11 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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All the news you need to keep up with the latest developments in the tech world, from product announcements and live events to tariffs, policies, and regulations. Tech touches every aspect of daily news, and our experts are here to keep you informed on what happens and how it all affects you.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
What AI sees when it sees your photos.

They See Your Photos is built using Google’s Computer Vision API, and yes, it is a promotional site for a secure Google Photos competitor. But it still succeeds in creepily demonstrating how much a company can glean from one photo. It nailed my age, income, sexual orientation, political affiliation, and religious beliefs, correctly guessed that I collect vinyl, and suggested targeting me with ads for “specialty coffee and high-end audio gear,” Ableton Live, Muji stationery, and Patagonia outerwear.

They See Your Photos

[They See Your Photos]

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Keep up with the latest No Kings news on the States Newsroom live blog.

The midterms edition of No Kings is underway, primarily focused on boosting early voting turnout rather than flooding the streets. If you want to keep up with all the news about the latest day of action as it’s happening, follow along at the States Newsroom live blog.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Adam Mosseri says Instagram is ‘working out what to do’ about AI fakes.

It’s not just celebrity deepfakes that are plaguing social media. AI hot girl accounts are stealing comedians’ jokes, and painters are seeing AI versions of their process videos rack up millions of views. Mosseri says it’s “not practical” to ban AI, but it’s not sure how to handle content that isn’t copyrighted, like jokes.

Adam Mosseri offers milquetoast response about AI stealing from creators and what to do about it.
1/2Screenshot: Terrence O’Brien / The Verge
All the news about the iPhone DuoAll the news about the iPhone Duo
Verge Staff
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Apple says iPhone Duo preorder demand has been “extraordinary.”

Delivery estimates are already delayed into 2027. Bloomberg reports that Apple said:

“The pre-order demand for iPhone Duo, our first foldable iPhone, has been nothing short of extraordinary. We are working hard to get this revolutionary new product into customers’ hands as quickly as possible, and we will continue accepting orders online,” the company said in a statement.

“Our teams look forward to welcoming customers at Apple Stores worldwide to experience the iPhone Duo and the incredible full iPhone line-up for themselves,” it added, without disclosing whether inventory would be available for customers who were unable to secure pre-orders when the device goes on sale Oct. 23.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Charles Schwab is blocking AI agents, too.

During an interview with Bloomberg, Charles Schwab Corp. CEO Rick Wurster called out Meta’s AI agent, Muse, saying:

We don’t want someone just giving their password to Muse, and letting Muse come in and take action on that client’s behalf. We can’t control it, the client can’t control it, something could go wrong and who’s liable? For the protection of the client and for the protection of us, we’re not allowing it.

Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Another ‘DJI front company’ bites the dust.

In July, we told you how the FCC — and its subcontractor TÜV Rheinland — didn’t bother to do basic Google searches before legally approving banned DJI technology for import and sale. But a new game of whack-a-drone was more successful. Public records show TÜV Rheinland asked the FCC to block applications from another “DJI front company,” Jovistar. The FCC agreed, and Jovistar is now on notice.

The Jovistar drone.
The Jovistar drone.
Image: FCC
Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Xbox Ally X20 — the most refined PC handheld — is now available.

I’ve spent the past week testing Asus laptop instead of Asus handheld, so my X20 review got pre-empted. But since you can buy it for $1,300 today, here’s my insta-review: it’s not necessarily the new champ. It’s so refined, but I want to play Star Wars Zero Company right now. That game looks terrible here, but runs fine with the extra power of my Claw EX review unit.

If you buy something from a link, The Verge may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

A translucent handheld with a colorful screen sits on a wooden table underneath a plant in Sean’s photo.
Photo: Sean Hollister / The Verge
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Tech billionaires have reportedly donated over $340 million to fight a wealth tax in California.

According to The Guardian, the campaign they’re funding is spending over $1 million per day trying to defeat Proposition 40, which would enact a one-time 5 percent tax on California’s billionaires. Google co-founder Sergey Brin is reportedly the biggest donor, contributing at least $102 million, alongside other tech executives:

The donors to the no campaign are a who’s who of Silicon Valley, including the Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, DoorDash CEO Tony Xu, Stripe CEO Patrick Collison, crypto magnate Chris Larsen and several prominent venture capitalists.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Godox made a proper Xenon flash for smartphones.

The LEDs on the back of your phone can’t compete with the bright flashes built-in to many cameras, so the $85 Godox A2 integrates a xenon flash tube into a magnetic iPhone accessory with a rechargeable battery good for about 400 photos. The A2 can be used remotely up to almost 50 feet away if you want to experiment with flash placement, but it does require you to use Godox’s own iOS camera app to trigger the flash when you press the shutter button.

Mia Sato
Mia Sato
Elon Musk says he won’t allow “ugly” ads on X.

A “reasonable esthetic standard” will be applied to advertising on the platform, Musk said in a post, though he didn’t elaborate. He has a contentious history with the advertisers who keep the lights on: Shortly after Musk took control of Twitter, major ad groups recommended that clients pause campaigns on the platform, citing brand safety concerns. Musk later told them to “go fuck [themselves]” in the midst of an advertiser boycott in 2023.

@Elonmusk: Going forward, all advertising on 𝕏 will be subject to a reasonable esthetic standard. Advertisers who post ads that are ugly, shrill, strident or overstate claims about their product will be barred from advertising.
Image: X
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
You’ve got to hear both sides?

