Tech

iPhone 14 Won’t Charge? 6 Fixes That Actually Work

Published

1 hour ago

10 May 2026

Your iPhone 14 won’t charge — and the cause is almost always one of four things: a damaged or non-certified cable, debris packed into the Lightning port, a software glitch stopping the charging process, or a battery that needs replacing. All of these are diagnosable at home. This guide walks through each fix in the order most likely to solve the problem first, so you’re not replacing hardware you don’t need to replace.

These steps apply to iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Quick Take: Start with the cable and port — the majority of iPhone 14 charging failures trace back to a faulty cable, a dirty port, or a low-wattage power source. Clean the port with a dry toothbrush before assuming anything is broken. If the hardware checks out, a force restart fixes most software-related charging blocks. If your phone charges fine but stops at 80%, that is Optimized Battery Charging doing its job — not a fault.

Before You Start: Rule Out These Two Things

Two scenarios look like charging failures but are not faults at all.

The first is Optimized Battery Charging. If your iPhone 14 consistently stops charging at around 80% overnight, that is a deliberate iOS feature — not a glitch. Apple’s Optimized Battery Charging holds the charge at 80% and finishes charging to 100% just before your typical wake-up time, based on your learned daily routine. It is designed to reduce battery aging. If you want to verify this is happening, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging and check whether the feature is toggled on. It is enabled by default.

The second is a deeply drained battery. If the screen shows nothing at all when you plug in, that does not mean charging has failed. A battery at absolute zero charge may take 5–15 minutes before showing any indicator on screen. Give it at least 15 minutes before drawing any conclusions.

Step 1: Check the Cable, Adapter, and Power Source

This is where roughly half of all charging problems start. Inspect the Lightning cable for fraying near either end — the strain relief (the plastic collar where the cable meets the connector) is the most common failure point. A cable that looks intact from the outside can have broken internal wires from repeated bending. If you have another cable available, swap it in and test.

If you see the alert “This accessory is not certified” or “may not be supported” when you plug in, your cable either lacks MFi certification (Made for iPhone, Apple’s licensing standard for accessories) or the cable’s internal chip has failed. Non-certified cables trigger this alert by design and will often charge intermittently or not at all. Replace the cable with an Apple original or an MFi-certified third-party cable before trying anything else.

For the power source: plug directly into a wall outlet using an Apple or MFi-certified USB power adapter. USB ports on computers, keyboards, and older USB hubs frequently deliver too little current to reliably charge an iPhone 14. Apple’s official guidance specifies using a wall power outlet and checking for firm connections at every point in the chain — cable to phone, cable to adapter, adapter to wall.

Step 2: Clean the Lightning Port

Compacted lint and debris inside the Lightning port is one of the most underestimated causes of iPhone charging problems, and it is almost always invisible until you look closely with a light. Over time — particularly if you carry your phone in a pocket or bag — fibers accumulate at the back of the port and physically prevent the cable connector from seating fully. The cable appears to plug in, but the electrical contact is poor or absent.

Power off the iPhone before cleaning. Then, using a flashlight, inspect the interior of the port. If you see compacted gray or brown material at the back, clean it out as follows, per iFixit’s port cleaning guide:

Insert the head of a dry, soft-bristled toothbrush into the port.
Rotate the brush gently in small circles to break up compacted debris.
Use a can of compressed air (dust blower) to blow loosened debris out — hold the can upright to avoid propellant spray.
Repeat the brush pass if debris remains.
Plug in the cable and check for the charging icon.

Do not use metal tools — toothpicks, pins, or SIM ejectors — inside the port. The Lightning pins are fragile, and a single bent pin means a port replacement. A dry toothbrush removes the vast majority of debris without any risk of damage.

Step 3: Force Restart the iPhone

A software crash or a frozen charging process can make a working charger appear to do nothing. A force restart clears this state without deleting any data and takes about 20 seconds.

Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
Press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears — then release.

Keep the phone plugged into the charger while you do this. When the Apple logo appears, release the Side button and allow the phone to finish booting. Once it has restarted, check whether the charging icon appears in the status bar.

One common mistake: releasing the Side button when the “slide to power off” screen appears. That is not the restart — keep holding through it. The Apple logo comes after, and the full sequence can take up to 20 seconds.

Step 4: Update iOS

iOS bugs occasionally interfere with charging behavior, and some have been resolved in point releases. If you have been delaying an update, this is a good reason to install it. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and install any available update. You do not need a full charge to initiate an update — connect to Wi-Fi, plug in, and let it run.

If your phone cannot charge enough to update over the air, you can initiate a software update through Finder (Mac) or iTunes (Windows) by connecting via Lightning cable. This method does not require a minimum battery level and will attempt to update rather than erase.

Step 5: Check Battery Health

A severely degraded battery can cause unpredictable charging behavior — the iPhone may refuse to charge past a certain point, charge very slowly, or drop charge percentage immediately after unplugging. To check battery health on iPhone 14: go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging.

