3 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Tech

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.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Here come the Duo-sized power banks.

You’ll now have to be more careful when choosing a battery for your iPhone. BMX’s new SolidSafe Duo is one of the first that’s sized to fit Apple’s wider iPhone Duo. At $79.99 the SolidSafe Duo is expensive for a 5,000mAh battery even with wireless charging capabilities, but it uses safer semi-solid-state cell tech, and you get a big status screen.

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1/2Image: Better Mobile Xperience
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Ubisoft’s letting some Steam users skip its Connect app.

In an update on Steam, Ubisoft said it’s testing a new tool that keeps game features like cross-play “without requiring the Ubisoft Connect PC launcher to be installed or launched.” It’s coming to Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown first, and will “roll out to more Ubisoft games on Steam in the future.”

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Ubisoft Connect Services: a simpler launch experience on Steam

[Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown - Steam News Hub]

Allison Johnson
Allison Johnson
This Qi2 ring charger has a built-in fan.

Charging your phone wirelessly can get mighty toasty. ESR’s new CryoBoost 25W charging pad has a clever solution: a fan built right into the charging puck. The company claims the design allows it to charge an iPhone 17 Pro halfway up to 28 percent faster than the official Apple MagSafe 25W charger. Maybe I’m no fun, but once you’re plugging a cable in to run a fan while you charge your phone why not… just use wired charging?

Update: We’ve seen chargers with fans (and some with fanless cooling too) before; let us know if you’re using one with this type of design and if they live up to the sales pitch.

Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Apple could make it a lot easier to redeem physical gift cards.

The iOS 27 Release Candidate became available yesterday and includes new code that seems to indicate you’ll soon be able to redeem physical Apple gift cards by tapping them on the back of your iPhone, according to MacRumors. An added security chip, presumably NFC, will also help reduce scams by making it easier to tell if a card has been cancelled or already spent.

Two Apple gift cards featuring colorful versions of the company’s logo.
Image: Apple
Tom Warren
Tom Warren
Nothing pro headphones reportedly launching this month.

We called Nothing’s first pair of over-the-ear headphones “head-turning,” thanks to an aesthetic that reminds you that Bluetooth headphones are computers these days. Now, Nothing is reportedly preparing to launch a new pro model, according to Dealabs. The new headphones are rumored to include a new triple driver architecture, 10-microphone adaptive ANC, and up to 60 hours of battery life. Dealabs claims the Nothing Headphone 1 Pro will launch on September 29th, priced at $399.

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Apple betters its software remote.

The latest iOS beta has given up details of an overhauled Apple TV Remote. Now how about making a physical Apple TV remote with a display?

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
The Pixel Tablet is gone from Google’s online store.

The 2023 Android tablet has seemingly been discontinued. Its online Google Store page is gone, and there’s no longer even a “Tablet” section in the menu. The Pixel Tablet was most notable for the included dock, which turned it into a smart home hub, but never received a follow-up.

Dominic Preston
Dominic Preston
Motorola has its own wide foldable on the way.

The Razr maker didn’t want to feel left out by Apple’s iPhone Duo, the latest in a wave of passport-shaped foldables. This clip of its flip phones and foldables, including this year’s Razr Fold, ends with a shorter, wider phone, shown briefly and only in silhouette. Motorola calls it “our next move.”

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Zuckoff, the app that detects nearby Meta glassholes.

The developer of the iPhone app told Business Insider that he examined the Bluetooth signals emitted by popular smart glasses to establish corresponding fingerprints. The app can then alert users when a pair of potential “pervert glasses” are nearby.

It can be downloaded from the Apple Store.
It can be downloaded from the Apple Store.
Image: Apple
Tom Warren
Tom Warren
Phanteks’ new EX5 case uses chambers to hide your GPU.

I’m a sucker for Phanteks cases, and the company’s new EX5 has got me thinking about a new PC build. It organizes all the key components of a PC into dedicated chambers, which not only looks neat but is also great for airflow. It means ugly GPUs get hidden away, and there’s a dedicated area for all-in-one liquid coolers instead of everything packed into a glass case. The EX5 starts at $109.99 and comes in three options, with a $159.99 Plus variant bundling an all-in-one cooler and the $229.99 EX5 Max adding a 6-inch display for the cooler.

<em>The EX5 comes in three different options.</em>
<em>No more ugly GPU spoiling your showcase PC.</em>
<em>The EX5 can fit GPUs up to 358mm in length.</em>
1/3
The EX5 comes in three different options.
Image: Phanteks
Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Delusion stacked upon delusion.

The New York Times delves into Trump’s mental health through the lens of his increasingly unhinged postings on his also-ran Truth Social platform. Here’s how the White House responded to criticisms:

“Truth Social is the most powerful and popular social media platform in the world because it serves as President Trump’s authentic voice, where he communicates directly with the American people and the world without the biased media taking him out of context.”

Nilay Patel
Nilay Patel
Apple asks: have you ever imagined iOS devices doin’ it?

I saw it, TikTok saw it, and now you’re seeing it too.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Here’s Apple’s iPhone Duo design guidance for app developers.

It’s an interesting video that gives you a better idea of how apps might look on the device. I really like all the different ways apps can appear based on the “pose” of the Duo, and I hope a lot of developers do the right things to make that all work. Apps that aren’t updated for iOS 27 SDK might look a little wonky, though.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Apple has a new AppleCare One subscription for families.

With AppleCare One Family, which costs $49.99 per month, you get AppleCare Plus with theft and loss coverage for every “eligible” device for as many as six people in a family sharing group. Check out the full details on Apple’s AppleCare website.

AppleCare

[Apple]

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
OpenAI agents reportedly swarmed more than just a German wiki.

After OpenAI confirmed that its AI agents hijacked a German wiki as a way to communicate, Reuters reports similar incidents have occurred across at least 10 other websites. Reuters says most of the sites OpenAI agents swarmed were “obscure,” including “communally edited wikis, online text storage sites, and a pair of link shorteners run by two universities.”

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Apple extends free iPhone satellite features yet again.

If you have an iPhone 14, 15, or 16 series phone, Apple will let you keep free access to satellite features for at least another year if you activated them before midnight PT on September 9th, according to Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro press release. The company has extended free access a couple times before.

iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max: Our first hands-on impressionsiPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max: Our first hands-on impressions
Play
Justine Calma
Justine Calma
The iPhone Duo is manufactured with 60 percent renewable electricity.

The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are made with 50 percent renewables. Apple Watch, which Apple has had to stop describing as carbon neutral, reaches 100 percent renewable electricity. The company has a 2030 target for its suppliers to use “100 percent clean energy” for Apple production.

Hands-on with the foldable iPhone DuoHands-on with the foldable iPhone Duo
First Look
Allison Johnson and Dominic Preston
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Apple’s newly cheaper polishing cloth supports the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro.
Apple iPhone Duo launch event: The 5 biggest announcements

This year’s iPhone event included Apple’s first foldable, an upgraded iPhone 18 Pro, and much more.

Emma Roth