The Vergecast

Latest Episodes:

Version History: Harmony remote Jun 19, 2026

Show notes

The Harmony Universal Remote was supposed to be the only controller you needed for all the devices in your life. So what happened? David Pierce is joined by The Verge’s Nilay Patel and John Higgins, as well as Nest co-founder (and current Harmony user) Matt Rogers, to follow the Harmony's timeline from its origins as the "Easy Zapper," through Logitech's acquisition, all the way to its slow death at the hands of smart TVs. And their vastly inferior remotes.

If you like the show, ⁠⁠follow the Version History audio podcast feed⁠⁠ to get every new episode.

Version History is also on video! Check us out on YouTube.

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We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to ⁠vergecast@theverge.com⁠ or call us at 866-VERGE11.

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Snap's Specs look good on nobody Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

The new smart glasses from Snap look like an impressive bit of technology, and some of the most advanced glasses we've seen. But Nilay and David start the show by wondering, does that matter if nobody wants to put them on? What would it take to overcome the ear-smashing? After that, they discuss the reasons for (and problems awaiting) Fox's acquisition of Roku, the latest updates from Matter, Facebook's wild AI Mode, and more.

Further reading:

Snap is finally about to ship AR glasses — and they cost a fortune

Snap Unveils Specs Smart Glasses at AWE 2026

From CNBC: Snap CEO Evan Spiegel on new AR Specs: New opportunity to bring computing to the world around you

Qualcomm’s latest chip hints that more powerful smart glasses could be on the way

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 8 and Surface Pro 12 now come with Snapdragon X2 chips

Commodore’s Callback 8020 is a retro flip phone with modern ideals

Google’s first smart speaker in six years arrives next week

Fox is buying Roku

Fox wants to take over your TV — and the tech inside it

Netflix was reportedly worried about antitrust scrutiny if it bought Roku instead of Fox.

Fox is taking over Roku City

How Stephen Colbert’s Replacement Is Helping Tank the Rest of CBS

Will Matter finally be able to do what it should have always done? | The Verge

Thread Direct looks to solve Matter’s biggest setup headache | The Verge

Half a billion people are using Threads every month

Facebook’s new AI Mode search gets its info from public posts

Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.

We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11.

(Timestamps are approximate.)

00:01:00 Intro

00:02:00 Snap Specs revealed

00:06:00 Snap software advantage

00:08:00 Price comfort reality check

00:10:00 True AR breakthrough

00:15:00 Demos vs daily life

00:21:00 Privacy and moderation risks

00:27:00 Fox buys Roku why

00:29:00 Distribution is power

00:33:00 Roku neutrality ends

00:37:00 Roku Lock-In Debate

00:41:00 Piracy Exit Ramp

00:42:00 Tubi Meets Roku Channel

00:46:00 Go90 Scale Rankings

00:52:00 Distribution Matters CBS

00:57:00 Hype Desk Movies

01:03:00 Knicks Laptop Festival

01:06:00 Brendan Carr Is A Dummy

01:10:00 Radio Ownership Waivers

01:12:00 Threads User Numbers

01:16:00 Meta AI Mode Risks

01:19:00 Matter Joint Fabric

01:28:00 Wrap Up and Plugs

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The best headphone mic we've ever tested Jun 17, 2026

Show notes

Your headphones' microphone matters. A lot. And yet we never know how we sound to others, or whether we're clear to our AI assistants! So from time to time, we like to grab a bunch of headphones and put their microphones through some tough real-world tests. This time, with the help of The Verge's John Higgins, we discover the best-sounding mic we've ever tested. And no, it's not on a pair of AirPods. Not even close.

Further reading:

Anker’s new earbuds have the best call quality I’ve ever heard

AirPods Pro 3 review: tripling down on a good thing

Sennheiser’s new Momentum 5 headphones have upgraded ANC and a replaceable battery

The tech world is sleeping on the most exciting Bluetooth feature in years

Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11.