The “Maximum Capacity” figure shows how much charge your battery holds relative to when it was new. Apple’s battery health guidance indicates that a battery at 80% or below warrants replacement. At that level, the phone will also begin displaying a message recommending service. A degraded battery is not a charging fault per se — the charger is doing its job — but the battery cannot accept and hold a full charge anymore, which reads like a charging problem to the user.

If the reading is above 80% and all other steps have been completed, the battery itself is not the cause of your charging issue.

Step 6: Try Wireless Charging as a Diagnostic

If you have a Qi-compatible wireless charger or a MagSafe charger available, try charging wirelessly. The iPhone 14 supports Qi wireless charging at up to 7.5W and MagSafe at up to 15W. If the phone charges wirelessly but not via Lightning cable, you have isolated the problem to the Lightning port or the cable — not the battery or software.

A few things to check if wireless charging also fails: the phone must be centered over the charging coil on the pad, as misalignment breaks the connection. A thick case, metal case, or a case with a magnetic wallet attachment can interfere with power transfer — remove the case and retry. If the iPhone is hot (warm to the touch), iOS will reduce or pause charging until the device cools. Move it away from direct heat or sunlight and wait a few minutes before placing it on the pad again.

Scenario	What it likely means	Next step
Wired fails, wireless works	Lightning port or cable issue	Replace cable; inspect port; book port repair if cable swap fails
Both wired and wireless fail	Battery, software, or internal hardware fault	Force restart, update iOS, check battery health, book service if no improvement
Charges but stops at 80%	Optimized Battery Charging active (normal)	Leave overnight — it finishes to 100% before typical wake time. Or disable in Settings
Charges slowly on computer USB	Underpowered source	Switch to a wall outlet with Apple or MFi adapter
“Accessory not supported” alert	Non-MFi cable or dirty port	Replace cable with MFi-certified; clean port

When to Stop DIY and Book a Repair

If you have worked through all six steps and the iPhone 14 still won’t charge, the problem is almost certainly hardware — a damaged Lightning port, a failed charging IC (the internal chip that manages charging), or a battery that is too degraded to accept current. None of these are DIY-fixable without specialized tools and components.

Your options at this point:

Apple Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider: Apple’s service and repair page lets you book a Genius Bar appointment or mail-in repair. Out-of-warranty battery replacement for iPhone 14 is listed at $99 (USD) through Apple — verify current pricing when booking, as this can change. If the port is damaged, Apple will assess whether it is repairable or requires a device replacement.
Independent repair shop: A legitimate alternative for port replacement and battery swaps at lower cost. Battery replacement at third-party shops typically runs less than Apple’s rate. Using an independent shop will not affect an already-expired warranty, but it will void any remaining warranty coverage. Ask whether the shop uses OEM-equivalent batteries and whether they provide a warranty on the repair itself.
AppleCare+: If you have an active AppleCare+ plan, battery service is covered at no additional cost when battery health is below 80%. Check your coverage status at Settings > General > VPN & Device Management or at appleid.apple.com before booking a paid repair.

One scenario that is not worth attempting DIY: liquid damage to the port. If the iPhone was exposed to water and corrosion has formed inside the Lightning port, forcing a cable in risks shorting internal contacts. Let a technician assess and clean it before attempting to charge.

Key Takeaways

Most iPhone 14 charging failures are caused by a faulty cable, debris in the Lightning port, or a low-power source — fix these before assuming the battery or hardware is at fault.
Stopping at 80% is Optimized Battery Charging working correctly, not a malfunction. Check Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging to confirm and disable it if needed.
A force restart with the cable plugged in clears software-related charging blocks in seconds, with no data loss.
If wired charging fails but wireless works, the fault is isolated to the Lightning port or cable — not the battery.
If all DIY steps fail, book a repair through Apple or an authorized provider rather than continuing to troubleshoot. Hardware faults do not resolve themselves and can worsen with repeated charging attempts on a damaged port.

Frequently Asked Questions

My iPhone 14 is plugged in but the charging icon isn’t showing. Is it charging?

Not necessarily. The charging icon in the status bar and on the lock screen only appears when the iPhone is actively receiving power. If the icon is missing, the phone is either not receiving current (cable, adapter, or port issue), too hot to accept a charge, or experiencing a software freeze. Work through Steps 1–3 above. If the icon appears after a force restart with the cable plugged in, the issue was a software block.

Can I charge my iPhone 14 faster?

Yes. The iPhone 14 supports fast charging when paired with a USB-C power adapter of at least 20W (Apple’s own 20W USB-C adapter or a compatible third-party equivalent) and a USB-C to Lightning cable. The standard 5W adapter included with older iPhones significantly slows charge times. Note that Apple no longer includes a power adapter in the iPhone 14 box — only a USB-C to Lightning cable is included. If you are using an older 5W adapter you already own, upgrading the adapter alone will noticeably improve charging speed.

