Technology

One streaming app to (almost) rule them all

Published

10 months ago

April 6, 2025

One streaming app to (almost) rule them all

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 78, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, sorry everything’s about to get so expensive, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)

This week, I’ve been reading about baseball bats and work-life balance and BYD and Scarlett Johansson, watching Paradise, rekindling my love of pear-flavored jelly beans, sharing Robin Sloan’s AI take with anyone who will listen, grooving to the greatest unexpected Doechii remix of all time, and finally finding the monitor mount that makes my webcam upgrade work.

I also have for you a couple of great new apps for streaming and gaming, a look back into Microsoft’s history, the latest on the Switch 2, a screed against screen time, and much more.

Oh, and a programming note: Installer is off next week. Taking a little break before we ramp up for Developer Conference season. But we have lots to do today! Let’s get into it.

(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What are you into right now? What should everyone else be reading / listening to / watching / downloading / sipping on this week? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, tell them to subscribe here.)

Plex. Plex has spent a lot of time and energy trying to become a proper, legit streaming platform, and the new mobile app is by far the most mainstream-useful thing it has ever made. Mixing streaming media with my library, and lots of discovery tools, feels really nice. Fair warning, though: you’ll need a $4.99 monthly sub to get a lot of Plex’s best features.
Delta 1.7. The iPhone’s best game emulator, now with online multiplayer! (At least for DS games.) It also has nice screenshot support and some new N64-specific updates, which gives me great hope for the Mario Golf ROM I’ve already put too many hours into.
Skylight. It looks exactly like TikTok, but it runs on the same AT Protocol that powers Bluesky. That is a very enticing combination — and it’s a really nice app for something so brand new. Bluesky is really starting to look like the fediverse.
Celebrate 50 years of Microsoft with the company’s original source code. This week was the 50th anniversary of Microsoft, and Bill Gates marked the occasion by releasing all its original Altair BASIC source code — via one of the cooler retro-style websites you’ll ever use.
The Nintendo Switch 2. I know, we’ve talked about this before, and I know, it’s not launching until June. But the new Switch — a console I am outrageously, maybe unprecedentedly, excited about, especially now that we’ve learned more about its specs and its game lineup — is officially launching in June, and I just needed you to know so you don’t miss it. I will be there. You can’t preorder it yet, because of chaos, but I’ll keep you posted.
“I hate my phone so I got rid of it.” Been a while since a 46-minute YouTube rant had me nodding this hard — but Eddy Burback does a great job of explaining both why our phones are a problem, and why life without a phone feels increasingly impossible. Using a landline? Can you imagine?
A Minecraft Movie. The reviews are meh, because of course they are. But I’ll watch Jack Black in anything, and I’m genuinely curious to see both what the blocky movie world looks like and how this very clearly Lego Movie-inspired flick pulls off the whole “just keep building” bit.
DEVONthink 4.0. DEVONthink is, like, the ultimate Mac app for just storing all your junk. The design’s a little ’90s for my taste, but the new beta has some nice updates and a huge set of AI tools for finding, summarizing, and organizing content. I’m tempted to throw my whole life back in the app.
Koira. Another delightful entrant (for Steam and PS5) in one of my favorite game genres — the quiet, simple puzzler that never tries to do too much but somehow seems to keep your attention forever. Plus, you get a puppy friend!

We’ve talked about the app Sofa a few times here in Installer. It’s a really good-looking, powerful app for Apple devices that lets you manage all the stuff you want to watch, read, listen to, and everything else. I’ve come to appreciate having it as the app I go to when I deliberately want to relax. Rather than just aimlessly scroll on Reddit or whatever, Sofa is just a giant list of stuff I actually want to consume.

Sofa’s big new feature this week is a podcast player, which is full-featured enough that you can use Sofa as your one and only podcast app. Like everything else in Sofa, it’s really nicely made and is already as good at queue management as any app I’ve tried.