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The Mythos mess and your AI questions, answered Jun 16, 2026

Show notes

Anthropic and the US government are once again at odds, this time over the Claude Fable 5 model that either is, or is not, or might be, far too dangerous to release to the world. The Verge's Hayden Field explains what's going on with Fable, Mythos, and the whole idea of American AI exceptionalism, before also answering your questions about how WhatsApp and Siri might one day work together, and whether Apple messed up by calling it Siri AI.[10:24 AM]

⁠Inside the fight over Claude Mythos 5⁠

⁠Anthropic cuts off Fable 5 and Mythos 5 access following government order⁠

⁠I tried Siri AI, and so far it actually works⁠

⁠Subscribe to The Verge⁠ for unlimited access to ⁠theverge.com⁠, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ⁠ad-free podcast feed⁠.

We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to ⁠vergecast@theverge.com⁠ or call us at 866-VERGE11.

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# The **epic** story of Markdown Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

Markdown is a system for writing that makes it readable to both humans and computers. It's all about the symbols. You use - to make a list, * for emphasis, ** for even more emphasis. Brackets and parentheses turn into links. Once you know Markdown, you might begin to think in Markdown. Right now it is absolutely everywhere: people are maintaining their Claude.MD files for conversing with AI bots, and writing their notes in Markdown editors like Obsidian. So where did Markdown come from? It came from John Gruber. John joins the show, along with Anil Dash, to tell the story of where Markdown came from and how it took over the world.

Further reading:

⁠The Markdown spec⁠

⁠How Markdown took over the world⁠

⁠Gruber on Apple Notes Markdown support⁠

⁠9to5mac: iOS 26 to bring new features for Messages, CarPlay, and more

Subscribe to The Verge⁠ for unlimited access to ⁠theverge.com⁠, subscriber-exclusive newsletters and our ⁠ad-free podcast feed⁠.

We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to ⁠vergecast@theverge.com⁠ or call us at 866-VERGE11.

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Siri is good now?? Jun 12, 2026

Show notes

We're all starting to test Apple's newest software post-WWDC, and the most surprising thing has happened: Siri actually seems to be pretty good now. Nilay and David discuss how that happened, and what it means for the AI industry, and all of us, that Apple's voice assistant is finally useful. Then, we have some news about Bluesky, Threads, and YouTube that adds up to a big change in social networks, plus the Hype Desk, Brendan Carr, the Trump Phone, and a really great deal for iPad users

Further reading:

Apple announces Siri AI and its next generation of Apple Intelligence

I tried Siri AI, and so far it actually works

Apple’s new Siri AI knows when to shut up

I’m relieved Siri AI isn’t trying to be a health coach

You can just tell the Instagram algorithm what you want now

YouTube is introducing DMs (again)

Bluesky is getting ‘communities’

Anthropic releases its first Mythos-class model Claude Fable

Claude Fable won’t answer basic biology questions

Anthropic apologizes for invisible Claude Fable guardrails

Microsoft restricts Claude Fable for employees over data retention concerns

YouTube is introducing DMs (again)

Bluesky is getting ‘communities’

iFixit Trump phone teardown confirms it’s an HTC dupe

Solar has overtaken coal in the US for the first time

AT&T is launching $3 ‘unlimited’ day passes for iPads

(Timestamps are approximate.)

00:00:00 Intro

00:03:00 New Siri is good

00:04:00 Search Index Breakthrough

00:08:00 Cloud vs On Device

00:11:00 Siri Upends AI Apps

00:20:00 Where Is The Computer

00:24:00 EU Interoperability Fight

00:31:00 Social News Lightning Trio

00:33:00 Mosseri Algorithm Control

00:35:00 Bluesky Communities

00:37:00 YouTube DMs Social Push

00:41:00 Bluesky Bets on Communities

00:50:00 Talking to Your Algorithm

00:51:00 AI Made-to-Order Instagram

00:54:00 Bespoke Apps Break Reality

01:01:00 Hype Desk

01:02:00 Social Reckoning Trailer Breakdown and Casting

01:14:00 CBS News Meltdown

01:17:00 Carr vs Newsrooms

01:20:00 SpaceX IPO Favors

01:24:00 Claude Fable Guardrails

01:30:00 Trump Phone Teardown

01:34:00 AT&T iPad Day Pass

01:36:00 Solar Beats Coal

01:38:00 Signoff

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YouTube is taking over Hollywood Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

