Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 24, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, so psyched you found us, and also, you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)
Technology
How we all get news now
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This week, I’ve been reading Kyle Chayka’s great book about algorithms, Filterworld, getting nostalgic about Tecmo Bowl, seeing if this show can get me into NASCAR like Drive to Survive got me into Formula 1, catching up on old Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend episodes, spending too much time debating whether I want a Vision Pro, trying to make my basement look more like Peter McKinnon’s studio, and trying desperately to figure out why everyone’s so worked up about rice cookers.
I also have for you a new AI search app, a bunch of shows to watch this weekend, a deep dive into all our news-gathering options, a new podcast about the internet, and much more. 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 into right now, too? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, tell them to subscribe here.)
The Drop
- Arc Search. Honestly, can someone else build a cool new browser so I can stop talking so much about Arc? Please and thanks. For now, this is easily the most interesting company in this space, and the new Arc iOS app is both really cool and maybe an existential crisis for the internet. (Got a lot of recommendations for this one this week — thanks to everyone who sent it in!)
- Mr. & Mrs. Smith. I love the 2005 Brangelina movie, so I was slightly worried about whether this show would hold up, especially given all the behind-the-scenes shenanigans. But it seems to! People like it! (I also got a lot of recommendations for this one. My hopes might now be too high for this show…)
- Project Tapestry. As a rule, I don’t love linking to Kickstarters here, but for this, I’ll make an exception: the folks behind Twitterrific and Ivory, two wonderful social media apps, are building an app for collecting, organizing, and reading the internet. I think this is going to be awesome.
- Infinite Craft. Also as a rule, I will pretty much always post whatever Neal Agarwal makes on his website, which is full of fun and silly things to play with. This one is just an endless series of ways to combine things and make new things, and I cannot explain why I love it so much. But I love it so much.
- Circle to Search. Now available on a Pixel or Galaxy near you: a nifty way to search just by drawing a circle around whatever you see and care about. I love this — and I’m psyched to see that Microsoft might be bringing something similar to Edge and that Google’s multisearch feature is getting so much better in general. Bring this everywhere!
- The Skylight Calendar Max. My calendar app is the only reason I’m a remotely functional human being, so of course the idea of a 27-inch screen dedicated to blaring my calendar at me seems super compelling. It’s $600, which is ludicrous, but I’m this close to buying the 15-inch $300 model. Maybe I’ll start being on time for stuff.
- Curb Your Enthusiasm. I have a confession: until very recently, I’d never really watched Curb. Like, I’ve seen episodes, but I’ve never just done a full run-through of the show. Now, I’m about halfway through, and I can’t believe I was missing it. My goal is to be done before the final episode of this new, and final, season — which is apparently a great one.
- Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Echo. This is less a specific recommendation for this one and more a general recommendation for the whole Assembled series. Disney Plus is full of great behind-the-scenes stuff, and there are docs like this for a bunch of different Marvel stuff, almost all of which are super wonky and cool.
- Never Post. So far, there are only two episodes of this podcast — which is basically a bunch of Extremely Online people talking about Extremely Online things, and I mean that in the very best way — and I’ve loved them both. The first episode, on independent media companies, was particularly great.
Deep dive
A couple of weeks ago, I asked you to share all the ways you read the news. And by “news,” I mean any of the information you care about. This was mostly a selfish thing; with Artifact shutting down, I was losing one of my best sources of good links, and I didn’t know whether to reinvest in Flipboard or Reddit or Apple News Plus or something else entirely. Obviously, The Verge is the number one best news source for all things Verge, but I understand there are other things out there, too.
As always, the Installerverse delivered. Thanks to everyone who emailed, texted, posted at me, and otherwise hit me up with all your thoughts! I got a ton of new ideas. And as promised, I wanted to try and summarize and share how we all do things. So here goes:
- Most people just have A Place. Or two. Overwhelmingly, I heard from folks who mostly just open up one or two sources to get their news. The New York Times app was the most-named one by a pretty wide margin, which didn’t really surprise me. But I also saw a lot of The Washington Post, a lot of The Economist, some Wall Street Journal, a few fans of The Atlantic — the big national sources seem to be where most people start.
