5 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Archives for July 2026

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
France is banning kids under 15 from social media.

Both houses of France’s Parliament voted to approve a new law that could restrict under-15s from social media as soon as September 1st, while also banning cellphone use in high schools. Australia began restricting kids under 16 from social media last year, though a recent study found that many underage users can still access the platforms.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Google Meet’s new homepage gives you an overview of your meetings.

The “revamped” homepage, rolling out starting today, lists all of your upcoming meetings with links to notes and calendar attachments for each one. It also has options for navigating through weeks and months to see past and future meetings.

A screenshot of the redesigned Google Meet homepage
Image: Google
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Meta’s Horizon Plus subscription now includes the Xbox Game Pass starter edition.

As Microsoft continues its Xbox “reset,” the pared-down Game Pass bundle that arrived recently as a benefit for Discord Nitro is now also included in the 7.99 monthly / $59.99 annually Quest subscription. The starter edition also includes 10 hours of cloud gaming access to try some of the 50-plus games it unlocks before downloading them.

Meta also said that soon its Meta Quest Touch controllers will be able to emulate the Xbox gamepad, although anyone who has a real Xbox pad can just pair that to their headset immediately.

David Imel
David Imel
Jack Dorsey made an open-source Slack for humans and agents.

Block’s new open-source app “Buzz” is a self-hosted Slack-meets-GitHub built on a Nostr relay. I don’t have enough characters to explain what that all means, but think of it like a private Slack alternative. Oh, and you can vibe-code in it.

Image credit: Buzz
David Pierce
David Pierce
Today’s Vergecast: The car of the future is an EV golf cart.

So far, most electric vehicles have looked more or less like cars. But recently, a few companies have looked to another, smaller mode of transport for inspiration. The Verge’s Andy Hawkins explains why companies like Amble and Chip are reinventing the golf cart, in the hopes of creating an entirely new kind of street-legal vehicle. As long as the speed limit stays low.

Lauren Feiner
Lauren Feiner
A ‘serious software error’ enabled nearly 400 noncitizens to vote in New Jersey.

6,600 noncitizens were registered to vote between 2023 and 2024, due to a DMV error. Fewer than 400 voted, and were registered across both parties or unaffiliated (for context, 154 million voted in the 2024 election). Governor Mikie Sherrill (D) ordered their removal from voter rolls and launched an investigation.

David Imel
David Imel
Lights, camera, Action Plates.

The Moment Pro Camera II app was already my go-to app for RAW phone snaps, but Moment’s new Action Plates feature lets you configure your UI exactly how you want. Plus, who doesn’t love a little skeuomorphism?

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Image Credit: Moment
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Anbernic refreshed and slimmed its Game Boy Advance SP.

Last year’s RG34XXSP added a pair of thumbsticks but Anbernic’s new RG SP looks like an update to 2024’s RG35XXSP that more closely matched the GBA SP. The new model has a “refined tactile button feel,” a smaller screen bezel, and a body that’s about 10 percent thinner