Comcast and Charter’s mobile services now offer access to satellite-based emergency messaging. The launch comes just one day after their network provider, Verizon, rolled out satellite messaging for Samsung Galaxy S25 and Google Pixel 9 devices.Just like with Verizon, customers on Comcast’s Xfinity Mobile and Charter’s Spectrum Mobile will need a Galaxy S25 or Google Pixel 9 to access the feature, which is powered by the non-terrestrial network service provider Skylo. This is the same company that worked with Google to launch the Pixel 9’s Satellite SOS feature.For now, Xfinity Mobile and Spectrum Mobile will only let Galaxy S25 and Pixel 9 owners send emergency messages without Wi-Fi or cellular data, but both companies plan on letting them send and receive SMS text messages over satellite “in the coming weeks.”Comcast and Charter join the growing list of companies offering some sort of satellite connectivity, which is separate from the built-in satellite services on the Pixel 9 and the iPhone 14 and later. Along with Verizon, T-Mobile has partnered with Starlink to launch a direct-to-cell satellite messaging service, while AT&T is working to enable satellite capabilities with AST SpaceMobile.Disclosure: Comcast is also an investor in Vox Media, The Verge’s parent company.

Microsoft revealed earlier this year that it’s combining “the best of Xbox and Windows together” for handhelds, and now the company is starting to drop the first hints at what that UI might look like. In a blog post about Xbox “opening a billion doors,” Microsoft briefly revealed a new Xbox UI that looks a lot more console-like across multiple devices and even appears to list Steam games.After briefly posting an image of a new Xbox UI across multiple devices, Microsoft quickly removed it once The Verge inquired about it. The image has a new Xbox UI that can be seen on a TV, where you can clearly see the Steam label listed. The same UI, with the Steam mention, is also shown on the tablet and handheld versions.While the image appears to be a mockup, with owned games listed twice as well as action-adventure titles, I don’t think the Steam label here is necessarily a mistake. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell me that the company is currently working on an Xbox app update that will show every game you have installed on your PC. That includes games from Steam and the Epic Games Store, and I understand Microsoft will label these games accordingly.I’m told Microsoft is still in the early stages of this Xbox app update, so the company might never ship the feature to list all your Steam games, but this mocked up image shows how they might show up eventually. Xbox chief Phil Spencer has also previously hinted that PC stores like Epic Games Store and Itch.io could one day arrive on Xbox consoles.Microsoft has also been working on making the Xbox app the home of PC gaming, and listing Steam games in this app would certainly help. GOG has a similar system in place, so you can see games you own on PC across multiple launchers.I asked Microsoft to comment on the appearance of this Xbox app UI, but the company didn’t respond in time for publication.

FTC Commissioners Rebecca Kelly Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya.On Tuesday, the president of the United States fired the Democratic commissioners of the Federal Trade Commission in clear contravention of what has been the law since 1935. News outlets — including The Verge — all went up with their articles as fast as they could. The headlines and stories across the board were pretty similar; the blowback from readers was evenly distributed. “This is wildly illegal,” one person wrote in The Washington Post’s comment section. “Just say that. Don’t say the fired people said it was illegal. Say it as the Washington Post when you know it’s true. Democracy dies, thanks in part to this rag.”We also caught flack for our own headline, which put “illegal” in quotation marks, attributing it to the Democratic commissioners. “@theverge.com, y’all need a more accurate headline,” a reader told us on Bluesky. “They’re not SAYING they were illegally fired, they WERE illegally fired. The precedent set in Humphrey’s Executor almost a century ago makes that crystal clear – but you don’t address that until the next to last paragraph. DO BETTER!”This is a pretty typical dynamic when the news hedges, equivocates, or neuters its lan …Read the full story at The Verge.

Your PC will have default fan settings, telling them how fast they should spin at any given temperature value. These are known as fan curves as the higher the temperature of your PC or specific component, the faster the cooling will work to keep them within optimal ranges. While you could install some software for macOS, Linux, or Windows to alter these settings and override your motherboard, I recommend making changes to the UEFI BIOS itself, and here's why.

Besides preventing large corporations from gaining access to your precious data, hosting apps and services on local hardware can help you save hundreds of dollars on monthly subscriptions. Thanks to more developers moving into the self-hosting landscape, there’s no shortage of cool applications you can run on your home server.

The European Union has outlined exactly how Apple needs to improve the interoperability of iOS, and the guidance reveals which features could be available to other smartwatches, headphones, and speakers.The specifications adopted by the European Commission on Tuesday explain exactly how Apple needs to open iPhone and iPad operating systems to comply with the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) law, and involves two sets of different measures. One is focused on improving the application process for developers who request interoperability with Apple’s ecosystem. The other is more exciting for iPhone and iPad users, as it specifically outlines nine iOS-exclusive connectivity features that Apple needs to make available for other platforms to use — the vast majority of which need to be opened up “by the end of 2025 at the latest,” according to the EU ruling.One of the standouts is opening access to iOS notifications, which will finally allow third-party smartwatches to display and interact with them in a manner currently only available on Apple Watch devices. A feature that allows apps to run in the background without interruption will also enable third-party devices to more reliably collect information like news and weather updates from connected iPhones. Features like SharePlay and audio-switching capabilities that allow Apple headphones to automatically jump between different devices (switching from playing music on an iPad to receiving an incoming call on iPhones, for example) must be made available on third-party earphones and headsets, sparing iPhone users from needing to buy AirPods. Apple also needs to let devices use the same high-bandwidth iPhone connections currently only available on Apple hardware, which could improve connectivity on third-party VR headsets. Other platforms will also be able to send and receive data via AirDrop and AirPlay when connected with an Apple device, and iOS will need to support alternative services to both AirDrop and AirPlay. Additional improvements expected for third-party devices include making them easier for iPhone users to set up without downloading a companion app, automatically connecting to Wi-Fi networks via iPhones, and easily receiving contactless payment credentials via NFC transfer. These requirements are legally binding and must be applied for Apple to meet its DMA obligations. Apple risks facing a non-compliance investigation that could eventually result in hefty fines of up to ten percent of Apple’s annual turnover if the EU finds Apple violating DMA rules by not implementing the guidance by its deadlines.Apple has the opportunity to fight the decisions, subject to judicial review. Such opposition seems likely, given Apple said in a statement to The Verge that the EU’s requirements are “bad for our products and for our European users.” The EU seems confident that its ruling will force the company to open up its walled iOS garden for other platform developers, however.

