How to Scan a QR Code

Do you want to pay for coffee without tapping a grimy screen? Here's how to use your iPhone or Android phone to scan QR codes.

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Folding Phones Are the New 3D TV

Depending on who you ask, smartphones with folding screens—like the two models Samsung just released—are either a gimmick or the next frontier.

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This Device Helps Paralyzed People Breathe—and Sing

Called the Exo-Abs, the robotic device uses artificial intelligence to gauge how much pressure to put on a person’s midsection.

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Without Code for DeepMind’s Protein AI, One Lab Wrote Its Own

The Google subsidiary solved a fundamental problem in biology but didn’t promptly share their solution. So a University of Washington team tried to recreate it.

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I Think an AI Is Flirting With Me. Is It OK If I Flirt Back?

WIRED’s spiritual advice columnist on emotional connection, continental affairs, and the ulterior motives of chatbots.

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The Unbearable Cuteness of Instagram Hedgehogs

Beneath the tiny top hats and GIF-able snuggle sessions, I found a dark tale of internet virality.

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Everything Samsung Announced at Its Unpacked Event

On Wednesday morning, the company unveiled new folding phones, some Wear OS smartwatches, and even more wireless earbuds.

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Apple's Privacy Mythology Doesn't Match Reality

The company's claims cloak threats to millions of users' iCloud, iMessage, and facial verification data.

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The 23 Best Back-to-School Deals on Laptops and Dorm Gear

Need a new computer or just a soothing weighted blanket for the new school year? We found deals on some of our favorites.

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How to Make Remote Learning Work for Your Children

If you're preparing for yet another round of homeschooling, we've identified a few ways to make this school year suck just a little bit less.

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The IPCC Report's Silver Lining: We Can Tackle Methane Now

The landmark assessment was dire. But it shows that by slashing methane emissions, humanity can make rapid progress in fighting climate change.

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The Pain Was Unbearable. So Why Did Doctors Turn Her Away?

A sweeping drug addiction risk algorithm has become central to how the US handles the opioid crisis. It may only be making the crisis worse.

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A 5G Shortcut Leaves Phones Exposed to Stingray Surveillance

You may not have the full story about what network you're on—and how well you're protected.

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Here’s How to Try All the Top New iOS 15 Features Now

The next version of Apple’s iPhone operating system debuts this fall, but you can try the public beta—at your own risk.

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Gymnasts Make the Wolf Turn Look Easy. Physics Shows It’s Not

The spin seems simple if you’re just watching it on TV. But it’s a complex move that requires understanding your center of mass.

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22 Dorm-Friendly Picks for Heading Back to College

Deck out your living space and make chemistry class a cinch with our favorite gear.

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Pac-Man 99 Is a Battle Royale Game That's Actually Accessible

Cool fact: The ghosts' hunting algorithm, which is the key to the original game and to Ms. Pac-Man, is apparently also present in 99.

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Robots, Microscopes, and Other Fun Ways to Help Kids Learn

So much education happens outside of school, whether it's virtual or in-person. These tools will turn your kids into curious scientists exploring their world.

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Smart Cities, Bad Metaphors, and a Better Urban Future

Shannon Mattern's new book 'A City Is Not a Computer' digs into the data, dashboards, and language that keep people from building better, safer communities.

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Biden Wants More EVs on Roads. What About Charging Stations?

The president called for 40 percent of new cars to be electric by 2030. But motorists still fret about running out of juice—even if it rarely happens.

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Pokémon Unite Is the Perfect, Simple Game We Need Right Now

Every round of this addictive summer jam contains small successes, big successes, big failures, and finally, the catharsis of a win or loss.

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The NYPD Had a Secret Fund for Surveillance Tools

Documents reveal that police bought facial-recognition software, vans equipped with x-ray machines, and “stingray” cell site simulators—with no public oversight.

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How to Use Running Apps to Hit the Road

There are tons of services out there to help, whether you're a total beginner or getting back into it. Here's how to make the most of them.

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Dualtron's New E-Scooter Eats Steep Hills for Breakfast

At $2,699, it's not for everyone. But this electric kick scooter can crush inclines and will travel well more than 25 miles.