On the occasion of the new update, I asked Shawn Hickman, Sofa’s developer, to share his homescreen with us. I figured he might have some widget ideas, you know? Here it is, plus some info on the apps he uses and why:

The phone: iPhone 16 Pro Max. I love the big phones and have embraced the PopSocket life.

The wallpaper: My homescreen rotates images from my photo library (one of my favorite iOS features), and I use the blurred version of it as my “wallpaper.”

The apps: Camera, Phone, Apple Maps, Clock, Wallet, Settings, Photos, Reminders, App Store, Music, Safari, 1Password, YouTube, Bear, YouTube Studio, Lightroom, Things, Blackmagic Camera, Reeder, Discord, RevenueCat, ChatGPT, Apple Sports, Mail, Messages, Sofa, Apple Notes.

I keep very few apps on my homescreen and tend to rely on search more. Also, I’m not a big widgets person. I have a few on my first page (Photos, Weather, and Calendar), but I prefer scanning app icons rather than widgets 🤷‍♂️.

Things, Bear, and Reeder are a few of my favorite apps of all time. I’ve used Reeder (now Reeder Classic) for a long time and have always been impressed with the app’s craftsmanship. The new Reeder is even better. I actually like the “news feed” approach more than the traditional RSS feed / inbox approach. I find it to be a low-stress way to keep up with different news sources.

Bear is where I write and store a lot of my “work” notes. I love writing in markdown, the flexibility of the app’s tagging system, and its visual design. Things is my favorite app ever. I’ve been using it for so long and couldn’t imagine managing my work without it. Simply the best.

I have a YouTube channel. I’ve been experimenting with shooting Apple Log, and the Blackmagic Camera app is by far the most flexible. You need to do a bit of learning, but it’s pretty sweet once you’ve gotten a handle on it. I love photography, and really love editing photos, so I tend to spend a lot of time in Lightroom. I find it relaxing, and tend to edit photos when I’m stuck on a problem. It weirdly helps me think.

RevenueCat is a great service that makes implementing and managing Sofa’s app subscriptions much easier.

I also asked Shawn to share a few things he’s into right now. Here’s what he sent:

Severance. It’s probably my favorite TV show since the first season of Stranger Things… and I really want to buy one of the keyboards the MDR team uses! Now we must all endure the long wait for season 3.
I’ve been on a history kick, and there are a few documentaries I’ve really liked: Benjamin Franklin, The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, and I’m currently watching The War.
Framelines: I’m a photography enthusiast, and one of my favorite YouTube channels, and now magazines, is Framelines. They focus a lot on street photography but expand beyond that quite a bit. Their channel is great, and I love getting their physical magazines, too.

Here’s what the Installer community is into this week. I want to know what you’re into right now as well! Email installer@theverge.com or message me on Signal — @davidpierce.11 — with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we’ll feature some of our favorites here every week. For even more great recommendations, check out the replies to this post on Threads and this post on Bluesky.

“I played Dungeon Pages for the first time on my iPad last night and REALLY enjoyed it! Would be even more enjoyable on paper to get away from doomscrolling for a while.” – Dylan

“I initially had my heart set on the Fujifilm X100VI, but a friend suggested the X-T50. It’s been a great learning experience, and I’m pleased with the photos I’ve taken. I’m still discovering all the nuances of the Fujifilm ecosystem.” – Paul

“If you’re liking your SodaStream, you should check out Simpli Soda — they’re a family business out of SE Wisconsin that does mail-in cylinder swaps for all brands (including quick-connects like your SodaStream Art uses) for less $$.” – Cori

“Late to the party, but Baldur’s Gate 3. I was blown away by how quickly I got immersed, and I’m only on my first playthrough. I didn’t realize that it ran natively on macOS until last month.” – Drake

“Wanted to recommend a great app I have been happily using (+ paying for) for five years that no one else seems to talk about: Mealime. It’s the perfect app if, like me, you struggle not only at planning recipes for the week but also the act of shopping itself. Normally, when I make a grocery list, I crisscross the grocery store looking for what I need. Mealime gives you tons of recipes, lets you filter by dietary preferences, make a meal plan, and then it makes a grocery list grouped by section of the grocery store. It’s a total game-changer for me.” – Drew

