Names are hard — but they don't have to be this hard. Nilay, David, and The Verge's Jake Kastrenakes start the show with some personal news, before digging into the monumentally silly thinking behind Warner Bros. Discovery re-re-naming its streaming service HBO Max. After that, and some more streaming news, we turn our attention to the gadget news of the week, including the long-awaited release of CarPlay Ultra and the latest announcements from the Android team at Google. Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for Brendan Carr is a Dummy, some debate on the future of Airbnb, and a brief party speaker update. Because the mystery continues.

Further reading:

It’s not Max, it’s HBO Max 

Max was an all-time bad rebrand

How HBO’s creatives survived corporate chaos

ESPN’s standalone streaming app launches this fall for $30 a month 

Fox One streaming service will arrive just in time for football season 

Netflix’s ad tier is growing really fast — and that means more ads

Netflix is bringing back Star Search as a live show

YouTube will stream an opening week NFL game for free 

Peacock’s NBA coverage will add an overlay with live shot stats 

Apple’s CarPlay Ultra is finally here, if you have a new Aston Martin

Apple’s fancy new CarPlay will only work wirelessly

Android 16 Material Three Expressive UI coming in beta this month 

Google’s splashy new Android UI is coming in beta this month. 

It’s Dieter!

Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Verge's Will Poor recently came home from vacation and discovered he had an insect problem. More specifically, his Sonos speaker had an insect problem. Will brings us the story of what really happened there, and what he discovered about how the animal kingdom — and the electronics world — works. After that, The Verge's Andru Marino tells us about his research on all things AI podcasts. He tells us why people are so hooked on NotebookLM's Audio Overviews, where these generated shows fall short, and what all us human podcasters could learn from the bots. Finally, The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy helps us answer a question on the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected]!) all about smart lights. Which get complicated faster than you think.

Further reading:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Where will Meta, Apple, and Google be three years from now? It's starting to look like they might all be very different. Nilay, David, and The Verge's Richard Lawler start the show with Eddy Cue's testimony in the Google search trial, in which Cue argued that AI is taking over — and that Google should be allowed to keep paying Apple gobs of money. The hosts also chat about the latest in the Meta trials, and how the recent Apple ruling is already changing the App Store. Then, there are some gadgets to talk about: the panopticon-slash-killer-app coming for Meta's smart glasses, the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop, and a lot of new iPhones. In the lightning round, we do another round of Brendan Carr is a Dummy, then talk about some new Netflix designs and the latest in our worldwide hunt for party speakers.

Further reading:

Eddy Cue is fighting to save Apple’s $20 billion paycheck from Google

Apple’s Eddy Cue: ‘You may not need an iPhone 10 years from now’

Google searches are falling in Safari for the first time ever — probably because of AI

Google's statement about Search traffic

Apple is looking at adding Perplexity and other AI search engines to Safari

Amazon now has a ‘Get book’ button in its iOS Kindle app

Epic will use an EU account to bring Fortnite back to the US App Store

Patreon’s iOS update allows creators to bypass in-app purchases

Apple is trying to halt the App Store ruling.

Apple files appeal to wrest back control of its App Store

A new bill would force Apple to allow third-party app stores
DOJ’s proposed Google changes would ‘deeply undermine user trust,’ search chief says

Firefox could be doomed without Google search deal, says executive

DOJ asks court to split up Google’s ad tech empire

Threads was originally going to live inside the Instagram app | The Verge

Instagram doesn’t want to be a ‘lean-back experience.’ | The Verge

‘TikTok is probably the fiercest competition that we have faced.’ | The Verge

Instagram has spent up to $700 million in a year to lure creators.

