This week saw major decisions that could rock the tech world as social media was called addictive in a landmark court case and the US banned foreign Wi-Fi routers.
To catch up on this, as well as the latest reviews and other important tech news, scroll down for our full ICYMI recap of the week.
After you’re done here, be sure to also read our experts’ picks for the seven new movies and TV shows you can watch this weekend.
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On Wednesday, a jury in Los Angeles found Meta and Google responsible for designing products that are intentionally addictive, a case that could change social media forever. The plaintiff, a woman known only as KGM, testified that “she became addicted to YouTube at the age of six and Instagram at the age of nine”, which led to body image issues and self-harm.
KGM’s lawyers said in their closing remarks: “How do you get a child to never put the phone down? It’s called addiction engineering.” We pinpointed three compelling tricks social media companies use to keep users glued to their screens, and exactly how the never-ending scrolling loop is hijacking children’s ever-developing brains—all according to the latest scientific research.
2. We heard Sonos Play in all its glory
We’ve spent a few weeks testing the Sonos Play speaker, and it’s a real return to form for Sonos. Not because it’s the best-sounding speaker in the world (although that’s really impressive for something its size) or because it has every imaginable feature (although it offers more options than pretty much anything else in its price range) – but because it’s getting back to what Sonos was known for: speakers so comfortable you’ll want to listen to more music than ever before.
It’s a battery-powered portable speaker that’s compact and light enough to grab and take with you, but also powerful and high-quality enough to use as your primary wireless home speaker in a room. This means it can always be picked up at a moment’s notice, so we found ourselves using it more often, in more places, than with other portable speakers.
The great, durable design with a charging cradle is what helps cement this as perhaps the ideal wireless speaker for the home, even if it doesn’t come cheap.
3. We flew the DJI 360 drone
We’ve tested the DJI Avata 360 and our verdict is clear: it’s the 360 drone to beat. It’s more nimble and versatile than the previous front-runner, the Antigravity A1, and boasts excellent 10-bit image quality – did we mention it’s also more affordable?
Yes, other DJI drones offer better clean image quality, and 360 footage requires post-production editing. Still, as an all-rounder that is both a capable 360 camera and an exciting FPV flyer, the Avata 360 delivers brilliantly.
4. US ban non-US routers
In this week’s rendering of what weird tech law the Trump administration will dump on us, it just banned new non-US-made Wi-Fi routers — meaning they’ll be banned unless they’re made in the US.
According to the FCC, routers manufactured outside the US represent both a “supply chain vulnerability” and a “serious cybersecurity risk.” Basically, they fear that these foreign routers can be used to spy on American citizens.
While this isn’t the most illogical move, the big problem is that it’s not easy to find US-made routers, and all the best ones we’ve tested are made outside the country – meaning that a new router you’re ‘upgrading’ to could actually be a downgrade.
5. OpenAI killed Sora
Sora, we barely knew you. Just six months after launching what may be the world’s first social AI app, and just 18 months after launching the generative Sora video model to the world, OpenAI pulled the plug.
Sora, as a platform and app, seems to be no more.
OpenAI announced the news in a social post and has since offered little explanation. We have some guesses, like the skyrocketing cost of supporting all that video generation, the declining interest in the app, or perhaps OpenAI’s preparation to go public. It’s something they might have to do since Disney also just pulled out of a $1B deal with the AI company.
6. iOS 26.4 sparked a controversy
iOS updates usually deliver fun new goodies for iPhone fans, but this week iOS 26.4 brought a minor welcome gift – age verification for UK users.
When you install the update, you have to prove you’re over 18, which has caused problems for many who don’t have a driver’s license or credit card to scan. The buggy process and concerns about the safety of age verification have also doused this already hot topic with extra gasoline.
If you’re having issues with iOS 26.4, we’ve outlined some potential fixes in our guide below. This controversy is probably only just beginning, but perhaps WWDC 2026 (also announced this week for June 8) will help give us some answers.
7. Netflix raised prices
It’s that time of year again! We’re not talking about the changing of the seasons, no, of course, it’s Netflix surge pricing. Yippee…
The world’s largest streaming service has quietly announced that the Standard tier with ads will increase by $1 to $8.99, while both ad-free tiers, Standard and Premium, will increase by $2 to $19.99 and $26.99, respectively.
What’s more, Netflix’s additional membership fee will increase from $7.99 to $9.99 — yikes!
It’s not clear if this change will roll out outside the US anytime soon, but you can always count on three things in life: death, taxes, and Netflix price increases.