- There are so many good curators! I heard from a bunch of folks who really like getting a broad swath of stuff, quickly, all in one place. The three most popular ones were Informed News, Ground News, and Inkl.
- And then there’s Google News. If you want a news app that knows what you like, a number of folks said Google News is the place that most consistently shows them stuff they care about from all over. I got a couple of Apple News recommendations, too, but you all seem to really like Google’s personalization.
- We stan an RSS reader. Feedly got a lot of votes, but Inoreader and NetNewsWire both have some fans, and Feeeed and Unread both got a couple of shout-outs.
- Video isn’t huge, but it’s out there. I got a couple of “I get stuff from YouTube” emails and a couple of shouts for Philip DeFranco in particular, but not as many as I expected. One person, Josh, also specifically recommended PBS NewsHour on YouTube, which I’m also enjoying now.
A few of you even built your own bespoke news-gathering systems, which I loved hearing about. An email from Jeff was my favorite: Jeff made a tool called clickthru.news, which has “no tracking, no customization, no ‘mark as read,’ it updates itself a couple times a day, and I just read it until I get bored.” It’s delightful, y’all.
You know what surprised me most? How few “I get all my stuff from social networks” answers I got. A few years ago, I suspect Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and others would have dominated this list, and now, they’re basically absent. Granted, the Installerverse isn’t the world, but still! Basically nothing to that effect! We’ve all just kinda moved on.
Personally, I’ve settled into a new routine. Most days, I start in Flipboard, which I set up with a few of my interests — I can swipe from general news to tech news to Formula 1 news to news about my town, and the content’s not always amazing, but it’s usually pretty solid. Then I do the big-name app roundup so many do: I check the Times, the Post, the Journal, and The Economist (which I think has the best app by far). All my blogs and feeds go into Feedbin, which I now read mostly in the Unread app. And thanks to you all, I also downloaded Google News, and I check it a few times a day. I do like it so far.
Oh, and then every once in a while, for as long as I can, I’ll still open Artifact. It had so many good ideas.
Screen share
Fun fact: before Installer launched, I made a prototype version of the newsletter and had Jake Kastrenakes – a deputy editor at The Verge and the crucially necessary, endlessly patient, and thoroughly-responsible-for-its-existence editor of Installer — share his homescreen. And then I promptly forgot that actually nobody ever saw it but me.
So now that we’re live, and we’re all here, I asked Jake to share again. Last time, I remember him having some delightfully weird wallpaper ideas. Turns out, not much has changed.
Here’s Jake’s homescreen, plus some info on the apps he uses and why:
The phone: Pixel 8. It’s the slipperiest phone I’ve ever owned, and it finally convinced me to buy a phone case. I got the hazel one from Google.
The wallpaper: I love this illustration for how in contrast it feels to everything else on a phone. I found it on Twitter after I went down a rabbit hole of following a bunch of Japanese illustrators. The piece is by Shiho Konno, and I rudely ripped the illustrations from a tweet and rotated it to portrait orientation.
The apps: X and Threads (slightly out of reach to slightly reduce my usage), a step counter (to shame me into moving when I work from home), Spotify, Google Maps, Google Photos, Pocket (I used to use this, now it mostly sits there), The New York Times (now I read this instead), a shortcut to ChatGPT’s voice mode (I wanted to encourage myself to try more AI stuff; I don’t use it often, but the voice mode is really compelling), Instagram, Camera, Phone, Firefox (I just switched to this when it launched extension support), The Verge (with an Edge shortcut; the web icons Firefox makes are small and weird, so I’m just living with two browsers in my dock), Gmail, Google Messages.
I also asked Jake to share a few things he’s into right now. Here’s what he sent back:
- I just got an Analogue Pocket. Using it feels like playing games the way you remembered them. (Even if the games maybe play just a bit worse 20 years later.)
