacock announced that it has acquired rights to the original Chinese adaptation, dubbed simply Three-Body. And it’s coming very soon — the series premieres on February 10th.Three-Body was produced by Tencent and originally premiered in China last year, and the Peacock version will be available in the original Chinese with English subtitles. Given that they’re adaptations, 3 Body Problem and Three-Body will follow the same story, but the Chinese adaptation appears to be much more expansive; it spans 30 episodes in total, compared to eight episodes for the Netflix... Continue reading…

A lot of gaming handhelds have shown up on the market over the last couple of years, but Valve's Steam Deck still reigns supreme as one of the best. Both the regular Steam Deck and its new OLED counterpart are great options to consider in 2024, with plenty of amazing games to enjoy. Steam may not be the most powerful handheld out there, but it can run a lot of games very well, including some modern AAA titles. If you are looking for something to play on your Steam Deck and are wondering which one to try, then consider some of our favorite Steam Deck.

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Apple might’ve backed a right-to-repair bill in California, but it was spotted lobbying against a new bill in Oregon that tries to ban the practice known as parts pairing. Cybersecurity expert Tarah Wheeler posted footage from and testified during a hearing about the state’s proposed right-to-repair bill, where testimony showed the company doesn’t want to give up full control of the repair process, as reported earlier by 404 Media. John Perry, Apple’s senior manager for the secure design team, said that Apple uses parts pairing to “make repair easier” while ensuring the device and its data “remains secure.” The bill in question, SB 1596, would require companies to provide the documentation, tools, and parts both customers and... Continue reading…

Noomia Rapace in Constellation | Image: Apple From Netflix to Disney Plus to Max, here are details on the most anticipated films and TV shows coming home this year on streaming platforms. Continue reading…

The Sushi Restaurant, by Brickproject. | Image via Bricklink Designer Program On Wednesday, Lego sold 30,000 copies of a Lego castle designed by a fan — the Mountain Fortress — earning him half a million dollars for his work. For a while, the company’s website was flattened under the load, and my Verge story about these fan-designed sets was pretty popular, too.So I suspect you might also be interested in a future wave of limited-edition, fan-designed Lego sets — and the chance to vote on them yourself!Today marks one week before voting wraps in the Lego BrickLink Designer Program Series 4, where many incredible ideas are currently vying for the chance to become an actual product packaged, sold, and shipped by The Lego Group. And while Lego will have the final say, it wants to know which sets you prefer. Here... Continue reading…