A shot of the Whoop 4.0 from our 2022 review.Whoop is in damage control mode. After debuting its Whoop 5.0 fitness tracker, users were angered to find it had reneged on a promise of free hardware upgrades. In a new Reddit post, the company now says users who have been members for over 12 months can get the Whoop 5.0 for free.Part of the outrage was prompted by Whoop’s confusing messaging. Early yesterday morning, my colleague Victoria Song reported that to get a Whoop 5.0 band, users would need to extend their existing membership by an additional 12 months or pay a one-time upgrade fee. However, until at least March 28th of this year, Whoop’s website had a blog post that said users would only need to have been a member for at least six months to get a free upgrade to next-gen hardware.After the backlash, Whoop is now changing its tune — somewhat. Those with “more than 12 months remaining” are “eligible for a free upgrade to WHOOP 5.0 on Peak,” one of its new subscription offerings. Those with less than 12 months left, still have to either extend their membership another 12 months or pay a one-time upgrade fee, the company says. The same information is reflected in an update on its membership pricing page.The company addresses the earlier blog post, writing that “a previous blog article incorrectly stated that anyone who had been a member for just 6 months would receive a free upgrade. This was never our policy and should never have been posted.” Whoop goes on:As noted above, our policy for upgrades from WHOOP 3.0 to WHOOP 4.0 was that members with 6 months or more remaining on their membership were eligible for a free upgrade to WHOOP 4.0. We removed that blog article when it came to our attention and updated WHOOP Coach with the proper information. We’re sorry for any confusion this may have caused. That seems to line up with a Forbes interview that a Reddit user found, in which Whoop CEO Will Ahmed told the outlet that members with a Whoop 3.0 band could upgrade to the 4.0 model, so long as they had “at least 6 months of membership left on their account.” The company used similar language in a 2021 blog post about the Whoop 4.0 band. Still, Redditors aren’t responding well to the company’s response, with some complaining about the need to extend their subscription even if they have 11 months left, or threatening to cancel their subscription.Even some who are more accepting of the change have criticisms. One person writes that while they’re “pleased with the change,” they don’t buy that the blog post was made in error. “They should just own that they changed their mind/policy rather than claim it was a false posting to begin with.”

The music-sharing platform SoundCloud quietly updated its terms of use in February last year, adding language that lets it train AI models on its users’ content, as TechCrunch reported. And while the company says it hasn’t used user-created content for model training, it doesn’t rule out the possibility that it will in the future.Marni Greenberg, SVP and head of communications at SoundCloud, provided the following in a statement emailed to The Verge.SoundCloud has never used artist content to train AI models, nor do we develop AI tools or allow third parties to scrape or use SoundCloud content from our platform for AI training purposes. In fact, we implemented technical safeguards, including a “no AI” tag on our site to explicitly prohibit unauthorized use.Greenberg went on to say that SoundCloud’s terms of service update “was intended to clarify how content may interact with AI technologies within SoundCloud’s own platform.” She said the company uses AI for things like personalized recommendations and fraud detection, and suggests its plans for future uses of AI on its platform fall along similar lines. When we asked about letting users opt out of having their music used for generative AI development, here’s what Greenberg had to say: The TOS explicitly prohibits the use of licensed content, such as music from major labels, for training any AI models, including generative AI. For other types of content uploaded to SoundCloud, the TOS allows for the possibility of AI-related use. Importantly, no such use has taken place to date, and SoundCloud will introduce robust internal permissioning controls to govern any potential future use. Should we ever consider using user content to train generative AI models, we would introduce clear opt-out mechanisms in advance—at a minimum—and remain committed to transparency with our creator community.SoundCloud seems to claim the right to train on people's uploaded music in their terms. I think they have major questions to answer over this.I checked the wayback machine – it seems to have been added to their terms on 12th Feb 2024. I'm a SoundCloud user and I can't see any… pic.twitter.com/NIk7TP7K3C— Ed Newton-Rex (@ednewtonrex) May 9, 2025Hopefully SoundCloud will go to greater lengths to tell users about those opt-out mechanisms than it appears to have done for last year’s AI-related terms of use update. Tech ethicist Ed Newton-Rex, who spotted the changes reported by TechCrunch, posted that they “can’t see any emails” alerting them that the terms had been altered. I’ve contributed to SoundCloud, too, and also didn’t find any emails about the changes when I checked. SoundCloud’s terms say it will provide “prominent notice” about significant alterations to its terms, but doesn’t guarantee you’ll see that in an email. Here’s SoundCloud’s original full statement, as provided to to The Verge by Greenberg:SoundCloud has always been and will remain artist-first. Our focus is on empowering artists with control, clarity, and meaningful opportunities to grow. We believe AI, when developed responsibly, can expand creative potential—especially when guided by principles of consent, attribution, and fair compensation.SoundCloud has never used artist content to train AI models, nor do we develop AI tools or allow third parties to scrape or use SoundCloud content from our platform for AI training purposes. In fact, we implemented technical safeguards, including a “no AI” tag on our site to explicitly prohibit unauthorized use.The February 2024 update to our Terms of Service was intended to clarify how content may interact with AI technologies within SoundCloud’s own platform. Use cases include personalized recommendations, content organization, fraud detection, and improvements to content identification with the help of AI Technologies.Any future application of AI at SoundCloud will be designed to support human artists, enhancing the tools, capabilities, reach and opportunities available to them on our platform. Examples include improving music recommendations, generating playlists, organizing content, and detecting fraudulent activity. These efforts are aligned with existing licensing agreements and ethical standards. Tools like Musiio are strictly used to power artist discovery and content organization, not to train generative AI models.We understand the concerns raised and remain committed to open dialogue. Artists will continue to have control over their work, and we’ll keep our community informed every step of the way as we explore innovation and apply AI technologies responsibly, especially as legal and commercial frameworks continue to evolve.