“I absolutely love Li Hing pineapple rings. I’m told they’re common in Hawaii, but on the East Coast, they’re new to me. Sour and delicious. I order mine from Wholesale Unlimited Hawaii, and they’re fun and delicious and unique. The store has tons of snacks I’ve never seen around where I live, and everything I’ve bought is really good.” – Steve

“I finished watching Reacher season 3 on Prime Video. I liked the season as an action flick, but it doesn’t feel like a Reacher-level story. The investigation element was missing from this season. Season 1 was the strongest offering in this series.” – Ankur

“I just found out about the Johnny.Decimal system last night. Diving in to reorganizing my work files as I descend further down the PKM rabbit hole.” – Dirk

“Otherwise Objectionable is an excellent history of Section 230. Hosted by Mike Masnick and featuring recollections from the folks who were there at the inception of the ‘26 words that created the Internet.’ Section 230 is under threat (yet again), so it’s a good time to learn why it’s so important we don’t screw it up with badly written and misguided legislation.” – Zip

If you were extremely online during a very specific time period, the names Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld might mean a lot to you. They were two of my first favorite online comedians, part of a brilliant CollegeHumor gang that was way ahead of its time making funny stuff on the internet.

If you’ve never watched a Jake and Amir, head to their YouTube channel, sort by oldest, and give it a whirl. But if you can quote as many of their bits as I can, you really should check out the “Greatest Jake and Amir Episode Ever” tournament the two guys are doing on the channel, rewatching and commenting on some of their best work. (If you’re on their Patreon, you can already see who won the tournament, but as I write this, the YouTube channel is only up to the Final Four.) I was shocked at how many of these videos I can still recite, pretty much word for word, all these years later. No keeding.

Related Topics:Apps Entertainment gadgets Installer streaming Tech

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Technology

Google is expanding AirDrop support to more Android devices ‘very soon’

Published

2 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Press Room

Google is expanding AirDrop support to more Android devices ‘very soon’

After introducing AirDrop support to Pixel 10 devices last year, Google is now set to expand it to phones made by other Android partners. Eric Kay, vice president of engineering for Android, confirmed in a press briefing attended by Android Authority that “a lot more” Android devices will be able to use Quick Share to initiate AirDrop sessions with Apple devices this year.

“We spent a lot of time and energy to make sure that we could build something that was compatible not only with iPhone but iPads and MacBooks,” Kay said. “Now that we’ve proven it out, we’re working with our partners to expand it into the rest of the ecosystem, and you should see some exciting announcements coming very soon.”

Currently, Google’s Pixel 10 phones are the only Android devices that can use Quick Share — Android’s own wireless peer-to-peer transfer feature, previously known as Nearby Share — to communicate directly with Apple’s AirDrop. Google hasn’t outlined any specific Android partners or devices for the update yet, but both Nothing and chipmaker Qualcomm teased in November that support was coming.

Kay also discussed Google’s efforts to improve the process for iOS users who switch to Android, helping to prevent incomplete data transfers, lost messages, and other issues. Apple has been working on a “user-friendly” way of transferring data from iPhones to other devices since early 2024, and Google and Apple’s collaborative efforts were seen being tested in Android Canary 2512 for Pixel devices in December.

“We’re also going to be working to make it easy for people who do decide to switch to transfer their data and make sure they’ve got everything they had from their old phone,” Kay said during the same briefing. “So there’s a lot more going on with that.”

Technology

Millions of AI chat messages exposed in app data leak

Published

3 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Press Room

Millions of AI chat messages exposed in app data leak

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A popular mobile app called Chat & Ask AI has more than 50 million users across the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Now, an independent security researcher says the app exposed hundreds of millions of private chatbot conversations online.

The exposed messages reportedly included deeply personal and disturbing requests. Users asked questions like how to painlessly kill themselves, how to write suicide notes, how to make meth and how to hack other apps.