Why does my iPhone 14 get hot while charging and then slow down?

iOS intentionally reduces charging speed — and can pause charging entirely — when the device temperature rises above its normal operating range. This is a protective measure to prevent heat damage to the battery. Charging generates heat by nature, and a thick case traps it. Remove the case while charging, avoid placing the phone on fabric surfaces that retain heat, and keep it away from direct sunlight. Once the phone cools, charging resumes normally. This is expected behavior, not a fault.

My iPhone 14 says “Charging on Hold” — what does that mean?

This message appears when the iPhone’s temperature is too high to safely charge. The phone is connected to power and will resume charging automatically once it has cooled to a safe operating temperature. Do not attempt to cool it rapidly — do not put it in a refrigerator or freezer, as condensation inside the device can cause damage. Move it to a cooler room-temperature environment and wait.

My charging cable looks fine but the phone won’t charge. Could the cable still be the problem?

Yes. Lightning cables frequently fail internally at the strain relief point while the outer sheath looks intact. The copper conductors inside break from repeated bending, but the insulation holds its shape and hides the damage. The simplest test: try the same cable on a different Apple device, or try a different known-good cable on your iPhone 14. If the cable fails on another device too, replace it. If a different cable charges your iPhone, the original cable is faulty regardless of how it looks.

How do I know if my iPhone 14’s Lightning port is damaged and needs replacing?

Signs of a port that needs professional repair: the cable feels loose or wiggles significantly when inserted; the charging icon appears only at specific angles; you can see bent, corroded, or missing pins inside the port with a flashlight; or cleaning the port with a toothbrush made no difference and the cable is confirmed good. At that point, booking a service appointment with Apple or an authorized repair provider is the correct next step. Continuing to insert and remove cables into a damaged port risks further damage to the internal contacts.

Will updating iOS fix a charging problem?

It can, in specific cases where a software bug is interfering with the charging management system. There have been documented instances where iOS point releases resolved battery and charging anomalies reported after a major update. Updating is a low-risk step that costs nothing — do it via Settings > General > Software Update or, if the battery is too low to update over the air, via Finder or iTunes on a computer with the Lightning cable connected. However, if the cause is physical — a damaged port, faulty cable, or degraded battery — no software update will fix it.

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‘Changing of the Guard’? AMD, Intel, and Micron Soar While Nvidia Lags

Published

7 minutes ago

10 May 2026

NewsAdmin

While Nvidia has dominated the “infrastructure boom” since 2022’s launch of ChatGPT and “the generative AI craze,” CNBC writes that “This week offered the starkest illustration yet of what MIzuho analyst Jordan Klein said could be a ‘changing of the guard in AI.’”

Chipmakers Advanced Micro Devices and Intel notched gains of about 25%, while memory maker Micron jumped more than 37% and fiber-optic cable maker Corning climbed about 18%. All four of those companies have more than doubled in value this year, with Intel leading the way, up well over 200%. Nvidia, meanwhile, is only slightly ahead of the Nasdaq in 2026, gaining 15% for the year, aided by an 8% rally this week. In spreading the wealth to a wider swath of hardware companies, investors are clearly betting that the bull market in AI has long legs and that data centers are going to need a wider array of advanced components for years to come.

Memory has been the biggest theme of late due to a global shortage that’s driven up prices and turned Micron, a 47-year-old company tucked in a sleepy corner of the semiconductor market, into one of the hottest trades over the past 12 months. Micron blew past an $800 billion market capitalization for the first time this week, and the stock is now up over 750% in the past year. CEO Sanjay Mehrotra told CNBC in March that key customers are only getting “50% to two-thirds of their requirements” because of supply issues. The memory market is largely dominated by Micron, along with Korea-based Samsung and SK Hynix, which are also both in the midst of historic rallies…

Bank of America estimates the data center CPU market could more than double from $27 billion in 2025 to $60 billion in 2030. AMD’s quarterly results this week underscored the emerging trend, as earnings, revenue and guidance sailed past estimates on strong data center growth. The company has long led the CPU charge, and CEO Lisa Su said on the earnings call that AMD now expects 35% growth over the next three to five years in the server CPU market, up from a forecast of 18% growth that the company provided in November.
The article cites two other big movers:

Intel “is in the midst of a revival sparked by a major investment from the U.S. government last year. Intel’s stock had its best month on record in April, more than doubling, and has continued notching massive gains, rising 33% in the early days of May.”

Nvidia still remains the world’s most valuable company “and is expected to show revenue growth of 70% this fiscal year,” the article points out — adding that companies like Corning are also benefiting from Nvidia partnerships. “Glass maker Corning, which celebrated its 175th anniversary this week, signed a massive deal with Nvidia on Wednesday that involves the development of three new U.S. factories dedicated entirely to optical technologies… likely a major step in Nvidia’s move away from copper cables and towards fiber-optic cables as it builds out its rack-scale systems.”

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Hackable Robot Lawn Mower Unlocks a New Nightmare

Published

21 minutes ago

10 May 2026

NewsAdmin

Cramming for finals is bad enough without the platform you use to do your schoolwork suddenly shutting down. Unfortunately for countless students across the US, that’s exactly what they faced on Thursday after Canvas went into “maintenance mode” following a ransomware attack on education tech firm Instructure. Hackers using the name ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the breach, and experts say the chaos they caused shows how far these actors will go to extort their victims.

Did you know that Google Chrome includes an automatic download of the Gemini Nano AI model? If not, you wouldn’t be alone. People who use Google’s wildly popular browser realized this week that Gemini Nano has been taking up 4 GB of space on their desktops since 2024, sparking annoyance and concerns over privacy. Fortunately, you can disable the AI model—but not without losing some helpful security features. Obviously, you can also just download a different browser for free.

Researchers this week revealed that thousands of vibe coded apps were left exposed on the open internet, revealing sensitive corporate and personal data. The security failings are a reminder: Just because you can vibe code something doesn’t necessarily mean you should.

The Department of Homeland Security subpoenaed Google in an attempt to obtain the location data and account activity of a Canadian man who criticized US immigration enforcement tactics following the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis early this year. The American Civil Liberties Union this week filed a complaint against DHS on behalf of the man, who has not visited the US in more than 10 years.

Scammers, low-level hackers, and other cybercriminals have joined the ranks of humanity yearning to be free of AI slop, according to new research. Meta, meanwhile, is sprucing up its age-verification tech after a study found that kids are tricking online age checks using simple techniques—including one child hero who circumvented online age verification by drawing on a fake mustache. Finally, we detailed Russia’s effort to create a local competitor to Starlink satellite internet service—with all the privacy and security concerns that entails.

And there’s more. Each week, we round up the security and privacy news we didn’t cover in depth ourselves. Click the headlines to read the full stories. And stay safe out there.

Most people hope that the 200-pound robot with blades in their backyard cannot be easily hacked. Unfortunately for the owners of Yarbo, a $5,000 lawn mower robot that can also work as a leaf blower, snowblower, and edger, that was not the case. The Verge reports that a security researcher found numerous vulnerabilities in the lawn bots that could allow hackers to remotely take over the machines (including their camera feeds,) as well as extract owners’ email addresses, Wi-Fi passwords, and home locations.

After a Yarbo spokesperson told The Verge that the robots’ “diagnostic environment is not publicly accessible,” the reporter and researcher demonstrated the security flaws and their potential consequences by nearly running over the reporter with a hijacked robot. The company has since reported that they are developing a fix to at least one of the flaws the researcher identified.

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta has pulled support for end-to-end encrypted messages on Instagram, backtracking on its plans to protect people’s privacy by providing messaging the company could not snoop on. The company stopped offering encryption on Instagram on May 8, making it easier than before for the firm to technically access DMs.

After spending years building out the encryption systems needed to secure its chat apps, Meta said in 2023 that it had rolled out default encryption for Messenger. It also said it was introducing an opt-in version for Instagram, which it had planned would eventually become the default setting. However, that day never arrived with Meta deciding in March this year that not enough people had opted-in and it would remove the option to encrypt Instagram chats. The U-turn has infuriated privacy and security experts who fear the rollback could damage end-to-end encryption efforts around the world.

The Trump administration unveiled a new counterterrorism strategy, which President Donald Trump describes as a “return to common sense and Peace through Strength” in a foreword included in the document. The three biggest types of terror groups, according to the document, are cartels, Islamist terror groups, and “violent left wing extremists,” which the memo says includes anarchists and anti-fascists and have ideologies that are “anti-American” and “radically pro-transgender.”

The memo promises, “We will use all the tools constitutionally available to us to map them at home, identify their membership, map their ties to international organizations like Antifa, and use law enforcement tools to cripple them operationally before they can maim or kill the innocent.”

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NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, May 10 (game #1064)

Published

35 minutes ago

10 May 2026

NewsAdmin

Looking for a different day?

A new NYT Connections puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Saturday’s puzzle instead then click here: NYT Connections hints and answers for Saturday, May 9 (game #1063).

Good morning! Let’s play Connections, the NYT’s clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

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Premier League Soccer: Stream West Ham vs. Arsenal From Anywhere Live

Published

47 minutes ago

10 May 2026

NewsAdmin

When to watch West Ham vs. Arsenal

Sunday, May 10, at 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT).

Where to watch

West Ham vs. Arsenal will air in the US on USA Network.

See at Sling TV

Watch the Premier League on USA Network from $46 a month

Sling Blue

73% off with 2yr plan (+4 free months). Now only $3.49/month

See more details

See at Fubo

Watch the Premier League in Canada

Fubo Canada

Two teams, both in need of a win for very different reasons, meet on Sunday in this tantalizing all-London match-up, as relegation-threatened West Ham hosts table-topping Arsenal in the English Premier League.

Man City’s slip-up against Everton on Monday handed the advantage to the Gunners in the title race. An impressive double remains in the cards for Arsenal after it reached the UEFA Champions League final in midweek with a 2-1 aggregate win over Atlético Madrid.

West Ham, meanwhile, took a step closer to the trapdoor last weekend, with its demoralizing 3-0 defeat away at Brentford. That was compounded by relegation rival Tottenham picking up an unexpected win against Aston Villa, pushing the Hammers back into the drop zone.

West Ham takes on Arsenal on Sunday, May 10, at the London Stadium, with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. BST. That makes it an 11:30 a.m. ET or 8:30 a.m. PT start in the US and Canada, and a 1:30 a.m. AEST kickoff in Australia in the early hours of Monday morning.

Bukayo Saka of Arsenal laughing, celebrating. — The reverse fixture between these two teams at the Emirates Stadium in October saw Bukayo Saka score from the penalty spot in a 2-0 win for Arsenal.
Alex Pantling/UEFA/Getty Images

How to watch West Ham vs. Arsenal in the US without cable

Sunday’s crucial clash at the London Stadium will be broadcast on USA Network, which you can access with a live TV streaming service like Sling TV, or a pricier option such as YouTube TV or DirecTV’s MySports package.

Sling TV/CNET

The Sling TV Blue plan comes with USA Network, making it a great option for those who want to watch Premier League action. It costs $46 a month and includes more than 40 channels, including sports channels ESPN and FS1. Read our Sling TV review.

How to watch the Premier League 2025-26 with a VPN

If you’re traveling abroad and want to keep up with Premier League action while away from home, a VPN can help enhance your privacy and security when streaming.

It encrypts your traffic and prevents your internet service provider from throttling your speeds, and can also be helpful when connecting to public Wi-Fi networks while traveling, adding an extra layer of protection for your devices and logins. VPNs are legal in many countries, including the US and Canada, and can be used for legitimate purposes such as improving online privacy and security.

However, some streaming services may have policies that restrict VPN use to access region-specific content. If you’re considering a VPN for streaming, check the platform’s terms of service to ensure compliance.

If you choose to use a VPN, follow the provider’s installation instructions to ensure you’re connected securely and in compliance with applicable laws and service agreements. Some streaming platforms may block access when a VPN is detected, so verify whether your streaming subscription allows VPN use.

James Martin/CNET

Price $78 for two yearsLatest Tests No DNS leaks detected, 18% speed loss in 2025 testsJurisdiction British Virgin IslandsNetwork 3,000 plus servers in 105 countries

ExpressVPN is our current best VPN pick for people who want a reliable and safe VPN, and it works on a variety of devices. It’s normally $120 a year for its most popular plan (Advanced), but if you sign up for an annual subscription for $90, you’ll get three months free. That’s the equivalent of $6 a month.

Note that ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

73% off with 2yr plan (+4 free months). Now only $3.49/month

Livestream West Ham vs. Arsenal in the UK

This Sunday afternoon clash is exclusive to Sky Sports and will be shown on its Sky Sports Main Event channel. If you already have Sky Sports as part of your TV package, you can stream the game via its Sky Go app. Cord-cutters will want to set up a Now account and a Now Sports membership to stream the game.

Now TV

Sky’s standalone streaming service Now offers access to Sky Sports channels with a Now Sports membership. You can get a day of access for £15 or sign up to a monthly plan from £35 a month right now.

Livestream West Ham vs. Arsenal in Canada

If you want to livestream English Premier League games in Canada this season, you’ll need to subscribe to Fubo. The service has secured exclusive rights to the Premier League and is broadcasting all 380 matches live.

Fubo

Fubo is the go-to destination for Canadians looking to watch the EPL, with exclusive streaming rights to every match. It currently costs CA$27 for the first month, then CA$31.50 per month thereafter.

Livestream West Ham vs. Arsenal in Australia

Livestreaming rights for the EPL are now with Stan Sport, which is showing all 380 matches live, including this game.

Stan

Stan Sport will set you back AU$20 a month (on top of a Stan subscription, which starts at AU$12). It’s also worth noting that the streaming service is currently offering a seven-day free trial.

A subscription will also give you access to Premier League, Champions League and Europa League action, as well as international rugby and Formula E.

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Workers For Xbox Studio Double Fine Are Forming A Union

Published

1 hour ago

10 May 2026

NewsAdmin

A screenshot from video game Psychonauts.

Double Fine

Double Fine, the first-party Xbox game developer behind Psychonauts, is forming a union. As Aftermath reports, the studio has filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on May 7 to form a union with the Communications Workers of America (CWA) involving all 42 regular part-time and full-time employees.

CWA told the publication that the studio made the decision to organize to “preserve and extend [its] commitments to creative excellence, diversity and inclusion, and worker quality of life.” Workers are asking Microsoft for voluntary recognition, in addition to filing an election petition with the NLRB to secure union representation. “We appreciate that Microsoft has taken a neutral approach and agreed not to interfere in any way with worker’s rights to organize unions,” the labor union said.

The workers of Double Fine are following in the footsteps of other Microsoft-owned developer groups that have unionized in the past. More than 500 World of Warcraft workers within Blizzard formed a union with the CWA in 2024, while the Overwatch team formed a wall-to-wall union with nearly 200 developers almost a year later. The quality assurance employees of ZeniMax Studios, perhaps best known for its work on The Elder Scrolls Online, ratified their union agreement with Microsoft last year. And in August 2025, more than 450 Diablo developers at Blizzard have voted to unionize with the CWA, as well.

Double Fine became part of Microsoft in 2019, almost two decades are it released Psychonauts, a game about a young boy with psychic abilities. Under Xbox Game Studios, it released Psychonauts 2, Keeper, an adventure game featuring a sentient lighthouse, and multiplayer pottery game Kiln.

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The Razer Kishi V3 Makes Mobile Gaming Feel Like a Real Console Experience Without Breaking the Bank

Published

1 hour ago

10 May 2026

NewsAdmin

Razer Kishi V3 iPhone Android Game Controller
When mobile gamers rely solely on touchscreens, they face numerous challenges. Swipes miss their target at the worst possible times, fingers slip during frantic sequences, and sophisticated games require more dexterity than a flat glass surface can provide. The Razer Kishi V3, priced at $74.99 after clipping the on-page coupon (was $100), is a basic solution that clamps onto your phone and provides tactile controls designed for serious play.

Anyone who picks up the controller immediately notices how natural it feels in their hands. Most USB-C phones have larger ergonomic grips around the sides, including latest iPhone models and popular Android handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel series. The extendable bridge adjusts to hold a phone case in place, saving you from having to remove protection each time. Without a phone, the entire system weighs just over seven ounces, making it light enough for long periods while yet sturdy enough to avoid seeming flimsy.

Razer Kishi V3 Gaming Controller for iPhone 15, 16, 17 Series & Android: Full Sized TMR Thumbsticks…

FULL SIZED CONTROLLER FORM FACTOR — Console performance meets mobile convenience for iPhone* and Android; play for extended periods in complete…
FULL SIZED TMR THUMBSTICKS — Perfect your aim with high-precision, anti-drift thumbsticks that are superior to Hall Effect designs
DUAL MOUSE CLICK BACK BUTTONS — Enjoy the same ultra-responsive actuation found in our top gaming mice with 2 back buttons built into the…

Full-sized thumbsticks are positioned just where thumbs expect them, and TMR technology ensures smooth, accurate movement without the gradual drift that plagues many controllers over time. The action buttons have a sharp, consistent click, and the D-pad and bumpers respond promptly to each press. Two more back buttons on the underside provide rapid inputs that can be assigned whichever you want using the accompanying app. These pieces work together to give every game the same amount of control as a dedicated console pad.

Razer Kishi V3 iPhone Android Game Controller
Setup is simple: slide the phone into position until the USB-C connector clicks, and the controller powers up and is ready to use. Passthrough charging keeps the phone charged over extended gaming sessions, ensuring that battery life never runs out. A 3.5-millimeter audio connection allows you to connect headphones for great sound without requiring any additional adapters. On compatible devices, the connection remains connected and direct, resulting in no discernible delay between your inputs and what appears on the screen.

Razer Kishi V3 iPhone Android Game Controller
The free Razer Nexus app brings everything together in one place. It searches your phone for installed games, arranges them neatly, and allows you to launch them directly from the controller’s dedicated button. Inside the app, you may change the sensitivity of the sticks, remap the back buttons, and record short films of memorable moments to share later. Streaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and Steam Link also work perfectly, allowing you to play bigger titles from your home PC or the cloud with the same precise controls.

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NASA’s Curiosity Rover Gets Its Drill Stuck, Recordings From The Arctic Seafloor And More Science Stories

Published

2 hours ago

10 May 2026

NewsAdmin

What a week. Beloved nature communicator David Attenborough turned 100 on Friday, and scientists named a newly discovered species of wasp in his honor. The wasp from Chile, called Attenboroughnculus tau, isn’t the first to be named after Attenborough — it joins a list of over 50 organisms bearing his name in some way, which seems about right. Also this week, NASA shared an update about its Curiosity rover, which encountered some issues during a sampling attempt on Mars, and the agency released a new batch of photos from the Artemis II mission.

Read on on to learn more about those and other science stories we found interesting this week.

Curiosity runs into a bit of trouble

NASA’s Curiosity rover found itself in a bit of a pickle recently after drilling into some Martian rock that proved unexpectedly clingy. In an incident that was captured by Curiosity’s cameras on April 29, the rover can be seen with a slab of rock stuck on its drill bit after it attempted to collect a sample. The rock, dubbed Atacama, was about 1.5 feet wide and weighed nearly 30 pounds, according to NASA. Somehow in the 14 years the rover has been exploring Mars, this has never happened before, and vibrating the drill to shake the rock free didn’t work at first.

“When the rover retracted its arm, the entire rock lifted out of the ground, suspended by the fixed sleeve that surrounds the rotating drill bit,” NASA explains in a blog post. “Drilling has fractured or separated the upper layers of rocks in the past, but a rock has never remained attached to the drill sleeve.” After a few more attempts over the next couple of days, the team was able to get the rock loose by “tilting the drill more, rotating and vibrating the drill, and spinning the drill bit.” We can see the rock finally dropping away from Curiosity and breaking apart in images taken on May 1.

Curiosity has taken dozens of samples from the surface of Mars by drilling into rock, as shown in this image from 2024 (trypophobia warning). After drilling, the rover collects the powderized rock and analyzes it with its Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) and Chemistry & Mineralogy (CheMin) instruments to determine the composition. Now that its brief mishap has been resolved, it can get back to work.

What goes on at the bottom of an Arctic fjord

The Arctic seafloor isn’t exactly an easy place to observe, but thanks to a long-running research program at Inglefield Bredning in northwest Greenland, we’ve got a glimpse of what life is like there deep beneath the surface. As part of this effort, researchers deployed a video camera and hydrophone 260 meters deep in the fjord for a week in August 2025 to assess the seafloor environment and biodiversity. Their findings were just published in the journal PLOS One, along with some incredible photos and videos (don’t be alarmed by the eerie hue, that’s due to the red light they used underwater).

The team recorded a total of 478 different organisms, including comb jellies, arrowworms, snailfish and shrimp. In one clip, a snailfish can be seen passively riding the current to drift backward, which the researchers note was “peculiar.” Check out the highlights here.

Podolskiy et al.

The instruments also picked up the sounds of nearby narwhals, which were present on every day of the study except one, as well as the sounds of cracking and melting icebergs and boat engine noises. The footage also shows tons of what’s known as “marine snow,” or organic debris like poop and material from dead animals and plants. It’s kind of gross to think about, but many deep-sea creatures rely on this material that falls from higher waters.

Based on the success of their observations, the researchers say their approach could be a feasible way to study these deep Arctic ecosystems. “So far, there have been few direct underwater observations in the Arctic for ecological research,” the authors wrote. “With video setups becoming accessible, more studies would be beneficial for filling this knowledge gap.” Compact, portable moorings with video recorders could be “an important tool for exploration of the Arctic seafloor,” they note.

Feast your eyes on 12,000+ photos from Artemis II

NASA

NASA this week released thousands of pictures captured during last month’s Artemis II mission around the moon. You can find them all here. In classic government website fashion, the UI kind of sucks, but it’s well worth it to click through the catalog if you’ve got some time on your hands. While their target was the moon, and there are lots of great shots of the moon both from up close and afar, there are some really striking images of Earth and the Milky Way in there too.

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Voice AI in India is hard. Wispr Flow is betting on it anyway.

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2 hours ago

10 May 2026

NewsAdmin

India’s internet users already rely heavily on voice notes, voice search, and multilingual messaging. Turning those habits into a scalable AI business, however, remains difficult because of the country’s linguistic complexity, mixed-language usage, and uneven monetization patterns. Wispr Flow is betting the opportunity is worth the challenge.

The Bay Area-headquartered startup, which builds AI-powered voice input software, says India is now its fastest-growing market, even though voice-based AI products remain early and fragmented in the South Asian nation. That growth has pushed Wispr Flow to expand more aggressively for Indian users, beginning with Hinglish — a hybrid mix of Hindi and English commonly spoken by locals. The startup is also planning broader multilingual voice support, a local hiring push, and, eventually, lower pricing as it looks to expand beyond white-collar users and into Indian households.

Earlier waves of voice technology in India — from digital assistants to WhatsApp voice notes — largely revolved around convenience. AI startups such as Wispr Flow are now betting that generative AI can turn those habits into a broader computing layer.

To make the product more relevant for Indian users, Wispr Flow began beta testing a Hinglish voice model earlier this year and launched on Android — India’s dominant mobile operating system — after initially debuting on Mac and Windows before expanding to iOS in 2025.

Co-founder and CEO Tanay Kothari told TechCrunch that the startup initially saw adoption in India largely among white-collar professionals such as managers and engineers, but it’s increasingly seeing broader usage patterns emerge, including among students and older users being onboarded by younger family members.

India has emerged as Wispr Flow’s second-largest market after the U.S. in terms of both users and revenue, Kothari said, with growth accelerating following the startup’s recent India-focused push. The startup has seen faster growth following the rollout of Hinglish support, benefiting from the widespread habit among Indian users of mixing Hindi and English in everyday conversations, particularly as users began expanding beyond work-focused use cases into more personal communication.

“The biggest thing is people are starting to use it more in personal apps,” Kothari said, pointing to messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and social media apps where users frequently switch between Hindi and English while speaking.

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Wispr Flow, Kothari said, was growing about 60% month over month in India earlier this year, but growth accelerated to around 100% following its recent India launch campaign. The startup last month rolled out a broader marketing push in the country, including a launch video from Kothari and offline campaigns in Bengaluru aimed at introducing the product to more mainstream users.

Kothari told TechCrunch that Wispr Flow plans to expand its multilingual voice support over the next 12 months, allowing users to switch between English and other Indian languages beyond Hindi while speaking. In December, the startup introduced India-specific pricing at ₹320 (around $3.4) per month for annual plans, significantly lower than its standard $12 monthly pricing globally.

The startup eventually wants to bring costs down even further — potentially to as low as ₹10–20 (around 10–20 cents) per month — as it looks to expand beyond white-collar and urban users.

“I want every single person in the country to be able to use Wispr Flow, and that’s what we’re really building for,” Kothari said. “That’s going to happen slowly and steadily.”

Earlier this year, Wispr Flow hired Nimisha Mehta to lead its India operations as it looks to expand its local presence. Kothari told TechCrunch the startup plans to grow to around 30 employees in India over the next year, building out consumer growth, partnerships, and enterprise teams alongside existing engineering and support functions. The startup currently has about 60 employees globally.

India’s voice AI challenge

Wispr Flow is not alone in viewing India as a key market for voice-based AI products. Companies including ElevenLabs have highlighted India as an important growth market for some time. Similarly, local startups such as Gnani.ai, Smallest AI, and Bolna have continued attracting investor interest as voice-based AI tools gain wider adoption across consumer and business use cases.

Nevertheless, turning voice AI into a mainstream consumer product in India remains challenging despite growing interest from startups and investors.

“India is the ultimate stress test for voice AI,” Neil Shah, vice president of research at Counterpoint Research, told TechCrunch, adding that “linguistic, accent, and contextual friction” continue to slow wider adoption.

Data shared with TechCrunch from Sensor Tower shows Wispr Flow was downloaded more than 2.5 million times globally between October 2025 and April 2026, with India accounting for 14% of installs during the period, making India its second-largest market by downloads (after, as mentioned, the U.S.). India, however, contributed only around 2% of Wispr Flow’s in-app purchase revenue during the same period, according to Sensor Tower. However, the startup remains largely desktop-driven globally.

Wispr Flow’s usage in India, Kothari said, is currently split roughly 50:50 between desktop and mobile, compared with an 80:20 desktop-heavy mix in the U.S.

Kothari said Wispr Flow sees strong repeat usage among its users, claiming roughly 70% retention after 12 months globally and in India. Moreover, the startup currently employs two full-time linguistics PhDs as it continues refining multilingual voice models and expanding support for additional Indian language combinations.

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Banned Drones And Routers In The US Will Still Get Critical Updates Until 2029

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2 hours ago

10 May 2026

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If you have a foreign-made drone or router that has since been banned by the Federal Communications Commission, you’ll be able to get some more use out if it for the next couple of years. The FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) posted an announcement on May 8 that stated affected routers and drones will be able to receive “software and firmware updates that mitigate harm to US consumers,” until January 1, 2029. The latest notice extends the update deadline by about two years from its initial cut-off.

The FCC added “uncrewed aircraft systems,” better known as drones, and drone components to its Covered List of communications equipment and services that pose national security concerns in December 2025. A few months after, the federal agency added routers manufactured outside of the US to the list, but allowed an exception that affected routers would receive updates at least through March 1, 2027. With the FCC’s latest notice, the OET argued in favor of extending the update deadline, adding that “special circumstances warrant a deviation from the general rules and the public interest would be better served by extending the waiver of the prohibitions.”

The extension could be in part due to lobbying from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), since the trade organization suggested to extend updates and patches to previously authorized devices “beyond just one year” in a letter to the FCC. The CTA also requested “further clarification” on the scope of products affected by the ban and more collaboration with the National Security Council and Department of Defense to offer more transparency and guidance to companies who manufacture the affected products.

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Porsche Is Discontinuing Its Performance E-Bike Division

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2 hours ago

10 May 2026

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Porsche is hitting the brakes on its electric bicycle subsidiary called Porsche eBike Performance GmbH. The German automaker launched its e-bike offshoot in August 2022 with plans to develop components like motors and batteries. After nearly four years of operation, Porsche decided to discontinue the subsidiary and will close the company’s factories in Ottobrunn, Germany and Zagreb, Croatia, putting around 350 employees out of work.

Porsche said in a press release that the e-bike division was created to make “high-performance e-bike drive systems and market them worldwide,” but added that market conditions have changed. Porsche eBike Performance created several e-bikes during its short run, including the Porsche eBike Sport for road rides and the Porsche eBike Cross for off-road adventures. The eBike Sport even made it to its fifth generation, despite the $10,920 starting price tag.

Porsche is shutting down more than just its e-bike program. The company’s CEO, Michael Leiters, said it was also shuttering Cellforce Group GmbH, its battery cell subsidiary, and Cetitic GmbH, a software company used by Porsche and The Volkswagen Group, as part of its decision to “refocus on our core business.” Porsche has been steadily electrifying its vehicle portfolio, but also recently decided to sell its minority stake in Bugatti Rimac, a joint venture created between Porsche and the Rimac Group. The automaker also sold its smaller stake in The Rimac Group, despite having invested tens of millions into the the luxury electric supercar maker.

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