After slamming everything from clothing to avocados with tariffs, now President Donald Trump has taken aim at films. "The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death," Trump proclaimed on Truth Social last week, while floating a 100 percent tariff on movies "produced in Foreign Lands."The news stirred up confusion across Hollywood, as it would seemingly apply to a broad range of films, maybe even US films with scenes shot abroad. Though Trump has already begun to reel his original statement back in, as he told CNBC that he's "not looking to hurt the industry," it doesn't seem like he's given up on the idea completely. But like many of Trump's plans, he's relying on presidential powers that are stretched to a breaking point."A car has a value when it arrives at a US port that they can slap a tariff on," says Mark Jones, a professor of political science at Rice University. "But because of the way the film industry works, it'd be much tougher to determine what proportion of the film you would actually apply a tariff to."Trump's tariff plan appears to have spun out of a meeting with actor Jon Voight, a fervent Trump supporter who has been appointed a "special ambassado …Read the full story at The Verge.

For a kid with an obsession, it's impossible to think about anything else. When I was really into skateboarding, every piece of architecture was filled with a potential for tricks that I could never actually pull off. When I was on a quest to complete Super Mario Bros. 3 on my own, any piece of paper became a sketch of a new level.For eight-year-old Julián in the new game Despelote, that obsession is soccer, and it becomes the backdrop for a sweet, and short, slice-of-life drama about passion and memory.Despelote is set in Quito in 2001, just as Ecuador is on the verge of qualifying for the men's World Cup for the first time in its history. The story follows Julián through the qualifying stages, as he goes about his life - or tries to, at least. There's a lot going on at the time, as the country is still dealing with the effects of an economic crisis. Soccer becomes something of a relief valve, a hopeful story to follow during difficult times.The game plays out from a first-person perspective and takes place across several days, during each of which Ecuador has an important match. The scenes are small but surprisingly open, often forcing young Julián - and also the player - …Read the full story at The Verge.

You want the convenience of a console and the power of a PC. That's a dream I've been chasing for years, piecing together different pieces of hardware and poking around in Windows to provide an experience as seamless as a console, just with access to my massive library of PC games. And I've learned quite a bit getting everything set up.

More than 25 years after the first Tony Hawk's Pro Skater put skateboarding games on the map, developers are still finding new ways to explore skating in video games, especially in 2025. Skateboarding fans are about to have some promising new games to play, with Activision's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 remake releasing in July and EA is set to launch its online-only, free-to-play Skate revival this year. In 2022, my colleague Andrew Webster wrote that we're in a golden age for skateboarding games, and things haven't really slowed down. So what is it that makes skateboarding so good for video games, and allows so many different expressions of the sport from different studios?"I think skateboarding is one of those things that's just always cool," THPS 3 + 4 game director Kurt Tillmanns tells The Verge. "It's an evergreen fantasy, in both real life and games. Being a skateboarder is a sign of what and who is cool." He says "there's a reason that we're all in awe of what these people can do." Part of what makes skateboarding cool is the music, fashion, and art, and video games let people experience that skateboarding culture, too, Tillmanns says.Also, "it's safer," jokes Andrew …Read the full story at The Verge.

It’s hard to be a gamer and not hold some affection for the Assassin’s Creed franchise. Whether you lean toward the older, classic stealth-focused entries or the newer RPG-lites since the 2017 pivot, AC has remained a key part of gaming culture since 2007.

