IT General

Today, April 1, 2026 (no joke), is Apple's 50th birthday.

The company was launched by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on this day in 1976, essentially to market Wozniak's visionary Apple I personal computer.

Since then, it's grown into one of the largest, most successful companies ever created, with Apple products an important part of the lives of billions of people worldwide.

SEE ALSO: Everything Apple stopped selling in March. See the list.

To mark the occasion, the company did a little takeover of its own website, which now features a colorful animation highlighting some of Apple's most important products, from the earliest Macs all the way to the new Vision Pro.

"At 50 years, it’s only natural to look back. But Apple has always looked forward, building tools and delivering experiences that enrich people’s lives. As we celebrate how far we’ve come, we’re inspired by where we’ll go — together," says the text accompanying the animation.

SEE ALSO: Apple to issue emergency patch to protect iPhones from DarkSword spyware

Of course, this is by no means all that Apple is doing to celebrate. The company recently announced that the festivities will be held over several weeks. So far, Apple has made good on that promise with a series of surprise concerts, including a performance by Alicia Keys at Apple Grand Central in New York City.

A Plex media server doesn't have to be the most complicated thing ever. But it often does get complicated when you take into account the fact that you need to choose storage, and not just any storage. While you're at it, here's all the storage formats that you should not use on your server.

Are you tired of looking at expensive smart home projects and just want to build some yourself, but don’t know where to start? The ESP32 is the ultimate option for both beginners and enthusiasts for DIY smart home gear, and the best module costs just $5.

Back in the day, when it was still called Windows Explorer, File Explorer was one of the best apps Microsoft included with Windows. It was fast, intuitive, and as stable as a rock.

Not only are the fumes potentially harmful, but certain parts of your 3D printer get hot enough to melt hard plastic. In a worst-case scenario, these parts could malfunction and cause damage to your printer or even start a fire.

There may be a war going on, but Donald Trump appears to be more concerned with ballrooms, past dining experiences, and even pens.

That's the vibe given in clips from Thursday’s cabinet meeting, presented by Jon Stewart in the monologue above, and the Daily Show host is less than impressed.

"That's a cabinet meeting during a f***ing war," says Stewart, after showing a montage of Trump waffling on about pens. "Don't tell us what you used to draw the map, just draw the f***ing map! All we keep hearing from this administration is why the American people have to sacrifice for Trump's vision of America's greatness. That these temporary disruptions are just part of the process. And why can't we be patriots? We have to be patient. We have to suck it up, whether it's high gas prices, or whimsical tariff inflation, or Draconian ICE raids, or temporary Bill of Rights suspensions. It's on us to understand. But Trump gets to be just the same old, 'Ain't I a stinker?', utterly self-absorbed, 'Remember-when-I-used-to-want-to-f*** hot girls?', twat self.

"Can you imagine any other president, let alone a wartime president, be this f***ing self indulgent?"

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The No Kings protest continued over the weekend, with thousands of people gathering together across the US to protest President Donald Trump and his administration.

And as always, people came with signs.

In the clip above, Stephen Colbert runs through some notable examples, including a large banner reading "Jimmy Kimmel has higher ratings than you!" ("I like that one," Colbert says) and a gigantic defecating inflatable of the president.

"Perhaps most impressive of all was this inflatable Trump pooping directly onto the constitution," says Colbert, playing footage of the impressive balloon. "That is mwah. Spectacular craftsmanship, above all else. Whoever made that should be proud, because one day their grandchild will ask them how they resisted the rise of American fascism, and they can proudly say: 'Well Tyler, your grandma and I worked round the clock with a team of fellow patriots to answer the eternal question of democracy, Can we make an angry balloon that looks like it's pooping fire? Yes, you can.'"

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Spring is on the horizon, and with it comes a fresh slate of Netflix titles. This April, you can expect to stream a long list of movies, including Netflix's collection of older releases that are made available on the first day of the month.

FREE BOOKS: The latest Stuff Your Kindle Day takes place on April 1-2. Romance Spotlight, hosted by Book Below, is offering free romance books for your Kindle.

Amazon's Big Spring Sale offered a wide range of deals on Kindles and books, but that event has sadly come to an end. Bookworms have it good though, because Stuff Your Kindle Day is here to bridge the gap to the next shopping event.