- This Yeule album from last year is like 50 percent of my Spotify listening right now. I will not be answering what percent Olivia Rodrigo is.
- Kashmiri Red Chili. It’s going in everything.
Crowdsourced
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 +1 203-570-8663 with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we’ll feature some of our favorites here every week.
“Really enjoying PI.FYI after reading Kevin’s story. Lotta bugs but makes me feel indescribable things.” – Akhilesh
“Don’t know why NotePlan isn’t getting more attention — it’s a fantastic app for writing notes and planning using time blocks and has great integration with calendars and reminders. The developer, Eduard, is extremely good at listening to users.” – Anders
“The Memphis Belle is an (incredibly well-made) propaganda documentary from 1943. Watching it on YouTube and comparing it to Masters of the Air is fascinating and makes it obvious that it must have been a big source of inspiration for the show. The overlap is huge.” – Nino
“Arturia released a free update to their modern softsynth, Pigments, this week. While I can’t complain about a free upgrade to an already solid product, it’s not my pick: using Pigments 5 has underscored how much I prefer using the built-in synthesis tools of my DAW of choice, Bitwig Studio (it’s better than its name, honest!). Bitwig’s approach to modularity and consistent systems that apply across every aspect of the program really clicks with my nerd brain.” – Andrew
”I’ve been getting re-obsessed with Halo due to new Halo Infinite content as well as the forthcoming season 2 of the show, which seems like a massive improvement from the rather compromised first season.” – Kenton
“I recently started training for a triathlon using my Apple Watch. While it’s great in many ways, Apple’s Fitness app does not show as much data as I would like. HealthFit is a simple yet powerful app that fills this gap with its crazy graphs and more.” – Krystof
“Spurious Correlations. It’s absolutely lovely to have such weird pairings correlated. Example after example of the adage, ‘Correlation is not causation.’ And then to see the AI descriptions below the graphs’ completely made-up drivel applying causation is just chef’s kiss.” – Matthew.
“Obsessed with the James Figurine (Jimmy Tamborello from Dntel and The Postal Service) song from 2006 about texting and relationships before smartphones (and without T9).” – Michael
“My podcast recommendation is Pop Pantheon — ultra-deep dives into pop music careers and wider topics from host DJ Louie XIV and expert guests. Every episode is a joy to listen to; full of well-researched insight without any fat (despite the often multi-hour length), and I always come away with enhanced appreciation for the featured acts.” – Ben
“I’ve been watching video game expert Jeff Gerstmann play and rank every single NES game released in North America! It’s a wild endeavor to embark on, but there’s nobody else I’d rather see do it.” – Luke
“Winter travel is great: fewer crowds, things are cheaper. Dry hotel rooms are not great. I bought a portable USB-powered humidifier ahead of two winter trips. Putting it on the nightstand next to my face made a noticeable difference when waking up. In Europe, I plugged it into my battery pack when I left the room so it keeps going as power gets cut, and it worked perfectly. Amazon is littered with them, but I settled on this one.” – Sean
Signing off
Kevin Nguyen, a deputy editor at The Verge, sent over a recommendation that derailed my whole week. Here’s what he said: “There’s no football this weekend, but you can bridge that gap to the Super Bowl by playing Retro Bowl. It’s styled like the 8-bit days of Tecmo Bowl and has a perfect balance of simplicity and depth for a phone game. The free version is great (no ads, just some in-game currency you can purchase but don’t need at all), and there’s a version on Apple Arcade, too. My screen time went up 39 percent the week after I downloaded it, so you’ve been warned.”
He’s not kidding. I have been playing this game more or less nonstop since Kevin told me about it (it works really well with a controller, by the way), to the point where I have to leave my phone in the other room or I’ll play it all night and not sleep. I’ve been playing the Retro Goal soccer game, too, and it’s just as fun. Like Kevin said: you’ve been warned.
