All the ways Instagram and Facebook are changing for teens
Meta just agreed to make sweeping changes for teens as part of a child safety settlement reached with attorneys general across the US. Under the agreement, Meta must apply new safeguards across Instagram and Facebook that will change how teens interact with the social media platforms, as well as restrict their use during certain times.
The settlement stems from a nationwide lawsuit alleging Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap failed to protect children and made their platforms "addictive" by design. A group of 51 US states and territories signed the agreement, including New York, New Jersey, California, Nevada, South Carolina, Washington, Illino …
Amazon knocks $150 off Pixel 11 phones, with up to $200 in gift cards
If you’ve been on the fence about Google’s latest Pixel phones, this might be your best chance to save some cash. Amazon is offering an extra $150 off the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro XL when you use the coupon code PIXEL11 at checkout. While the discounted price appeared at checkout for most phone and watch combinations, it didn’t apply to the Pixel Pro Fold.
That deal stacks with the introductory offer running at several retailers, where you can choose between a gift card that scales with the model of phone you’re buying, or additional credit towards a Pixel Watch 5. For example, the base model Pixel 11 would normally cost $899, but the introductory bundle, which ends on August 27th, includes a $100 gift card, and with the code, you’ll pay just $749. The Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL bundles include either a $200 gift card, or $250 towards the cost of a Pixel Watch 5.
The Pixel 11 phones added a variety of new features to Google’s first-party Android phones, most notably around the cameras. In addition to improved sensors across the lineup, the new Magic Capture feature automatically pulls photos and clips out of a video recording, letting you focus on what’s in front of you.
Read our Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro reviews.
Other deals to consider
- Doom: The Dark Ages is on sale for $19.87 at Green Man Gaming, the lowest price yet for the Steam version of the game. The 2025 title adds a medieval twist to the classic Doom formula, with a more engaging story, and of course an awesome suite of weapons, including a shield that gives you more options while charging into battle. Read our review.
- Best Buy is selling the Scuf Valor Pro for $113.99, a significant discount from its usual price of $189.99. This wireless controller is compatible with PC, Xbox Series S/X, and Xbox One, and features TMR joysticks to prevent stick drift over time. It has a 1,000 Hz polling rate when connected to a computer for super sharp response times, and programmable paddles on the back.
- The Cuktech 25,000mAh 100W USB-C power bank is only $62.99 at Amazon for a limited time, 10 percent lower than the usual price. It can charge up to three devices at once, with an integrated USB-C cable, as well as USB-C and USB-A ports, with up to 100W of charging power.
Being a mom is hard — the heat is making it harder
It's 8:52 AM and 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 Celsius) where I live in Southern California. My husband just came back from a morning outing with our four-month-old. "How was the botanic garden?" I ask him. "It was okay. It was just too hot," he tells me. I didn't expect us to spend so much of our son's first summer cooped up inside, hiding from the heat.
As I write this, an extreme heat warning for my area is glaring at me from my phone, effective for at least the next three days. "Dangerously hot conditions with high temperatures up to 110 [degrees Fahrenheit] expected," my weather app warns me. "Stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of …
The Switch 2’s $50 price increase is happening next week
This is a friendly reminder that the Nintendo Switch 2 will jump in price by $50 starting on September 1st. That’s next Tuesday! The company gave plenty of notice, but the time has finally come. The base 256GB model that ships without a game will go from $449.99 to $499.99. Nintendo recently announced two bundles (both well over $500) shipping this fall that include a game with a slight discount.
If you’re on the fence for a Switch 2, now is a pretty good time to buy one — not just because of the upcoming price increase. The game library is stellar and growing quickly, and the console itself is great, too. You’ll need one to play the remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, The Duskbloods, and plenty of other upcoming games.