These were not harmless prompts. They were full chat histories tied to real users.

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HOW TECH IS BEING USED IN NANCY GUTHRIE DISAPPEARANCE INVESTIGATION

Security researchers say Chat & Ask AI exposed hundreds of millions of private chatbot messages, including complete conversation histories tied to real users. (Neil Godwin/Getty Images)

What exactly was exposed

The issue was discovered by a security researcher who goes by Harry. He found that Chat & Ask AI had a misconfigured backend using Google Firebase, a popular mobile app development platform. Because of that misconfiguration, it was easy for outsiders to gain authenticated access to the app’s database. Harry says he was able to access roughly 300 million messages tied to more than 25 million users. He analyzed a smaller sample of about 60,000 users and more than one million messages to confirm the scope.

The exposed data reportedly included:

Full chat histories with the AI
Timestamps for each conversation
The custom name users gave the chatbot
How users configured the AI model
Which AI model was selected

That matters because many users treat AI chats like private journals, therapists or brainstorming partners.

How this AI app stores so much sensitive user data

Chat & Ask AI is not a standalone artificial intelligence model. It acts as a wrapper that lets users talk to large language models built by bigger companies. Users could choose between models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, including ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. While those companies operate the underlying models, Chat & Ask AI handles the storage. That is where things went wrong. Cybersecurity experts say this type of Firebase misconfiguration is a well-known weakness. It is also easy to find if someone knows what to look for.

We reached out to Codeway, which publishes the Chat & Ask AI app, for comment, but did not receive a response before publication.

149 MILLION PASSWORDS EXPOSED IN MASSIVE CREDENTIAL LEAK

The exposed database reportedly included timestamps, model settings and the names users gave their chatbots, revealing far more than isolated prompts. (Elisa Schu/Getty Images)

Why this matters to everyday users

Many people assume their chats with AI tools are private. They type things they would never post publicly or even say out loud. When an app stores that data insecurely, it becomes a gold mine for attackers. Even without names attached, chat histories can reveal mental health struggles, illegal behavior, work secrets and personal relationships. Once exposed, that data can be copied, scraped and shared forever.

YOUR PHONE SHARES DATA AT NIGHT: HERE’S HOW TO STOP IT

Because the app handled data storage itself, a simple Firebase misconfiguration made sensitive AI chats accessible to outsiders, according to the researcher. (Edward Berthelot/Getty)

Ways to stay safe when using AI apps

You do not need to stop using AI tools to protect yourself. A few informed choices can lower your risk while still letting you use these apps when they are helpful.

1) Be mindful of sensitive topics

AI chats can feel private, especially when you are stressed, curious or looking for answers. However, not all apps handle conversations securely. Before sharing deeply personal struggles, medical concerns, financial details or questions that could create legal risk if exposed, take time to understand how the app stores protects your data. If those protections are unclear, consider safer alternatives such as trusted professionals or services with stronger privacy controls.

2) Research the app before installing

Look beyond download counts and star ratings. Check who operates the app, how long it has been available, and whether its privacy policy clearly explains how user data is stored and protected.

3) Assume conversations may be stored

Even when an app claims privacy, many AI tools log conversations for troubleshooting or model improvement. Treat chats as potentially permanent records rather than temporary messages.

4) Limit account linking and sign-ins

Some AI apps allow you to sign in with Google, Apple, or an email account. While convenient, this can directly connect chat histories to your real identity. When possible, avoid linking AI tools to primary accounts used for work, banking or personal communication.

5) Review app permissions and data controls

AI apps may request access beyond what is required to function. Review permissions carefully and disable anything that is not essential. If the app offers options to delete chat history, limit data retention or turn off syncing, enable those settings.

6) Use a data removal service

Your digital footprint extends beyond AI apps. Anyone can find personal details about you with a simple Google search, including your phone number, home address, date of birth and Social Security number. Marketers buy this information to target ads. In more serious cases, scammers and identity thieves breach data brokers, leaving personal data exposed or circulating on the dark web. Using a data removal service helps reduce what can be linked back to you if a breach occurs.