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You finally find World Cup seats that fit your budget. The site looks polished. The ticket has a QR code. The seller says someone else wants them, so you need to move fast. That is exactly the moment scammers are counting on.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs through July 19, 2026, across the United States, Canada and Mexico. With the tournament underway, fans are still hunting for last-minute seats. Meanwhile, fraudsters are using fake ticket listings, spoofed FIFA websites, social media posts and artificial intelligence-made scams to steal money and personal information.
This scam hits differently because the purchase feels emotional. Maybe you are planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Perhaps the tickets are a surprise for your child or grandchild. Or maybe you are trying to turn a match into a memory your family talks about for years. That is why knowing where these scams show up, and how they pressure fans, can save you from a painful and expensive mistake.
HOW 1 MAN GOT SCAMMED IN SECONDS USING GOOGLE
A Cape Verde fan attends the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group H match between Uruguay and Cape Verde at Miami Stadium in Miami on June 21, 2026. (Craig Williamson/SNS Group)
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World Cup ticket scams are surging during the tournament
The tournament’s timing, ticket demand and last-minute pressure are giving scammers exactly what they need. World Cup tickets are expensive. Demand is intense. Many fans waited until the tournament started to look for seats. That creates the perfect opening for criminals.
Scammers love urgency. A sold-out match makes people panic. A lower price can feel like luck. A countdown timer can make you ignore the little things that feel off.
MICROSOFT TYPOSQUATTING SCAM SWAPS LETTERS TO STEAL LOGINS
The FBI has already warned that cybercriminals are creating fake FIFA websites. These sites copy FIFA branding, official-looking pages and ticket language. Some fake domains look close enough to fool a fan checking from a phone.
The FBI also said scammers may use these fake sites to collect names, home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and banking information. That is important because this scam can go beyond one bad ticket purchase. Once criminals have that personal information, they can try to open accounts in your name. They can also target you with more believable scams later.
The real FIFA ticketing page is the safest place to start, since scammers are creating spoofed sites that look official. (Elisa Schu/Picture Alliance via Getty Images)
Fake FIFA websites can steal more than ticket money
A fake ticket site can look official while quietly collecting your payment details and personal information. The safest move is also the easiest one to overlook. Type FIFA.com directly into your browser. Then go to the official ticketing page from there.
SPOT FAKE ONLINE STORES, AVOID FACEBOOK SUBSCRIPTION SCAMS
Do not rely on a search ad. Do not trust a link in a text. Be careful with links in Facebook groups, WhatsApp chats or emails that claim to offer verified seats. Scammers can buy ads. They can clone logos. They can copy the feel of an official checkout page. A fake page may even have clean writing and a professional design.
That means the old scam clues may not show up. You may not see misspelled words or strange graphics. The fake page may look good enough to pass a quick glance. Before you enter payment details, slow down and look at the address bar. The official FIFA site should use FIFA.com. If the domain includes extra words, odd spellings or a different ending, back out.
FBI lists fake FIFA domains to watch for
The FBI named examples of spoofed FIFA domains so fans can see how small changes can make a fake page look official.
GOOGLE SEARCH LED TO A COSTLY SCAM CALL
The FBI says more fake websites may appear leading up to and throughout the 2026 World Cup. These examples have already been identified:
- www.fifa[.]cab
- www.fifa[.]pink
- www.fifa[.]blue
- www.fifa[.]pub
- FIFA[.]city
- Fifa[.]bio
- fifa[.]beer
- fifa[.]click
- fifa[.]cam
- fifa[.]ceo
- fifa[.]help
- filfa[.]org
- fifa-online[.]com
- https://fifa-2026[.]xyz
- jobs-fifa[.]com
- fifa-hr[.]com
- fifa-careerhub[.]com
- fifaworldcup-careers[.]com
- fifa-hiring[.]com
- fifahiring[.]com
- fifa-ticket[.]live
- fifastore.us[.]com
- fifaworldcup26[.]sale
- fifaworldcup26.xcover-staging[.]com
- worldcup2026-tickets.com[.]mx
- worldcup26ticket[.]com
- 2026fifaworldcuptickets[.]online
- fwc2026[.]net
- fwc2026.web[.]app
- www.fifa2026p[.]com
- fifa2026fworldcup[.]com
- wvvw-fifa[.]com
- ww-fifa[.]com
- fifa-com[.]com
- www.fifa-com[.]services
- quiniela-fifa-2026.pages[.]dev
Notice the patterns. Some domains use strange endings. Others add words like “ticket,” “career,” “hiring” or “World Cup.” A few rely on tiny spelling tricks, such as changing “www” to “wvvw.” The FBI calls this typo squatting. That means scammers count on people making small typing mistakes or clicking links too quickly.