Movies directed by YouTubers are suddenly blowing up at the box office. Backrooms and Obsession are both smash hits, and The Amazing Digital Circus had a big debut last week. Is this the moment YouTube truly takes over Hollywood? Julia Alexander, media correspondent at Puck, walks us through the much longer history of YouTube on the big screen, and helps us figure out where this all goes next. Is the future just really, really big YouTube videos?

Further reading:

⁠Backrooms is at the forefront of horror’s YouTube wave⁠

⁠Iron Lung’s path to theaters was unique, even if the movie isn’t⁠

⁠YouTube is everything and everything is YouTube⁠

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Your biggest questions from Apple's WWDC Jun 10, 2026

Show notes

Now that we've had a couple of days to digest all the Siri AI updates, the new corner radii, and everything else Apple announced at its developer conference, we spend the episode answering all your most burning questions. What non-AI stuff are we excited about? How much catching up did Siri really do this week? And wait: what about the HomePod?

Further reading:

⁠WWDC 2026: All the news from Apple’s developers conference⁠

⁠5 things I already love from the iOS 27 beta⁠

⁠Subscribe to The Verge⁠ for unlimited access to ⁠theverge.com⁠, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ⁠ad-free podcast feed⁠.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to ⁠vergecast@theverge.com⁠ or call us at 866-VERGE11.

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How Steve Jobs became Steve Jobs Jun 09, 2026

Show notes

Long before Steve Jobs was the unstoppable force of nature atop Apple, shipping hit product after hit product, he was practically run out of the company after a series of bad product and management decisions. But as Geoffrey Cain argues in his new book, Steve Jobs in Exile: The Untold Story of NeXT and the Remaking of an American Visionary, the 12 years Jobs spent outside of Apple turned him into the leader the world came to know. Cain joins the show to talk about Jobs' experiences at NeXT and Pixar, how Jobs learned to be a successful leader, and the true power — and danger — of the reality distortion field.

Further reading:

Steve Jobs in Exile

(Timestamps are approximate.)

00:01:30 Intro

00:01:56 90 Seconds on The Verge

00:03:46 Interview with Geoffrey Cain

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Siri AI, Screen Time, and the rest of WWDC 2026: The Vergecast Livestream Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

Apple's annual developer conference keynote was a strange one this year. The company breezed by its normal slew of operating system upgrades, and talked instead about helping people manage their relationships with their devices, and AI. Lots and lots of AI. On this post-keynote livestream, David Pierce, Hayden Field, and Jake Kastrenakes give their first takes on Siri AI, the Apple Intelligence features coming this fall, Apple's new Screen Time design, and everything else we liked and disliked from the keynote. Including the corner radii.

Further reading:

⁠Apple WWDC 2026: The 7 biggest announcements⁠

(Timestamps are approximate.)

00:00:00 Intro

00:03:00 Why This Keynote Felt Chaotic

00:05:00 AI Takes Center Stage

00:06:00 Apple Plays Catch Up

00:09:00 Privacy and Private Cloud

00:12:00 Useful Versus Creepy AI

00:18:00 Why Apple Went All In

00:25:00 New Siri Voice

00:33:00 Siri App Intents

00:37:00 Vibe Coding Shortcuts

00:39:00 Siri Goes Orb Mode

00:41:00 Too Many Siri Gestures

00:42:00 Apple Trust and Screen Time

00:46:00 Kids Safety and App Responsibility

00:50:00 App Store Dissonance and Regulation

00:52:00 OS 27 Device Cutoffs

00:59:00 Favorite Features and Liquid Glass

01:04:00 Dictation Confusion and Wrap Up

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