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TikTok Smells Like Gen X Spirit

On the app you'll see a raucous reboot of "slacker" attitude. Or not. Whatever.

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Twitter's Photo-Cropping Algorithm Favors Young, Thin Females

The findings emerged from an unusual contest to identify unfairness in algorithms, similar to hunts for security bugs.

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The Squishy, Far-Out New Experiments Headed to the ISS

Muscle cells, 3D-printed lunar regolith, and le Blob will soon orbit 250 miles above Earth.

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The 7 Best Laptops and Tablets for College Students

Whatever your higher-ed goals, these campus-ready computers will help you crush them.

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The UN Climate Report: All Is Not Well—but All Is Not Lost

A major new report from the IPCC paints a devastating portrait of climate change. But it also shows that it's not too late for drastic action.

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The Best Chromebooks for Every Budget

All-in on Google services? Then check out our favorite Chrome OS laptops and 2-in-1 tablets for school, work, or home.

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Watch Out, Beyond Burgers—the Fungi Renaissance Is Here

While the popular plant-based meats grab all the headlines, a much more humble foodstuff is poised to lead the next wave of alternative proteins.

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If YouTube Algorithms Radicalize Users, Data Doesn’t Show It

New research tracking people’s behavior on the platform found that most don’t go down those ever-deepening rabbit holes.

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How to turn Online Friends Into IRL Ones

If you're struggling to make new friends, you're not alone. But tech and little tenacity can help you can find—or build—community. Here's how.

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A Failed Star Called 'The Accident' Puzzles Astronomers

The brown dwarf isn't a star and it's not a planet. But it's illuminating the murky borderlands that separate the two.

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What You Should Know About the Google Play Store Changes

With the first updates kicking in this month, Android apps should be more streamlined and lightweight. Google is also getting a greater level of control.

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Our Favorite Products to Use Over and Over Again

Ditch your single-use products and cut down on waste. Here’s some of our favorite reusables, from water bottles to menstrual products.

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The Delta Variant Has Warped Our Risk Perception

Gone are the easy, thoughtless choices of hot vax summer. Making decisions that balance safety and sanity just got a lot more complicated.

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With Kate, Netflix Is Still Looking for Its Own John Wick

A new trailer for the action thriller starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead shows a familiar premise.

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Considering a MacBook? Here are Our Favorites

Apple's laptops are expensive, and you'll have to make some hard choices to pick the right one. Let us help.

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Microsoft Edge’s ‘Super Duper Secure Mode’ Does What It Says

Plus: Facebook account hacks, Instagram-ban scammers, and more of the week’s top security news.

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Our Favorite Sun Protection Clothes for Everyday Wear

The sun is a giver of life—but get too much of it and you’re toast. These are the best hats, arm coverings, and shirts to shield yourself.

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Can You Recycle a Hard Drive? Google Is Trying to Find Out

Rare-earth magnet recycling could reduce the need to mine for more resources, leading to more sustainable data centers.

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AI Wrote Better Phishing Emails Than Humans in a Recent Test

Researchers found that tools like OpenAI's GPT-3 helped craft devilishly effective spearphishing messages.

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All the Ways Spotify Tracks You—and How to Stop It

Whether you're listening to workout music or a "cooking dinner" playlist, the app can show you ads based on your mood and what you're doing right now.

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The 13 Best Weekend Deals on TVs, Laptops, and Vibrators

We’ve scoured the internet for the best deals to keep you entertained during quarantine part two.

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He-Man Gets a New Twist in Masters of the Universe: Revelation

The new Netflix series is a sleek update to the 1980s cartoon. But it's not without flaws.

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It’s the Perfect Time to Switch to a Cheaper Phone Plan

If you’re a Verizon, T-Mobile, or AT&T subscriber, switching to these networks may save you a lot of money.

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Putin Is Crushing Biden’s Room to Negotiate on Ransomware

A new cybercrime treaty Russia presented to the UN signals once again that the regime won’t help clamp down on attacks.

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Even Snoop Can’t Save the Olympics

As the Games wind down, his recap show with Kevin Hart has been a social media highlight. But little else has broken through.

