Recent articles
February 19, 2026
After Search Party backlash, Ring is still avoiding the bigger questions
Ring founder Jamie Siminoff has been on an "explanation tour," as The New York Times puts it, following the fallout from its Super Bowl ad and the introduction of its Search Party feature. In an in...
www.theverge.com
February 18, 2026
Ring’s AI-powered Search Party won’t stop at finding lost dogs, leaked email shows
A leaked internal email obtained by 404 Media shows that Ring has bigger plans for its AI-powered neighborhood search capability than just looking for lost dogs. The outlet reports the email, sent ...
www.theverge.com
February 14, 2026
Ring’s Flock breakup doesn’t fix its real problem
The most striking thing about Ring's statement that it had parted ways with Flock Safety is what the home security company didn't say. There was no mention of the public backlash around ties to ICE...
www.theverge.com
February 12, 2026
Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash
Following intense backlash to its partnership with Flock Safety, a surveillance technology company that works with law enforcement agencies, Ring has announced it is canceling the integration. In a...
www.theverge.com
February 11, 2026
Why ‘deleted’ doesn’t mean gone: How police recovered Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell footage
FBI Director Kash Patel said yesterday that investigators recovered footage from Savannah Guthrie's mother's doorbell camera using "residual data located in backend systems." This claim has many ho...
www.theverge.com
February 11, 2026
Amazon Ring’s Super Bowl ad sparks backlash amid fears of mass surveillance
Ring's new Search Party feature has once again drawn backlash for the company. A 30-second ad that aired during Sunday's Super Bowl showed Ring cameras "surveilling" neighborhoods to locate a lost ...
www.theverge.com
February 9, 2026
Apple is killing the old HomeKit tomorrow
If you haven't yet updated to the new Apple Home, your smart home devices may no longer work in the Home app on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch starting tomorrow. On February 10, 2026, Apple...
www.theverge.com
February 6, 2026
The Alexa app is so bad I’m using Siri again
I've used Alexa to manage my shopping list for years. There are plenty of great list apps out there, but the convenience of adding items by voice anywhere in my house, pulling up the list on an Ech...
www.theverge.com
February 4, 2026
Ikea’s cheap new smart home gear is struggling to get connected
I've spent the last couple of weeks trying - and mostly failing - to test Ikea's new Matter-over-Thread gear. These highly anticipated smart home devices include programmable buttons, smart bulbs, ...
www.theverge.com
February 4, 2026
Amazon rolls out Alexa Plus nationwide and launches a new free tier
Amazon has announced that its generative AI-powered digital assistant Alexa Plus is now available to all Prime members in the US via any Alexa-enabled device, Alexa.com, and the Alexa mobile app. I...
www.theverge.com
February 3, 2026
I didn’t expect to love Dyson’s PencilVac Fluffycones – but I did
As The Verge's resident robot vacuum reviewer, I don't have a lot of time (or space) in my life for stick vacs, and frankly, the ones I have used have largely disappointed me. Top-heavy, bulky, alw...
www.theverge.com
January 28, 2026
I used Claude to vibe-code my wildly overcomplicated smart home
I am not, by any definition, a coder, but when I started seeing people's vibe-coded smart home projects all over my social feeds this month, I was intrigued. From a "master command center" built on...
www.theverge.com
January 22, 2026
Ring claims it’s not giving ICE access to its cameras
Ring's partnership with Flock is sparking renewed online backlash this week, with influencers calling for people to smash their Ring cameras and claiming the company is part of the surveillance sta...
www.theverge.com
January 10, 2026
These smart home devices impressed me at CES 2026
I picked Aqara's Smart Lock U400 and Roborock's Saros Rover robot vacuum as the overall best smart home gadgets from CES 2026, but there were gazillions of other great gadgets on the show floor. It...
www.theverge.com
January 7, 2026
Ikea’s $10 Kallsup speakers are tiny, colorful, and surprisingly loud
Ikea's new cute, colorful Kallsup Bluetooth speakers cost just $10 (€5 in Europe) each and feature instant Bluetooth pairing. Pair one to your phone, then, with a two-button sequence, another Kalls...
