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Apps

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.

‘That is not acceptable’: Judge orders Google to make rival app store installs easier

Judge Donato was not having Google’s ‘anticompetitive friction.’

Sean Hollister
‘Zoomsday’ hack uncovered using fewer than 20 AI prompts

The Zoom vulnerability allowed hackers to take over everyone’s device on a call, security researchers say.

Emma Roth

Latest In Apps

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Discord doubled its upload file size limit for free users.

Now you can upload attachments up to 20MB, twice the previous 10MB cap. But Discord also says its mobile apps will now check file sizes before compressing attachments, just like the desktop app already does.

Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Bluesky beta tests better video support.

While recent stats from Similarweb showed a decline in Bluesky’s active users, the app is continuing to build that big tent Toni Schneider talked about and is now testing support for videos that are up to 10 minutes long. It’s also announced Bluesky Protocol Services, which is supposed to make it easier to build apps that connect to its AT Protocol infrastructure.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Why did it have to be Instagzam?
1/3Image: Instagram
Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Wahoo takes on Garmin and Strava.

Wahoo is revamping its app to expand beyond its core cycling hardware to become a “connected training ecosystem.” And that means subscriptions. Under its new three-tier model, basic Wahoo device support is still free; $4.99/month adds performance analytics, insights, and training load tracking for self-guided athletes; and $17.99/month adds structured training guidance.

<em>I hope the app can calculate the drag coefficient of that moustache. </em>
1/12
I hope the app can calculate the drag coefficient of that moustache.
Image: Wahoo
Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Are you seeing a rival Android app store inside the US Google Play Store — or not?

Aptoide is the first third-party app store inside Google Play after Epic’s victory, but Aptoide CEO Paulo Trezentos tells me “I’d say 50% of people with a US account are not yet able to access it.” Most Verge staffers I’ve asked can, but a fully updated Pixel 9 review unit can’t. Google spox Dan Jackson tells me the feature is fully rolled out. Can you see it?

No install button
Does your phone show an install button?
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
An update on the Phoebe Gates shopping app saga.

Internal communications viewed by Bloomberg suggest that Phoebe Gates — Bill Gates’ daughter — knew that her shopping app, Phia, claimed commission for sales it didn’t drive using a method known as “cookie stuffing:”

Phoebe Gates was aware of features that automatically set cookies from at least Dec. 18, according to an internal Slack discussion reviewed by Bloomberg and confirmed by people familiar with the matter… Gates wanted to verify that Phia’s cookie was being dropped automatically when the box popped up even if the shopper didn’t click to use a coupon, according to two of the people. This would allow Phia to take the credit and commission for the total value of products sold.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Linux has a native ChatGPT desktop app now.

OpenAI announced that the new app is available in preview on Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora, and includes ChatGPT along with Work and Codex.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
FlightAware is suing Kalshi for using its flight data for bets.

The flight-tracking site claims Kalshi is using its data to “run gambling markets on flight cancellations” even after it asked the prediction market platform to stop. “Kalshi instead accessed FlightAware’s data without authorization and then represented to customers that market outcomes were ‘verified from FlightAware,’” the lawsuit states.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
The Palma 2 now has a “BOOX-optimized” version of Instapaper.

The new version of the read-it-later app has “firmware-level integration” that Boox says significantly reduces screen ghosting and offers a faster refresh rate. It’s rolling out now on the Palma 2 and Palma 2 Pro in the V4.2 firmware update.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Venmo on Google Play.

Google announced that you can now pay with your Venmo account on the Play Store, allowing you to purchase games and other content with your existing funds, linked cards, or bank accounts.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
My favorite softsynth now has a free version.

Arturia’s Pigments is my go-to synth plugin. It’s powerful, versatile, and shockingly easy to build complex patches in. It’s currently marked down to $129 from its usual price of $199. But if you’re hesitant to commit even that much, the company just launched Pigments Play, a free stripped-down version.

Pigments Play

[Arturia]

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Soon, free Gmail won’t let you “send as” third-party email accounts.

Support for sending emails from third-party accounts like Yahoo or Outlook is ending in January 2027, Android Authority reports. Google’s also discontinuing Gmailify and the ability to fetch emails from third-party accounts in Gmail, but says you can still use “send as” for Gmail addresses and aliases, and “Google Workspace ‘Send as’ functionality is not affected.”

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
WhatsApp now lets you ping the entire group chat.

The communications app has introduced an “@all” alert to get everyone’s attention instead of tagging people individually — a feature that’s thankfully restricted to admins for group chats with more than 32 members. You can now also start new group chats from existing groups, and polls have been updated, adding the ability to hide voter names, edit questions, and set voting deadlines.

