The Verge Digest: December 9, 2025
This digest compiles the latest from The Verge.
Today's The Verge Roundup
Spotify’s music videos feature arrives in the US and Canada
9 Dec 2025, 3:01 pm by Stevie Bonifield
Spotify is launching its beta music videos feature to Premium subscribers in the US and Canada today, over a year after it rolled out to Premium users in other regions.
If you have a Spotify Premium subscription, you should now begin seeing an option to "Switch to video" on some tracks on the iOS, Android, desktop, or TV Spotify apps. When you tap "Switch to video," the song's accompanying music video will pick up right where the audio left off, and vice versa when you tap "Switch to audio" to hide the music video.
The feature is currently limited to songs by specific artists, including Ariana Grande, Olivia Dean, Babymonster, Addison Ra …
Read the full story at The Verge.
Alexa Plus can automatically buy stuff when the price drops
9 Dec 2025, 3:00 pm by Jess Weatherbed
Amazon is launching Alexa Plus shopping features that make it easier to track your orders and avoid missing out on deals. The AI-powered Alexa Plus assistant - like Amazon's Rufus chatbot - can proactively track products to tell you when they've dropped to a specific price, and automatically purchase them when they fall below the designated threshold. You can now keep track of your purchases in a new shopping experience launching this week on the Echo Show 15 and 21.
These Alexa Plus price-tracking features, which were announced in February and started rolling out to Alexa Plus users in June, can monitor products in your Amazon basket and w …
Read the full story at The Verge.
The next Pebble gadget is the Index 01, a ring with a microphone
9 Dec 2025, 3:00 pm by David Pierce
Eric Migicovsky, the founder of Pebble and the person leading its recent comeback, is very much in the business of making gadgets for himself. And he seems extremely into the one on his finger: It's called the Pebble Index 01 (but we'll just call it Index), and it's a $75 ring meant to be worn on your (surprise!) index finger. It has a microphone, a button for activating that microphone, and nothing else. It looks a little like you wrapped one of those adjustable cable ties around your finger and then cinched it super tight.
Migicvosky has been working on it for more than a year - I first caught him wearing a prototype at last year's CES - …
Read the full story at The Verge.
Ford taps Renault for help building cheap EVs in Europe
9 Dec 2025, 2:59 pm by Andrew J. Hawkins
Ford is teaming up with France's Renault to design and produce affordable electric vehicles for the European market, with the goal of turning around the Blue Oval's struggling business on the continent. The move comes as cheap Chinese-made EVs have flooded Europe, snatching away market share from long-established players.
Ford will use Renault's Ampere platform to underpin two Ford-branded EVs, which are scheduled to arrive in showrooms by 2028. These will be smaller EVs, most likely city cars, to help fill a gap in Ford's lineup in Europe. The American automaker will take the lead on design and driving dynamics "to ensure these vehicles a …
Read the full story at The Verge.
Google will repair Pixel 9 Pro phones with display issues
9 Dec 2025, 2:57 pm by Andrew Liszewski
Google announced a new "extended repair program" for the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL smartphones yesterday after it confirmed display issues with a "limited number" of devices, as spotted by 9to5Google. The company is doing the same for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, although Google didn't specify what's wrong with it other than "issues that affect functionality of the device."
According to a support page on Google's website, the company will repair Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL devices suffering from a vertical line running from the top to the bottom of the display which many users have reported on online forums like Reddit. The repair program …
Read the full story at The Verge.
The Vergecast 2025 year in review
9 Dec 2025, 2:45 pm by David Pierce
When we look back on 2025, at least in tech, we'll remember it mostly as a year about AI. We had a race between OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, and others to build the best model for the most things. Nvidia became the most valuable company in the world, data centers started to spring up everywhere, and every app and device and company and human you can think of found itself thinking of an AI strategy. AI wasn't all that happened this year, but it was a lot of what happened this year.
On this episode of The Vergecast, we take a look back at the year as it comes to a close. Nilay and David are joined by Joanna Stern, senior tech columnist at The W …
Read the full story at The Verge.
The best thing I bought this year: the Remarkable Paper Pro
9 Dec 2025, 2:30 pm by Brandon Russell
About a year ago, we said you probably don’t need the Remarkable Paper Pro. The e-ink device is equal parts outrageous and luxurious; it’s not ideal for consuming books, and the screen can sometimes feel painfully slow. Then there’s the starting price, which is, quite frankly, ludicrous at $629 (up from $579 thanks to US-induced tariffs). Add in the $229 Type Folio, and holy hell.