While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

Kurt’s key takeaways

AI chat apps are moving fast, but security is still lagging behind. This incident shows how a single configuration mistake can expose millions of deeply personal conversations. Until stronger protections become standard, you need to treat AI chats with caution and limit what you share. The convenience is real, but so is the risk.

Do you assume your AI chats are private, or has this story changed how much you are willing to share with these apps? Let us know your thoughts by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Technology

Republicans attack ‘woke’ Netflix — and ignore YouTube

Published

14 hours ago

February 5, 2026

Press Room

Republicans attack ‘woke’ Netflix — and ignore YouTube

When Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos entered the Senate office building on Tuesday, he got thrown a curveball. What started as a standard antitrust hearing relating to the Warner Bros. merger quickly devolved into a performative Republican attack about the spread of “woke” ideology on the streaming service. At the same time, arguably a much more influential platform was completely ignored: YouTube.

After grilling Sarandos about residual payments, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) launched into a completely different line of questioning: “Why is it that so much of Netflix content for children promotes a transgender ideology?” Hawley asked, making an unsubstantiated claim that “almost half” of the platform’s children’s content contains so-called “transgender ideology.” The statement harkened to a pressure campaign launched by Elon Musk months ago in which he called on X users to unsubscribe from Netflix for having a “transgender woke agenda,” citing its few shows with trans characters — shows that were canceled years ago.

“Our business intent is to entertain the world,” Sarandos replied. “It is not to have a political agenda.” Still, other Republican lawmakers, including Sens. Ashley Moody (R-FL) and Eric Schmitt (R-MO), piled on, bringing up a post Netflix made following the murder of George Floyd, and the French film Cuties, which sparked a right-wing firestorm years ago. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) even asked Sarandos what he thought about Billie Eilish’s “no one is illegal on stolen land” comment at the Grammys. It seemed like they were grasping at straws to support their narrative that Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros. could somehow poison the well of content for viewers.

“My concern is that you don’t share my values or those of many other American parents, and you want the United States government to allow you to become one of the largest — if not the largest — streaming monopolist in the world,” Hawley said. “I think we ought to be concerned about what content you’re promoting.”

While it’s true that Netflix will control a substantial portion of the streaming market when — and or if — it acquires Warner Bros. and its streaming service HBO Max, it’s hard to criticize Netflix without bringing up YouTube.

“YouTube is not just cat videos anymore. YouTube is TV.”

For years now, Netflix has been trying to topple YouTube as the most-watched streaming service. Data from Nielsen says Netflix made up 9 percent of total TV and streaming viewing in the US in December 2025, while Warner Bros. Discovery’s services made up 1.4 percent. Combining the two doesn’t even stack up to YouTube, which held a 12.7 percent share of viewership during that time. “YouTube is not just cat videos anymore,” Sarandos told the subcommittee. “YouTube is TV.”

Unlike Netflix, YouTube is free and has an ever-growing library of user-created content that doesn’t require it to spend billions of dollars in production costs and licensing fees. YouTube doesn’t have to worry about maintaining subscribers, as anyone with access to a web browser or phone can open up and watch YouTube. The setup brings YouTube a constant stream of viewers that it can rope in with a slew of content it can recommend to watch next.

But not all creators on YouTube are striving for quality. As my colleague Mia Sato wrote, YouTube is home to creators who try to feed an algorithm that boosts inflammatory content and attempts to hook viewers, in addition to an array of videos that may be less than ideal for kids.

Like it or not, YouTube is the dominant streamer, with an endless supply of potentially offensive agendas for just about anyone. But for some reason, it’s not the target of this culture war. If these lawmakers actually cared about what their kids are watching, maybe they’d start looking more closely at how YouTube prioritizes content. Or, if they don’t like the shows and movies on Netflix, they could just do what Sarandos suggested during the hearing: unsubscribe.