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TL;DR: Live stream England XV vs. France XV for free on RugbyPass TV. Access this free live stream from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.

We know that the world of rugby is firmly focused on the British and Irish Lions right now, but there is life outside the Lions bubble. In fact, there are some really interesting international fixtures taking place in the coming weeks, including England XV vs. France XV.

This fixture is acting as a warm-up for England’s three-Test summer tour to Argentina and the United States. With a number of big names touring with the Lions right now, you can expect to see some fresh faces looking to make a big impression.

If you want to watch England XV vs. France XV for free from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.

When is England XV vs. France XV?

England XV vs. France XV starts at 3:15 p.m. BST on June 21. This fixture takes place at the Allianz Stadium.

How to watch England XV vs. France XV for free

England XV vs. France XV is available to live stream for free on RugbyPass TV.

This free live stream on RugbyPass TV is available all around the world with the exception of France, but anyone from this location can secure access with a VPN. These tools can hide your digital location and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can bypass geo-restrictions to live stream England XV vs. France XV from anywhere in the world.

Live stream England XV vs. France XV from France by following these simple steps:

1. Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (like ExpressVPN)

2. Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)

3. Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK

4. Visit RugbyPass TV

5. Stream England XV vs. France XV for free from anywhere in the world

Opens in a new window Credit: ExpressVPN ExpressVPN (1-Month Plan) $12.95 only at ExpressVPN (with money-back guarantee) Get Deal

The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can watch England XV vs. France XV without actually spending anything. This clearly isn't a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream this warm-up game before recovering your investment.

If you want to retain permanent access to free streaming sites from around the world, you'll need a subscription. Fortunately, the best VPN for streaming live sport is on sale for a limited time.

What is the best VPN for RugbyPass TV?

ExpressVPN is the best choice for streaming live sport on free services like RugbyPass TV, for a number of reasons:

• Servers in 105 countries

• Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more

• Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure

• Fast connection speeds free from throttling

• Up to eight simultaneous connections

• 30-day money-back guarantee

A one-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $99.95 and includes an extra three months for free — 49% off for a limited time. This plan also includes a year of free unlimited cloud backup and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.95 (including money-back guarantee).

Live stream England XV vs. France XV for free with ExpressVPN.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for June 21 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Heavily built

• Green: Corporation

• Blue: Made from the same fruit

• Purple: Nations

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Stocky

• Green: Company

• Blue: Apple Products

• Purple: Starts of European countries

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #741 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Stocky: SOLID, SQUAT, STOUT, THICK

• Company: CONCERN, FIRM, HOUSE, OUTFIT

• Apple Products: BRANDY, BUTTER, CIDER, SAUCE

• Starts of European countries: GERM, LUXE, MALT, PORT

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 21

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

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferrined pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for June 21 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for June 21 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Goose eggs

The words are number-related.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are ways to say nothing.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Diddly Squat

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for June 21

• Zilch

• Naught

• Zero

• Nada

• Diddly Squat

• Bupkis

• Zippo

• Nothing

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for June 21 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for June 21, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

A pasture.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter G.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

GLADE.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

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

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 21

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Wordle.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

A piece of glass.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

SHARD

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Sarcasm.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for June 21, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

IRONY

Hurdle Word 3 hint

An opponent.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 21 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for June 21, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

RIVAL

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A type of snake.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for June 21 Hurdle Word 4 answer

COBRA

Final Hurdle hint

Expulsion.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

EXILE

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

Summer essentials and splurge-worthy gadgets for getting the most out of the season.

Jenny Hoyos is just 19 years old, but she has a thing or two to say about how you should spend your money.

"I'm a creator, but I'm an entrepreneur first," Hoyos told Mashable at VidCon 2025. "And to sustain a creator career, entrepreneurship is very important. And that, what I mean by that is like understanding business because there's a lot of creators who know how to get views, but they don't know how to monetize the views."

She's best known for her ability to educate young audiences on responsible spending, like her YouTube video on making money on arcade games, using AI to make money on YouTube, and letting her dog trade stocks. But lately, she's been making a lot of short-form content about everything from her relationship with her mom to cooking. And that kind of content has been working out pretty well for her, with 9.15 million subscribers on YouTube, 186,000 followers on TikTok, and 172,000 followers on Instagram.

We sat down with Hoyos at VidCon, where she was a featured creator, to talk about her workflow, the inspiration behind her videos, and how she monetizes her content.

If you had one piece of financial advice for your followers, what would it be? 