When you are still new to 3D scanning, it’s easy to assume you can just wave your scanner at an object and expect perfect results. After 3D scanning, you expect a 3D model without issues that you will send directly to your 3D printer, but then reality kicks in. You get 3D scans that are blurry, unwanted elements captured together with your object, missing geometry in the design, and general errors that make slicing impossible. 3D scanning has a learning curve like any other skill, and even experienced makers can make mistakes sometimes. I remember when I got my first 3D scanner, Revopoint MetroX. There are key things I wish I knew before buying the scanner, based on what I learned along the way. However, after a few trials, I figured out how everything worked, and my scanning workflow got a lot smoother. Below are some of the mistakes you’re probably making.

Prebuilt network-attached storage (NAS) hardware is excellent for newcomers to the NAS world and those who simply prefer to have a turnkey system ready to go. Simply throw some drives inside and you're good to go. But there may be a time when you look to expand beyond the limitations of a prebuilt enclosure running proprietary software, which is where DIY servers come into play. There's no need to throw the old NAS away as you can repurpose it for other projects, including backup destinations, home surveillance, game servers, and more.

Whether you’re after a distraction-free reading experience or a fun way to keep the kids engaged this summer, the latest Kindle Paperwhite Kids is worth considering. And now, thanks to Amazon’s Mother’s Day promo, you can pick it up at either Amazon or Best Buy starting at just $139.99 ($40 off), which matches the e-reader’s best price to date. Although aimed at children, Amazon’s kid-friendly ebook reader is almost identical to the standard Kindle Paperwhite, which is remains our favorite e-reader for devouring Kindle books. It boasts IPX8 water resistance and the same seven-inch 300ppi display, along with USB-C support and enough space for stowing thousands of digital books. It’s just as snappy as the standard model, too, and Amazon has included a color-temperature-adjustable backlight for nighttime reading.What sets the 16GB Kids model apart are the extras, many of which are great for the whole family. Notably, it’s free of distracting lockscreen ads and comes with a two-year hardware protection plan. You also get expanded parental controls and can choose from one of several kid-friendly covers, including one depicting a starfish-laden seascape and another a futuristic city. Plus, Amazon has thrown in six months of Amazon Kids Plus (valued at $36), granting you access to a wide range of age-appropriate digital books, games, and videos.A few extra deals to kick off your weekend Amazon’s Smart Thermostat is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for $62.99 ($17 off), which is its second-best price of the year. The budget-friendly smart thermostat supports Amazon Hunches, allowing it to adapt to your routines and preferences over time. While lacks native temperature sensors and support for voice assistants beyond Amazon Alexa, it’s still a good buy, especially if you’re already invested in Amazon’s ecosystem and looking to cut down on cooling costs. Read our review.Now through June 1st, Best Buy is throwing in a free Clicks keyboard (a $139 value) when you preorder the 2025 Motorola Razr ($699.99), the Razr Plus ($899.99), or the wood-adorned Razr Ultra ($1,299.99). The handy typing accessory connects via USB-C, adding a physical keyboard you can use regardless of whether your phone is open or closed. As for the latest Razr models, they arrive on May 15th, bringing with them minor hardware upgrades and new AI capabilities — including a “Remember this” feature that lets Moto AI recall details you’ve asked it to remember.The Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam is down to $59.99 ($30 off) at Amazon and Target (if you’re a Target Circle member), which is $10 shy of its all-time low. The 1080p security camera’s mechanically rotating head offers 360-degree panning (plus a generous tilt range) to ensure you can see every corner of the room it’s in. It also supports two-way talk and the ability to sound a siren, along with alerts for people, packages, and vehicles if you sign up for a Ring Home plan, which starts at $4.99 a month.

Dual-booting has its perks, especially when you’re running Windows and Linux side by side. If you're used to Windows, Linux might feel a bit limited at first, mainly because some apps just aren't available. But on the flip side, Linux has a ton of free software made specifically for open-source desktops, and the ecosystem’s only getting better.

Apple is known for prioritizing privacy and security, but there are additional measures you can turn to if you feel you need them. iPhones, iPads, and Macs have what's known as a Lockdown Mode that takes protecting your data to a whole new level.It's clear that this isn't for everyone: Apple describes it as being for those who feel they might be attacked by "the most sophisticated threats." Think journalists working in dangerous regions, activists under threat from surveillance or censorship, or politicians with access to top secret information.Anyone can turn it on and off as needed - you don't need any special status or any particular kind of Apple account. It only takes a few taps or clicks, and you'll have the highest level of security protection that Apple offers.How Lockdown Mode protects youIt's worth bearing in mind that there are some tradeoffs when using Lockdown Mode. The software you use will be limited in some of its functionality to give would-be hackers fewer ways to get at you and your data.You'll find most attachments in Messages blocked, while FaceTime calls are only permitted with people you've had contact with in the last month. In Photos, you can't c …Read the full story at The Verge.