theverge--2020-10-05--Waymo and Cruise safety drivers face a bleak choice: pandemic or pollution?

Leo* stepped out of his house in Oakland recently to start his day as a backup driver for Waymo , the self-driving car company owned by Alphabet , and couldn ’ t believe what he saw .
Wildfires raging along the length of the West Coast had turned the sky an unsettling and unnatural shade of orange .
Later in the day , the air would be acrid and thick with particulate matter .
But for now , it was like stepping onto the surface of another planet .
He couldn ’ t understand why Waymo was still operating its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditions .
“ The sky looked like Tang , ” Leo recalled , “ yet they still got us setting up cars that are covered in ash.
” Across town , John* was having an eerily similar experience .
A backup driver for Cruise , the self-driving car company affiliated with General Motors , John had been raising the alarm about air quality to his superiors at Aerotek , the contracting firm that supplies backup drivers and other workers to Cruise .
But it didn ’ t seem like anyone was listening .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet they still got us setting up cars that are covered in ash ” “ Although our throats are itchy , we [ were ] all still going strong with no pause , ” John said .
On September 10th , with AirNow.gov registering the air quality in the Bay Area as “ very unhealthy , ” one of John ’ s co-workers started vomiting .
Waymo and Cruise , two of the leading AV companies in the world , employ thousands of operational staff in the Bay Area , including backup drivers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ managers .
Backup drivers , in particular , play a crucial role : they monitor the driving operations of the self-driving car , and occasionally take control when something goes wrong .
Their jobs are important — but can also be boring and exhausting .
Most of these workers are employed by third-party contractors and are already dealing with the stress and anxiety of coming back to work in the midst of a global pandemic .
And now , in California ’ s fire season , these drivers are growing increasingly uneasy with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of proper health and safety precautions taken by their employers .
Being inside a vehicle , with the windows rolled up and the air recirculating , has been shown to be safer than being outside during periods of increased air pollution , said Ed Avol , professor of clinical preventive medicine at the University of Southern California ’ s Keck School of Medicine .
The problem , though , is being in an enclosed space with another person can increase the risk of exposure to the coronavirus .
Waymo and Cruise require some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ while testing their self-driving cars .
“ You would both be exhaling into and breathing from the same airspace , ” Avol said .
“ That would be a concern.
” Facing the twin public health crises of a global pandemic and devastating wildfires , autonomous vehicle safety drivers face a stark choice : risk contracting the coronavirus by keeping their windows up , or risk the polluted air by rolling them down .
The Verge spoke with seven backup drivers for Waymo and Cruise ( six current , one former ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vehicle for hours a day with another person without the ability to socially distance .
They chafe at being asked to come back to work while the salaried employees in the engineering and software divisions of these companies get to continue to work from home .
And they question why the companies feel the need to continue deploying fleets of vehicles on public roads when testing AVs hardly seems to meet the requirements of “ essential business ” under the state ’ s shelter-in-place rules .
These are not uniform opinions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ said they are glad to be back at work after months of lockdown , despite the health risks .
They acknowledge that they are crucial to the operation , since neither Waymo nor Cruise has progressed to the point of being able to test fully driverless vehicles on public roads in California .
( Waymo has a permit to allow it to test full driverless vehicles in the state , but it has yet to do so .
The company is testing a limited number of driverless cars in an area outside Phoenix @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stark choice : roll the windows up and risk the virus , or roll them down and risk the air pollution In separate statements , Waymo and Cruise both said safety for their operational staff was a top priority .
They outlined numerous steps they take to protect workers from viral transmission and air pollution .
Waymo also provided contact information for two of its drivers who praised the company for its response to the pandemic .
And while some self-driving car operators have laid operational staff off , including Cruise , Waymo @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay its contract workers to stay at home .
But while backup drivers are important to the overall operation , they say they feel expendable by the third-party staffing companies that employ them .
“ It says data is more important than humans , ” John said .
“ Especially a company valued at $ 17 billion isn ’ t willing to pause operations when necessary .
It ’ s eye-opening that we are expendable and vulnerable , because finding another job in a pandemic is tough.
” Waymo and Cruise allow their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aerotek , respectively , to make decisions regarding when it is safe to test and how to respond to driver concerns .
But drivers say those companies can be slow to act , communications are often contradictory , and they feel pressured to keep working despite unsafe conditions .
The frustration wasn ’ t exclusive to the backup drivers : operations supervisors for Transdev , who oversee the backup drivers , were being urged by higher-ups at Waymo to improve efficiency .
In response , the supervisors requested that they come down to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , two drivers said .
Waymo management apparently declined the invitation , citing health concerns related to the pandemic .
( A Waymo spokesperson said company executives regularly visits operations facilities once a week . )
“ It says they really don ’ t care about us and they know we ’ re expendable , ” a Waymo backup driver said , when asked how he felt about Waymo ’ s declination .
On September 10th , wildfires raged up and down the California coast and the air was thick with smoke and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to see San Francisco ’ s skyline from the Bay Bridge .
But an email went out that morning from Transdev letting him know that he and dozens more would be expected to come into work .
Transdev said in the email its “ policy around safety always involves employees making safe decisions and making the safest personal decisions.
” The company instructed Waymo operations staff to reach out to their supervisor if they felt “ unable to safely perform ” their jobs due to air quality and needed to take a day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paid days-off a year they can use .
He could barely see the skyline from the Bay Bridge .
But an email from Transdev let him know that he would be expected to come into work .
“ Your absence for this purpose will be counted as an excused absence for the day , ” Transdev said in the email .
“ You may choose to use any paid or unpaid time in your bank , including sick , vacation , or RTO.
” The email was sent by Transdev on a day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Bay Area in the “ unhealthy ” range .
Vehicle operators that were assigned to drive in Twin Peaks , a neighborhood in central San Francisco , were instead being redirected to the Richmond district in the northwestern tip of the peninsula , where air quality was thought to be better .
But that turned out to be short-lived : at 6:30PM , after a full day of driving , drivers were informed by their supervisors to cut their shifts short and come back to the vehicle depot .
Drivers said they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concern that taking too much time off will endanger their jobs , especially after spending several months “ working from home ” due to COVID-19 .
Unlike the software engineers and other salaried employees at Waymo and Cruise , operations staff at Transdev and Aerotek found themselves saddled with a lot of busy work , like online training sessions and other virtual “ classes , ” during the spring and summer lockdown .
They heard about layoffs at other AV companies , and knew they could be next .
Despite Waymo ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to pay its backup drivers while its fleet was grounded , there have been some layoffs .
Over the summer , Waymo announced that it would be shifting most of its Mountain View-based operations staff to San Francisco , in anticipation of eventually launching a robot-taxi service in the city .
Those that couldn ’ t make the move were laid off , two Transdev workers said .
That left many feeling expendable , fearful that they would lose their jobs if they voiced their concerns about safety .
( A spokesperson for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ let go , which was a decision made by Transdev . )
“ The drivers feel like their health is not important to Waymo or Transdev , ” a former Waymo safety driver said on September 10th .
“ The drivers feel like their health is not important to Waymo or Transdev ” In a statement , Waymo said its vehicles are considered safe for operation through wildfire smoke under California ’ s Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations .
The company says it works with Transdev to test and evaluate different methods @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wildfires , drivers were advised to wear N95 or KN95 masks and keep a window cracked and air vents closed , and masks were offered to drivers who request them .
And Waymo insisted that its Transdev workers can request time off without “ fear of reprisal.
” “ We continue to closely monitor the air quality situation in the Bay Area and have robust policies to ensure the health and safety of our team , ” a spokesperson said in a statement .
After the smoke from the wildfires dissipated , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing with its full fleet , drivers said .
On September 23rd , Transdev sent an email informing drivers that some of them would be called upon to pair up with another coworker for “ dual driving.
” Waymo often requires two employees ride in a vehicle — one to monitor the driving , the other to keep an eye on the various data streams — until the company becomes confident enough in the software for just one person per ride .
“ Dual driving is a core part of our operations and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our client , ” Justin Windus , general manager of Transdev North America , wrote in the email .
“ If your position requires that you perform a dual driving function , you will be scheduled to those duties based on business need .
In the event you refuse to perform any of your job functions , you should contact human resources to request a leave of absence .
Please note , your refusal to perform your required job functions will make you ineligible for work from home pay.
” Withholding pay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vehicle in close proximity to a coworker felt “ retaliatory , ” said one driver .
“ Two people in a car with the air conditioner running is a recipe for disaster , ” the driver said .
” The cabin is too small to circulate the air and the air filters in these cars are not regularly changed.
” And for workers at Waymo ’ s Castle testing site in Central California , where temperatures often exceed 100 degrees , driving with the windows down “ isn ’ t the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Two people in a car with the air conditioner running is a recipe for disaster ” They are right to be nervous , experts say .
“ When people are in close proximity in a confined space , such as two people inside a vehicle , it does increase the risk of COVID , ” said Yifang Zhu , professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at UCLA .
Waymo insists that very few of its vehicles actually require dual driving and provided quotes from one dual-driving team who extolled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a worker provided by Waymo , dual driving team Juneil Gonzales and Sebastian Dizon said that the job has been “ great , ” and that cleaning and disinfecting products are available .
“ Dual-driving precautions taken such as the barrier installation feels effective , & accessible break locations allows drivers to relax , ” according to the drivers .
“ The open communication between the driving team , Waymo , and Transdev regarding the processes in response to Covid have been very helpful navigating through these times.
” Another driver , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Waymo , agreed .
“ I can understand the frustration of others about being called back to work while salaried employees get to stay safe at home , ” said Bertrand Baylosis , a Waymo driver , in an email , “ however , the nature of our responsibilities doesn ’ t afford us the same luxury , but the fact that our safety always comes first to the company helps make me feel valued and made it easier to return to work.
” Some Transdev workers for Waymo have been selected to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his email , Windus also urged those employees who had been chosen to “ stay on schedule for your twice per week testing.
” But employees are being asked to self-administer the tests using nasal swabs provided by a nurse , which feels “ extremely questionable ” in terms of accuracy , one driver said .
( Researchers have said self-swab tests can be safe and accurate as long as detailed instructions are provided . )
Also , the tests were being processed by Verily , a life science subsidiary of Google , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ transparency when one company controls everything .
Most of California ’ s autonomous vehicle operators , including Waymo and Cruise , paused on-road testing in mid-March after San Francisco issued a “ shelter-in-place ” order banning all nonessential travel .
Cruise resumed limited testing a month later , in April , using deliveries to local food banks as a pretext .
Waymo followed suit , resuming limited operations in June delivering packages for two Bay Area nonprofits .
Drivers accused both companies of exploiting a loophole to get cars back on the road @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Cruise , in particular , was criticized for deploying non-delivery vehicles despite public health orders banning regular autonomous vehicle testing .
Cruise said the extra vehicles were needed for R & D support for the delivery operation .
Deliveries continued throughout the summer , as California saw its COVID caseload steadily grow .
Cruise alone said it completed 100,000 deliveries for local food banks , SF Marin Food Bank and SF New Deal .
The state recorded some of its highest daily case numbers for COVID-19 in July and August — but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continuing to operate its test fleet of vehicles .
Drivers sit side by side in the vehicle ’ s front seats , one behind the wheel ready to take control if the car has an issue , and the other in the navigator ’ s seat taking notes .
Waymo has added plastic partitions between the seats , and Cruise recommends one autonomous vehicle test operator ( AVTOs ) sit in the backseat to allow for more social distancing .
Cruise drivers began complaining in Slack about returning the work during the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drivers , who are employed by Aerotek , began complaining in Slack about resuming a normal testing schedule while COVID numbers were spiking .
Cruise then revoked Slack access to anyone who wasn ’ t currently on the clock .
Employees were also prohibited from accessing Slack on their phones .
Drivers said they thought the company was afraid of leaks .
But without access to Slack during off-hours , employees couldn ’ t contact their supervisors if , for example , they started feeling symptoms related to COVID-19 .
“ Everyone is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pandemic .
Everyone was given the option to quit or work , ” one Cruise AVTO ( autonomous vehicle test operator ) told The Verge .
“ I have no idea the safety precautions my partner takes and I have to sit in an enclosed car with them all day.
” Cruise said restricting Slack access was part of a company-wide mobile device management policy , but after hearing negative feedback from AVTOs , the company decided to exempt them from the decision .
Still , Cruise drivers felt nervous by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
“ They announced they were bringing everyone back to work literally right after SF and CA had two of their worst COVID infection days yet , ” a Cruise driver said in early July .
Cruise operations staff were told to fill out a survey about availability .
“ The survey seems to imply that those people who didn ’ t ‘ volunteer ’ earlier [ for food deliveries ] may have their schedules and days off changed ( essentially punishing those of us who were trying to stay safe ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wildfires intensified , Cruise told drivers to swap out cloth masks for N95 or KN95 masks , which were offered , but not specifically required to be worn .
But as August progressed , the wildfires got worse , and COVID showed no signs of slowing down .
In late August , two drivers were sent home after reporting COVID symptoms .
In September , the fires continued to spread .
And finally on September 10th , Cruise finally decided to ground its fleet for five days .
“ We recognize that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and dust , ” Cruise said in an email to operations staff .
“ If you are experiencing discomfort , take steps to protect yourself and call out if needed .
This is especially important if you are at higher risk because of any pre-existing health concerns .
If you need any additional assistance or have any special circumstances , please reach out to your on-premise manager.
” “ Our test drivers are heroes in this crisis , ” Todd Brugger , general manager of Cruise ’ s operations in San Francisco , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ delivering over 100K meals to San Francisco residents in need.
” Many workers have been called heroes during the pandemic , but some of these people reject the description , arguing it ’ s used so often it can ring insincere .
Some of Cruise ’ s vehicle operators say they feel this way , especially when they are being asked to work in conditions their counterparts in the software divisions of these multi-billion dollar companies would never be expected to encounter .
“ The cars are covered with ashes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ Meanwhile full-timers are off until January.
” * Names have been changed to protect the identities of those involved