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These Great Hearing Aids Look Just Like Regular Earbuds

Signia’s app-controlled in-ear buds reduce the stigma of wearing hearing aids while making the world around you sound clearer.

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The SMART Health Card Is Not a Vaccine Passport—Kinda

Plus: The man behind the cryptographic technique, the danger in calculating risks, and fries worth a small fortune.

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How Memes Became Weapons in the Culture Wars

This week, we talk about the history of memes, where they originate, and how they influence politics and society.

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Where to Get a Covid-19 Vaccine, and What to Expect

Vaccines are rolling out across the US. These tips will help you figure out where to find an appointment in your in your area, and how to prepare.

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A Field Guide for Nature-Resistant Nerds

Yes, yes, the dirt is horrifying. But it’s also how we make bitcoin apps.

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Even Small Volcanic Eruptions Could Create Global Chaos

Relatively minor meltdowns might destroy underwater cables and disrupt vital industries, scientists say, creating a cascade of economic misery.

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Messaging Apps Have an Eavesdropping Problem

Vulnerabilities in Signal, Facebook Messenger, Google Duo, and more all point to a pervasive privacy issue.

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Apple Walks a Privacy Tightrope to Spot Child Abuse in iCloud

With a new capability to search for illegal material not just in the cloud but on user devices, the company may have opened up a new front in the encryption wars.

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John Deere Doubles Down on Silicon Valley and Robots

The farm-equipment giant is buying Bear Flag Robotics, which makes autonomous tractors, marking its second big tech buy in four years.

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Protecting the Immune-Compromised Keeps Everyone Safe

It isn’t just about social responsibility. It’s about ending the pandemic and not giving  the coronavirus chances to evolve.

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Amazon's Massive GDPR Fine Shows the Law's Power—and Limits

It's the first significant GDPR ruling against Big Tech. But secrecy around the decision exposes the regulation’s flaws.

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Get the Most Out of Your iPad With These Accessories

These are some of our favorite stands, cases, keyboards, and Pencils no matter which iPad you have.

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These Games Taught Me to Love the Fremium Grind

Free-to-play games get a bad rep, but the good ones can keep you hooked in all the right ways—especially when you have a lot more time on your hands.

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Dyson’s Omni-glide Stick Vac Leaves Your Broom in the Dust

This lightweight vacuum for hardwood flooring has made my life easier and more crumb-free.

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These Algorithms Look at X-Rays—and Somehow Detect Your Race

A study raises new concerns that AI will exacerbate disparities in health care. One issue? The study’s authors aren’t sure what cues are used by the algorithms.

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What Rat Empathy May Reveal About Human Compassion

Rats may feel concern when cage mates are trapped. But, like people, they don’t always care enough to help.

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11 Face Masks Your Kids May Actually Wear

This fall, your kid will probably still need a face mask for school or play. These are the ones that my little guys will tolerate.

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Facebook’s Reason for Banning Researchers Doesn’t Hold Up

The company says privacy concerns forced it to block access for a team of academics. Whose privacy, exactly?

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Watch a Hacker Hijack a Hotel Room’s Lights, Fans, and Beds

It’s not a ghost. It’s a half-dozen vulnerabilities in a digital automation system.

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Exactly How Many People Have Long Covid?

Pinning down the number of “long-haulers” suffering from the mysterious condition is an important task. It’s also proving impossible.

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Stop Complaining About Mass Effect: Andromeda

Once you stop comparing it to the original trilogy, it’s actually pretty good.

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The Pandemic Drives Cofounders to Couples Therapy

Startups are like relationships—at least that’s what some Silicon Valley therapists are pitching.

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Struggling to Recruit, Police Turn to Targeted Ads

The pandemic and the George Floyd protests have made recruiters’ jobs tougher. Now they’re tapping the behavioral profiling power of social media.

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How to Cut Your Hair at Home

Ready to try giving yourself a trim? Let us help you avoid a DIY disaster.

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Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse Already Sucks

It's not even here yet, but Facebook’s ambitions alone reveal an alarming lack of imagination and a less alarming love of tech buzzwords.

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This New Way to Train AI Could Curb Online Harassment

Misogyny on the internet too often slips through the filters of content moderators. A new method hopes to inject more nuance into the process.