The number one thing is people tend to get caught up in wanting to showcase that they have money to look cool. It's funny because everyone's making jokes about the Labubu, but it just makes me kinda sad. There's some people who can't afford it and I don't want them to feel bad. That's why I don't like to show if I have nice things or things like that, because I don't want people to feel bad, but also, no matter how much money I have, I'm never going to do that. 

So I would tell people to be mindful of their money and don't care about what other people have. There are so many people who buy a Mercedes and they don't even have money — they got a loan for that. It doesn't mean anything. 

Another piece of advice: Invest in good quality — even though I said to save your money and be mindful of your money — except with food. Your food needs to be the highest quality because that's going to prevent you from getting sick. 

Like groceries or going out?

Don't go out. Get good groceries. Get good quality foods. I know some people who will cheap out on food and then they go and spend on a Mercedes. Then they're sick in their nice car. 

How do you find inspiration for your videos?

Just living life. I try to capture relatable moments. Anything is a viral video. Something embarrassing happens that you can recreate? That's a video. 

What are some other tips for creating viral videos?

Study what other people are doing and twist it. Either combine trends or try and put a twist to a trend. If people are doing something in the color blue, try and do it in the color red. 

Do you use AI at all?

Yes. I love it for brainstorming, especially if I see a trend, for example, and, and I want to make my own twist on it. I use AI to brainstorm a bunch of things and then I pick out what's the best option.

So you use it as an ideation tool. Do you use it as a creation tool as well?

The whole process, yeah. I just have it be my partner and assistant. And then I have to select what's good, because it's not always good. 

Which AI system do you use? 

I love all of them, but Google Gemini is really good. 

Can you walk me through your process from ideation to publishing?

There are different ways I can get an idea. Either it's relatable and I can just film it, like if it happens in real life, I'll just recreate that moment. But if I'm like taking a trend or something someone else has done that's an outlier, I will say [to AI], 'I want to make a video based around this. Give me different hooks or ways I can execute this.' And then it gives me a bunch of different hooks. Because the hook is your idea. I don't even think about, 'oh, what is the viral video?' I just think about what's a viral hook, what's gonna shock people, and what's going to have that viral hook. And then I select it and I'm like, 'okay, what's the best payoff?' And I have it give me different ideas for different payoffs. And then from there we just fill in the gaps and I just do the same thing for each line. And I film the video.

Do you use a script?

Sometimes, but less than 50 percent of the time it's a script.

And you're filming on your phone?

On my phone. It needs to look relatable.

What do you edit on?

I use Adobe Premier Pro on the computer.

Do you ever edit on your phone?

No, unless like I'm doing it for my Instagram Story. But for YouTube I do it on my computer. You could definitely do it on your phone, but I like to do it on my computer because I like to have a hard copy of everything and I save it into my server. I have a server that's 100 terabytes. It holds all of my footage and edits.

What do you use to edit your Instagram stories?

I actually like to use Instagram Edits. It's a new app, but I like to use it.

What has your platform taught you about using your voice? 

The biggest thing is how impactful my influence is. It makes me want to use it for more good. One time I was at Sprouts and I ran to a fan and she told me, 'I've been waiting here for hours because I saw that you go to this Sprouts.' And their mom was like, 'She saw that you were eating like these healthy meals, so she picked it out from Sprouts, the same thing that you were eating. Thank you for inspiring her to start eating fruits.' And I'm like, no way. That's amazing. Like, first of all, it's crazy that she found the place that I go to, that's shocking. But it's great that she's eating fruit. The second part, the fact that she decided to get the same healthy groceries, that stuck with me more. The third thing I thought was like, 'Sprout's gotta sponsor me.'

How do you engage with your community beyond Sprouts? 

Responding to comments is everything, especially now that they have a voice message feature. Viewers love that. I want to engage with them as much as possible. The best way has been live streams, because you get to engage with a lot more people and you can even run polls and more people can feel like they're engaging with the content. People want to be acknowledged and recognized. And we try to do that to as many people as possible. 

What platforms have helped you most with creating that community growth?

YouTube. Fully. Easily. YouTube. YouTube has a great community feature. 

What was your first viral video?

It was a $3 burrito hack. Essentially I found this hack where instead of spending $10 a burrito, you make it for $3. And it went so viral, over a hundred million views across platforms.

How did you sustain that virality to ensure that it wasn't just a one hit wonder?

It's all about content buckets, which is essentially when you create a series out of it. Something does well? Create a series out of it or a format. After my $3 burrito hack, I did a $1 coffee hack at McDonald's. I started doing all these different hacks and then I built that baseline level of viewership.

Mashable will be live at Anaheim Convention Center this week covering VidCon 2025. Check back in the days ahead at Mashable.com, where we’ll be talking to your favorite creators, covering the latest trends, and sharing how creators are growing their followings, their influence, and making a living online.