www.theverge.com
January 7, 2026
It turns out I’ve been using my Hue lights all wrong
Color-changing lights are a lot of fun, but it can be hard to figure out how to best use them in your home. Most smart lighting companies offer pre-designed scenes to help you light your space, but...
www.theverge.com
January 6, 2026
Roborock finally adds a roller mop to its vast robot vacuum lineup
The market leader in robot vacuums has been behind in the latest trend - roller mops. But not for much longer. At CES this week, Roborock announced the Qrevo Curv 2 Flow, its first robot vacuum and...
www.theverge.com
January 6, 2026
Roborock’s Rover walks, jumps, and vacuums your stairs
I've been reviewing robot vacuums for almost a decade, and one question I hear repeatedly is "When will it clean my stairs?" Well, we finally have an answer. Sort of. At CES 2026 this week, Roboroc...
www.theverge.com
January 6, 2026
TP-Link brings an AI assistant to its smart home and home networking apps
Tapo, the smart home brand owned by networking giant TP-Link, is launching an AI assistant at CES this year - because isn't everyone? Aireal is designed to "bring AI into real life" (geddit?), acco...
www.theverge.com
January 6, 2026
Ecovacs adds a mop cover to its flagship robot vacuum
Ecovacs launched the second generation of its top-of-the-line robot vacuum and mop at CES 2026 this week. The Deebot X12 OmniCyclone is the follow-up to the $1,500 X11, which launched at IFA in Sep...
www.theverge.com
January 5, 2026
Bosch’s fancy coffee machine is getting Alexa Plus
At CES this week, Bosch announced the launch of its Personal AI Barista, Powered by Alexa Plus, and teased a new AI-powered cooking feature coming to its connected appliances. Coming to its Bosch 8...
www.theverge.com
January 5, 2026
Lifx launches a smart mirror and a $30 dimmer switch that can control smart bulbs
Lifx, one of the original smart lighting brands, is launching a Matter-enabled smart mirror, its first US in-wall dimmer, and a cheaper line of bulbs and light strips starting at around $12. The co...
www.theverge.com
January 5, 2026
Kwikset’s new Matter-over-Thread smart lock costs under $200
Kwikset announced a price and release date for its Aura Reach smart lock at CES 2026 this week. A more affordable Matter-over-Thread option compared to the excellent but expensive Halo Select, the ...
www.theverge.com
January 5, 2026
Shut the fridge door!
Samsung's latest update to its Family Hub smart fridge line adds a feature I've always wanted - voice-activated door opening and closing. Using the device's built-in Bixby voice control, you will s...
www.theverge.com
January 4, 2026
Aliro arrives – the smart lock standard is set to launch this year
The long-delayed smart lock standard Aliro is finally launching. The first specification, which standardizes NFC-based tap-to-unlock and UWB hands-free unlocking for smart locks, will arrive early ...
www.theverge.com
January 4, 2026
SwitchBot says its humanoid household robot can do your laundry
SwitchBot is bringing a new household robot to CES 2026. The smart home company is launching the Onero H1, which it calls "the most accessible AI household robot." The announcement follows last yea...
www.theverge.com
January 3, 2026
This smart home controller is literally a piece of wood
One of the fun parts of being a tech journalist for over a decade is that occasionally you get to watch a truly unique gadget go from concept to reality - and, eventually, into your living room. Th...
www.theverge.com
January 2, 2026
This smart fridge wants to solve the hassle of grocery shopping
Have you always wanted to scan your groceries at home? If so, the newest smart fridge from GE Appliances is for you. There's a barcode scanner built into the water dispenser that works along with a...
www.theverge.com
December 30, 2025
This smart garden turned my black thumb green
I can't grow anything. Multiple attempts to create a cottage garden, first in Idaho and now in South Carolina, have brought disappointment. Both are challenging climates, but where others have succ...
www.theverge.com
December 23, 2025
How AI broke the smart home in 2025
This morning, I asked my Alexa-enabled Bosch coffee machine to make me a coffee. Instead of running my routine, it told me it couldn't do that. Ever since I upgraded to Alexa Plus, Amazon's generat...
www.theverge.com