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How to Build a Solar Oven

Cook a variety of simple foods—or just heat up last night's pizza—using our environment's most accessible heating element.

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Scientists Could One Day Float an Aerial Robot Above Venus

Researchers recently tested whether a balloon-borne sensor could listen for venusquakes to learn about the planet's makeup.

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Citizen's New Service Helps Paying Users Summon the Cops

The crime-tracking app is charging $20 per month to give subscribers access to their own virtual security service.

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Blizzard President Departs as Workers Demand Systemic Change

Nearly a week after Activision Blizzard employees walked out to protest alleged discrimination at the company, executive J. Allen Brack has left.

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How Did People Find the Fundamental Charge With Drops of Oil?

Back in 1909, figuring out the charge of a single electron was a Nobel-worthy pursuit. Today, it’s a good lesson in understanding four key forces.

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France Cracked Down on Google’s Ad Tech. What’s Next?

The French Competition Agency has hit the company with $855 million in fines this year. The money is meaningless—but the changes could be profound.

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The Truth About the Quietest Town in America

The National Radio Quiet Zone limits wireless communications. But a journey to its center in Green Bank, West Virginia reveals a town at odds with itself.

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Russia’s Space Station Incident Points to Larger Issues

Nauka’s errant firings were likely the result of human error—and they raise concerns about the future of the country’s space program and its partnership with NASA.

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22 Great Wireless Chargers to Refuel Your Phone (or Watch)

Stop fumbling for cables in the dark. These WIRED-tested stands and pads will make recharging your iPhone or Android phone hassle-free.

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Why Even the Fastest Human Can’t Outrun Your House Cat

A new model explains the forces and body design features that limit maximum sprinting speed.

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Six-Word Sci-Fi: Stories Written By You

Here's this month's prompt, how to submit, and an illustrated archive of past favorites.

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How Accessibility at the Summer's Gaming Events Stack Up

While a number of recent announcements highlighted accessibility in games, or offered great options for viewers, there's more work to be done.

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The Best Olympics Show Is Peacock’s Chaotic Tokyo Tonight

Not everyone loves the streaming service’s coverage of the 2020 Games, but its highlight show is perfect just the way it is.

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Google's Next Pixel Phone Will Be Powered By a Custom Chip

Following the industry trend of tech giants manufacturing their own processors, the company will start putting bespoke silicon in its mobile hardware.

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Sunny-Day Flooding Is About to Become More Than a Nuisance

Sea level rise will soon combine with a host of other environmental factors to produce dozens of floods each fall in US coastal cities.

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The Best Phones With an Actual Headphone Jack

Audio jacks are endangered, but they’re not gone yet. Here are some of our favorite smartphones that still let you plug in.

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Got Bigger Ears? Sony’s WF-1000XM4 Are Your New Best Buds

Sony’s noise-canceling earbuds are the best you can buy, so long as your ears are big enough.

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The Weird, Sustainable Booze of the Future Tastes … Good?

Small distilleries like Empirical Spirits are working on uncategorizable drinks made of stuff like plum pits, for the resilient quaff of tomorrow.

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Hospitals Still Use Pneumatic Tubes—and They Can Be Hacked

The tech may seem antiquated, but it poses very modern cybersecurity problems.

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Are Virtual Surround Gaming Headsets Worth It?

The question is surprisingly complicated—and involves a lot of sifting through marketing.

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Fractons, the Weirdest Matter, Could Yield Quantum Clues

Theorists are in a frenzy over these bizarre, but potentially useful, hypothetical particles that can only move in combination with one another.

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The Best Keyboards for Your Work Station (or Battle Station)

Whether you're looking to boost your productivity or your Fortnite stats, these are the top typing peripherals for the job.

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How to Make the Air in Your Home More Breathable

Different climates and seasons call for different solutions. Here’s what you need to know about pollutants and particulates, and the gear that might help.

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A Guide to RCS, and Why It Makes Texting So Much Better

Google is pushing the new standard for Android devices, which promises better security and cooler features than plain old SMS.

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The Top 30 Cybersecurity Bugs Include Plenty of Usual Suspects

Plus: A sneaky iOS app, a wiper attack in Iran, and more of the week's top security news.

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