At VidCon 2025, Nick Bornstein, general manager of the Webby Awards, hosted a very demure, very mindful panel with LGBTQ+ creators. The panel included creators Briel Adams-Wheatley, Jools Lebron, Ruba Wilson, Hailee and Kendra, and Naomi Hearts.

The panel covered viral fame, the intersectionality of queerness, balancing work and personal life, and future ambitions.

Lebron, who blew up the internet last year with her "Very demure, very mindful" content discussed how viral fame had changed her life. While she was able to finance her own transition through the monetary success of content creation, while working with GoFundMe, she was also able to leverage her platform to fund the transition of a woman in Puerto Rico.

Hailee and Kendra, who create content as a lesbian couple, discussed how making content together helps them both stay authentic.

Bornstein asked Ruba Wilson about his work as a host and breaking into television. He urged others to tap into their inner child and follow a path that honors them.

Much of the discussion at the panel centered on bringing light and levity to the front of their content. The creators reiterated that there are so many who will try to diminish the presence of queer joy online, so their role is to represent the underrepresented. Naomi Hearts said, "there are so many different types of people, and I think that's what makes us so special."

Mashable will be live at Anaheim Convention Center this week covering VidCon 2025. Check back in the days ahead at Mashable.com, where we’ll be talking to your favorite creators, covering the latest trends, and sharing how creators are growing their followings, their influence, and making a living online.

Welcome to Mashable’s official VidCon 2025 live blog — your backstage pass to the internet’s biggest IRL event. Whether you’re braving the crowds in Anaheim, California, or watching from home in fuzzy socks, we’ve got you covered with real-time updates, interviews with your favorite content creators, meme-worthy moments, and fan reactions straight from the convention floor.

We’ll be on the ground talking to your favorite creators, tracking the biggest trends, and digging into how digital stars are growing their audiences, shaping culture, and turning internet clout into a full-time career. From insight and inspiration to pure meme fuel, this live blog has it all.

So bookmark this tab and keep refreshing.

Watching TV, especially reality content, has become a modern-day version of window shopping. You're watching Love Island, mesmerized by how the contestants' makeup stays put in the melting Fijian sun, and you want their full routine. With the platform LTK, content creators can connect with fans to answer the ever-present question: Where is that from?

At VidCon 2025, LTK and Warner Bros. presented their recent collaboration to bring social commerce to the entertainment industry. At the panel, How Entertainment Is Powering the Next Wave of Social Commerce, host Lia Haberman, author of the newsletter ICYMI, moderated the panel with Stephanie Guerrieri, Senior Vice President of Brand Content & Partnerships at Warner Horizon Unscripted Television and Telepictures, alongside Katie Melton, VP of Creator Success at LTK. Joining them were Bachelor Nation's Charity Lawson and Daisy Kent.

According to Guerrieri, Warner and LTK collaborated because fans asked where to purchase clothes seen on the show, and Warner wanted to deepen the relationship with fans. Now, Bachelor Nation is a featured account on LTK, linking items of clothing worn by contestants on the show.

SEE ALSO: Creators share their secrets for maximizing income with YouTube Shopping

Guerrieri said, “Entertainment and shopping go hand in hand.” The Bachelor Nation page on LTK puts things in “one place that’s easy for the fans. It’s right there and it’s on your terms.” LTK's Melton noted that giving The Bachelor franchise a LTK page was a "natural evolution."

Kent and Lawson both added that the question they're asked the most on social media is, "Where is it from?" Kent noted that when you come off The Bachelor, the sudden follower gain can be confusing. Lawson added that the demand from fans is unexpected, so having items sourced in real time while the show is airing through LTK makes the job easier.

Both noted that the products they get the most requests for are often the ones that come from authentic moments. Kent noted that she once posted a pair of pajamas on her Instagram stories, not thinking much of it, and through her LTK, she suddenly saw her followers purchasing the item more than 2,000 times. To her, that signaled that the most authentic moments create more demand than staged photo shoots.

Lawson and Kent wrapped up the panel by offering advice to fellow creators using LTK. Kent said, "Think of your following as your friends. If you’re going to send a link to your group chat, then it should be something you love."

Meanwhile, Lawson noted, "Establishing trust has been the key. It’s a lot of work, but it’s exciting and ever-evolving."

Mashable will be live at the Anaheim Convention Center this week, covering VidCon 2025. Check back in the days ahead at Mashable.com, where we’ll be talking to your favorite creators, covering the latest trends, and sharing how creators are growing their followings, their influence, and making a living online.

