Google is testing a homepage without a Search button
Google is testing a homepage without a Search button

Google is testing a homepage with no Search button. A small group of signed-out users see three AI shortcuts in its place, and the familiar layout returns the moment they log in. Search Engine Watch spotted the change on Monday and reproduced it across…

Google Play adds Venmo as a payment option in the US. In other markets, it is testing cash.
Google Play adds Venmo as a payment option in the US. In other markets, it is testing cash.

Google Play now accepts Venmo in the United States. Users can link their Venmo account through the payment methods section in Google Play settings and use their Venmo wallet, connected bank accounts, or cards to pay for apps, games, subscriptions, and …

Aptoide becomes the first rival app store to return to Google Play in the US

Aptoide has brought its games store back to Google Play after more than a decade, as court-ordered changes open Android to competing app stores.

Social media platforms still facing thousands of user addiction lawsuits after failed appeals

Platforms like Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and Google are facing a long road of litigation.

YouTube now requires creators to have twice as many watch hours to start earning money

Creators who want to start earning on the platform will need at least 8,000 qualified watch hours over the past year or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days.

Google Play adds Venmo as a payment option

The ability to add Venmo to Google Play comes as people are spending more money on apps and games.

The first rival Android app store just arrived in the US Play Store
The first rival Android app store just arrived in the US Play Store

Following the latest twist in Google’s legal battles with Epic, US Android users are now able to open Google’s Play Store and download a third-party digital store with its own selection of apps. Aptoide, a store specializing in mobile games, is the first to become available. Third-party app stores have always been available on Android, […]

Grok’s image tools get a professional upgrade with templates, precise editing, and an Arena number two ranking
Grok’s image tools get a professional upgrade with templates, precise editing, and an Arena number two ranking

SpaceXAI shipped Grok Imagine Image 2.0 on Thursday, making editing a first-class capability rather than an afterthought. The update adds a magic wand tool that changes only the region a user points at, segmentation for selecting precise areas to modif…

My favorite feel-good show is back
My favorite feel-good show is back

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 139, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, barbecue sauce, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been reading about Johnny Knoxville and Google Zero and the history of the bicycle, […]

X shuts down revenue sharing on September 7. The replacement only pays for original content.
X shuts down revenue sharing on September 7. The replacement only pays for original content.

X is shutting down its revenue-sharing programme on September 7 and replacing it with a new system called the Original Content Rewards Programme. The change is designed to reward creators who post original work, not people who repost other users’ conte…