The best apps download superpowers to your smartphone. The Verge covers the new and noteworthy Android apps, iPhone apps, and games, highlighting great design, impressive utility, and novel features. If it belongs on your phone, you’ll find it on The Verge.
The government is forcing the state-backed, Telegram-like messaging service Max onto new gadgets as of September 1st. There’s also a new iOS requirement for the RuStore app store (despite Apple exiting Russia in 2022), matching Android, and next year, all smart TVs will need the Lime HD TV app.
Steph “kepano” Ango on why productivity tools need community more than they need AI.
The platform has already rolled out age verification in the UK in response to local laws, and now its updated terms say:
In some locations, we may be required to restrict access to certain features or content unless you complete an age assurance process and demonstrate that you are an adult.
Bluesky has also updated its community guidelines, which go into effect on October 15th.
[Bluesky]
404 Media reports how ICE officials added a random person to a “Mass Text” chat, where they discussed plans to find an individual “seemingly marked for deportation.” The messages exposed sensitive information about ICE’s target, including their criminal record, Social Security Number, and driver’s license number.
The country’s communications regulator claims people use the messaging apps to “deceive and extort money,” as well as involve Russians in “terrorist activities,” the Associated Press reports. In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed off on the creation of a state-backed messaging app as part of efforts to exercise more control over the internet.
The new tab will house AI editing tools that let you remix your pictures or transform them into videos. You’ll also find options to create GIFs from your photos, add a 3D effect, create collages, and make highlight videos.
That’s possible thanks to the Discord Social SDK, which is launching now following a closed beta.
Android Authority managed to get an early version of the new Practice feature up and running, and it looks even more AI-centric than Duolingo.
A 2019 lawsuit from the FTC claimed Match.com promised a free six-month subscription to customers who didn’t “meet someone special” without disclosing the “onerous requirements” needed to fulfill this guarantee. As part of the settlement, Match Group must make its policies more transparent, as well as make it easier to cancel subscriptions.
[Federal Trade Commission]
The head of Notion on productivity, LEGO, and what he learned from Kyoto’s craft tradition.
Today I learned about comparesffpc.com, which effortlessly lets you compare small-form-factor cases on a virtual 3D desk, in your browser, using this impressive public dataset. It isn’t the only comparo tool, but it’s the cleanest and easiest I’ve used yet. (I’m thinking about swapping my Ncase, any desk-friendly recommends?)
The new Instagram Maps request to enable location services (feeding Meta valuable ad targeting data from your Android or iPhone) has spawned incredulous reactions, along with claims it’s on by default, despite Adam Mosseri’s denials.
Still, he says, “We’ll get out a few design improvements as quickly as possible.”
The team from NextBeat, a “London-based music gaming startup known for blending world-class music licensing with engaging mobile gameplay,” will join Duolingo to help improve its music course, according to a press release.
If you also use 1Password and have an Android device, you may have also been dealing with autofill problems lately. However, updating to version 8.11.4 or higher and following the instructions to make sure Chrome is set to use third-party autofill seems to have worked on my phone to make the app more reliable again.
According to 1Password, the need to update its app and an uneven update rollout from Google caused a gap as Chrome switched from the old compatibility mode approach to the new native autofill experience.
[1password.community]
During an earnings call, Match Group CFO Steven Bailey said that once Tinder and Hinge widely roll out external payments, he expects to see “at least” a $65 million boost to the company’s adjusted operating income in 2026. Earlier this year, a judge ordered Apple to stop restricting how developers can link to payments outside the App Store.
“We’re also continuing to monitor the Epic vs. Google case and growing regulatory pressure,” Bailey said.
You can now tune out to 75 chill tracks from the games which always prioritized fun and unique flying challenges over being truly accurate flight simulators. There are 21 tracks and 19 minutes of music from the original Super Nintendo version of the game, 30 tracks/46 minutes from Pilotwings 64 on the N64, and 24 tracks/36 minutes from Pilotwings Resort which was the last game in the series launching on the Nintendo 3DS in 2011.
Is it a good idea to keep your MacBook in the kitchen while you’re baking? Probably not, but it’s still good to know that developer Kris Shah has created a simple macOS app that can turn your Apple laptop’s trackpad into a makeshift scale, as spotted by Lifehacker.
Track Weight, available for free on GitHub, does require you to keep one finger resting on the trackpad to use it which is a bit inconvenient, but it’s surprisingly accurate.
The company has introduced Proton Authenticator, an open-source two-factor authentication app that can sync 2FA codes across devices using end-to-end encryption. Though Proton’s password manager already comes with a built-in 2FA feature, Proton says using its standalone Authenticator offers an “extra layer of security” by generating codes in a separate app.
Proton Authentication is available for free on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux.
In its most recent update, Bluesky will prompt UK users to prove their age by uploading their ID, scanning their face, or using a payment card. Users who don’t verify their age or are under 18 won’t be able to access certain features or content, in line with the UK’s Online Safety Act.