If you use Microsoft, you will soon be required to ditch your passwords and create a passkey. This is part of a strategy shift at Microsoft to get rid of passwords altogether — and the deadline is quickly approaching.

Microsoft has laid out its plans on its website. As of June — aka right now — users are no longer able to add passwords to Microsoft Authenticator. In July, you will no longer be able to use autofill, which is the primary utility of a password manager. Come Aug. 1, you'll no longer be able to access your stored passwords at all. Instead, you'll need to set up a passkey.

So...what is a passkey? It's effectively a safer, more secure way of logging in that effectively rolls a password and two-factor authentication into one step. You effectively create a credential that is not stored on a server — this could include biometric data like facial recognition/thumbprint or a PIN — unlike a password. Microsoft believes passkeys will be much more difficult for hackers to access and more resistant to phishing.

"It's the difference between using a codeword to open a door and using a physical key that only you have," Mashable Tech Editor Timothy Werth explained. "Passkeys are only stored on your devices, not a Microsoft server, and they also eliminate the kind of user errors that result in weak passwords. Plus, password managers are becoming a really popular target for hackers, so Microsoft is definitely onto something."

As we noted in our guide to the top cybersecurity breaches of 2025, popular password managers are increasingly under threat.

SEE ALSO: A review of 19 billion passwords reveals people are still bad at them

If you want to keep using passwords stored with Microsoft, you'll have to use Microsoft Edge and enable password autofill or export your passwords. However, Microsoft wants to get rid of passwords for all its various users and products, including Copilot and Xbox. As part of this, new Microsoft accounts are password-less by default.

How to set up a passkey with Microsoft

Microsoft has said it will automatically prompt users to set up a passkey in Authenticator. So, if you use Microsoft Authenticator to store passwords, you should have been — or will soon be — urged to set up a Microsoft passkey. Microsoft will also automatically detect the best method for your passkey.

You can also add new passkeys in the Authenticator app by clicking "set up a passkey." After that, you simply log in and then set up the passkey.

And if you want to set up a passkey for your Microsoft account, sign in and look for the "Advanced Security Options" tab. From there, you'll be able to select between "Face, Fingerprint, PIN, or Security Key." From there, simply follow the simple instructions.

Zay Dante listens to a lot of music. Like, a lot of music.

And you can tell when you watch his content. It's why his TikTok videos about the Drake and Kendrick beef went over so well, and why his skits about popular songs hit so hard: He has the context to make the content sing (pun intended). It's that kind of dedication to the craft that has led to him amassing an audience of over 2.5 million followers across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram.

And Dante doesn't just talk about music — he's creating it, too. He released his debut EP, TBTV, on March 27 to mostly positive reviews. At VidCon 2025, we sat down with Dante, who was a featured creator, to talk about making his own music, where he gets the inspiration for his videos, and how he amassed nearly two million followers on TikTok.

Credit: Mashable Composite: Zooey Liao/ Image Credit: Getty Images/ TikTok/ Spotify/ Zay Dante's Instagram How has social media affected your transition into the music industry?

It is a direct one-to-one. One day, I decided I wanted to do a parody song. I had been doing parody songs since about 2020, but never seriously. [After recording my first parody song], it did really well. And I was like, "Oh, there's no reason why I shouldn't keep doing this."

After I dropped the EP, I was really interested in people's thoughts, and I was so pleasantly surprised by how much people enjoyed it. I was really happy because I definitely know that parody music has a stigma to it, that it's not supposed to be taken seriously. And there were songs on my EP where I was like, "Nah, there's not really a joke to this. I just wanted to rap. I just wanted to make a song." But I understood that people who were coming from the videos would come into it with the same mindset that they were watching the videos, which was, "This is a joke." But I was pretty happy that people got something from it at all. It really made me very excited about releasing something else, too. I was honestly just hype that anyone cared at all. 

How much time do you spend listening to music? Are you listening on Spotify?

Last year, I had 50,000 or 60,000 minutes listened to on Spotify, but I split my time between Spotify and Apple Music. I really did like it. I did go back to Spotify, but I did really like [Apple Music]. I missed having the Wrapped. Everybody was posting their Wrapped, and I wanted to see how left out I felt. Can I stand it? Am I going to be able to stick with Apple Music? And I could not stand [feeling left out].

When you made those videos about Kendrick and Drake, were you afraid?

Definitely. I was so scared. I tried to be so fair. I was making videos about what was happening. I never wanted Kendrick to do what he ended up doing. And I never wanted Drake to lose that badly. But he did. So, what else am I supposed to do?

Have you covered anything that's surprised you this year?

Pusha T's new album rollout has been amazing. I always expected to listen to it, but I never expected it to get to a point where I would be able to make content about it. It's been pretty cool. I'm really excited for that album.