Romance Spotlight is the latest free giveaway to go live, offering readers the chance to download romance books without spending anything. Everything that you download is yours to keep forever, so think of this as your opportunity to stock up on romance reads before the summer. You're going to need plenty of material for those warm nights and vacations.

SEE ALSO: I tested the best Kindles to help you find the perfect e-reader

Looking to make the most of the latest Stuff Your Kindle Day? We've lined up everything you need to know about this popular event.

When is Stuff Your Kindle Day?

Romance Spotlight takes place on April 1-2.

A lot of Stuff Your Kindle Days only last 24 hours, so it's nice to have a little more time to play with. You have time to properly check out everything on offer, assess your options, make a wishlist, and then download until your Kindle is weighed down. We can't think of a better way to spend the day.

Which ebooks are free?

Romance Spotlight offers free romance books from a number of sub-genres. There's a helpful hub page with all the free books listed out. According to hosts by Book Below, "Whether you're a fan of steamy contemporary romances, heartwarming romantic comedies, or classic love stories, this event has something special waiting for you."

Is Stuff Your Kindle Day the same as Amazon Kindle Unlimited?

Everything you download on Stuff Your Kindle Day is yours to keep, and there's no limit on the number of books you can download. Stuff Your Kindle Day downloads don't count towards the 20 books that Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscribers can borrow at the same time.

The best Stuff Your Kindle Day deal Opens in a new window Credit: Amazon Kindle (16GB) + Kindle Unlimited (3 Months) $109.99 at Amazon
  Shop Now Why we like it

These popular e-readers let you take your entire library on the go. With weeks of battery life and an anti-glare display, you can read anywhere and anytime with the Kindle. Plus, you can get three months of Kindle Unlimited for free with your purchase for a limited time.

In a world where a side of guac can cost more than a monthly streaming subscription, National Burrito Day (April 2) is welcome respite from the mounting costs of this delicious combo of meat, rice, cheese, and everything else you like to stuff in there. Whether you're hunting for a BOGO deal or you're desperately trying to win a whole year's supply of the good stuff, we’ve rounded up the best deals on this special day.

We've checked out everything on offer from Chipotle, Qdoba, and the smaller cult-favorites so you don't have to go hunting. We'll be updating this list with any new free food deals that drop on Burrito Day.

Burrito Day 2026 food dealsBaja Fresh Mexican Grill

On National Burrito, score a Baja burrito with chicken for just $5 when you order in-store.

Chipotle

The Burrito Vault is back. Rewards members can play to win one of 140,000 BOGO codes or free burritos for a year. Members can also score free delivery during National Burrito Day.

Chronic Tacos

On April 2, loyalty members can earn a BOGO free burrito via ordering through the app. California Burritos and Surf and Turf Burritos are not included in this promotion.

El Pollo Loco

Loco rewards members can buy one à la carte burrito, get one free on April 2.

Moe’s Southwest Grill

On National Burrito Day, members can get a BOGO deal on burritos, bowls, and Moe Value Meals.

Qdoba

On National Burrito Day, rewards members who purchase an entree and a drink can get a free burrito or bowl. This offer is valid for online, in-store, and in-app orders.

Tortilla

On National Burrito Day, Tortilla is giving away 15,000 free burritos across the country. The giveaway starts at 3 p.m. local time, but you need to be a member to qualify.

An April Fool's joke from Tinder in 2019 is now real.

Seven years ago, Tinder joked that it was adding height verification to its app. Now, in 2026, the matchmaking app Tenr has made that a reality.

SEE ALSO: 8 best dating apps and sites for singles in their 40s and up

"People care about height, and the app is all about not BS-ing and giving information up front," said Adam Moelis, the founder of Tenr. (Moelis also co-founded fintech company Yotta. In 2024, thousands of Yotta customers were locked out of their accounts and unable to access their money due to the failure of one of its banking partners. It appears that many customers are still locked out of their Yotta accounts as of this writing.)

What is Tenr?

Tenr is a matchmaking app that aims, as Moelis said, to cut the BS in dating. The fundamental idea is that it doesn't take a two or three-hour date to know if you're interested in someone, but only ten minutes. Users sign up, answer questions about themselves and their preferences, and Tenr "crunches the information" to give three to five matches a day. From there, you have a ten-minute date the app calls a "Tenr," and each party decides whether to meet in person.

