Tech

Google’s Gemini AI smart home controls are rolling out to everyone

Google’s Nest Learning thermostat. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Google is bringing smart home controls in Gemini to everyone. The Google Home extension in the Gemini app is adding a few new features, in addition to letting you adjust your smart lighting, thermostat, speakers, and other compatible devices as long as […]

Google’s Gemini AI smart home controls are rolling out to everyone Read More »

Bill Gates’ nuclear energy startup inks new data center deal

A screenshot from a video of TerraPower’s groundbreaking ceremony for its demonstration project in Wyoming. TerraPower, a nuclear energy startup founded by Bill Gates, struck a deal this week with one of the largest data center developers in the US to deploy advanced nuclear reactors. TerraPower and Sabey Data Centers (SDC) are working together on

Bill Gates’ nuclear energy startup inks new data center deal Read More »

Android 16’s first public beta adds Google’s more limited take on live lockscreen notifications

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge Android 16’s first public beta will start rolling out later today, bringing with it dynamic lockscreen notifications for ride-sharing and food delivery, following yesterday’s reveal of a similar feature in Samsung’s Galaxy S25 phones. The new beta also forces apps to be resizable, a move to make sure they

Android 16’s first public beta adds Google’s more limited take on live lockscreen notifications Read More »

Google’s Identity Check for Android keeps phone thieves out of your digital accounts

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google is officially launching a new Android security feature for Pixel devices with Android 15 to prevent phone thieves from accessing your digital accounts. The feature, called Identity Check, requires biometric authentication to access some account and device settings when you’re not at a trusted location (such as

Google’s Identity Check for Android keeps phone thieves out of your digital accounts Read More »

Fitbit fined $12 million for Ionic smartwatches that burned 78 people

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Fitbit is paying a $12.25 million fine over its Ionic smartwatches, which the company recalled in 2022 after reports that the watches’ lithium-ion batteries overheated and, in some cases, burned customers. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has provisionally accepted the settlement. The commission worked with Fitbit to recall

Fitbit fined $12 million for Ionic smartwatches that burned 78 people Read More »