AI ticket scams make fake listings look legitimate
Artificial intelligence is helping scammers make fake ticket pages, emails and seller messages feel more believable. Fake pages can now have polished copy, realistic customer service language and smooth checkout prompts.
Scammers can also create fake confirmation emails that look like they came from a real ticketing company. They can generate ticket screenshots, QR codes and fake order pages in minutes. That means a nice-looking QR code proves very little. So does a screenshot of a ticket.
A scammer can copy a real-looking image, edit it and send it to several buyers. By the time fans find out, the seller may be gone. The real test is whether the ticket transfers through the official channel. For World Cup tickets, that means using FIFA’s official ticketing system or official resale marketplace.
QR CODE EMAIL SCAM TARGETS EMPLOYEE REVIEWS
If a seller refuses to transfer the ticket through the proper platform, walk away. A screenshot should make you more suspicious, not more comfortable.
World Cup resale problems are already hitting fans
Even fans who use known resale platforms can end up with refunds instead of seats. Bina Ramroop reportedly bought World Cup tickets through StubHub for her grandson’s 13th birthday. She paid $485 per ticket for Spain versus Cape Verde in Atlanta. When she arrived, the tickets would not transfer into the FIFA ticketing app. StubHub offered a refund. However, she wanted the experience, not the money back.
Another fan, Pape Ndaw, reportedly bought tickets in December for about $550 each. Two days before a June 14 match near Dallas, he received a message saying the seller could not deliver. He later found last-minute seats going for more than $1,500 each.
BOOKING.COM DATA BREACH EXPOSES TRAVELER DATA TO SCAMS
Then there was Patrick O’Neil’s family. They traveled to Atlanta after buying five tickets through StubHub. Two tickets transferred. Three never arrived. Some family members went in, while the others watched nearby.
These examples show the ugly part of the resale market. Even a known platform may leave you with a refund instead of a seat. That may not help after you have paid for flights, hotels and time off.
Social media World Cup ticket deals carry big risks
Ticket offers on Facebook Marketplace, X, Reddit, Telegram and WhatsApp can look more trustworthy than they really are. A scammer may use a real-looking profile photo, a friendly message and a believable excuse.
They might say a family member got sick. They could claim their group has extra seats. Or they may tell you they “just want a real fan to go.” That story could be true. However, it could also be bait.
The biggest warning sign is when the seller pushes you away from a protected checkout system. If they ask for Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, wire transfer, gift cards or crypto, your risk jumps fast. Those payments can be hard to reverse. In some cases, you may have no easy way to get your money back.
Also, watch for pressure. A legitimate seller may want to move quickly, but a scammer wants you to stop thinking, so you send money before checking the ticket, the transfer method or the website.
IDENTITY THEFT RARELY ANNOUNCES ITSELF: 6 SIGNS YOU MISSED
How to spot a World Cup ticket scam
These warning signs can help you pause before a fake seller turns your excitement into a costly mistake.
1) Check the website address before you click
Look closely at the domain. The FBI says scammers use typo squatting, which means they rely on small spelling changes or fake web endings to trick people. For example, a fake site may use an extra letter, a strange ending or words like “ticket,” “career,” or “World Cup” to look official. The real FIFA website should be entered directly as www.fifa.com. If the link looks different, back out before entering your name, payment details or login information.