AI helps screen people, but it's not the core feature of Tenr, Moelis said. "I don't think AI is good at assessing chemistry, and I think that's probably the most important thing in dating. It's like, do you guys have an energy match? Do you have chemistry? And I think AI can't do that right now. You still need the interaction with the other person." Hence, ten-minute dates.

How does the app verify height?

But back to height. Moelis is right: Height is important to people. For years, people have lamented that women want to date tall guys. Women have even used ChatGPT to catch men lying about it, and Tinder started testing a paid height preference last year. (Tinder told Mashable there isn't an update since then.) Hinge lets users select a height filter and there's even a "deal breaker" option that you can toggle if you're not open to seeing any profiles that don't fit your preferences.

I, for one, believe that we as a society need to stop obsessing about height in dating, but the preoccupation persists. And now, an app is getting in on it and using Apple's Measure app to ensure accuracy. (iPhone models 12 and up use LiDAR scanners — Light Detection and Ranging — to produce accurate measurements.)

"We thought it would be kind of a fun feature," Moelis said. "No other dating app is doing that because it's a little bit controversial, but we think it matters to people."

Here's how height verification works on Tenr: Using the LiDAR scanner on the iPhone camera, a friend can hold the phone and point it at you. It's pretty accurate — plus or minus an inch, said Moelis.

The feature went live a few weeks ago, and it's getting a fair amount of use. Moelis is actually surprised by the lack of negative reaction. Over 700 users have verified their heights so far (and the app is close to 6,000 sign-ups since May 2025).

Height verification, of course, isn't the app's only feature. Moelis also mentioned the Wingman, in which users can recruit friends to help choose their photos and leave testimonials about them. But for those who are tired of men lying about a few inches on dating apps, this might be the only way to catch them — before meeting them IRL, that is.

Whether you're new to Linux or you've been using it for years, you may have some bad command-line habits. If you can break these habits, you'll stop using the Linux terminal like a beginner and start using it much more efficiently.

If you needed more proof of just how bad the DarkSword spyware is, Apple is about to issue a rare patch (via Wired) that addresses the issue on phones running iOS 18.

Why is this rare? Well, typically Apple will simply tell iPhone users to upgrade to the latest version of iOS (that's iOS 26.4 right now). But this time, everyone running iOS 18 on their phones is getting a patch of their own.

DarkSword is a web based tool that enables malicious hackers to steal data from iPhones, and it's publicly available for everyone to use. Apple already patched iOS 26 against DarkSword, but iOS 18 remains unprotected at writing time. As for why anyone would want to run iOS 18, there are folks who are simply slow to update their phone, and then there are those that may not want to switch to Apple's new "Liquid Glass" user interface that debuted in iOS 26.

It's not a small group. A survey by TelemetryDeck indicated that roughly 19 percent of all iPhone users were running iOS 18 at the end of February.

An Apple spokesperson told Wired that the new patch will be issued on Wednesday morning. This patch will not upgrade the phone to iOS 26; instead, users will remain on iOS 18, but will be safe against DarkSword.

SEE ALSO: iPhone exploit DarkSword has been released in the wild: How to protect yourself

Apple, of course, still encourages all users to update to iOS 26 and receive the company's "most advanced protections."

Anker believes it has a simple way to avoid a rat’s nest of cables and hubs on your desk: put it all into one box that clamps on to the side. The accessory maker has released a $70 Nano Power Strip that it claims will minimize clutter while keeping multiple devices fully charged.

Immich is a self-hosted, open-source photo and video backup solution, intended as an alternative to Google Photos and iCloud Photo Library. I've used Immich for some time to back up photos and videos, but I'd never thought of connecting it to Home Assistant. Now I wish I'd tried it sooner.

There's a neat, super simple trick that lets you turn your favorite browser into a minimalist notepad. Instead of reaching for Notepad or any other note-taking app, online or offline, you can jot things down while browsing the web, right inside the browser.

SAVE OVER $700: As of April 1, the Hisense 85-inch Class U8 Mini-LED ULED 4K TV has dropped to its lowest-ever price of $1,499.96 at Amazon.