Based on that description, most sane people would stay far, far away, and maybe spend their money on, I don’t know, Apple’s latest MacBook Air. We’ve seen Apple’s laptop drop down to as low as $738, making it the more affordable option against the combined price of the Remarkable Paper Pro and Type Folio keyboard case.
And yet, I not only bought the Paper Pro, but it’s the device I find myself reaching for most often when I want to GTD, like write this blog. Not because it’s the best tablet — it’s not — but because it’s a stubbornly single-purpose device. That’s a good thing!
While using it, I’m insulated from a world that’s constantly demanding my attention. There is no Slack app. I can’t doomscroll. There are exactly zero notifications. And instead of hitting me with AI and algorithms, it just sits there, quietly, inviting actual human thought and curation.
That’s the trick. The Paper Pro allows me to focus on what I’m doing, which feels like a small miracle. It creates a narrow lane, and that’s where I stay — no distracting detours or YouTube rabbit holes. In combination with the Type Folio, the experience is an absolute delight. Yes, the accessory is damn pricey at $229, but it’s worth every penny. It attaches to the tablet easily; it’s thin and light; and it doubles as protection.
I’m not that well-versed in keyboards — I use Apple’s Magic Keyboard as my daily driver — but the Type Folio is good. It’s not the most spacious keyboard around, but it’s very comfortable. The keys have a satisfying clickiness and feature a nice soft-touch finish. Some of the keys are backlit, too, allowing me to type well into the night. I still find it a little tricky to fold and unfold, but it’s stable enough to use on my lap when I need to.
Meanwhile, writing directly on the 11.8-inch Canvas Color display with the upgraded Marker Plus stylus (which adds another $129 purchased separately, or another $50 when bought with the Paper Pro) offers a great paper-like feel thanks to the tablet’s textured glass. I can scribble on a blank page or PDF, and there are some built-in productivity templates available, allowing me to use the Paper Pro as a daily planner. Every note I write and type is synced across Remarkable’s mobile and desktop apps, though it requires a $2.99 per month subscription.
Admittedly, I don’t use the Paper Pro to its fullest potential. I don’t often take advantage of the color display and the pen generally stays magnetically attached to the side of the tablet, though I’m trying to write with it more. There are other tablets that are cheaper and offer more capabilities. For me, though, the distraction-free approach and Type Folio are worth the price of admission. If you’re looking for a way to take a break from apps and notifications — beyond bricking your phone — the Paper Pro and Type Folio is an excellent setup.
Photography by Brandon Russell / The Verge
Where to Buy:- $687 at Amazon (with Marker Plus)
- $629 at Remarkable
You can now text photos directly to Aura’s digital picture frames
9 Dec 2025, 2:00 pm by Andrew Liszewski
It's now easier for friends and family who aren't tech savvy or are struggling with app fatigue to share images via your Aura digital photo frame. As the name of the new "text to frame" feature implies, photos can now be shared to an Aura frame through a text message, and they will be automatically added to your library - but only from people you approve.
Allowing others to share photos that automatically appear on your digital picture frames is already a feature Aura offers, but previously, it was handled through the company's mobile app. The setup, including approving who has sharing privileges, is relatively painless, but it does require …
Read the full story at The Verge.
iFixit’s FixBot helps with repairs ‘the way a master technician would’
9 Dec 2025, 1:00 pm by Dominic Preston
DIY repair site iFixit has launched its own app for iOS and Android, featuring its extensive library of repair guides and resources, a battery health monitor, and a new AI "FixBot" tool that's been trained on those same guides to help with repairs.
The heart of the new app is the company's existing library of repair guides, optimized for your mobile device. You can save the devices you own, giving you quick access to the relevant resources, and buy both tools and replacement parts from within the app.
What's entirely new is FixBot, an AI helper designed to talk you through repairs and troubleshooting. "You tell it what's happening: your ph …
Read the full story at The Verge.
The war on disinformation is a losing battle
9 Dec 2025, 12:00 pm by James Ball
As he called the House Judiciary Committee into session on a cold and snowy February day in Washington, DC, Chairman Jim Jordan was ready to take a victory lap. American free speech had been critically threatened, and now it was saved - in large part thanks to him and his committee.
"What a difference a few years make," the Republican congressman for Ohio's 4th district told those present. "Four years ago, President Trump was banned from all platforms: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube. Today, he has his own platform. He's back on all the others. And of course, he's president of the United States."
Donald Trump was expelled from the major social …
Read the full story at The Verge.
End of today's The Verge roundup.