2) Watch the ticket transfer method
A real ticket should transfer through the official ticketing system. A screenshot, PDF or QR code image should not be enough. If the seller refuses to use the official transfer process, end the conversation.
HOW CYBERSCAMS ARE DRAINING AMERICANS WALLETS BY THE BILLIONS
3) Avoid risky payment requests
Be careful if a seller asks for peer-to-peer payment apps, crypto, gift cards or a wire transfer. A credit card often gives you stronger fraud protections. Also, keep the transaction inside a trusted platform whenever possible.
4) Question the bargain price
A seat far below the going rate may be bait. Scammers know fans are searching for one lucky break. Compare the price with official listings and trusted resale options. If the gap feels huge, treat it as a warning sign.
5) Slow down when the seller adds pressure
Scammers love phrases like “last chance,” “someone else wants them” or “pay now.” Take a breath before you pay. A few extra minutes can save your money, your trip and your personal information.
Scottish fans took over Ocean Avenue in Miami’s South Beach. (Photo by Ryan McDougall/PA Images via Getty Images)
What to do before buying World Cup tickets
A few checks before checkout can help you avoid fake tickets, bad transfers and stolen account details.
1) Start with FIFA’s official ticketing page
Go directly to FIFA’s official site and navigate from there. Avoid sponsored search results for tickets. The FBI has warned that paid imitators can try to pull fans away from the legitimate site.
2) Bookmark the real FIFA site
After you reach the real FIFA website, save it as a bookmark or favorite. That gives you a safer way back later. Also, be careful with FIFA subdomains. The FBI says fans should navigate to subdomains, such as plus.fifa.com, directly from the official FIFA homepage instead of typing them from memory.
3) Be careful with ads
Exercise caution when clicking ads for tickets, hospitality, merchandise or jobs. Before you click an ad, check the URL. Some malicious ads may display one website but send you somewhere else.
4) Use safer payment options
Use a credit card when possible. It may give you more options if something goes wrong. Do not send money to a stranger through Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, wire transfer, gift cards or crypto.
5) Protect your accounts before checkout
Use a password manager so fake sites do not trick you into reusing passwords. Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) for your email, FIFA account and payment accounts. That adds another layer if scammers get your password.
6) Keep proof before you travel
Save emails, receipts, transfer confirmations and seller messages. Before you leave for the stadium, confirm that the ticket appears in the official ticketing app or platform. Do not wait until you are standing at the gate.
What to do if a World Cup ticket scam hits you
Fast action can limit the financial damage and reduce the risk of identity theft.
1) Contact your bank or credit card company
Explain what happened and ask what options you have to dispute the charge or block further payments.
5 MYTHS ABOUT IDENTITY THEFT THAT PUT YOUR DATA AT RISK
2) Change your passwords
Change the password for any account tied to the transaction. Start with your email because scammers often use it to reset other logins. Use a password manager to create strong, unique passwords for your FIFA account, email, banking apps and any account where you reused the same password.
3) Turn on two-factor authentication
Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) if you have not already. Start with your email, banking apps and any account tied to the fake ticket purchase.
4) Save the evidence
Keep screenshots, emails, seller profiles, payment receipts and website addresses.
5) Check your device
Run strong antivirus software if you clicked a suspicious link or downloaded anything from a fake ticket site. A scam page may try to steal more than payment details. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at CyberGuy.com.
6) Reduce your personal information online
A data removal service can help reduce how much personal information scammers can find about you online. That can make future impersonation attempts harder. 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.
7) Report the scam to the FBI
Report the fake site or seller to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov. Include the fake domain, a description of what happened, what information you entered and any payment details. If money changed hands, include the payment date, amount, payment type, account numbers involved and any receiving bank or crypto wallet details you have.
8) Freeze your credit if sensitive information was exposed
If you entered sensitive personal details, freeze your credit. Then watch for new accounts or hard inquiries you do not recognize.