Leo* stepped out of his house in Oakland recently to start his day as a backup driver for Waymo, the self-driving car company owned by Alphabet, and couldn’t believe what he saw.
Wildfires raging along the length of the West Coast had turned the sky an unsettling and unnatural shade of orange. Later in the day, the air would be acrid and thick with particulate matter. But for now, it was like stepping onto the surface of another planet. He couldn’t understand why Waymo was still operating its fleet of autonomous vehicles in such dangerous conditions.
“The sky looked like Tang,” Leo recalled, “yet they still got us setting up cars that are covered in ash.”
Across town, John* was having an eerily similar experience. A backup driver for Cruise, the self-driving car company affiliated with General Motors, John had been raising the alarm about air quality to his superiors at Aerotek, the contracting firm that supplies backup drivers and other workers to Cruise. But it didn’t seem like anyone was listening.
“The sky looked like Tang, yet they still got us setting up cars that are covered in ash.”
“Although our throats are itchy, we [were] all still going strong with no pause,” John said. On September 10th, with AirNow.gov registering the air quality in the Bay Area as “very unhealthy,” one of John’s co-workers started vomiting.
Waymo and Cruise, two of the leading AV companies in the world, contract the labor of thousands of operational staff in the Bay Area, including backup drivers, mechanics, cleaners, and fleet managers. Backup drivers, in particular, play a crucial role: they monitor the driving operations of the self-driving car, and occasionally take control when something goes wrong. Their jobs are important — but can also be boring and exhausting. Most of these workers are employed by third-party vendors and are already dealing with the stress and anxiety of coming back to work in the midst of a global pandemic. And now, in California’s fire season, these drivers are growing increasingly uneasy with what they perceive to be a lack of proper health and safety precautions taken by their employers.
Being inside a vehicle, with the windows rolled up and the air recirculating, has been shown to be safer than being outside during periods of increased air pollution, said Ed Avol, professor of clinical preventive medicine at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine. The problem, though, is being in an enclosed space with another person can increase the risk of exposure to the coronavirus. Waymo and Cruise require some of their drivers to work in pairs while testing their self-driving cars. “You would both be exhaling into and breathing from the same airspace,” Avol said. “That would be a concern.”
Photo by Glenn Chapman / AFP via Getty Images
Facing the twin public health crises of a global pandemic and devastating wildfires, autonomous vehicle safety drivers face a stark choice: risk contracting the coronavirus by keeping their windows up, or risk the polluted air by rolling them down.
The Verge spoke with seven backup drivers for Waymo and Cruise (six current, one former), who raised concerns about being stuck in a vehicle for hours a day with another person without the ability to socially distance. They chafe at being asked to come back to work while the salaried employees in the engineering and software divisions of these companies get to continue to work from home. And they question why the companies feel the need to continue deploying fleets of vehicles on public roads when testing AVs hardly seems to meet the requirements of “essential business” under the state’s shelter-in-place rules.
These are not uniform opinions. Two drivers who spoke to The Verge said they are glad to be back at work after months of lockdown, despite the health risks. They acknowledge that they are crucial to the operation, since neither Waymo nor Cruise has progressed to the point of being able to test fully driverless vehicles on public roads in California. (Waymo has a permit to allow it to test full driverless vehicles in the state, but it has yet to do so. The company is testing a limited number of driverless cars in an area outside Phoenix, Ariz.)
Safety drivers face a stark choice: roll the windows up and risk the virus, or roll them down and risk the air pollution
In separate statements, Waymo and Cruise both said safety for their operational staff was a top priority. They outlined numerous steps they take to protect workers from viral transmission and air pollution. Waymo also provided contact information for two of its drivers who praised the company for its response to the pandemic. And while some self-driving car operators have laid operational staff off, including Cruise, Waymo touts the fact that it continues to pay its contract workers to stay at home.
But while backup drivers are important to the overall operation, they say they feel expendable by the third-party vendor companies that employ them. “It says data is more important than humans,” John said. “Especially a company valued at $17 billion isn’t willing to pause operations when necessary. It’s eye-opening that we are expendable and vulnerable, because finding another job in a pandemic is tough.”
Photo by Ray Chavez / MediaNews Group / The Mercury News via Getty Images
Waymo and Cruise allow their staffing vendors, Transdev North America and Aerotek, respectively, to make decisions regarding when it is safe to test and how to respond to driver concerns. But drivers say those companies can be slow to act, communications are often contradictory, and they feel pressured to keep working despite unsafe conditions.
The frustration wasn’t exclusive to the backup drivers: operations supervisors for Transdev, who oversee the backup drivers, were being urged by higher-ups at Waymo to improve efficiency. In response, the supervisors requested that they come down to the garage and view the conditions themselves, two drivers said. Waymo management apparently declined the invitation, citing health concerns related to the pandemic. (A Waymo spokesperson disputed this account, and said company executives regularly visits operations facilities once a week.)
“It says they really don’t care about us and they know we’re expendable,” a Waymo backup driver said, when asked how he felt about Waymo’s declination.
On September 10th, wildfires raged up and down the California coast and the air was thick with smoke and ash. Leo recalled barely being able to see San Francisco’s skyline from the Bay Bridge. But an email went out that morning from Transdev letting him know that he and dozens more would be expected to come into work.
Transdev said in the email its “policy around safety always involves employees making safe decisions and making the safest personal decisions.” The company instructed Waymo operations staff to reach out to their supervisor if they felt “unable to safely perform” their jobs due to air quality and needed to take a day off. Transdev employees have around six paid days-off a year they can use.
He could barely see the skyline from the Bay Bridge. But an email from Transdev let him know that he would be expected to come into work.
“Your absence for this purpose will be counted as an excused absence for the day,” Transdev said in the email. “You may choose to use any paid or unpaid time in your bank, including sick, vacation, or RTO.”
The email was sent by Transdev on a day when AirNow registered the air quality in the Bay Area in the “unhealthy” range. Vehicle operators that were assigned to drive in Twin Peaks, a neighborhood in central San Francisco, were instead being redirected to the Richmond district in the northwestern tip of the peninsula, where air quality was thought to be better. But that turned out to be short-lived: at 6:30PM, after a full day of driving, drivers were informed by their supervisors to cut their shifts short and come back to the vehicle depot.
Drivers said they felt pressured to keep working out of concern that taking too much time off will endanger their jobs, especially after spending several months “working from home” due to COVID-19. Unlike the software engineers and other salaried employees at Waymo and Cruise, operations staff at Transdev and Aerotek said they found themselves saddled with a lot of busy work, like online training sessions and other virtual “classes,” during the spring and summer lockdown. They heard about layoffs at other AV companies, and knew they could be next.
Despite Waymo’s insistence that it deserves credit for continuing to pay its backup drivers while its fleet was grounded, there have been some layoffs. Over the summer, Waymo announced that it would be shifting most of its Mountain View-based operations staff to San Francisco, in anticipation (as many speculate) of eventually launching a robot-taxi service in the city. Those that couldn’t make the move were laid off, two Transdev workers said. That left many feeling expendable, fearful that they would lose their jobs if they voiced their concerns about safety. (A spokesperson for Waymo acknowledged that two vehicle operators were let go, which was a decision made by Transdev.)
“The drivers feel like their health is not important to Waymo or Transdev,” a former Waymo safety driver said on September 10th.
“The drivers feel like their health is not important to Waymo or Transdev.”
