Technology

TV Show Reviews Arcane’s final season puts an even finer point on its story about revolutionary war. By Charles Pulliam-Moore, a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years. Share this story The first season of Netflix and Riot’s Arcane animated series fashioned disparate pieces of League of Legends lore into a beautiful, devastating tale about a society on the brink of collapse. The show infused each of its characters with a depth and complexity that felt unlike anything Riot had done elsewhere in the longrunning franchise. And its commitment to telling its own story made it remarkably easy for new fans to dive in. There’s a density to Arcane’s second season that feels reflecti...

/ ‘Now and Then’ is going up against Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, and Billie Eilish. a:hover]:text-black [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-e9 dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray-63 [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-13 dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63″>Paul McCartney in 2022.

/ Google already hiked prices for some YouTube Music Key and Google Play Music holdovers in the US, and now people in other countries are getting the same message. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube’s premium subscriptions are about to get more expensive for long-time subscribers with legacy plans in more places. In December, YouTube told US subscribers with legacy YouTube Premium plans (stemming from discontinued services Google Play Music or YouTube Red) they’d need to start paying the current $13.99 per month price in the new year. Y...

Drones/ Tech / Vertical video is here — and it’s fast enough to track cycling now. a:hover]:text-black [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-e9 dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray-63 [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-13 dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63″>“9:16” is vertical.

/ The rollout for the new templates started this week, for work and personal Google accounts. a:hover]:text-black [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-e9 dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray-63 [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-13 dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63″>Google Slides is getting more professionally designed templates for businesses, teachers, and students.a:hover]:text-black [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-e9 dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray-63 [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-13 dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63″>The new templates are available to some users this week, with a full rollout expected by the end of November.

Gift Guide A collection of fun, affordable, and unique gifts fit for everyone on your list. For many, spending time with friends and family is the biggest holiday tradition there is — and a large part of that is the satisfaction that comes with finding the perfect gifts for everyone. Lucky for you, we know a thing or two about picking out presents. Each year, we consult the greatest minds at The Verge to bring together a robust collection of gift ideas that builds upon both our editorial coverage and our individual interests. Our tasteful 2024 cheat sheet is chock-full of our favorite tech — from noise-canceling earbuds and streaming devices to colorful e-readers and smart rings — as well as inexpensive picks for those hoping to stretch their budget a bit further. After all, you ...

Google/ Tech / Updates replaces the Sharing section — look for the new bell icon. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Illustration: The Verge Google Photos is making it easier to follow activity in your shared albums with a new “Updates” section. In the new section, you’ll be able to see notifications like updates to a shared album and updates to a conversation within Google Photos, according to a support post from Google. The Updates section can be found by tapping a bell icon that replaces the Sharing button (the one that looks like two people). Updates are shown chronologically, an...

/ The company is shifting cell production from South Korea to Arizona to comply with the IRA’s requirements.

/ Now when Android users send a message reaction to an iOS friend, it actually looks as it should. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge Apple is showing some love to Android users by finally displaying their message reactions correctly. Now when an Android user reacts to an RCS message from an iOS user, the selected emoji will appear in line with the message bubble on iOS — instead of archaically appearing as a separate line like this: “💀 to ‘that wasn’t supposed to happen.’” The Verge sent test messages and emoji reactions between iPho...

/ The Sol 5 sticks to the back of your iPhone and offers both brightness and color temperature adjustments. a]:text-gray-13″>If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Image: Harlowe Harlowe’s Sol 5 is a three-inch extending light that attaches to the MagSafe mount on your iPhone to improve the quality of your photos and selfies. It’s available now for $79 or for $159 as part of a travel kit that includes a softbox diffuser to help reduce harsh shadows. The Sol 5 isn’t a new idea. When th...