This digest compiles the latest from The Verge.
Today’s The Verge Roundup
I don’t think Gwyneth Paltrow knows what a peptide is
24 Apr 2026, 2:00 pm by Victoria Song
This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent every Friday from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear they’re going to change your life. Opt in for Optimizer here.
These days, it seems I cannot escape peptides. Online, I’ve been assaulted by videos of shirtless Chads injecting dubiously sourced bottles of the so-called “Wolverine stack.” On the New York City subway, I’m haunted by Serena Williams’ Ro ads for easy GLP-1 access. Silicon Valley seems to be a parade of peptide parties. In Washington, RFK Jr. has said he’s pro-peptide and wants to expand access. In July, the FDA wi …
The Trump phone still isn’t real
24 Apr 2026, 2:00 pm by Dominic Preston
Where’s the Trump phone? We’re going to keep talking about it every week. We’ve reached out, as usual, to ask about the Trump phone’s whereabouts. We’re back to being ignored, and the phone seems no closer to an actual launch.
Last week Trump Mobile overhauled its website, in the process officially revealing the updated design of its T1 Phone, with a new spec sheet to match. You’d be forgiven for thinking that means it’s ready to release, but make no mistake: beyond a possible FCC authorization and a single phone someone showed me over a video call, there’s still no proof the Trump phone is ever going to launch.
The phone’s shiny new desig …
A new Republican privacy bill could be ‘worse than no standard at all’
24 Apr 2026, 1:00 pm by Lauren Feiner
Congress is once again attempting to pass a national data privacy law. But while it would introduce new protections in some states, it would weaken privacy rights in others – and it’s missing several elements that privacy advocates deem necessary.
The SECURE Data Act is the product of a Republican data privacy working group led by Rep. John Joyce (R-PA), who introduced the bill alongside House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY). The proposal would require companies to collect only the user data they really need to perform the tasks they promise, let users see what information websites have on them and request its delet …
Musk vs. Altman is here, and it’s going to get messy
24 Apr 2026, 12:00 pm by Elizabeth Lopatto
Elon Musk cofounded OpenAI, and then flounced off in a huff when he wasn’t anointed CEO, leaving Sam Altman as the last power-hungry man standing. Now, Musk is back with a lawsuit, and a trial is scheduled to start in Oakland, California, on April 27th. Theoretically, it’s a legal case about whether OpenAI defrauded Musk. But that’s not really what we’re all doing here. This is about mess.
Over the past couple of years, Musk’s legal theories for punishing OpenAI have run the gamut from breach of contract to unfair business practices to false advertising. Now, he and Altman will be getting called to the stand at a particularly delicate time …
Instagram has launched another Snapchat clone
24 Apr 2026, 11:37 am by Jess Weatherbed
Instagram is testing a new dedicated app that’s focused around Snapchat-like photo sharing features. The app, called “Instants,” was launched in Italy and Spain yesterday, Business Insider reports, and allows users to send each other disappearing photos that are available for 24 hours and can be viewed only once during that window.
The app is currently available on both iOS and Android. Meta hasn’t announced if a desktop version will follow, or whether Instants will be launched in other regions, including the US. It resembles the “Shots” instant photo sharing feature that is already baked into Instagram messages (and was later rebranded to …
China’s DeepSeek previews new AI model a year after jolting US rivalsÂ
24 Apr 2026, 9:45 am by Robert Hart
Chinese AI company DeepSeek released a preview of its hotly anticipated next-generation AI model V4 on Friday, saying that the open-source model can compete with leading closed-source systems from US rivals including Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI.
DeepSeek says V4 marks a major improvement over prior models, especially in coding, a capability that has become central to AI agents and helped drive the success of tools like ChatGPT Codex and Claude Code. The release is also a milestone for China’s chip industry, with DeepSeek explicitly highlighting compatibility with domestic Huawei technology.
The release comes a year after DeepSeek rattl …
Prestigious photo contest answers ‘what is a photo?’
24 Apr 2026, 9:40 am by Jess Weatherbed
We love to muse over how “real” photography is defined here at The Verge now that generative AI is so prolific, and the World Press Photo competition might have the answer. The prestigious award celebrates the best of photojournalism, where capturing reality is paramount.
The winning entry for 2026 – “Separated by ICE,” captured by photojournalist Carol Guzy – was announced yesterday. The harrowing photograph shows children clinging to their father after an immigration hearing. The photo had to abide by specific rules around the use of AI tools to be eligible for the competition, with the independent, nonprofit organization behind the awar …
Saros is pure action nirvana
24 Apr 2026, 7:00 am by Lewis Gordon
The alien world of Saros feels like it has been touched by King Midas. The sky is golden after another impossibly frequent solar eclipse; rocks, specifically those of the precious resource Lucenite, radiate a shimmering amber. Even the body of our gruff hero Arjun Devraj (played by Rahul Kohli) is liable to turn deep, opulent yellow as he ventures further into the wilds of Carcosa. Should he die (a regular occurrence), the game cuts to stranger, more cryptic images, one of which is a double bed covered in gold silk sheets.
It’s a fittingly blingy aesthetic for this time when gaming has scarcely been a more gilded activity (seriously, have …
End of today’s The Verge roundup.