In a statement, Waymo said its vehicles are considered safe for operation through wildfire smoke under California’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations. The company says it works with Transdev to test and evaluate different methods for monitoring in-cabin air quality. During the wildfires, drivers were advised to wear N95 or KN95 masks and keep a window cracked and air vents closed, and masks were offered to drivers who request them. And Waymo insisted that its Transdev workers can request time off without “fear of reprisal.”
“We continue to closely monitor the air quality situation in the Bay Area and have robust policies to ensure the health and safety of our team,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
After the smoke from the wildfires dissipated, Waymo began ramping up plans to resume testing with its full fleet, drivers said. On September 23rd, Transdev sent an email informing drivers that some of them would be called upon to pair up with another coworker for “dual driving.” Waymo often requires two employees ride in a vehicle — one to monitor the driving, the other to keep an eye on the various data streams — until the company becomes confident enough in the software for just one person per ride.
“Dual driving is a core part of our operations and supports our ability to fulfill the mission of our client,” Justin Windus, general manager of Transdev North America, wrote in the email. “If your position requires that you perform a dual driving function, you will be scheduled to those duties based on business need. In the event you refuse to perform any of your job functions, you should contact human resources to request a leave of absence. Please note, your refusal to perform your required job functions will make you ineligible for work from home pay.”
Withholding pay from workers who feel uncomfortable riding in a vehicle in close proximity to a coworker felt “retaliatory,” said one driver.
“Two people in a car with the air conditioner running is a recipe for disaster,” the driver said. ”The cabin is too small to circulate the air and the air filters in these cars are not regularly changed.” And for workers at Waymo’s Castle testing site in Central California, where temperatures often exceed 100 degrees, driving with the windows down “isn’t the most comfortable experience,” the driver added.
“Two people in a car with the air conditioner running is a recipe for disaster.”
They are right to be nervous, experts say. “When people are in close proximity in a confined space, such as two people inside a vehicle, it does increase the risk of COVID,” said Yifang Zhu, professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at UCLA.
Waymo insists that very few of its vehicles actually require dual driving and provided quotes from one dual-driving team who extolled its safety. In an email from a worker provided by Waymo, dual driving team Juneil Gonzales and Sebastian Dizon said that the job has been “great,” and that cleaning and disinfecting products are available. “Dual-driving precautions taken such as the barrier installation feels effective, & accessible break locations allows drivers to relax,” according to the drivers. “The open communication between the driving team, Waymo, and Transdev regarding the processes in response to Covid have been very helpful navigating through these times.”
Another driver, who’s contact information was provided by Waymo, agreed. “I can understand the frustration of others about being called back to work while salaried employees get to stay safe at home,” said Bertrand Baylosis, a Waymo driver, in an email, “however, the nature of our responsibilities doesn’t afford us the same luxury, but the fact that our safety always comes first to the company helps make me feel valued and made it easier to return to work.”
Some Transdev workers for Waymo have been selected to submit to twice-weekly COVID testing. In his email, Windus also urged those employees who had been chosen to “stay on schedule for your twice per week testing.” But employees are being asked to self-administer the tests using nasal swabs provided by a nurse, which feels “extremely questionable” in terms of accuracy, one driver said. (Researchers have said self-swab tests can be safe and accurate as long as detailed instructions are provided.) Also, the tests were being processed by Verily, a life science subsidiary of Google, leaving some drivers concerned about reliability and transparency when one company controls everything.
Photo by Andrej Sokolow / picture alliance via Getty Images
Most of California’s autonomous vehicle operators, including Waymo and Cruise, paused on-road testing in mid-March after San Francisco issued a “shelter-in-place” order banning all nonessential travel. Cruise resumed limited testing a month later, in April, using deliveries to local food banks as a pretext. Waymo followed suit, resuming limited operations in June delivering packages for two Bay Area nonprofits.
Drivers accused both companies of exploiting a loophole to get cars back on the road in defiance of local public health orders. Cruise, in particular, was criticized for deploying non-delivery vehicles despite public health orders banning regular autonomous vehicle testing. Cruise said the extra vehicles were needed for R&D support for the delivery operation.
Deliveries continued throughout the summer, as California saw its COVID caseload steadily grow. Cruise alone said it completed 100,000 deliveries for local food banks, SF Marin Food Bank and SF New Deal. The state recorded some of its highest daily case numbers for COVID-19 in July and August — but neither Waymo nor Cruise paused operations, continuing to operate its test fleet of vehicles. Drivers sit side by side in the vehicle’s front seats, one behind the wheel ready to take control if the car has an issue, and the other in the navigator’s seat taking notes. Waymo has added plastic partitions between the seats, and Cruise recommends one autonomous vehicle test operator (AVTOs) sit in the backseat to allow for more social distancing.
Cruise drivers began complaining in Slack about returning the work during the pandemic. Cruise then revoked Slack access.
Cruise drivers, who are employed by Aerotek, began complaining in Slack about resuming a normal testing schedule while COVID numbers were spiking. Cruise then revoked Slack access to anyone who wasn’t currently on the clock. Employees were also prohibited from accessing Slack on their phones. Drivers said they thought the company was afraid of leaks. But without access to Slack during off-hours, employees couldn’t contact their supervisors if, for example, they started feeling symptoms related to COVID-19.
“Everyone is upset but can’t quit in a pandemic. Everyone was given the option to quit or work,” one Cruise AVTO (autonomous vehicle test operator) told The Verge. “I have no idea the safety precautions my partner takes and I have to sit in an enclosed car with them all day.”
Cruise said restricting Slack access was part of a company-wide mobile device management policy, but after hearing negative feedback from AVTOs, the company decided to exempt them from the decision.
Still, Cruise drivers felt nervous by the return to full operation amid a global pandemic. “They announced they were bringing everyone back to work literally right after SF and CA had two of their worst COVID infection days yet,” a Cruise driver said in early July. Cruise operations staff were told to fill out a survey about availability. “The survey seems to imply that those people who didn’t ‘volunteer’ earlier [for food deliveries] may have their schedules and days off changed (essentially punishing those of us who were trying to stay safe),” the driver said.
As the wildfires intensified, Cruise told drivers to swap out cloth masks for N95 or KN95 masks, which were offered, but not specifically required to be worn. But as August progressed, the wildfires got worse, and COVID showed no signs of slowing down. In late August, two drivers were sent home after reporting COVID symptoms. In September, the fires continued to spread. And finally on September 10th, Cruise finally decided to ground its fleet for five days.
“We recognize that everyone has a different sensitivity to smoke and dust,” Cruise said in an email to operations staff. “If you are experiencing discomfort, take steps to protect yourself and call out if needed. This is especially important if you are at higher risk because of any pre-existing health concerns. If you need any additional assistance or have any special circumstances, please reach out to your on-premise manager.”
“Our test drivers are heroes in this crisis,” Todd Brugger, general manager of Cruise’s operations in San Francisco, said in a statement to The Verge, “delivering over 100K meals to San Francisco residents in need.”
Many workers have been called heroes during the pandemic, but some of these people reject the description, arguing it’s used so often it can ring insincere. Some of Cruise’s vehicle operators say they feel this way, especially when they are being asked to work in conditions their counterparts in the software divisions of these multi-billion dollar companies would never be expected to encounter.
“The cars are covered with ashes,” John, the Cruise driver, said. “Meanwhile full-timers are off until January.”
* Names have been changed to protect the identities of those involved
Correction October 6th, 1:38PM ET: The story has been corrected to clarify the relationship between Waymo and the backup drivers who ride in its autonomous vehicles. Waymo does not employ these workers. They are employed by Transdev North America, which is a vendor of Waymo.