David Imel
David Imel
Telegram briefly vanished from Apple’s App Store.

After a few hours, the app reappeared around 10:45PM ET. Apple issued the following statement:

We briefly removed Telegram from the App Store after our review found content that violates our strict guidelines prohibiting child sexual abuse material. The app was subsequently restored after the developer promptly removed the content and banned the user who posted it.

Telegram, in response:

I’m sure this stance will be applied equally to all other apps in the store, in the future right?

Update: Added Apple and Telegram statements.

Google Earth’s AI deepfake tool only lasted one dayGoogle Earth’s AI deepfake tool only lasted one day
Jay Peters and Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Chrome for Android has custom new tab page backgrounds now.

As spotted by 9to5Google, you can change the background to different colors and images, including uploading your own, and set the background to refresh everyday, like on the desktop version of Chrome. The new backgrounds are under “Customize new tab page” in Chrome’s three dots menu.

A screenshot of new tab page customization options on Chrome for Android
A screenshot of new tab page customization options on Chrome for Android
1/2Image: Google
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
You can now control Gemini on Mac with your voice.

With the update, you can hold the Fn key in any window to interact with Gemini by talking aloud. You can also opt into a feature that allows Gemini to “see” what’s on your screen and perform tasks within your open windows. This update is rolling out in English to all Gemini app users on macOS.

David Imel
David Imel
Peer-to-peer over peer-to-peer.

Bitchat, the peer-to-peer encrypted messaging app that sends messages over Bluetooth LE, can now itself be sent from one Android device to another — no internet or Google Play Store required. This is a big deal, considering India’s recent attempts to ban the app from Github. If this isn’t cypherpunk, I don’t know what is.

David Imel
David Imel
Motorola is launching an app for indigenous language preservation.

Motorola started supporting a number of endangered languages on its phones in 2021, and now it’s launching a full-blown app to dive into indigenous languages and their communities. Motorola says its new “Indigenous Collections” app is the result of a year-long collaboration with the Rainy Lake Ojibwe community, and contains “key vocabulary and cultural context” from the Anishinaabemowin language.

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Yelp’s AI can now handle takeout orders over the phone.

You can read more about it in a Yelp blog post, and the company put together a video demo you can watch below. Could be useful, but let’s hope it works better than some AI drive-thru chatbots.

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Ultrahuman overhauls app with AI-powered recommendations.

The smart wearables company has a new feature for its companion app called “UltraSphere,” which provides over 60 suggested actions to improve rest, wellness, and recovery. The actions are location- and weather-aware, and tailored to the user. Suggestions can include things like “get light,” “cut caffeine,” and “wind down.”

A screenshot of the overhauled Ultrahuman app.
The suggested actions draw on markers spanning sleep, recovery,HRV, skin temperature, cycle phase, movement, stress, and glucose data (with Ultrahuman M1 or M2 Live).
Image: Ultrahuman
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Google says Gemini now has 950 million monthly users.

It’s a sizeable jump from the 750 million Gemini users Google reported in February. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, shared the stat as part of its Q2 2026 earnings report (pdf), which also revealed a 24 percent increase in revenue to $119.8 billion.

David Imel
David Imel
Lights, camera, Action Plates.

The Moment Pro Camera II app was already my go-to app for RAW phone snaps, but Moment’s new Action Plates feature lets you configure your UI exactly how you want. Plus, who doesn’t love a little skeuomorphism?

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Image Credit: Moment
Cameron Faulkner
Cameron Faulkner
Google Photos got rid of the visual gaps between days, but you can turn them back on.

It used to be easy to tell which photos you took on a certain day in Google Photos. I didn’t realize how much I appreciated those little visual gaps breaking up time until a new update removed them, smashburgering my photos and videos, in favor of a persistent bar hovering at the top of the screen. Thankfully, you can reinsert them by clicking the three vertical dots to the right of that floating bar, then select “Show dates in grid.”

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Apple and Google ordered to take down AI “nudify” apps.

San Francisco city attorney David Chiu sent cease-and-desist letters to both companies, demanding that they remove 13 apps that can be used to generate nude images of someone without their consent, according to a report from Wired. The letters ask Google and Apple to stop “aiding and abetting” the sale of sexualized AI deepfakes, which is prohibited under California law.

Google spokesperson Dan Jackson tells The Verge that the company suspended the five Android apps cited in Chiu’s letter, adding that the Play Store “does not allow apps that contain sexual content.”

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
ChatGPT will show teens more frequent break reminders.

The notifications will show up for teens who spend “extended time” on ChatGPT, OpenAI says. The company will also notify parents if their teen’s account is banned for violating policies on “violent threats or acts of violence online.”

Image: OpenAI