Opens in a new window Credit: Hisense Hisense 85-Inch Class U8 Mini-LED ULED 4K UHD Google Smart TV $1,499.96 at Amazon
$2,297.99 Save $798.03   Get Deal

Sale events, like Amazon's recent Big Spring Sale, are a great opportunity to upgrade your TV. But just because that sale event is over doesn't mean every great discount has disappeared. There's still quite a few offers worth taking advantage of right now, including this excellent offer on the massive Hisense 85-inch Class U8 Mini-LED ULED 4K TV.

As of April 1, the Hisense 85-inch Class U8 Mini-LED ULED 4K TV has dropped to its lowest-ever price of $1,499.96 at Amazon. This deal saves you $798.03 off its list price of $2,297.99. This limited-time deal will not stick around for long, so act fast if you're interested in buying.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

With some exciting movies and shows available to stream right now, and plenty coming out in the months ahead, a huge 85-inch screen is a great way to watch everything in the pipeline. It's not just the big screen size that makes this Hisense TV worth the splurge. It also boasts excellent picture quality thanks to 4K resolution, QLED Color, and Mini-LED Pro technology that provides sharp, bright, and colorful images.

Picture quality comes through smoothly thanks to its 165Hz Native Refresh Rate, and the Anti-Glare Low Reflection Pro panel makes sure light doesn't get in the way of what you're watching. Plus, it supports Dolby Atmos audio, so you can feel completely absorbed in what you're watching by hearing every sound on screen clearly.

Since it's a limited-time deal, it may not be live for long. If the Hisense 85-inch Class U8 Mini-LED ULED 4K TV has caught your eye, act fast to grab it at this price.

TL;DR: Walmart has the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box listed for $87.75, while Amazon has it at $91.99. TCGplayer’s current listings start at $95.96.

Where to buy the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box: Best Walmart Deal Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box $87.75 at Walmart Shop Now Best Amazon Deal Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box $99.48 at Amazon (save $9.96) Shop Now Best TCGplayer deal Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box $95.96 at TCGplayer Shop Now

With Perfect Order ETB pricing continuing to cool off in the volatile Pokémon TCG market, Walmart has now knocked down the price even further and pulled ahead of both Amazon and TCGplayer for value. With more attention turning to the less-available Ascended Heroes expansion, now’s the perfect time to jump in before prices climb again. 

As of April 1, Walmart has the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box listed online for $87.75. Amazon is higher at $91.99, while TCGplayer’s current listings begin at $95.96 before shipping. To get closest to TCGplayer’s market price of $78.18, Walmart is your ideal choice right now.

Mashable Deals Be the first to know! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Get editor selected deals texted right to your phone! Loading... Sign Me Up By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Thanks for signing up!

All Perfect Order ETBs will contain everything you’d expect of the box centered around the Pokémon Legends: Z-A-themed expansion: nine Perfect Order booster packs (each with 10 trading cards), a full-art foil promo card featuring Tyrunt, 65 card sleeves, 40 Energy cards, a player’s guide to the expansion, dice, a plastic coin, a collector’s box with dividers, and a code card for Pokémon Trading Card Game Live.

Among those packs, you’ll have the chance to pull valuable SIR chase cards from the 120-card expansion — including Mega Zygarde ex, Mega Clefable ex, Mega Starmie ex, Rosa’s Encouragement, Meowth ex, and the mega valuable Mega Hyper Rare Mega Zygarde ex.

To get even more Pokémon TCG packs for your money, you can also score the Perfect Evolution Booster Box for as low as $210.90 at Walmart. If you're looking for a booster bundle, Pokémon’s Perfect Order is selling for only around $43 at Walmart. 

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: How to play Pips, the newest NYT game

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Wednesday, April 1, 2026:

AcrossY Y Y Y Y Y Y

• The answer is Wise.

Back half of an old cassette tape

• The answer is Side B.

Perform lines that aren't in the script

• The answer is Ad lib.

G G G G G G G

• The answer is Geez.

Butt, to Brits

• The answer is Arse.

DownOpposite of narrower

• The answer is Wider.

Keeps the engine on while parked

• The answer is Idles.

C C C C C C C

• The answer is Seize.

___ and flow (tidal opposites)

• The answer is Ebb.

Long, epic tale

• The answer is Saga.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Mini Crossword.

Kids are consuming a lot of AI slop.

And child safety advocates are getting worried. In a letter sent to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and YouTube CEO Neil Mohan, a coalition of national organizations and child development experts is demanding a change to YouTube policies to cut down on AI slop, including an outright ban on "Made for Kids" content generated by AI.