Kurt’s key takeaways
World Cup ticket scams are getting harder to spot because fake sites now look clean, polished and believable. AI makes that problem worse. The safest route is still FIFA’s official ticketing system. If you buy anywhere else, understand the risk before you pay. A screenshot or QR code does not prove that a ticket will get you into the stadium. The transfer needs to happen through the official platform. Do not let urgency make the decision for you. Scammers want you to be rushed and emotional. If a deal feels too easy, take a breath and check the source. The few minutes you spend verifying the ticket could save your money, your trip and your personal information.
Would you risk buying a last-minute World Cup ticket from a stranger online if the deal looked almost too good to pass up? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
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Android 17 is getting a dedicated gaming mode for foldables that will put a virtual gamepad with touch controls on half of your screen to theoretically make it easier to play games.
With foldable gaming mode, which is set to launch in the coming months, the virtual controller emulates physical button presses at a system level and is designed to work “with any game that supports physical controllers,” says Google’s Mishaal Rahman on Reddit. For the actual inputs, the virtual controller will have a D-pad; left and right virtual sticks; A, B, X, and Y buttons; L1, L2, L3; R1, R2, and R3; and a start button. And you’ll be able to configure the gamepad in several ways, such as keeping the virtual joysticks inline or staggered from each other, scaling the size of the buttons, and toggling haptics on or off.
Turning on the mode “is as simple as unfolding your device, either before or after launching a compatible game,” Rahman says. You can also choose to hide the gamepad, and if you connect a physical controller, the virtual gamepad will turn off on its own.
“Android allows you to play a wide variety of games on the go,” says Rahman. “While touch controls work incredibly well for many titles, certain games are better enjoyed with physical gamepads. The problem is that carrying a Bluetooth controller or a snap-on gamepad with you everywhere isn’t always convenient. We want to bridge that gap, and we’re addressing it with a new feature in the Android 17 platform release that’s specifically tailored for foldable devices.”
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A letter arrives about a debt you don’t remember, from a company you’ve never dealt with, for an account you never opened. For a growing number of people, that notice is how they first learn someone used their identity.
Complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) about attempts to collect a debt not owed rose about 115% above their prior two-year average in 2025, and many of those consumers reported balances they didn’t recognize and suspected identity theft.
Before you panic or pay, it helps to understand why these letters show up and what rights you have.
WHY LAST YEAR’S BREACH IS THIS YEAR’S IDENTITY FRAUD
A collection letter for a debt you do not recognize can be the first sign that someone used your identity. (John Carl D’Annibale /Albany Times Union via Getty Images)
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Why debt collectors contact you about a debt you do not owe
When a charged-off account is sold to a collection agency, the agency receives the original creditor’s application file, including whatever identifiers were used to open it. That contact information is often 90 to 180 days out of date by the time the account changes hands.
HOW SCAMMERS BUILD A PROFILE ON YOU USING DATA BROKERS
Before the first call, the agency runs skip tracing: matching a name, Social Security number (SSN) and past addresses against public records, postal change-of-address data, property and utility records and data-broker files to find the current person behind the account. At bulk volume, each lookup costs the agency pennies.
The agency then contacts you directly, by phone or mail, whether or not you have looked at your credit file.
How fake debt can start with identity theft
The account behind the notice may have been opened with your information pulled from breaches and resold, then approved by an automated check that matched the data to an existing file without confirming that the applicant was you. Opening a new account is the leading form of attempted identity misuse reported to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), which counted it more often than takeovers of accounts people already held. What happens after is less understood.
10 SIGNS YOUR PERSONAL DATA IS BEING SOLD ONLINE
Charged-off debts, including fraudulent ones, are sold in bulk portfolios for pennies on the dollar, often with thin supporting paperwork. One fraudulent balance can be sold and resold across several agencies. A debt you dispute and clear with one collector can be repackaged and reappear with another months later.
With medical debt, a bill can sometimes move toward collections before you see every explanation of benefits, insurance update or corrected statement. That is why you should contact the provider and your insurer before paying a collector.
What debt collectors legally have to tell you
Federal law gives you a defined response, and the clock starts at first contact. Under the CFPB’s Regulation F, a collector must send a validation notice describing the debt and your rights in, or within five days of, its first communication with you.
5 MYTHS ABOUT IDENTITY THEFT THAT PUT YOUR DATA AT RISK
You have 30 days from receiving that notice to dispute the debt in writing under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). Dispute inside that window, and the collector must stop collecting until it verifies the debt.
One important note: the FDCPA generally covers third-party debt collectors, not every original creditor. However, credit reporting laws, identity theft protections and state laws may still give you rights.
If the debt came from identity theft, send the collector an FTC Identity Theft Report from IdentityTheft.gov. Also, tell the collector in writing that you dispute the debt, that it resulted from identity theft and that you want it to stop reporting the account to the credit bureaus.
IS YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER AT RISK? SIGNS SOMEONE MIGHT BE STEALING IT
Ask Equifax, Experian and TransUnion for a block under Section 605B of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
With a valid identity theft report and proof of your identity, the bureaus must block the fraudulent item within four business days. A block is harder to reverse than an ordinary dispute, which counts when the same debt can be resold.
The CFPB has said it may expand the meaning of identity theft under Regulation V to cover “coerced debt,” money run up in someone’s name without their consent, including in domestic and elder abuse cases.
What to do before you pay a debt collector
Before you send money or confirm any personal details, slow down and make the collector prove the debt belongs to you.
1) Ask for proof in writing
Do not pay, promise to pay or give out more personal information during the first call. Ask for the validation notice in writing and save every letter, voicemail and call log. Then send a written dispute within 30 days.
Fake debts can start with stolen personal information and then move from one collection agency to another. (PixelsEffect/Getty Images)
2) File an identity theft report if the debt looks fake
If you believe identity theft caused the account, create an FTC Identity Theft Report at IdentityTheft.gov. Send copies to the collector, the original creditor and all three credit bureaus. Also, place a fraud alert or credit freeze with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, so it becomes harder for someone to open another account in your name.
3) Check medical bills before paying a collector
With medical debt, contact the provider and your insurer before paying a collector. Ask for an itemized bill and an explanation of benefits. A medical bill can end up in collections while paperwork, insurance reviews or billing disputes are still catching up.
4) Respond quickly if a collector sues you
If a collector sues you, do not ignore the papers. Respond by the court deadline or contact a consumer law attorney or legal aid group. Even a debt you do not owe can create bigger problems if you miss a court deadline.
Why early fraud alerts can save you money
Once a fraudulent account charges off and sells, cleanup gets harder. You may need to dispute the debt with the collector, the original lender and all three credit bureaus. If someone resells the debt, the same problem can come back months later.
YOU HAVE A CREDIT FREEZE. IT STILL ISN’T ENOUGH
Credit monitoring can help you spot a new account or hard inquiry before the debt reaches collections. That gives you time to contact the lender, dispute the account and freeze your credit sooner.
No service can prevent every account opened in your name. However, three-bureau credit monitoring can alert you when lenders report new accounts or hard inquiries. That can help you act before a collections notice arrives or a lender denies you credit.
See my tips and best picks on Best Identity Theft Protection at CyberGuy.com.
Kurt’s key takeaways
A collection letter for an unfamiliar debt deserves a closer look. It may mean someone opened an account in your name. Do not pay just to stop the calls. Ask for written validation and dispute the debt fast. If someone misused your information, file an FTC Identity Theft Report. Then freeze your credit and check all three credit reports. Early alerts can help you catch fraud before collections begin. That can save you money, time and stress.
Have you ever gotten a collection letter or call for a debt you knew you did not owe, and what did you do first? Let us know by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.
Before paying a collector, ask for written proof, dispute the debt and file an FTC Identity Theft Report if fraud is involved. (Daniel de la Hoz/Getty Images)
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