Mosseri calls the first version of Reels his ‘biggest mistake.’ | The Verge

Meta’s new AI glasses could have a ‘super-sensing’ mode with facial recognition

Apple is planning smart glasses with and without AR

Apple ‘iPhone Air’ rumor suggests a bigger screen coming in 2027

Apple may stagger next year’s iPhones to make way for a foldable

Microsoft’s smaller Surface Pro has a 12-inch display and starts at $799

Microsoft shrinks its Surface Laptop down to 13 inches, priced at $899

Microsoft’s new Surface devices ditch magnetic charging port for USB-C

How Microsoft shrunk its Surface devices

Policing News, Policing DEI: The FCC’s Shifting Priorities Erode Its Credibility

OpenAI abandons plan to become a for-profit company

Netflix is getting a big TV revamp

Netflix will try a TikTok-like feed on its mobile app

I put four robot lawnmowers through a brutal backyard battle

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Verge’s Victoria Song joins the show to talk about a new genre of gadget, which both she and David have been testing a lot: the AI-powered, always-on voice recorder. Vee shares what she’s learned from devices like Bee, and why it’s going to be so hard for AI to figure out what really matters in our lives. After that, The Verge’s Nathan Edwards and keyboard maker Ryan Norbauer tell the story of the Seneca, a $3,600 keyboard that Norbauer built to his own incredibly exacting specifications. They tell David about what it really takes to make a great keyboard, and why making one is worth the effort. Finally, in the lightning round (call 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected]!), we answer a couple of questions about the future of Chrome.

Further reading:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Everywhere you look, antitrust fights have the potential to reshape the tech industry. Nilay, David, and The Verge's Jake Kastrenakes start by digging into the latest ruling in the Apple / Epic trial, in which a furious judge rips open the App Store in a way Apple likely never saw coming. The way we pay for apps is about to change, and fast. After that, it's time for an update on the Google and Meta trials, as Google tries to preserve its search empire and Meta tries to make the case that basically every company on the web is its vicious competitor. Finally, in the lightning round, it's time for another installment of Brendan Carr is a Dummy, plus some notes on this week's Worldcoin launch and the strange new Meta AI app. Also: party speakers. Always party speakers.

Further reading:

A judge just blew up Apple’s control of the App Store

‘Cook chose poorly’: how Apple blew up its control over the App Store

The future of the App Store depends on the difference between a ‘button’ and an ‘external link’

Apple must allow other forms of in-app purchase, rules judge in Epic v. Apple

Apple exec ‘outright lied’ during Epic trial

Apple confirms it will appeal the App Store order.

Epic says Fortnite is coming back to iOS in the US

Sundar Pichai says the DOJ’s antitrust plan could kill Google Search

Google confirms it’s close to getting Gemini support on iPhones

The TikTok ban is back in court — in Meta’s antitrust trial

TikTok’s head of operations takes the stand.

Reels isn’t Instagram’s ‘core’ experience.

TikTok doesn’t compete with Meta for ‘personal social networking.’

TikTok’s legal entanglements collide.

The TikTok ban makes another cameo.

TikTok’s friends tab is not exactly a hit.

TikTok and Reels are ‘indistinguishable.’

Are YouTube and Instagram the top competitors for TikTok? 

TikTok predicted Instagram would redesign its app to focus on Reels.

Meta prepared for a ‘flood in traffic’ ahead of the TikTok ban.

Facebook execs worried Google would buy WhatsApp and make it ‘a cross-platform iMessage.’

Facebook worried most about Google or Apple buying WhatsApp.

Google had a ‘long shot’ chance of becoming competitive in social with WhatsApp.

Facebook exec worried about losing the business to mobile messaging apps.

‘I was really worried that this could become the end.’

‘This shit is getting scary.’ 

WhatsApp showed ‘absolutely no signs of morphing’ into a social app.

Facebook floated starting from scratch on messaging.

Facebook didn’t know how it would make money from WhatsApp.

Facebook didn’t fear WhatsApp becoming a social competitor.

Meta releases AI app to compete with ChatGPT

Brendan Carr congratulates himself

Brendan Carr’s FCC is an anti-consumer, rights-trampling harassment machine

Brendan Carr’s Bizarro World FCC

Sam Altman-backed Worldcoin cryptocurrency launches in the US

Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sometimes you want more tech in your life — and sometimes you want a lot less. This episode is all about less. First, Tim Stevens joins the show to talk about his story about the Slate Truck, an ultra-minimal electric vehicle that has almost no features to speak of and yet still promises to reinvent the way we think about cars. After that, Casey Johnston tells us about her journey in managing her screen time. She has tips for how to get the most problematic apps of your phone, is a big proponent of a factory reset, and has seen first-hand what happens when you look at your devices just a little less. Finally, we answer a question on the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected]!) about whether there's a MacBook Air equivalent in the Windows world. The answer surprised us, and it might surprise you too.