Zay Dante at VidCon 2025. Credit: Mashable / Christianna Silva Who do you want to collaborate with more than anyone?

Obviously, Kendrick. If Drake was a better sport about stuff, then him. Tyler, The Creator. SZA. The Weeknd. All of them.

How do you come up with ideas?

I'm doing what everybody else is doing—scrolling through and seeing what people are talking about. But a lot of the things that I'm doing are retroactive, looking back to the 2010s. 

Can you walk me through your creation process?

I use the Notes app for writing all the songs, and I use CapCut for editing all the songs. And I also use CapCut for all my original music as well — not building the beats because I have producers making the beats — but in the reference tracks that I'm making, I make all of that in CapCut.

I was expecting you to say Logic. 

My producer, Demko, produces in Ableton, but I don't know how to use Ableton.

I do a crazy setup in my garage where I write the notes in my Notes app, and then I get my MacBook, and I get my headphones, and I get my phone. I bring that downstairs and get the file of the beat, send that to myself on the computer, send that file back to myself, play that in my headphones, and then I do the song over that. Send that back to myself, play that version on my laptop, and then I will respond to the thing that I just recorded.

What kind of headphones are you using when you do that over there?

I use over-the-ear Sony headphones.

I love how high-quality your headphones are, but you're editing in CapCut.

I'm running CapCut to the bone. CapCut will literally shut off numerous times while I'm working, and I'll get frustrated and then remind myself, "Wait, I am not doing things that are normal."

Do you save your work on a drive?

No.

I'm so scared for you.

I save my YouTube videos and long-form stuff on my drive. But for all the short-form videos, what I really love about TikTok, and just in general, is the fact that you can pop out a video at any point in time. 

When did you realize that you could turn content creation into a full-time job? 

I started doing content in 2020 and realized I could turn it into a job probably a year in, when I had around a million followers. Back then, if you had a million followers, you had to move to LA, so that's what I did. 

Yeah, I've heard that's the law.

Yeah, it's in the privacy policy on TikTok. One million followers? You gotta move to LA.

Were you making money only through the Creator Fund?

Yeah, I was making money through the Creator Fund and brand deals. 

What was your first brand deal?

What Do You Meme? They were my first major deal. I had done some smaller stuff where I got sent some free things, which was nice. But that was my first brand deal. They paid based on viewership, which made me enough money to move to LA.

Do you use AI at all in your content creation process?

None. I do not get involved.

Why not?

I don't like it. I'm just not an AI guy. It makes me uncomfortable. As AI continues to grow and becomes more part of society, I'm realizing I'm going to be like one of the old men who's just like, "I can't turn this into a PDF."

Be yourself and do the things that you find funny, not the stuff you find funny because you think it's gonna make you go viral. Do you have any tips for creators who want to create viral content?

Be yourself. I know that is the cliche. There's never been a better example of being yourself than being online, because everybody that I know, and everybody that you know as well, is trying to feed into an algorithm to a point where it is not natural anymore. Be yourself and do the things that you find funny, not the stuff you find funny because you think it's gonna make you go viral.

Do you have any advice for people who are trying to combat the reality that it can be embarrassing?

Just keep going because sometimes videos aren't going to do well. The way that you scroll when you're online is that you're not checking like, "Oh, this video has only five likes. It must be bad." You don't care, you just scroll anyway. It doesn't matter. The most important thing to remember on the internet is that you're not the main character. If it doesn't do well, then who cares? Nobody saw it anyway. And if it does well, then great. Do more of that.

TL;DR: The Newmowa 60-LED High-Power Selfie Light, aka the Alix Earle light, is on sale at Amazon thanks to a coupon deal. Save 15% and pay just $25.49 for a limited time.

If you've tried to create content for Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok, then you may have learned one lesson the hard way: It's all about the lighting.

Bright, professional lighting can make all the difference in social media content, and your iPhone flash isn't going to cut it. That's why the so-called Alix Earle clip-on selfie light has become so popular among creators, both professional and aspiring. Of course, it's not really called the Alix Earle light. The product in question is made by a brand called Newmowa, and it's available at — where else? — Amazon.

Mashable reporters are currently attending VidCon 2025, the annual gathering of YouTube influencers and creators, and we've already heard from one creator with 4.3 million followers who uses the popular selfie light.

Opens in a new window Credit: Newmowa Newmowa 60-LED High-Power Selfie Light $25.49 at Amazon
$29.99 Save $4.50 Get Deal

Normally priced at $29.99, you can order this selfie light for $25.49 thanks to an on-page coupon deal that lets you save 15%. Just "clip" the coupon on the Amazon product page and the discount will be applied in your shopping cart automatically.

