15 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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The latest tech news about the world’s best (and sometimes worst) hardware, apps, and much more. From top companies like Google and Apple to tiny startups vying for your attention, Verge Tech has the latest in what matters in technology daily.

Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Apple’s Vision Pro and smart glasses leader reportedly leaves for OpenAI.

With its Vision Pro headset suddenly even more expensive, and plans for smart glasses apparently in the works, Bloomberg reports Apple is losing Paul Meade, the hardware VP who was in charge of those projects. The report says he’ll reunite with former Apple designers, including Jony Ive, Tang Tan, and Evans Hankey, at OpenAI, which purchased their startup last year, as the executive shakeup under new Apple CEO John Ternus continues.

Nathan Edwards
Nathan Edwards
“Let’s make a miracle computer out of garbage.”

At Aftermath, Chris Person (who else?) explains how to hack together a bootleg Steam Machine using a cheap castoff cryptomining GPU. It’s a high-effort, low-cost build made possible by 3D printing, open platforms, and a host of enthusiasts working together. And the power of Linux, of course.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Instagram’s Adam Mosseri is showing off some concepts for changing your algorithm.

“We want your algorithm to feel like something you talk to rather than something that happens to you,” Mosseri says. This month, Instagram announced it would start letting you tweak your algorithm.

I’ve compiled some screenshots of the concepts below, but check out Mosseri’s post to see the mockups in motion.

A screenshot of Instagram showing a pull to refresh.
A screenshot of Instagram showing a way to tweak your algorithm between reels.
A screenshot of Instagram showing how you could type to change your algorithm.
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One idea is to pull from the top of your feed to get to a menu with different options.
Image: Instagram
Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
ICE agents confronted a Syracuse woman to try to get her to delete an Instagram post.

Agents walked into a polling place on primary Election Day to demand that one of the workers, Paigelynne Gonyea, delete her post, claiming she “may be in violation of federal law.” The post contains the name of Jonathan Ross, the agent who shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis, who has been named by a number of media outlets, including The Verge.

On Friday, US Representative John Mannion wrote to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin requesting the agency “promptly review this incident and put a stop to any ICE activities that target protected speech under the First Amendment.”

"ICE wanted my autograph. I declined."

[@turndapaigeofficial - Instagram]

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
The not-Pro iPhone 18 might get a small RAM bump to help with AI.

The iPhone 17 has 8GB of RAM, but Apple’s “lower-end” iPhones set to launch in the first half of next year will get — drumroll please — 9GB of RAM, says supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo:

My latest industry checks suggest Apple’s lower-end 1H27 iPhones, powered by the A20 chip, will move to 9GB DRAM (1.5GB × 6 dies), up from 8GB (2GB × 4 dies) in the current A19 models, to keep the system running smoothly under AI workloads.

Elizabeth Lopatto
Elizabeth Lopatto
An investigation into Mark Zuckerberg’s chain.

You may remember the period when Zuck tried to pretend he was Very Manly (MMA fighting, Joe Rogan appearance). He seems to be walking that back now, like he realized he overstepped with that horrible attempt at streetwear. Gentlemen, if you want to look like a grown-ass man, the kind who is competent and in charge? Make a mood board of Cary Grant outfits. (If you want to go more contemporary, Colman Domingo.) Fashion is only trivial if you’re stupid — your style expresses your persona before you say a single word, and Zuck’s is still “wannabe.”

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Apple’s rumored touchscreen MacBook may use M5 chips to start.

The touchscreen device will come with current-gen M5 Pro and M5 Max chips when it launches later this year or early 2027, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Apple is reportedly planning to release an M7-equipped model in the future, as part of the company’s rumored plans to skip the M6 Pro and M6 Max.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Ayaneo’s Pocket Micro sequel gets a pair of recessed TMR thumbsticks.

It features the same 3.5-inch, 960 x 640 display as the original, but Ayaneo’s new Android 13-based Pocket Micro 2 includes a faster Snapdragon 865 CPU paired with an Adreno 650 GPU, recessed TMR thumbsticks with glowing LED bases, and improved tiered shoulder buttons. It’s now available for preorder starting at $239.

Correction, June 26th: An earlier version of this article misstated the screen’s resolution. It is 960 x 640.

<em>The frosty white and midnight black versions of the Ayaneo Pocket Micro 2 are both available for preorder now discounted to $239.</em>
<em>The stardust purple version of the Pocket Micro 2, which looks influenced by the Nintendo GameCube’s controllers, is $269.</em>
<em>It’s more expensive than Anbernic’s handhelds, but the Pocket Micro 2 features a CNC-machined full metal frame.</em>
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The frosty white and midnight black versions of the Ayaneo Pocket Micro 2 are both available for preorder now discounted to $239.
Image: Ayaneo
Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Are you extracting enough value from the AI revolution?

I’m not sure there’s an AI agent that can solve the fact that everything costs more and the planet is melting.

Cpt_Slim_Jim:

Imma go out on a limb to say that I have not had any productivity increases from AI be worth the financial burden it has placed upon me and my family.

Get the day’s best comment and more in my free newsletter, The Verge Daily.

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Windows 10 gets an extra year of free life support.

The free Windows 10 extended support program was only supposed to last until October 13th, 2026, but Microsoft has quietly expanded support until October 12th, 2027. That gives users an extra year to avoid updating to Windows 11, or forking out for a new computer amid the ongoing RAMageddon.

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
ElevenLabs rolls out SynthID support.

The AI audio platform has adopted Google’s invisible watermarking technology to help identify AI-generated content online. SynthID is now included in text-to-speech generations for free users, and will expand coverage to all ElevenLabs audio generations “over the coming weeks.” The watermarks can be detected using the ElevenLabs Audio Detector.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Polymarket says it’s refunding some users after hackers stole their crypto.

In a post spotted by TechCrunch, Polymarket says “a 3rd party vendor had been compromised, injecting malicious script into our frontend for some users.”

The update comes just hours after blockchain security firm PeckShield notified users of a potential phishing campaign targeting Polymarket users. Around $3 million worth of Polymarket’s crypto token was drained from user wallets, PeckShield says.

Screenshot: The Verge via X
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Notion is “winding down” Notion Mail.

It will be shut down on September 22nd, meaning it will have lasted for just over a year. Instead, Notion will focus on inbox agents.

“As Notion agents have gotten more capable, we’ve seen more users hand off email workflows to them,” the company says on X. “Today, more than half of Notion Mail users manage emails without ever opening their inbox. So, we’re going all in on using agents to run your inbox.”

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Google Finance has its own app now.

The new Google Finance app is launching on Android first, with iOS coming later this year. Google is also launching its redesigned Finance dashboard out of beta, as well as adding new features like the ability to track portfolios and receive updates about topics related to your investments.

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

The Google Finance app.
The Google Finance app.
Image: Google
BYOK is my new go-to distraction-free writing tool

7

Verge Score

This simple plastic rectangle works with my favorite keyboard, edits text, and stays out of my way.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
IBM crams 100 billion transistors on a chip the size of a fingernail.

The company claims its new nanostack tech is the first sub-nanometer chip manufacturing process. IBM also says that nanostack can deliver up to 50 percent more performance, or 70 percent better energy efficiency than its 2nm nanosheet chips. (Though, apparently not both simultaneously.)

IBM’s nanostack sub-1nm chip being held by a hand with white gloves on.
Image: IBM