In the war between Steam and Epic Games Store, the latter has an advantage regarding free games. You'll often see well-rated and high-quality games go on 100% discount for a set amount of time. This time, the store has made the well-received Jurassic World Evolution 2 free to pick up, but you have to act now.

Spirit Crossing.Netflix’s gaming strategy to date has been scattershot. Since Netflix gaming debuted in 2021, the streamer has launched indie darlings, streaming tie-ins, and blockbuster ports. There have been studio acquisitions, attempts at original AAA games, and experiments with cloud streaming. A few years on, it’s not entirely clear what the strategy is — or if it’s really working.So when Alain Tascan, former executive VP of game development at Fortnite maker Epic Games, joined as Netflix’s new president of games last year, his assessment was to “readjust and focus on fewer areas with more intention.” As he explains it: “we need to find our voice.”According to Tascan, that means focusing on games that fit into one of four categories. These include narrative games, like its interactive fiction titles tied to Netflix reality shows, along with multiplayer party games and games aimed at kids. Rounding out the quartet is what Netflix calls “mainstream” releases, which basically means anything with the potential for a huge audience. That could be a licensed tie-in like last year’s Squid Game: Unleashed or original games like the just-announced Spirit Crossing, an ambit …Read the full story at The Verge.

In the mid-1990s, as computers became more powerful, software demanded more memory — but RAM was expensive and intimidating to upgrade. Most users weren’t comfortable opening their computers, let alone installing new hardware. At around 13, I was already taking systems apart and putting them back together, but I was the only person I knew upgrading RAM. For the average user, a quick software fix sounded much more appealing.

Owners of the Segway Ninebot Max G30P and Max G30LP electric scooters can contact the company for a free maintenance kit. | Image: SegwaySegway has issued a recall for all of its Ninebot Max G30P and Max G30LP electric scooters due to a faulty mechanism that can cause the scooters’ handlebars and stem to fold while it’s in use, creating a fall hazard, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The company has received 68 reports of the failures occurring, resulting in 20 injuries ranging from bruises and abrasions to lacerations and even broken bones.Around 220,000 of the recalled scooters have been sold since January 2020 at stores including Best Buy, Costco, Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, and Amazon. The Ninebot Max G30P can be recognized by its gray and yellow color scheme, while the Max G30LP model is black with yellow accents.Segway urges consumers to immediately stop using the recalled scooters, but it’s not replacing them. Instead, the company says owners can contact Segway “to receive information to determine whether the folding mechanism needs adjustment and to receive a free maintenance kit.” The kit includes instructions and tools for tightening the folding mechanism on either model, and keeping it maintained to ensure the folding mechanism remains locked while the scooters are being ridden.

HP held its Amplify conference this week in Nashville, where it announced something in the range of 60 new laptops. Seriously, I can't even keep track. But while digging through press releases, I realized that the devices themselves are the least important part of the show.

Apple TV Plus is losing more than $1 billion every year despite reaching 45 million subscribers in 2024, according to a report from The Information. It’s reportedly the only Apple subscription that isn’t generating a profit.As part of an effort to take “a harder line on spending,” Apple cut its initial $5 billion budget for Apple TV Plus content by around $500 million, The Information reports. Even with hit original shows like Severance, Apple TV currently captures less than 1 percent of total monthly streaming services viewership, as opposed to Netflix’s 8.2 percent, according to data from Nielsen cited by The Information.But, as noted by The Information, Apple TV Plus was largely created to keep people in the Apple ecosystem. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos touched on the strategy behind Apple TV Plus during an interview with Variety this week, saying “I don’t understand it beyond a marketing play, but they’re really smart people. Maybe they see something we don’t,” he said.Apple TV Plus is part of the company’s broader services business, which makes Apple billions of dollars each year through iCloud Plus, App Store purchases, and search advertising. Sources also told The Information that Apple Music, which reportedly reached 100 million users on subscriptions and free trials last year, has seen a slowdown in growth.Apple News Plus, Fitness Plus, and Apple Arcade also “struggle with low usage and profits,” while sales of digital books have taken a dip as well, The Information reports. Sources tell the outlet that if these services weren’t included in the company’s Apple One bundle, which people mostly buy for iCloud Plus, they “likely wouldn’t be profitable.” Apple reportedly laid off around 100 people in its News and Books division last year. The Verge reached out to Apple with a request for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.