Why YouTubers and TikTokers love this light

So, what makes the Newmowa 60-LED High-Power Selfie Light so popular, and why is it called the Alix Earle light?

The selfie light originally went viral in 2022 thanks to influencer Alix Earle, who named it one of the top Amazon purchases of 2022. The video star praised the camera for providing an instant glow-up in her photo and video content, and it's been popular ever since. Amazon says it sells more than 5,000 of the selfie cameras every single month.

It's a compact, clip-on camera that can be easily attached to a laptop or smartphone. It contains 60 high-intensity LED lights, providing studio-like lighting at the push of a button. So, even if you're sitting at your desk or bathroom counter, you can cast yourself in a spotlight.

Some reasons people are obsessed with this selfie light:

• Includes two built-in clips, on the bottom and back

• Features three light modes

• Choose from 10 brightness settings

• Light can be adjusted 90 degrees

• 2-hour+ battery life (135 minutes)

Again, you can pick up this clip-on selfie light at Amazon, where it's on sale for just $25.49.

News spread early Friday that a record-breaking data breach exposed 16 billion passwords to the world, including user credentials for the likes of Facebook, Google, Apple, and tons of other places. Some commentators were quick to call it the largest password leak in history, and in terms of raw records exposed, that’s mostly, technically true. However, these records did not come from a single breach — or even a new breach. Instead, they came from many smaller ones. 

Data breaches are an unfortunate reality in the digital age, and some of the breaches can be quite large. However, not every release of stolen data is the direct result of a recent cybersecurity breach. As Mashable recently reported in our countdown of the top cybersecurity breaches of 2025, hackers will often compile information from multiple prior hacks and combine them into one massive file. This is becoming a trend in the darker corners of the internet. The end result is more of a “greatest hits” rather than a new, noteworthy hack. 

Such is the case here. Per Bleeping Computer, the information contained in the 16 billion records was most likely compiled from a host of prior hacks, compiled, and then released as a single set of data. It was likely circulating for some time before being compiled, and likely came from a combination of breaches, hacks, phishing scams, and malware. 

This is backed up by a tweet from vx-underground, an educational website that specializes in malware and cybersecurity. “Someone took a bunch of existing leaks, threw it all together, and slapped a NEW stick [sic] on it.”

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

However, the existence of all this data in one spot is still rather damaging, as cybercriminals now have access to all of this data in a single spot, potentially making it much easier to concoct more effective phishing scams or engage in identity theft. 

The largest single-point data breach in history is still Yahoo’s 2016 breach, when hackers stole data about all three billion of the website’s users. 

Mashable is live at VidCon 2025: Check out our VidCon coverage with your favorite content creators now.

Protecting yourself from password leaks

With so many records in one spot — even if some of them are legacy data that is no longer relevant — it’s still probably a good idea to take an audit of your online services to make sure you’re protected. A good place to start is Have I Been Pwned, a website dedicated to showing data breaches. Simply go there, enter your email address(es), and the site will show you which credentials have been exposed to the public. 

We recommend changing those credentials immediately if you haven’t already, and using a strong password when you do so, as they are more difficult to crack. After that, you’ll want to enable multi-factor authentication on every account you possibly can, as the added layer helps keep criminals from stealing your life if they obtain your password. That should be the bare minimum, but there are plenty of other steps you can take to keep yourself safe online as well.

Have a story to share about a scam or security breach that impacted you? Tell us about it. Email submissions@mashable.com with the subject line "Safety Net" or use this form. Someone from Mashable will get in touch.

Content creation wasn't in the plan for Kali, better known by their online handle FunkyFrogBait.

Growing up a child of YouTube, Kali looked up to creators like Jacksepticeye, dreaming of making videos themselves. But as college and the job market took priority, that dream started to feel more distant, replaced by the pressures of real-world responsibilities.

SEE ALSO: The secret behind Macy Blackwell’s 2.2M TikTok followers

Then 2020 hit. With more time spent indoors and the rise of TikTok, Kali — affectionately known as "Funky" by their fans — decided to give content creation a shot. The gamble paid off. Today, Kali boasts millions of followers across platforms: 2.8 million on TikTok, 340K on Instagram, and 2.72 million on YouTube.

At VidCon 2025, we sat down with Kali to talk about their growth as a creator and how they pivoted to full-time once they hit it big.

Once a software engineer, FunkyFrogBait has amassed millions of subscribers on YouTube with their commentary. Credit: Cole Kan/Mashable Composite; Funky Frogbait; Getty Images When did you start creating content?