Further reading:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some weeks, it just feels like everything is up in the air all at the same time. Nilay and David are joined by The Verge’s Jake Kastrenakes to talk about all the unrest, starting with the ever-changing tariff rules that are making gadgets hard to price, hard to find, and hard to bet on going forward. (Maybe that’s why it seems everyone on Earth tried to pre-order a Switch 2 this week.) After that, the hosts catch up on the Meta and Google antitrust trials happening this week, and try to figure out who might be interested in the internet’s most popular browser. Finally, in the lightning round, we talk Brendan Carr (who is a dummy), the wood-backed Motorola Razr Ultra, and the 20th anniversary of YouTube.

Further reading:



Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

 If you’re heading on vacation this summer, you’re going to want to listen to this. The Verge’s Gaby del Valle joins the show to explain how worried you need to be about your digital data when you cross borders, and what you can do to protect yourself. Even if you don’t think you have anything to hide, a little precaution goes a long way. After that, Puck’s Matt Belloni joins the show to explain why Apple, Amazon, Google, and other tech companies continue to pour money into the streaming business, when it seems so far removed from what those companies do well. (Spoiler alert: it’s fun to be friends with Ben Stiller.) Finally, we answer a hotline question about the Google Pixel’s ascent to “best Android phone for people who just want a phone.” 

Oh, also: thanks to everyone who voted for us in the Webby Awards! We’ll know soon whether we won, but however it shakes out, we’re so grateful to everyone who voted for us.

Further reading:

Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We promise, this episode is only a little bit about header bidding. Nilay and David are joined by The Verge’s Alex Heath to talk about some big news in tech regulation: Google lost its ad-tech monopoly trial, which could reshape both Google and the internet altogether. And that’s not the only monopoly news! Meta’s trial also started this week, and Alex was there to see Mark Zuckerberg and others try to defend Instagram, WhatsApp, and the company as a whole. After all that, we talk about OpenAI’s plans to build a social network, and how this company seems to never run out of ambition. Finally, in the lightning round, it’s time for another round of Brendan Carr is a Dummy, and some news about viral cameras and the Switch 2. Which we’ll be yeeting into our homes as soon as possible

Further reading:

Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's time, once again, to see what's what in the streaming wars. For the third year in a row, our hosts — this time Nilay, David, and The Verge's Jake Kastrenakes — have to build a roster of streaming options that will win awards, show 4K content, satisfy their live TV needs, and much more. First, the hosts decide who won last year's competition, and then they pick their favorites for 2025.

Make sure you listen to the episode before you read this, but here are the results of the draft:

Jake's picks:

Cheap: Tubi

Awards: Netflix

4K: Hulu

Live: Instagram Live

Niche: PBS Passport

Content: LoFi Girl

Wild Card: Kanopy

Nilay's picks:

Cheap: TikTok

Awards: Max

4K: Disney Plus

Live: Sunday Ticket

Niche: Kaleidescape

Content: CNBC

Wild Card: F1 TV

David's picks

Cheap: Peacock

Awards: Amazon Prime

4K: YouTube Premium

Live: YouTube TV

Niche: BritBox

Content: Stranger Things season 5

Wild Card: Paramount Plus

We want to know who you think won the draft! Email us at [email protected], or call The Vergecast Hotline at 866-VERGE11, and tell us all your thoughts. And if you want to catch up, you can check out our draft from 2024 and from 2023. A lot has changed, and nothing has.

The Vergecast was nominated for a Webby, which means we can win a Webby People’s Voice Award and that’s voted online by you! So we’d love your support. You can vote at the link:https://bit.ly/3DXFgpN

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices