Image: Epic Games Epic Games plans to bring Fortnite to the third-party iOS app store AltStore PAL, which is only available in the EU. The company made the announcement in a Thursday blog post about its strategy for mobile stores, and it says it expects to announce support for “at least two other third-party stores soon.” While Epic says that it plans to “bring our own mobile games including Fortnite to other mobile stores that give all developers a great deal,” it didn’t provide a specific timeline. In addition to Fortnite, Epic also plans to bring Rocket League Sideswipe to AltStore PAL, spo ..read more

Apple’s UWB trackers remain a cheap, convenient way to keep tabs on all your belongings. Photo: Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Over the past month or so, we’ve seen a flurry of new Bluetooth trackers, from Motorola’s forthcoming Moto Tag to ESR’s Find My-compatible wallet. That being said, if you’re an iPhone user, Apple’s AirTag remains the best option — one you can still grab at Amazon and Walmart for an all-time low of $23.99 ($5 off). You can also buy a four-pack of trackers at Amazon and Walmart for around $89 ($10 off), though be aware that you can often buy the bundle for $15 less. Despite h ..read more

Illustration: The Verge Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced today on his WhatsApp channel that WhatsApp now has 100 million monthly active users in the US as of July 25th. According to WhatsApp, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Seattle are among the fastest-growing markets in the country. However, the company says it’s experienced “significant growth” in Southern states as well, with more than 10 million users in Texas. “This is the first time data pertaining to users has been released since Meta’s acquisition of the messaging app and demonstrates how the messaging platform, already the bigges ..read more

A screenshot of Apple Maps on the web.Screenshot: The Verge Apple Maps is finally available on the web. Through a beta that launched on Wednesday afternoon, you can now get driving and walking directions as well as view ratings and reviews from the web version of Apple Maps in a desktop or mobile browser. Apple Maps is available through the beta.maps.apple.com site. You can do most of what you can do in the iOS version of the app, including view guides, order food directly from Maps, explore cities, and get information about businesses. Apple says it’s going to launch additional features, like ..read more

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge Apple might start using Samsung camera sensors as soon as 2026, marking the end of Sony’s decade-plus run as the sole supplier of the phones’ camera sensors. The phones are expected to use a Samsung-made “1/2.6-inch 48MP ultra-wide CMOS image sensors” starting “as early as 2026,” according to supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The rumor doesn’t suggest whether Samsung will replace Sony for any other iPhone camera sensors. Although Apple doesn’t usually talk about who makes its components, CEO Tim Cook said in 2022 that Sony had been its iPhone camera suppl ..read more

You won’t find (most) of these on Apple’s official iOS App Store.Image: Riley Testut / AltStore PAL The first batch of third-party apps are making their way onto AltStore PAL, just over three months after the alternative iOS app marketplace launched in the EU. Three out of the four apps being released today are exclusive to AltStore PAL and can’t be found on Apple’s official iOS App Store. The apps developed by people other than AltStore PAL co-creator Riley Testut include two torrenting apps and a social discovery app for dating. Specifically, the new additions include iTorrent, an iOS torren ..read more

Image: Apple / RapidSOS First responder networks are lining up to support a major new emergency feature in iOS 18: Live Video support. Now, 911 support platforms, including RapidSOS Unite and Prepared, are integrating with Apple’s Emergency SOS Live Video, which was announced at WWDC in June. The new feature lets you video chat with 911 dispatchers and emergency responders, aiding them in finding you fast when you need help. Apple’s Emergency SOS could already relay a voice call and send texts to responders, as well as share your location. This is all part of Apple’s bigger push to add safety ..read more

Sunny the robot has a very expressive face.Image: Apple The murder mystery was a chance for showrunner Katie Robbins to imagine a different kind of sci-fi vision ..read more

Apple executives Greg Joswiak and Craig Federighi have made it well known that the company has little interest in getting the iPad prepared for macOS software. During an event following Apple’s 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Federighi said, “We want to keep making iPad the best iPad it can be. We are not trying to create a Windows 8 PC or whatever.” But that hasn’t stopped Apple users from craving something more out of their iPads. Across our articles, videos, and podcasts, we see comments asking about what it would take to get macOS on their devices or asking for predictions o ..read more

You won’t need to stuff an AirTag inside ESR’s Geo Wallet to find it.Image: ESR With its own integrated tracking module compatible with Apple’s Find My network and a traditional bifold design, ESR’s Geo Wallet can be located using an iPhone if it goes missing and without the bulge of an AirTag stuffed inside. There’s no shortage of wallets designed to accommodate an AirTag or credit card-sized trackers such as the Chipolo, but by using its own tracking module with a rechargeable lithium battery that’s only 1.6 millimeters thick, the bifold Geo Wallet offers the same functionality with room ins ..read more