I started in 2020 'cause I was bored, and TikTok was popping off. I was in this theater group in college, and we were doing a performance of The Oregon Trail, which was super funny. In that group, there was somebody who was scrolling TikTok, and I have a distinct memory of them turning to look at me and being like, "Oh, I think you'd do great on TikTok. You should just make some videos."

And did you start on TikTok?

I started on TikTok. A lot of the stuff that was on my feed was sketch comedy, which I was like, "OK, I've done musical theater. I've done improv in college. This is kind of a convergence of a lot of my interests. This could be fun to do, and it's what I'm already watching." I feel like a lot of people, that's how they decide to make something, there's something they're already naturally gravitating toward.

I moved from random shitposting on TikTok, getting a few thousand views here and there, just using random audios, to writing some skits.

Most of them didn't do well for a while, but then one would pop off, and it was like, OK, what made this one work and not these? I kept following that formula of putting a sketch out and seeing if people liked the characters.

I did this series called "Nursing Homes in 2077." That's actually what I got the most well-known for. It was just a very simple concept: What are we gonna be like when we're in nursing homes one day? What little pieces of brain rot are gonna stay in our brains even after we've forgotten our grandchildren's names? That was the first sketch-comedy thing that I did that really popped off.

When did you migrate to YouTube?

I did that for a while, and it was really fun. Unfortunately, because of the nature of short-form content, and specifically the way that the TikTok algorithm works, it would be so unpredictable.

I would work really hard on a sketch, and it would get a few million views, and I would feel amazing about it. I would feel like this is the direction I need to go. I would do the same thing the next day and get less than 20,000 views. So it was just so up and down in a way that was so unpredictable that it started to get really discouraging. And I found myself posting less and less on there because it was just so much time spent on such a short video that would have very little payoff sometimes.

Then I was like, OK, I did this gaming channel as a little kid, I still like that type of content — let me try that. So I tried migrating my TikTok audience over to the FunkyFrogBeat YouTube channel, which was originally a gaming channel. I was posting myself; I would record myself playing a video game. It was impossible to move a TikTok audience over. TikTok has a very insulated platform.

Anytime you try to push out anything that even hints at presence on other social media, it immediately will lock it down and make sure nobody sees it. And once again, I hit a roadblock of just feeling really discouraged. I had like just this taste of like, "There is interest here, but I can't find it." I can't get this consistent community even though I'm having these little bumps of interest. I can't gather this audience into a single place and get that consistent viewership. And then over time, my personal consumption of the internet changed.

How so?

I spent most of my time watching gaming content. Then, probably around 2022, I started watching a lot of commentary creators—people who get in front of the camera and talk about weird things happening on social media.

I shifted my personal consumption of content, and I was starting to watch a lot more of that. And then one day, I'm scrolling TikTok, and this guy comes across my For You page. It's somebody who has convinced themselves and openly declared that they believe they are the reincarnation of Hitler. It's such an absurd thing that just came across my For You Page.

I'd had this idea of making commentary content for a while, but I didn't think that there was anything I specifically had to add. But then this was just one of those circumstances where it's like, "How is no one talking about this?"

People were reacting to it on TikTok, and they were getting like hundreds of thousands of views, but it hadn't migrated over to YouTube yet. I sit down at my desk, I prop my iPhone — I don't even have a tripod — and just sit and talk at my phone for a little over an hour.

I followed a similar formula to other commentary creators I'd seen, but I also was just like, I'm just talking and being weird and being myself. I'm writing dumb jokes. I'm doing little punchlines, you know? That video immediately got hundreds of thousands of views, which is like jumping from even millions on TikTok to hundreds of thousands on YouTube for a long-form video.

A lot of people who don't make content don't realize that views from different sites mean very different things. It was an immediate thing, and it was so unexpected. I actually almost didn't post the video 'cause I was almost done editing it, and I was talking to my partner at the time, and I was like, "Oh, I don't know, this is kind of stupid." And he convinced me to post it. It was such a cool moment of like, Wow, I'm so glad I did because it was an immediate yes from the universe that I'd been looking for — this is something that really works.

So I'm curious: What is your strategy now?

When I started out in commentary, it was more of a drama-focused angle because that was like a lot of commentary at that time. You're the underdog coming in, you're punching in all directions. You're making fun of people who are way more well-known in the space than you. And you're punching up at them.

But then my platform exploded so quickly that I realized that the dynamic had shifted. I was now, "Oh, here's this asshole with a million subscribers being mean to this person." That was a weird thing for me because in my head, I was still doing the same thing I was before. I had to recognize my position in this space had changed, where I have to be so much more cognizant of the fact that I am a lot more zoomed out now, not putting a magnifying glass on one specific person. Maybe there's a trend that I think is annoying or harmful, and I show you 20 different examples of people doing it rather than one person.