theverge--2020-10-05--Google Nest Audio review: the sweet spot

Four years is an eternity in the modern tech product world , but that ’ s exactly how long it ’ s been since Google ’ s first smart speaker , the Google Home , was released .
Since then , Google has expanded the range both above and below it , with the compact and ubiquitous Nest Mini and the powerful and gargantuan Home Max .
This year , Google is returning its attention to the midrange .
The new Nest Audio sits between the Nest Mini and Home Max in price , size , and output .
At @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expensive than the original Google Home was in 2016 , but it ’ s not exactly the impulse purchase that the Nest Mini can be .
Despite that lower price , the Nest Audio is an improvement over the Google Home in nearly every way .
It ’ s larger but easy to fit into a variety of places in your home .
It ’ s faster to respond to voice commands , and most importantly , it sounds a lot better than the Google Home ever could .
But in the four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has released multiple generations of new Echo models and leap-frogged the Home in audio quality , design , and features .
Similarly , Sonos is now in the smart speaker game , bringing its rock-solid wireless streaming and class-leading audio quality to the table .
Even Ikea is making connected speakers now , combining Sonos ’ tech with its design sensibilities and aggressive pricing .
The Nest Audio has its work cut out .
With the Nest Audio , Google has gone for a simple , soft design that doesn ’ t call @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a more traditional approach than the company took a few years ago , and the Nest Audio looks more like a speaker than the Google Home ’ s air freshener aesthetic ever did .
Still , the Nest Audio ’ s shape is hard to describe without accidentally sounding pejorative .
It ’ s a vaguely upright rectangle with soft corners and rounded sides .
The thing I can liken it to most is a loaf of ciabatta bread standing on its end , but that makes it sound uglier than it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s mostly a fine , inoffensive design that will fit in most rooms with ease , and Google is selling it in five different colors to best match your personal décor .
The internal housing is made from partially recycled aluminum and magnesium , but that ’ s wrapped by a recycled plastic mesh fabric material that greatly softens the appearance of the speaker .
When Google first debuted this fabric on the Home Mini speaker a few years ago , there was much hand-wringing over how durable it would be — would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Would a cat see it as an ideal scratching post ?
In the years since , it appears those concerns were largely unfounded ; the fabric doesn ’ t seem to get too dusty or gross , even with regular use .
Aluminum and magnesium are not common speaker enclosure materials at this price point , and Google tells me they were chosen for their sustainability and sturdiness to handle the power pushing to the drivers .
They also act as thermal dissipators to help keep the internal components cool .
Needless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ observed any buzz or rattling while testing the Nest Audio , even at full volume .
It ’ s a dense , sturdy little thing that weighs more than you expect .
Integrated into the fabric at the top of the speaker are three capacitive touch zones for volume up and down and play / pause .
They work well , but I do wish they were more accessible — you ’ re going to have to show someone new how to use them because they wouldn ’ t know that they even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Underneath the center front of the fabric cover are four LED lights to indicate volume levels , when the speaker is listening , and when its microphones are muted .
They match what ’ s available on the Home Max and Nest Mini , but I miss the more complex multicolored animated dots of the original Home .
Perhaps the most significant thing about the Nest Audio ’ s design compared to its predecessor is that it ’ s now a traditional , directional speaker instead of a cylinder that aims to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last four years , Google has learned that people aren ’ t likely to put a smart speaker in the middle of their room , so 360-degree sound isn ’ t necessary .
It ’ s most likely to go on a shelf , a mantle , in a corner , or some other area where it “ points ” the sound in a specific direction .
It appears that Amazon has made a similar observation : its forthcoming fourth-generation Echo features a more directional design as well .
Design is important @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speaker , sound quality matters more .
Fortunately , Google has made significant advancement on this front , and the Nest Audio sounds much better than the often muddy and unpleasant-sounding Google Home .
The Nest Audio has a 75mm ( three-inch ) woofer and a 19mm ( 0.75-inch ) tweeter , which are significantly more than the lone 50mm ( two-inch ) driver on the original Home .
These combine to provide a much fuller , clearer sound that is more pleasant to listen to at higher volumes .
Interestingly , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as loud as the Nest Audio , but the Nest Audio sounds much better at any volume .
The dual-driver system allows vocals and higher pitches to shine through on bass-heavier tracks in ways the older speaker couldn ’ t handle .
Additionally , the Nest Audio sounds good at lower volumes , which is nice when I just want some background music while I ’ m working or during dinner .
In my home office , the loudest the Nest Audio sounded comfortable at was around 80 percent — 100 percent volume @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You can go that loud in larger rooms where you ’ re not as close to the speaker without having to worry about distortion , though .
Obviously , the Nest Audio is louder and sounds better than the Nest Mini and is the better choice for frequently listening to music .
Compared to last year ’ s Amazon Echo , the Nest Audio is also clearer and less muddy , with more bass and fullness to the sound .
But the Audio ’ s compact size has limits : there ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the kind of bass you hear more than feel , and it lacks the thump of a larger speaker .
It also can ’ t match the output or presence of the Sonos One , which is about the same height as the Audio but is twice as deep .
The Sonos is also twice as expensive , though , so to get better sound than the Audio , you ’ re going to have to open your wallet more .
( If you are willing to skip voice controls and an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SL is $ 179 . )
I had the opportunity to test two Nest Audio speakers in a stereo configuration , and as expected , this provides an even louder , fuller sound than a single unit can .
It ’ s great for listening to music , especially if you position the speakers about six feet or more apart for good separation .
But if you plan to use the Nest Audio for other listening , such as podcasts , the stereo configuration sounds odd , with enough of a delay between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like voices are double-tracked .
It ’ s also unfortunate that you can ’ t use two Nest Audio speakers paired with a Chromecast for home theater audio , like you can do with a couple of Amazon Echo speakers and a Fire TV .
Playing music or other audio on the Nest Audio can be done a variety of ways : through voice commands to control services such as YouTube Music , Spotify , Pandora , and others ; by casting audio from an app on your phone ; or by pairing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There are no inputs on the Nest Audio , though , so you can ’ t hook it up to another source via wire like you can with some Echo models or the Home Max .
Unlike newer Sonos speakers , the Apple HomePod , or even Google ’ s own Home Max , the Nest Audio does not do continuous room tuning to adjust its sound output to the environment .
Instead , Google says it tunes the speaker at the factory using a new proprietary tool that anticipates over 2,500 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speaker ’ s output accordingly .
The Nest Audio also adjusts itself based on the type of media that ’ s playing , whether that ’ s music , a podcast , audiobook , or something else .
In general , though , it ’ s often very hard to tell the difference between a speaker that is using active room tuning and one that isn ’ t , and most people won ’ t miss it on the Nest Audio .
Overall , there ’ s very little to complain about with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and most people will be very happy with it for everything from casual background music to more dedicated listening .
Its limits are where you ’ d expect them to be from something of this size , and the Home Max is still the better choice to soundtrack a dance party or fill a larger-than-average room .
Of course , the Nest Audio isn ’ t just a speaker , it ’ s also a smart speaker that leverages voice control and the Google Assistant to perform a variety of tasks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ since the Google Home debuted , but the basics are the same .
You can say “ OK Google ” or “ Hey Google ” to activate the speaker and then ask it to play music , give a weather report , control a smart home device , set a timer , program an alarm , or provide a random fact .
The Nest Audio has three microphones — up from the two on the Google Home — and in general , it is able to pick up voice commands well .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ louder with my voice commands compared to Amazon ’ s Echo devices , however .
A new feature called Ambient EQ will adjust the assistant ’ s voice response based on the background noise in the room .
But if you ’ re playing music on the speaker and want to use a voice command , you have to raise your voice above the level of the music to get it to work reliably .
As with other Nest speakers , there ’ s a physical switch on the back of the Nest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your voice from being picked up by the Google Assistant .
Inside the speaker is the same machine learning engine Google first debuted in the Nest Mini , which is designed to accelerate the response time for voice commands .
Google claims it allows the Nest Audio to respond twice as quickly as the Google Home for things like track skipping and volume adjustments .
But in my testing , that difference was hard to determine , and the Nest Audio feels slower to respond than Amazon ’ s Echo speakers .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experience , but its slowness is certainly noticeable .
Google has added some music-specific voice controls , such as the ability to move the currently playing music from one room to another just using your voice .
In my tests , this worked when moving the stream from the Nest Audio to a Nest Hub Max smart display , but not in the reverse direction .
It ’ s a neat trick when it works , but in the many years I ’ ve used wireless multiroom speaker systems in my home , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve ever really asked for .
You can easily move what ’ s currently playing to another speaker from Spotify or another app on your phone , and that ’ s typically easier to figure out or understand than voice controls .
I also ran into some other frustrations trying to play music from my Spotify Premium account with voice commands .
Asking for specific , newly released albums , such as Shore by Fleet Foxes , failed no matter how I phrased my request , prompting the Nest Audio to either say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ m asking for or just play something incorrect .
The Nest Audio also stumbled when asking for specific playlists from my Spotify account .
Both of these requests are handled by Alexa on an Echo speaker with no issue .
Google says it is looking into this issue but didn ’ t have a resolution available in time for publication .
Still , if you are looking for a Google Assistant smart speaker , the Nest Audio is better than the Sonos One or other third-party options .
It ’ s more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ better supports the newer features Google keeps adding to the Assistant ’ s repertoire .
The Sonos One is a better speaker speaker , but the Nest Audio is a better smart speaker .
Choosing a smart speaker is governed by not just your budget and space considerations , you also have to factor which platform you want to invest your money in .
That makes comparisons to other smart speakers a bit moot — if you ’ re invested in the Google Assistant , it doesn ’ t really matter if Amazon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to voice commands or if it has better or worse audio quality .
The Nest Audio is an easy recommendation for a Google Assistant smart speaker that sounds good The Nest Audio is an easy recommendation for a Google Assistant smart speaker , then .
It ’ s enjoyable to listen to , easy to fit into a variety of places in a home , and can be extended with stereo pairing or multiroom configurations with other Nest speakers and smart displays .
You can certainly pay more for better audio quality , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nest Audio can do in terms of volume and presence .
I ’ d also love to see more reliability when playing music via voice controls .
But the Nest Audio hits that sweet spot of an accessible price with good sound quality , enough volume for most , and few overall complaints .
If you ’ re embedded in the Assistant ecosystem , it ’ s the speaker to get this year .

Four years is an eternity in the modern tech product world, but that’s exactly how long it’s been since Google’s first smart speaker, the Google Home, was released. Since then, Google has expanded the range both above and below it, with the compact and ubiquitous Nest Mini and the powerful and gargantuan Home Max.
This year, Google is returning its attention to the midrange. The new Nest Audio sits between the Nest Mini and Home Max in price, size, and output. At $99.99, it’s less expensive than the original Google Home was in 2016, but it’s not exactly the impulse purchase that the Nest Mini can be.
Despite that lower price, the Nest Audio is an improvement over the Google Home in nearly every way. It’s larger but easy to fit into a variety of places in your home. It’s faster to respond to voice commands, and most importantly, it sounds a lot better than the Google Home ever could.
But in the four years since the Google Home, Amazon has released multiple generations of new Echo models and leap-frogged the Home in audio quality, design, and features. Similarly, Sonos is now in the smart speaker game, bringing its rock-solid wireless streaming and class-leading audio quality to the table. Even Ikea is making connected speakers now, combining Sonos’ tech with its design sensibilities and aggressive pricing.
The Nest Audio has its work cut out.
7.5 Verge Score Google Nest Audio $ 99.99 The Good Much improved audio quality compared to predecessor
Google Assistant can do a lot of stuff
Attractive price
Can pair two in stereo for a better music experience The Bad Compact size limits the punch of bass and volume output
Playing specific music through voice commands can be hit or miss
Multiroom voice controls are unreliable $100 at Google$100 at Best Buy How we rate and review products
With the Nest Audio, Google has gone for a simple, soft design that doesn’t call much attention to itself. It’s a more traditional approach than the company took a few years ago, and the Nest Audio looks more like a speaker than the Google Home’s air freshener aesthetic ever did.
Still, the Nest Audio’s shape is hard to describe without accidentally sounding pejorative. It’s a vaguely upright rectangle with soft corners and rounded sides. The thing I can liken it to most is a loaf of ciabatta bread standing on its end, but that makes it sound uglier than it really is in person. It’s mostly a fine, inoffensive design that will fit in most rooms with ease, and Google is selling it in five different colors to best match your personal décor.
The internal housing is made from partially recycled aluminum and magnesium, but that’s wrapped by a recycled plastic mesh fabric material that greatly softens the appearance of the speaker. When Google first debuted this fabric on the Home Mini speaker a few years ago, there was much hand-wringing over how durable it would be — would it collect an inordinate amount of dust? Would a cat see it as an ideal scratching post? In the years since, it appears those concerns were largely unfounded; the fabric doesn’t seem to get too dusty or gross, even with regular use.
The Nest Audio has a unique but inoffensive shape.
Aluminum and magnesium are not common speaker enclosure materials at this price point, and Google tells me they were chosen for their sustainability and sturdiness to handle the power pushing to the drivers. They also act as thermal dissipators to help keep the internal components cool. Needless to say, I haven’t observed any buzz or rattling while testing the Nest Audio, even at full volume. It’s a dense, sturdy little thing that weighs more than you expect.
Integrated into the fabric at the top of the speaker are three capacitive touch zones for volume up and down and play / pause. They work well, but I do wish they were more accessible — you’re going to have to show someone new how to use them because they wouldn’t know that they even exist just by looking at the speaker.
Underneath the center front of the fabric cover are four LED lights to indicate volume levels, when the speaker is listening, and when its microphones are muted. They match what’s available on the Home Max and Nest Mini, but I miss the more complex multicolored animated dots of the original Home.
Perhaps the most significant thing about the Nest Audio’s design compared to its predecessor is that it’s now a traditional, directional speaker instead of a cylinder that aims to throw sound in all directions. In the last four years, Google has learned that people aren’t likely to put a smart speaker in the middle of their room, so 360-degree sound isn’t necessary. It’s most likely to go on a shelf, a mantle, in a corner, or some other area where it “points” the sound in a specific direction. It appears that Amazon has made a similar observation: its forthcoming fourth-generation Echo features a more directional design as well.
Two Nest Audio speakers can be paired in a stereo configuration.
Design is important, but when it comes to a speaker, sound quality matters more. Fortunately, Google has made significant advancement on this front, and the Nest Audio sounds much better than the often muddy and unpleasant-sounding Google Home.
The Nest Audio has a 75mm (three-inch) woofer and a 19mm (0.75-inch) tweeter, which are significantly more than the lone 50mm (two-inch) driver on the original Home. These combine to provide a much fuller, clearer sound that is more pleasant to listen to at higher volumes. Interestingly, the original Home is able to get about as loud as the Nest Audio, but the Nest Audio sounds much better at any volume.
The dual-driver system allows vocals and higher pitches to shine through on bass-heavier tracks in ways the older speaker couldn’t handle. Additionally, the Nest Audio sounds good at lower volumes, which is nice when I just want some background music while I’m working or during dinner.
In my home office, the loudest the Nest Audio sounded comfortable at was around 80 percent — 100 percent volume was too harsh in this space. You can go that loud in larger rooms where you’re not as close to the speaker without having to worry about distortion, though. Obviously, the Nest Audio is louder and sounds better than the Nest Mini and is the better choice for frequently listening to music.
Compared to last year’s Amazon Echo, the Nest Audio is also clearer and less muddy, with more bass and fullness to the sound. But the Audio’s compact size has limits: there’s plenty of bass, but it’s the kind of bass you hear more than feel, and it lacks the thump of a larger speaker. It also can’t match the output or presence of the Sonos One, which is about the same height as the Audio but is twice as deep. The Sonos is also twice as expensive, though, so to get better sound than the Audio, you’re going to have to open your wallet more. (If you are willing to skip voice controls and an integrated digital assistant, the Sonos One SL is $179.)
The Nest Audio (second from left) is taller than the original Google Home (left) but about the same height as the Sonos One (second from right) and 2019 Amazon Echo (right).
I had the opportunity to test two Nest Audio speakers in a stereo configuration, and as expected, this provides an even louder, fuller sound than a single unit can. It’s great for listening to music, especially if you position the speakers about six feet or more apart for good separation. But if you plan to use the Nest Audio for other listening, such as podcasts, the stereo configuration sounds odd, with enough of a delay between the two speakers to make it sound like voices are double-tracked. It’s also unfortunate that you can’t use two Nest Audio speakers paired with a Chromecast for home theater audio, like you can do with a couple of Amazon Echo speakers and a Fire TV.
Playing music or other audio on the Nest Audio can be done a variety of ways: through voice commands to control services such as YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora, and others; by casting audio from an app on your phone; or by pairing it to your phone directly over Bluetooth. There are no inputs on the Nest Audio, though, so you can’t hook it up to another source via wire like you can with some Echo models or the Home Max.
Despite its height, the Nest Audio has less depth than the Sonos One and less punch as a result.
Unlike newer Sonos speakers, the Apple HomePod, or even Google’s own Home Max, the Nest Audio does not do continuous room tuning to adjust its sound output to the environment. Instead, Google says it tunes the speaker at the factory using a new proprietary tool that anticipates over 2,500 possible listening positions and then sets the speaker’s output accordingly. The Nest Audio also adjusts itself based on the type of media that’s playing, whether that’s music, a podcast, audiobook, or something else. In general, though, it’s often very hard to tell the difference between a speaker that is using active room tuning and one that isn’t, and most people won’t miss it on the Nest Audio.
Overall, there’s very little to complain about with the Nest Audio’s sound quality, and most people will be very happy with it for everything from casual background music to more dedicated listening. Its limits are where you’d expect them to be from something of this size, and the Home Max is still the better choice to soundtrack a dance party or fill a larger-than-average room.
The rear of the Nest Audio features a physical microphone mute switch and power connection, but no other inputs.
Of course, the Nest Audio isn’t just a speaker, it’s also a smart speaker that leverages voice control and the Google Assistant to perform a variety of tasks. Those capabilities have expanded over the years since the Google Home debuted, but the basics are the same. You can say “OK Google” or “Hey Google” to activate the speaker and then ask it to play music, give a weather report, control a smart home device, set a timer, program an alarm, or provide a random fact.
The Nest Audio has three microphones — up from the two on the Google Home — and in general, it is able to pick up voice commands well. I do feel like I have to be louder with my voice commands compared to Amazon’s Echo devices, however. A new feature called Ambient EQ will adjust the assistant’s voice response based on the background noise in the room. But if you’re playing music on the speaker and want to use a voice command, you have to raise your voice above the level of the music to get it to work reliably.
Agree to Continue: Nest Audio Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate. To use the Nest Audio, you must agree to: Google Terms of Service
Google Privacy Policy (included in ToS)
Google Device Arbitration Agreement: “All disputes regarding your Google device will be resolved through binding arbitration on an individual, non-class basis [...] unless you opt out by following the instructions in that agreement.” The following agreements are optional: Help improve Nest Audio by sharing device stats and crash reports with Google
Voice Match: store a unique voice model on the device to allow the Assistant to identify you when you speak to it Final tally: three mandatory agreements and at least two optional agreements.
As with other Nest speakers, there’s a physical switch on the back of the Nest Audio to mute the microphones and prevent your voice from being picked up by the Google Assistant.
Inside the speaker is the same machine learning engine Google first debuted in the Nest Mini, which is designed to accelerate the response time for voice commands. Google claims it allows the Nest Audio to respond twice as quickly as the Google Home for things like track skipping and volume adjustments. But in my testing, that difference was hard to determine, and the Nest Audio feels slower to respond than Amazon’s Echo speakers. It’s not enough to ruin the experience, but its slowness is certainly noticeable.
Google has added some music-specific voice controls, such as the ability to move the currently playing music from one room to another just using your voice. In my tests, this worked when moving the stream from the Nest Audio to a Nest Hub Max smart display, but not in the reverse direction. It’s a neat trick when it works, but in the many years I’ve used wireless multiroom speaker systems in my home, it’s not something I’ve ever really asked for. You can easily move what’s currently playing to another speaker from Spotify or another app on your phone, and that’s typically easier to figure out or understand than voice controls.
I also ran into some other frustrations trying to play music from my Spotify Premium account with voice commands. Asking for specific, newly released albums, such as Shore by Fleet Foxes, failed no matter how I phrased my request, prompting the Nest Audio to either say it can’t find what I’m asking for or just play something incorrect. The Nest Audio also stumbled when asking for specific playlists from my Spotify account. Both of these requests are handled by Alexa on an Echo speaker with no issue. Google says it is looking into this issue but didn’t have a resolution available in time for publication.
Still, if you are looking for a Google Assistant smart speaker, the Nest Audio is better than the Sonos One or other third-party options. It’s more reliable when responding to voice commands and better supports the newer features Google keeps adding to the Assistant’s repertoire. The Sonos One is a better speaker speaker, but the Nest Audio is a better smart speaker.
Choosing a smart speaker is governed by not just your budget and space considerations, you also have to factor which platform you want to invest your money in. That makes comparisons to other smart speakers a bit moot — if you’re invested in the Google Assistant, it doesn’t really matter if Amazon’s Echo is faster at responding to voice commands or if it has better or worse audio quality.
The Nest Audio is an easy recommendation for a Google Assistant smart speaker that sounds good
The Nest Audio is an easy recommendation for a Google Assistant smart speaker, then. It’s enjoyable to listen to, easy to fit into a variety of places in a home, and can be extended with stereo pairing or multiroom configurations with other Nest speakers and smart displays.
You can certainly pay more for better audio quality, and there are limits to what the Nest Audio can do in terms of volume and presence. I’d also love to see more reliability when playing music via voice controls. But the Nest Audio hits that sweet spot of an accessible price with good sound quality, enough volume for most, and few overall complaints. If you’re embedded in the Assistant ecosystem, it’s the speaker to get this year.


theverge--2020-10-05--Regal is closing all cinemas in the US and UK on Thursday

The second largest cinema chain in the US is temporarily closing its doors nationwide .
Cineworld , parent company of Regal , announced that it will be suspending operations of its 536 Regal theaters as of Thursday , October 8 .
The suspension also affects 127 Cineworld and Picturehouse cinemas in the UK .
Cineworld had only just reopened theaters in August .
The closures will impact approximately 40,000 employees across the US , the company announced .
It also affects 5,500 employees in the UK , The Guardian reports .
Today ’ s announcement follows news over the weekend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bond film , No Time to Die , has again been pushed back to April 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic .
Theaters were counting on the latest 007 installment to drive sagging ticket sales .
We are like a grocery shop that doesn ’ t have vegetables , fruit , meat “ We are like a grocery shop that doesn ’ t have vegetables , fruit , meat , ” Cineworld CEO Mooky Greidinger tells The Wall Street Journal .
“ We can not operate for a long time without a product.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1.6 billion in the first half of 2020 .
The largest US theater chain , AMC , has also been hit hard by the pandemic .
The Cineworld closure is indefinite .
Reopening will depend upon the release schedule set by the studios , according to Regal .
“ Regal will continue to monitor the situation closely and will communicate any future plans to resume operations at the appropriate time , when key markets have more concrete guidance on their reopening status and , in turn , studios are able to bring their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big screen , ” the company says in a statement .

The second largest cinema chain in the US is temporarily closing its doors nationwide. Cineworld, parent company of Regal, announced that it will be suspending operations of its 536 Regal theaters as of Thursday, October 8. The suspension also affects 127 Cineworld and Picturehouse cinemas in the UK.
Cineworld had only just reopened theaters in August. The closures will impact approximately 40,000 employees across the US, the company announced. It also affects 5,500 employees in the UK, The Guardian reports.
Today’s announcement follows news over the weekend that the release of the 25th James Bond film, No Time to Die, has again been pushed back to April 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic. Theaters were counting on the latest 007 installment to drive sagging ticket sales.
We are like a grocery shop that doesn’t have vegetables, fruit, meat
“We are like a grocery shop that doesn’t have vegetables, fruit, meat,” Cineworld CEO Mooky Greidinger tells The Wall Street Journal. “We cannot operate for a long time without a product.”
Cineworld reported a loss of $1.6 billion in the first half of 2020. The largest US theater chain, AMC, has also been hit hard by the pandemic.
The Cineworld closure is indefinite. Reopening will depend upon the release schedule set by the studios, according to Regal.


theverge--2020-10-05--Zeiss’ full-frame Android camera is available to preorder for $6,000

The Zeiss ZX1 , a unique camera that was announced more than two years ago before the company essentially stopped talking about it , may actually be in customers ’ hands at some point in the near future .
As noted by DPReview , B & H Photo has sent out emails saying that it ’ s coming soon and is now available to preorder for $ 6,000 .
It was originally supposed to be released in early 2019 .
Why would anyone pay $ 6,000 for the ZX1 ?
Well , it wouldn ’ t be wise to order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the finished product , but it is fair to say that it ’ s a one-of-a-kind camera .
It has a 37-megapixel full-frame sensor , a fixed 35mm f/2 lens , an electronic viewfinder , and three dials to control aperture , shutter speed , and ISO .
More unusually , it has a 4.3-inch touchscreen and runs a variant of Android , including a built-in version of Adobe Lightroom so you can edit right on the device itself .
There ’ s also Wi-Fi , USB-C , and 512GB of onboard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Sony ’ s RX1 compact cameras , which also feature full-frame sensors and Zeiss-branded 35mm f/2 lenses ; the last one cost $ 3,300 in 2015 .
They don ’ t run Lightroom , of course , but they are a lot smaller .
Another comparison in the premium full-frame compact space would be the Leica Q2 , which sells for $ 4,995 .
Zeiss is no doubt confident in the ZX1 ’ s optics and performance , but you know a camera ’ s expensive when it makes a Leica look @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , then , will all come down to its UX and how effectively its software works .
And , well , we don ’ t have any idea about that just yet .
B & H Photo isn ’ t listing an actual release date , either , which means it ’ s possible that there ’ s still some way to go before it goes on sale — if it does at all .
We ’ ll update you if we hear anything more specific .

The Zeiss ZX1, a unique camera that was announced more than two years ago before the company essentially stopped talking about it, may actually be in customers’ hands at some point in the near future. As noted by DPReview, B&H Photo has sent out emails saying that it’s coming soon and is now available to preorder for $6,000. It was originally supposed to be released in early 2019.
Why would anyone pay $6,000 for the ZX1? Well, it wouldn’t be wise to order without at least waiting for hands-on impressions of the finished product, but it is fair to say that it’s a one-of-a-kind camera. It has a 37-megapixel full-frame sensor, a fixed 35mm f/2 lens, an electronic viewfinder, and three dials to control aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. More unusually, it has a 4.3-inch touchscreen and runs a variant of Android, including a built-in version of Adobe Lightroom so you can edit right on the device itself. There’s also Wi-Fi, USB-C, and 512GB of onboard storage.
The obvious comparison would be with Sony’s RX1 compact cameras, which also feature full-frame sensors and Zeiss-branded 35mm f/2 lenses; the last one cost $3,300 in 2015. They don’t run Lightroom, of course, but they are a lot smaller. Another comparison in the premium full-frame compact space would be the Leica Q2, which sells for $4,995. Zeiss is no doubt confident in the ZX1’s optics and performance, but you know a camera’s expensive when it makes a Leica look cheap.


theverge--2020-10-05--John McAfee has been arrested in Spain and is facing extradition

John McAfee , who built a fortune selling cybersecurity software and has in recent years become a cryptocurrency evangelist , has been indicted on charges of tax evasion by the Department of Justice ( DOJ ) .
He has been arrested in Spain and is awaiting extradition , the DOJ said .
McAfee has had a contentious association with the law for years , though it ’ s at times unclear which run-ins are real and what has been fabricated .
A former 2020 US Presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party ( yes , really ) , he claimed that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after he was charged with “ using Crypto Cuttencies [ sic ] in criminal acts against the U. S. Government ” in January 2019 .
In that same video , he said he hasn ’ t paid taxes in eight years .
( That will matter later . )
He also claimed the CIA had “ attempted to collect us ” in a July 2019 tweet with a photo of him on a boat holding a gun , part of an adventure that ended in his arrest and release in the Dominican Republic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , appears to be real The full indictment released today ( PDF ) alleges that McAfee dodged taxes through various means , including using other people ’ s names — directing payments towards bank accounts , cryptocurrency accounts , real estate , a yacht , and another unnamed type of vehicle , none of which were in his own name .
McAfee is also being indicted for willfully failing to file tax returns from 2014 through 2018 .
If convicted , McAfee faces up to five years in prison for each of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to one year in prison for each of the five counts of failing to file a tax return .
The Securities and Exchange Commission has also sued McAfee for not disclosing that he was paid to promote initial coin offerings ( ICOs ) on Twitter from December 2018 to January 2018 , despite allegedly being paid more than $ 23 million in Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency Ether to do so .
( McAfee would later put a public price on his promotions of $ 105,000 per tweet . )
McAfee ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the scheme .
You can read a PDF of the SEC ’ s full complaint here .
McAfee was also the focus of a 2016 Showtime documentary that suggested he paid a hitman to kill a neighbor while he lived in Belize in November 2012 .
You can read The Verge ’ s stories about that event here .
And Intel , which briefly owned the McAfee cybersecurity company , said it would phase out the McAfee brand because of the associations with John McAfee in 2014 .
The company was eventually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2017 .

John McAfee, who built a fortune selling cybersecurity software and has in recent years become a cryptocurrency evangelist, has been indicted on charges of tax evasion by the Department of Justice (DOJ). He has been arrested in Spain and is awaiting extradition, the DOJ said.
McAfee has had a contentious association with the law for years, though it’s at times unclear which run-ins are real and what has been fabricated. A former 2020 US Presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party (yes, really), he claimed that the campaign was “in exile” after he was charged with “using Crypto Cuttencies [sic] in criminal acts against the U. S. Government” in January 2019. In that same video, he said he hasn’t paid taxes in eight years. (That will matter later.) He also claimed the CIA had “attempted to collect us” in a July 2019 tweet with a photo of him on a boat holding a gun, part of an adventure that ended in his arrest and release in the Dominican Republic.
The tax evasion, at least, appears to be real
The full indictment released today (PDF) alleges that McAfee dodged taxes through various means, including using other people’s names — directing payments towards bank accounts, cryptocurrency accounts, real estate, a yacht, and another unnamed type of vehicle, none of which were in his own name. McAfee is also being indicted for willfully failing to file tax returns from 2014 through 2018. If convicted, McAfee faces up to five years in prison for each of the five counts of tax evasion, and up to one year in prison for each of the five counts of failing to file a tax return.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has also sued McAfee for not disclosing that he was paid to promote initial coin offerings (ICOs) on Twitter from December 2018 to January 2018, despite allegedly being paid more than $23 million in Bitcoin and the cryptocurrency Ether to do so. (McAfee would later put a public price on his promotions of $105,000 per tweet.) McAfee’s bodyguard was also charged for his participation in the scheme. You can read a PDF of the SEC’s full complaint here.


theverge--2020-10-05--Apple quietly stops selling Bose, Sonos and some Logitech gear — only Apple audio remains

Apple just made its rivals disappear — in its own retail store , anyhow .
As Bloomberg reports , the company has abruptly stopped selling Bose , Logitech , and Sonos audio products , including the popular Bose noise-canceling headphones that would almost certainly be a direct competitor to the headphones that Apple has repeatedly been rumored to be ready to announce sometime this year .
When you go to find a product like the Logtech Ultimate Ears Megaboom speaker or those Bose headphones , you ’ ll find messages like these instead : But Google ’ s cache shows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as mid-September , if not more recently .
Here ’ s a couple examples from September 15th : As a result of the removals , the Apple Store ’ s “ headphones and speakers ” product page now consists entirely of Apple ’ s own devices , with no rival manufacturers to be found .
And Bloomberg reports that Apple employees have been told to remove these products from physical retail shelves as well .
Bose and Logitech both confirmed to Bloomberg that Apple will no longer sell their audio products .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bose products have disappeared from the Apple Store , and the last time was fairly brief , but it ’ s a bigger blow to Bose now — the company no longer has its own rival stores in shopping malls around the world , so it was relying at least in part on Apple ’ s stores filling that role .
Logitech still sells all kinds of other accessories in the Apple Store , including keyboards and cameras , but Bose and Sonos don ’ t have other categories to offer .
Until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carry some competing accessories in its stores , and let the best product win .
I wonder what changed ?
Apple is widely expected to hold a hardware event later this month , and rumors suggest it might happen on October 13th .

Apple just made its rivals disappear — in its own retail store, anyhow. As Bloomberg reports, the company has abruptly stopped selling Bose, Logitech, and Sonos audio products, including the popular Bose noise-canceling headphones that would almost certainly be a direct competitor to the headphones that Apple has repeatedly been rumored to be ready to announce sometime this year.
When you go to find a product like the Logtech Ultimate Ears Megaboom speaker or those Bose headphones, you’ll find messages like these instead:
But Google’s cache shows these products were on sale as late as mid-September, if not more recently. Here’s a couple examples from September 15th:
As a result of the removals, the Apple Store’s “headphones and speakers” product page now consists entirely of Apple’s own devices, with no rival manufacturers to be found. And Bloomberg reports that Apple employees have been told to remove these products from physical retail shelves as well.
Bose and Logitech both confirmed to Bloomberg that Apple will no longer sell their audio products.
It’s not the first time that Bose products have disappeared from the Apple Store, and the last time was fairly brief, but it’s a bigger blow to Bose now — the company no longer has its own rival stores in shopping malls around the world, so it was relying at least in part on Apple’s stores filling that role. (Bose reminds us that it still has "thousands" of others brick and mortar resellers, though.) Logitech still sells all kinds of other accessories in the Apple Store, including keyboards and cameras, but Bose and Sonos don’t have other categories to offer.
Until now, Apple seemed mostly happy to carry some competing accessories in its stores, and let the best product win. I wonder what changed?
Apple is widely expected to hold a hardware event later this month, and rumors suggest it might happen on October 13th.


theverge--2020-10-05--YouTube Music now lets free users cast uploaded music to speakers

If you ’ ve decided against paying for YouTube Music but have still found yourself using the service as a cloud locker for your uploaded tracks , you can now cast that content to devices and speakers around your home .
Initially , only premium subscribers were able to cast — a restriction that angered some people after they made the switch from Google Play Music to YouTube Music .
As noted by Android Police , YouTube Music also now works better with Google Assistant when it comes to your personal playlists .
You can request them by name when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ playlist will come on .
Somehow that didn ’ t work before , and it ’ s odd that it took this long for Google to make two of its own services work better together .
Browse through the YouTube Music app on your phone and you ’ ll notice another new thing : charts .
An update to the explore tab has added top charts for artists , songs , and music videos in 57 countries .
These updates come as Google continues with its long-planned phasing out of Google Play Music @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s lone music service .

If you’ve decided against paying for YouTube Music but have still found yourself using the service as a cloud locker for your uploaded tracks, you can now cast that content to devices and speakers around your home. Initially, only premium subscribers were able to cast — a restriction that angered some people after they made the switch from Google Play Music to YouTube Music.
As noted by Android Police, YouTube Music also now works better with Google Assistant when it comes to your personal playlists. You can request them by name when speaking to Assistant, and the right playlist will come on. Somehow that didn’t work before, and it’s odd that it took this long for Google to make two of its own services work better together.
Browse through the YouTube Music app on your phone and you’ll notice another new thing: charts. An update to the explore tab has added top charts for artists, songs, and music videos in 57 countries.


theverge--2020-10-05--Nvidia CEO anticipates supply shortages for the RTX 3080 and 3090 to last until 2021

If you are looking to get your hands on an Nvidia RTX 3080 or 3090 graphics card , you ’ re probably going to have to wait until 2021 .
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced today that the company expects shortages for both graphics cards will continue to for the remainder of the year , Tom ’ s Hardware and Wccftech reports .
During a Q & A with press to cover its GTC announcements , Huang responded to the continuous shortages for both graphics cards .
“ I believe that demand will outstrip all of our supply through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even if we knew about all the demand , I don ’ t think it ’ s possible to have ramped that fast ” The RTX 3080 and 3090 had extremely rough launches , with both cards selling out within minutes of preorders going live , but Huang says the issue is not with supply but rather the demand of both GPUs .
“ Even if we knew about all the demand , I don ’ t think it ’ s possible to have ramped that fast , ” Huang said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Yields are great , the product ’ s shipping fantastically , it ’ s just getting sold out instantly.
” Nvidia has apologized for the launch of the RTX 3080 and the limited supply of the cards .
Nvidia has one more card in the RTX 3000 series it plans to launch this year : the $ 499 RTX 3070 .
Nvidia pushed the release date to October 29th in the hopes that the company can work with retailers to get the cards to more customers on launch day .
But if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ launches , it ’ s going to be chaotic .
Of course , if you are determined to buy a new graphics card this year , you may want to see what AMD reveals on October 28th .
The company is hosting a GPU event to reveal the Radeon RX 6000 series and possibly reveal its own GPU competitor to the RTX 3000 series .

If you are looking to get your hands on an Nvidia RTX 3080 or 3090 graphics card, you’re probably going to have to wait until 2021. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced today that the company expects shortages for both graphics cards will continue to for the remainder of the year, Tom’s Hardware and Wccftech reports.
During a Q&A with press to cover its GTC announcements, Huang responded to the continuous shortages for both graphics cards. “I believe that demand will outstrip all of our supply through the year,” Huang said.
“Even if we knew about all the demand, I don’t think it’s possible to have ramped that fast”
The RTX 3080 and 3090 had extremely rough launches, with both cards selling out within minutes of preorders going live, but Huang says the issue is not with supply but rather the demand of both GPUs.
“Even if we knew about all the demand, I don’t think it’s possible to have ramped that fast,” Huang said. “We’re ramping really really hard. Yields are great, the product’s shipping fantastically, it’s just getting sold out instantly.” Nvidia has apologized for the launch of the RTX 3080 and the limited supply of the cards.
Nvidia has one more card in the RTX 3000 series it plans to launch this year: the $499 RTX 3070. Nvidia pushed the release date to October 29th in the hopes that the company can work with retailers to get the cards to more customers on launch day. But if it is anything like the last two launches, it’s going to be chaotic.


theverge--2020-10-05--Slack experienced performance issues for more than six hours

You ’ re weren ’ t imagining it : Slack was acting up for much of the day on Monday @ @ @ @ @ that was posted to Slack ’ s status site while the issues were happening : @ @ @ @ @ performance across devices and may be unable to connect.
” The outage seemed to be @ @ @ @ @ platform through various parts of the day .
“ Our teams are aware and are @ @ @ @ @ a Slack spokesperson said in an emailed statement earlier on Monday .
“ We know @ @ @ @ @ people to stay connected and we are working hard to get everyone running as normal.
@ @ @ @ @ 10:05AM ET , and Slack shared updates on its status page throughout the day .
@ @ @ @ @ , at 4:41PM ET , the company confirmed that things should be back to normal @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve confirmed Slack should be working as expected.
” Update , October 5th , @ @ @ @ @ from Slack that the issues should be fixed .