Nintendo Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch 2 has a 7.9-inch LCD display, magnetically attached Joy-Con 2 controllers, backwards compatibility with most original Switch games, and exclusive titles including Donkey Kong Bananza and Kirby Air Riders. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
Not that the Switch 2 was ever cheap, but it was one of a few devices left out there that didn’t quickly get more expensive due to RAMageddon. Alas, no tech product will escape RAMageddon unscathed, especially one like the Switch 2 that has speedy RAM and storage. Almost all competing handhelds cost more than before, too, though Nintendo’s $50 price increase is soft compared to the $200-plus increase for the Steam Deck OLED .
And, in case you were wondering, we’ve tested some great Switch 2 accessories, and have put our favorites into respective articles that deliver multiple options. We landed on the best cases, the best screen protectors, and the best controllers, too.
Apple Maps has ads now
Ads have started popping up in Apple Maps, following Apple's announcement in March that it would let businesses pay for top spots. They're appearing on my iPhone as the first entry in the "suggested places" section in search, but Apple says they'll also show up at the top of search results. According to 9to5Mac, the ads began rolling out this week, and more users in the US and Canada will start seeing them over the next few weeks.
They're marked with a blue "ad" icon, similar to the ads Google's had in its Maps app for years now. I was also greeted with a pop-up warning me about the ads when I launched the Maps app this morning:
Maps may …
Google’s new AI transcription edits out your ‘ums’ and ‘ahs’
Google has updated Gemini Audio with new transcription capabilities that automatically detect specialized jargon and more than 85 languages. Gemini 3.5 Transcribe is a new addition to the Gemini family that follows the launch of 3.5 Live Translate, and comes as we're still waiting for Google to release the Gemini 3.5 Pro model that it promised to roll out in June.
Google says that 3.5 Transcribe "represents a major advancement from our previous transcription model, Chirp 3," especially regarding multilingual performance and wording error rates. The transcription model allows users to "edit naturally with just your voice," according to Goog …
Apple announces September iPhone launch event
Apple's next launch event will take place on September 9th at 1PM ET. Invites to the event, which has a "Surprise and shine" tagline, were sent out on Wednesday. The event will take place at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple Park, but there will also be a livestream on Apple's website.
September's show could be a big one, as Apple may finally announce the long-rumored foldable iPhone. A photo of an apparent dummy unit indicates the foldable may have a wide form factor that's similar to what Samsung used with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, a phone that our reviewer Dominic Preston said "feels like the future."
Apple is also expected to refresh its Pro …
Volvo’s cars will warn one another about hazards in the road
Volvo is updating three of its electric vehicles with new hazard alerts to warn drivers when there are animals or vulnerable road users ahead. The new connected safety features are based on Volvo's cars talking to one another, as opposed to crowdsourced alert systems used by popular navigation tools like Google Maps and Waze.
The alerts work by using connected vehicle data from Volvo's fleet of passenger vehicles in Europe, the US, and Canada. The car's sensors and cameras are tuned to identify certain risks on the road. When one Volvo spots a hazard, it automatically logs the location and sends it to Volvo's servers. Alerts are then sent …
Xbox announces disc-to-digital feature that digitizes your physical games
Microsoft is officially announcing a new Xbox feature that will allow Xbox owners to digitize their existing physical game collections. The disc-to-digital feature, which The Verge exclusively revealed last month, is part of work that Microsoft is doing for game preservation and in preparation for the next generation of Xbox consoles.
"Most Xbox One and Xbox Series X disc-based games support this new feature," explains Jason Ronald, VP of next generation at Xbox. "Players can claim a digital entitlement by inserting a supported disc into an Xbox One or Xbox Series X console and launching the game." This digital entitlement is tied to the sp …
Microsoft’s 25th anniversary Xbox will cost $899
The special-edition translucent green Xbox finally has an official price. Preorders for the console start August 27th at 10AM ET / 7AM PT, although Microsoft says "some of XBOX's most dedicated fans" will receive early access preorder emails starting today.
The console will launch on November 13th, alongside a matching controller with the same "OG Green" colorway from the original translucent green Xbox. Microsoft is also including a full-game download of Halo: Campaign Evolved with each of the consoles, and revealed during Gamescom on Wednesday that each console will be laser-etched and numbered. Under the special-edition shell, it's an X …