With public opinion broadly against AI data centers, the Today, Explained podcast from Vox brought on Nicole Thomas, a marketing and PR exec who represents data center companies.

The “for” arguments are familiar (tax dollars, not all data centers are XXL-sized hyperscaler AI projects, and that what is needed is more transparency), and they also look at some of the attempts to make data centers friendlier, like Microsoft’s biomimicry camouflage.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Bluesky now lets you look at “top” quote posts.

In addition to latest quote posts, you can sort them by (what appears to be) the ones with the most engagement. Seems like a useful way to see which quote posts might be generating conversations of their own.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Yashica’s modern revival of a decades-old film camera is now available for preorder.

The Yashica Y16 Pocket Camera was announced last month as a modern redux of a retro film camera first introduced in 1959. Upgrades include a 12-megapixel sensor, an LCD display on the back, and a Xenon flash. You can preorder it through Yashica’s online store for $114.43 with shipping expected to start in November.

A person holds the Yashica Y16 Pocket Camera while adjusting a dial on top.
Image: Yashica
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Reservations are open for the Xbox-compatible Echo Aviation flight simulator gamepad.

After being announced last June, you can now reserve Honeycomb Aeronautical’s $179.99 Echo Aviation Controller XPC without a deposit ahead of sales staring on November 20th. The gamepad swaps a standard layout for a collection of flight sim-specific controls like throttle levers, a trim wheel, rudder paddles, and even dedicated switches for deploying landing gear and applying an aircraft’s parking brake.

A close-up of the Honeycomb Aeronautical’s Echo Aviation Controller XPC various controls.
Image: Honeycomb Aeronautical
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
MapQuest says its new Surveillance Layer can help you spot Flock cameras.

Toggling on the new “Surveillance” switch in the Map Options on MapQuest adds eyeball icons showing the locations of “known license plate readers” and outdoor surveillance cameras, similar to DeFlock’s ALPR mapping project.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
OpenAI says an AI model swiped fake crypto on an Ethereum test network.

Though OpenAI didn’t give its internal research model access to funds on the network, the AI system instead found a way to access another account with test crypto, using it to help complete its task, according to OpenAI.

The model “reasoned whether it had permission” but ultimately determined that the public recovery phrase associated with the account and the fact that it contained test tokens “made the funds acceptable to use.”

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
LinkedIn is testing a feed that only shows people you know.

The Network feed will be limited to your connections, and accounts you follow. It’s part of a wave of new and upcoming features including virtual business cards, profile notes to help you remember where you met someone, and new tools for LinkedIn creators to monetize their accounts.

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Blue Origin is spending big to build out New Glenn.

$330 million is going towards expanding manufacturing plans next year that aim to produce up to 150 rocket upper stages. Blue Origin is also requesting to increase launches from 12 to 50 per year, and plans to “support multiple flights per week by the end of the decade.” That involves building additional New Glenn launch pads at Cape Canaveral, alongside restoring the one that blew up in May.

Robert Hart
Robert Hart
China is weighing export controls on AI.

Beijing is reportedly considering adding 23 AI technologies to its export-control list, including chip designs, agents, model weights, and source code. China has been steadily gaining on the US with recent releases like Kimi K3, and has been the target of Western AI-related export controls amid growing competition to maintain control over the strategic technology.

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
A gas thruster, steering wheel, and a teeny weeny clock.

What else do you need from the Tesla Roadster? I mean, it can apparently fly and do kickflips too, but this video shows what you’ll actually be seeing inside the driver’s seat, including an interactive 3D X-Ray of the car you can check out on its infotainment system.

Robert Hart
Robert Hart
SpaceX is almost, sort of, maybe, committing to AI safety oversight.

In a noncommittal X post, Elon Musk said SpaceX will “probably” follow in Anthropic’s footsteps and allow external evaluators access to its AI systems. The tentative pledge comes amid growing concerns about the risks of frontier AI models and criticism that voluntary measures leave companies largely policing themselves.

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Brits might be charged a fee to watch YouTube.

The Independent reports an upcoming government white paper will include plans to extend the UK’s £180 (about $240) annual TV Licence — which is required to watch broadcast TV, BBC iPlayer, and live TV on streaming services — to cover all online streaming content, including Prime Video, Netflix, Disney Plus, and YouTube. Yikes.

Robert Hart
Robert Hart
G7 countries plan “tabletop exercises” simulating AI cyberattacks on banks.

The drills were confirmed by Japan’s finance minister on Thursday. States and organizations have grown increasingly worried about AI’s ability to supercharge hacking, particularly after months of impressive releases and rogue agent attacks. Experts, including the heads of the Bank of England and International Monetary Fund, have stressed the need to guard financial institutions.

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Apple’s own website could be teasing a new iPad mini.

An unreleased iPad mini Smart Folio is listed on Apple’s French regulatory site, and its A3632 model number doesn’t match any known ‌iPad mini‌ cases. It adds weight to existing rumors that Apple will refresh the iPad mini alongside the expected touchscreen MacBook Pro launch later this month.

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Watch how quick and easy it is to swap the Fairbuds 2 batteries.

I said in my hands-on that you can swap the batteries in each bud without any tools in less than a minute, and now iFixit’s teardown proves my point: the battery removal starts at the 27-second mark, and is done before the minute is up. Unsurprisingly, Fairbuds 2 get a 10/10 repairability score.