You’re weren’t imagining it: Slack was acting up for much of the day on Monday. Per an official statement that was posted to Slack’s status site while the issues were happening: “Users are experiencing degraded performance across devices and may be unable to connect.” The outage seemed to be affecting all services across the platform through various parts of the day.
“Our teams are aware and are investigating the issue,” a Slack spokesperson said in an emailed statement earlier on Monday. “We know how important it is for people to stay connected and we are working hard to get everyone running as normal.”
The problems started at 10:05AM ET, and Slack shared updates on its status page throughout the day. More than six hours later, at 4:41PM ET, the company confirmed that things should be back to normal, saying that “we’ve confirmed Slack should be working as expected.”


theverge--2020-10-05--How to text from your computer with Android Messages

Google has the ability to text from the web with Android Messages .
The feature gives users a lot more flexibility in choosing how and where they can carry on conversations .
As long as your Android smartphone is powered on , you can text from a desktop computer or even other mobile devices — including iOS products like an iPad if you just open up Safari .
Aside from text , you can also send emoji , stickers , and images over the web .
Using Android Messages on the web requires using Android Messages as your main texting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it just fine , and Google is clearly planning big things for the future , but if you prefer , say , Samsung ’ s default messages app or something else , the two don ’ t work together .
With that out of the way , getting started and setting things up is fairly simple .
• Make sure you ’ ve got the latest version of Android Messages installed on your phone • Go to messages.android.com on the computer or other device you want to text from .
You ’ ll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right side of this page .
• Open up Android Messages on your smartphone .
Tap the icon with three vertical dots at the top and to the far right .
You should see a “ Messages for web ” option inside this menu .
• Tap “ QR code scanner ” and point your phone ’ s camera at the QR code on your other device .
In less than a second , your phone will vibrate , and the two will be linked up .
You should notice your conversations show @ @ @ @ @ @ @ browser window .
Google says that “ conversation threads , contacts , and other settings will be encrypted and cached on your browser.
” Note : this doesn ’ t mean your actual text conversations are encrypted .
They ’ re not .
And that ’ s it .
To make sure you don ’ t have to repeat the QR process , you can keep your computer paired with your phone by enabling “ Remember this computer.
” There will probably be a pop-up asking if you want to enable that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Messages .
If you missed it , just go to the settings menu , which you can access from the web version of Android Messages by clicking on the three-dot icon to the right of “ Messages.
” ( Of course , you shouldn ’ t turn this on if you ’ re using a public PC that other people can easily access . )
Which browsers work with Android Messages on the web ?
If you want to revoke a web browser ’ s access to your conversations and messaging , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Android smartphone .
Go back to the “ Messages for web ” area of Android Messages , and you can choose to sign out of individual computers or all of them with a click .
Dark themes can be handy if you find that all an app ’ s whites and light grays might overload your eyeballs at night .
If you want to enable the Messages dark theme on mobile , tap the same icon with three vertical dots and looking for “ Choose theme.
” You can go with light , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On the web app , you ’ ll find “ Enable dark theme ” in the menu that you get after clicking on the three-dot icon to the right of “ Messages .
Keep your phone powered on Android Messages on the web can ’ t work independently of your smartphone .
So if your battery dies or if your phone shuts off for any reason , you won ’ t be able to send any texts from your computer .
Sending a photo from Android Messages on the web is dead simple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ icon — to the right of emoji and stickers — or just drag and drop media into the conversation window to send an MMS .
Update October 5th , 5:05PM ET : This article was originally published on June 19th , 2018 , and has been updated to include minor changes made to menus .

Google has the ability to text from the web with Android Messages. The feature gives users a lot more flexibility in choosing how and where they can carry on conversations. As long as your Android smartphone is powered on, you can text from a desktop computer or even other mobile devices — including iOS products like an iPad if you just open up Safari. Aside from text, you can also send emoji, stickers, and images over the web.
Using Android Messages on the web requires using Android Messages as your main texting app on your phone. I like it just fine, and Google is clearly planning big things for the future, but if you prefer, say, Samsung’s default messages app or something else, the two don’t work together.
With that out of the way, getting started and setting things up is fairly simple.
Make sure you’ve got the latest version of Android Messages installed on your phone Go to messages.android.com on the computer or other device you want to text from. You’ll see a big QR code on the right side of this page. Open up Android Messages on your smartphone. Tap the icon with three vertical dots at the top and to the far right. You should see a “Device pairing” option inside this menu. Tap “QR code scanner” and point your phone’s camera at the QR code on your other device. In less than a second, your phone will vibrate, and the two will be linked up. You should notice your conversations show up in the left column of the browser window.
And that’s it. To make sure you don’t have to repeat the QR process, you can keep your computer paired with your phone by enabling “Remember this computer.” There will probably be a pop-up asking if you want to enable that the first time you use the web version of Messages. If you missed it, just go to the settings menu, which you can access from the web version of Android Messages by clicking on the three-dot icon to the right of “Messages.” (Of course, you shouldn’t turn this on if you’re using a public PC that other people can easily access.)
Which browsers work with Android Messages on the web?
Chrome
Firefox
Microsoft Edge
Safari
Remove a computer’s access to your messages
If you want to revoke a web browser’s access to your conversations and messaging, you can quickly do so from your Android smartphone. Go back to the “Device pairing” area of Android Messages, and you can choose to sign out of individual computers or all of them with a click.
There’s a dark mode!
Dark themes can be handy if you find that all an app’s whites and light grays might overload your eyeballs at night. If you want to enable the Messages dark theme on mobile, tap the same icon with three vertical dots and looking for “Choose theme.” You can go with light, dark, or the system default.
On the web app, you’ll find “Turn on dark theme” in the menu that you get after clicking on the three-dot icon to the right of “Messages.
Keep your phone powered on
Android Messages on the web can’t work independently of your smartphone. So if your battery dies or if your phone shuts off for any reason, you won’t be able to send any texts from your computer.
Drag media into the Android Messages conversation
Sending a photo from Android Messages on the web is dead simple. You can either use the attachments icon — to the right of emoji and stickers — or just drag and drop media into the conversation window to send an MMS.
Update October 5th, 2020, 5:05PM ET: This article was originally published on June 19th, 2018, and has been updated to include minor changes made to menus.


theverge--2020-10-05--Asus’ new ROG Phone 3 is a 5G gaming phone launching in the US

Asus ’ latest gaming phone , the ROG Phone 3 , is now available in the US .
The ROG Phone 3 has some of the highest specs out there for a smartphone along with a bunch of features and accessories meant to enhance the mobile gaming experience .
The device is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset , a 6.59-inch OLED HDR screen with a refresh rate of 144Hz , 512GB of UFS 3.1 ROM storage , and support for 5G .
It has the same 6,000mAh battery as last year ’ s model .
The ROG @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one priced at $ 1,000 that comes with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM , and another priced at $ 1,100 with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM .
16GB of RAM is still a rare spec for phones , but it is available in a higher configuration of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra .
The ROG Phone 3 ’ s predecessor debuted at a starting price of $ 900 .
To make this a better gaming experience than its predecessors , Asus says it has adjusted the phone ’ s ultrasonic buttons , called AirTriggers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the edge of the phone to mimic shoulder buttons typically found on game controllers , as shown in the diagram below .
The new AirTriggers also add the option to map an in-game command , such as reloading your weapon , when you shake the phone .
Asus is launching a handful of gaming accessories for the ROG Phone 3 , too , including a $ 150 gamepad and a TwinView Dock that adds another display while gaming on the phone .
There ’ s also a clip-on fan accessory , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ airflow to the hotter parts of the phone , specifically in the area by the CPU and chipset .
Both configurations of the Asus ROG Phone 3 are available now on Asus ’ website .

Asus’ latest gaming phone, the ROG Phone 3, is now available in the US. The ROG Phone 3 has some of the highest specs out there for a smartphone along with a bunch of features and accessories meant to enhance the mobile gaming experience.
The device is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset, a 6.59-inch OLED HDR screen with a refresh rate of 144Hz, 512GB of UFS 3.1 ROM storage, and support for 5G. It has the same 6,000mAh battery as last year’s model.
The ROG Phone 3 comes in two configurations: one priced at $1,000 that comes with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and another priced at $1,100 with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM. 16GB of RAM is still a rare spec for phones, but it is available in a higher configuration of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. The ROG Phone 3’s predecessor debuted at a starting price of $900.
To make this a better gaming experience than its predecessors, Asus says it has adjusted the phone’s ultrasonic buttons, called AirTriggers. Asus’ AirTrigger system places motion sensors on the edge of the phone to mimic shoulder buttons typically found on game controllers, as shown in the diagram below. The new AirTriggers also add the option to map an in-game command, such as reloading your weapon, when you shake the phone.
This image shows the gestures supported by its pressure-sensitive AirTrigger ultrasonic sensors, including the dual-partition triggers displayed in the top right. Image: Asus
Asus is launching a handful of gaming accessories for the ROG Phone 3, too, including a $150 gamepad and a TwinView Dock that adds another display while gaming on the phone. There’s also a clip-on fan accessory, the AeroActive Cooler 3, that provides more airflow to the hotter parts of the phone, specifically in the area by the CPU and chipset.