"Given the absence of evidence that AI slop is safe for children and the potential for these videos to mesmerize and harm kids, Google must take swift action to protect children on its platforms," the letter reads. Two weeks ago, YouTube announced a partnership with generative AI studio Animaj, which specializes in AI children's content and boasts billions of views across several YouTube channels aimed at infants and babies.

SEE ALSO: We didn't grow up on social media. We grew up on digital nicotine.

The letter, led by child safety nonprofit Fairplay, is signed by organizations like the American Federation of Teachers, the National Black Child Development Association, and Mothers Against Media Addiction (MAMA), as well as experts like Jonathan Haidt, author of the highly cited book The Anxious Generation. The group cites growing concern that exposure to AI content can distort children's perception of reality, cause cognitive overload, and displace real world activities necessary for development.

"First YouTube introduced Shorts with Made For Kids content without wondering what impact it would have on young viewers, and then — no surprise — AI slop started competing for kids’ attention on those very feeds. It’s time for platforms to start respecting the attention and minds of young children, not just treat them as a resource to be extracted," said Jenny Radesky, a developmental behavioral pediatrician and media researcher who also signed onto the letter.

The group also announced a public petition demanding YouTube implement several new safety policies addressing the proliferation of AI slop directed toward children, including:

• Clearly labeling all AI-generated content on YouTube

• Barring AI-generated content from YouTube Kids

• Prohibiting child-focused videos (“Made for Kids”) on YouTube that are AI-generated

• Prohibiting algorithmic recommendations of AI-generated content to users under age 18

• Implementing a toggle switch in parental controls so that parents can turn off AI-generated content even if children search for it

• Stopping all investment in the creation of AI-generated videos for children

In response, a YouTube spokesperson told Mashable, "We have high standards for the content in YouTube Kids, including limiting AI-generated content in the app to a small set of high-quality channels. We also provide parents the option to block channels. Across YouTube, we prioritize transparency when it comes to AI content, labeling content from our own AI tools, and requiring creators to disclose realistic AI content. We’re always evolving our approach to stay current as the ecosystem evolves."

The letter comes one week after a precedent-defining verdict in a recent case against Meta and YouTube parent company Google, which sided in favor of a 19-year-old user who claimed the companies knew their platforms could be "dangerously addictive" and ignored warnings about user mental health. The Los Angeles jury found that both Meta and YouTube were negligent in addressing internal safety warnings and went forward with platform features that exacerbated expert concerns.

"In some cases, seemingly benign animations can turn out to be sexual or violent in nature," said Sebastian Mahal, co-chair of youth-led lobby coalition Design It For Us. "Young people don’t want to be targeted with this type of experience by YouTube’s algorithm. After a California jury found YouTube liable for failing to protect young people on its platform, one would think YouTube would finally take its responsibility to its young users seriously."

In addition to claims that Instagram's algorithms exacerbated the youth mental health crisis, particularly among teen girls, child safety advocates have long warned that YouTube is a dangerous site for young children.

Rachel Franz, director of Fairplay’s Young Children Thrive Offline program, told Mashable in a March interview: "If 'managing AI slop' was really YouTube's top priority this year, they would have already taken down the millions of AI-generated 'Made for Kids' videos that are designed to entrance young children, leading to more screen time and displacing the activities they need to thrive offline."

YouTube is the most popular video platform for young child viewers, especially among low-income households. Despite efforts to address AI-generated content, YouTube has yet to fully rein in the problem, and AI-generated content aimed at children has become a lucrative business. Mohan has previously stated that managing AI slop is a "top priority" for the company. YouTube also says it has limited the YouTube Kids app to only surface AI-generated content from "high quality" channels.

A New York Times report found thousands of low-quality AI videos in YouTube's algorithm, including ones that violated child safety policies. Currently, animated videos generated by AI do not require AI labels, and AI labels do not appear consistently on YouTube Kids. YouTube only requires labeling for synthetic media made to mimic "realistic" settings or people.

In response to the new letter, Franz added, "YouTube’s algorithm makes it impossible for kids to avoid AI slop. YouTube must stop shoving AI slop onto children now, before it further damages an entire generation of kids.”

UPDATE: Apr. 1, 2026, 3:06 p.m. EDT This article was updated with an official statement from YouTube.