How to update your PS5 controller

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge If you’re one of the blessed 8 million-ish people who’s been able to get their hands on a PlayStation 5, you’ve probably run into the controller update process at some point. I got mine on launch day (November 12th, 2020), and I’ve had to update the DualSense controller a few times since, as well as when...

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How to share your Google One storage with your family

Image: Google A colleague here at The Verge tells this story: “This weekend my wife was like, ‘Google says I’m almost out of storage!’ and I was like ‘We have 2TB with Google One, that’s not possible!’” What was the problem? Well, just because you’ve established family sharing with your Google account, you don’t automatically start to share...

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How to activate and use Google Chat

Real-time collaborative chat, as exemplified by apps such as Slack, has become a common way to communicate between colleagues and friends, especially since last year when so many of us transitioned to working from home. Google has apparently taken note of this and is pitting itself against Slack by taking two of the features from its corporate Workplace...

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How to keep some of your Twitter data away from advertisers

In April 2020, Twitter began sharing more of our information with advertisers. Notice came via a rather weird notification that said “your ability to control mobile app advertising measurements has been removed” — which basically meant that Twitter was now sharing data such as which ads you looked at or interacted with, as well as the tracking identifier...

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How to customize your iPhone’s app icons

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge Have you ever wanted to make your iPhone your own, with your individualized style and flair? Sure, you can change your home screen wallpaper. But if you really want to personalize your phone, why not create your own app icons? It’s doable, using Apple’s built-in Shortcuts app. You actually won’t be replacing...

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How to set up a VPN

Illustration by Maria Chimishkyan Virtual private networks (VPNs) can offer an additional layer of security and privacy for your online activity. Whether you’re working on a public Wi-Fi network and want to escape prying eyes, or you’re worried about privacy in general, a VPN can offer a lot of benefits. In a nutshell, a VPN establishes...

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How to sign up for Amazon Prime

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon has announced that its annual Prime Day sales are scheduled for Monday, June 21st and Tuesday, June 22nd; and if you feel as if it hasn’t been a year since the last event — you’re right, it hasn’t. Last year, Prime Day happened on October 13th and 14th, three months later than usual, due to the...

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How to use a two-factor security key

Illustration by Maria Chimishkyan Two-factor authentication is a good way to add an extra layer of security to online accounts. It requires the use of your smartphone, however, which is not only inconvenient, but can be a problem if your phone is lost or breached. Hardware security keys can offer an additional layer of security to password-protected...

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How to install the developer beta of iOS 15

In its much-anticipated WWDC session on Monday, June 7th, Apple introduced a load of new features for its upcoming update of its iOS mobile operating system: iOS 15. The developer’s beta is now available for anyone who’d like to download it — and who is a registered developer. First, the obligatory warning: this version of iOS 15 is going to be very...

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How to use Screen Time to keep your iPhone use within healthy limits

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge We all spend a lot of time on our phones, and it’s possible — just possible — that some of us spend too much time. In 2018, we ran an article explaining how to use what was then Apple’s brand-new Screen Time feature, which was built in order to help people keep their on-screen time in some sort of sane proportion....

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