I had a hard time processing that for a while. I was like, "This is unfair. I'm the same person, and I want to be able to approach things the same way that I always have." But it's a two-way street, where it's not just who you are; it's what the platform feeds back into you.

And if the platform says, no, this is where you're at now. You have this level of responsibility, you have this level of influence, and you don't get to say I don't care. You have to recognize the reality of your situation. And personally, I've just felt mentally a lot better with that change. It's been good to be able to have a broader outlook and to feel a lot more proud of the things that I put out, because I do have to now put up things that I've spent a lot more time thinking through and researching, because of that extra responsibility.

Do I miss the days where I could just like punch in all directions and be an asshole? Of course. Because that's fun. That's really fun to do. But, also, I feel like the impact that I get to have now is so much greater, and the amount of good I'm able to do is so much greater. It's ultimately a good trade-off.

You have this great perspective that really gives you empathy when you approach the topic.

It's great to hear. That's what I try to do. I try to have a perspective of tough love. Even if I do have to show a specific example of somebody doing something that they should not be doing, I still try to come from the angle that I have nothing personally against this person.

I try to dig into the reasoning of why they're doing it and add extra context of like, here are the reasons why I think that this has a negative impact. Or maybe this individual person doesn't have that much of an impact, but they're a part of a larger trend that is kind of a problem. I don't wanna talk about somebody just doing something stupid. I wanna talk about a whole movement that I see online that is really concerning. It's a lot harder, but it's more rewarding.

Are you all self-taught on editing?

I've never taken any kind of cinematography or editing class. Everything that I do in that realm is self-taught or involves me begging a friend to say, "Hey, can you explain this to me?" Previously, I edited everything on my own, but this past year and a half, I have had an editor to help.

But my vision for my videos is very specific. Basically, how it works is I will write out my full video and write in the edits exactly how I need them to be. So even if I'm not physically editing, if you see a thing pop up on screen, a gag, or a cutaway, it's probably because I told the editor to do so.

So, I still have a lot of creative control over the editing. And sometimes, I still go back and edit because sometimes my vision is so specific, and for a particular topic, it's impossible to communicate it effectively to another person. I really felt for a long time that incorporating an editor would take away my agency and ownership of the content. But it was just a matter of finding somebody who understood my vision.

Has there been a moment when you realized this was your full-time career now?

That happened shockingly fast after the first commentary video. I had no sense of ad revenue or anything like that. There are a lot of assumptions when you're watching YouTube that every YouTuber is rich. I didn't know what views translated to when it came to income. The analytics take a couple of days to catch up to what you're actually gonna get paid out.

I was starting to do calculations, and I was like, "This is matching my current income at a job that, let's be honest, is significantly harder." If I keep getting this amount of viewership on each of these days, I'm going to start making more than what I'm doing at this job that I went to school for four years to do. I remember looking at the analytics tab and showing my partner, dumbfounded. I had to show another person, because I was like, "Am I crazy?" I've done the math, and this is actually doable.

I was a YouTube kid. I grew up watching all of these YouTubers come into their own, and I idolized that lifestyle so much, but I'd put it aside for college. I'd put it aside for more realistic avenues.

I was a YouTube kid. I grew up watching all of these YouTubers come into their own, and I idolized that lifestyle so much, but I'd put it aside for college. I'd put it aside for more realistic avenues. In fact, I'd honestly shut off a lot of my creative passions completely to pursue this particular career path. I'd completely deadened myself in many ways to the things that really made me feel like myself, and to be able to look at the raw numbers and realize I could do content creation was amazing.

I worked as a software engineer for a telecommunications company. I got my boss in a meeting, and I was like, "They're gonna hate me. They're gonna be so mad at me." And they were actually so chill with it. They were so encouraging. They were like, "That's amazing, and if it doesn't work out for you, you can always come back and work here again. We love you. We really want this to work out for you." It was another yes from the universe — this is the direction, this is the path.

I feel so creatively fulfilled, and I've had so many amazing opportunities. It's been so good to know that this was the right path to take, even if it didn't feel like it at the time. It's a wonderful thing that I'm privileged to be able to do.

Mashable will be live at the Anaheim Convention Center this week, covering VidCon 2025. Check back in the days ahead at Mashable.com, where we’ll be talking to your favorite creators, covering the latest trends, and sharing how creators are growing their followings, their influence, and making a living online.

Affiliate links are a well-known part of the creator economy, especially for creators whose content revolves around unboxing videos, beauty tips, or product reviews. And thanks to YouTube Shopping, this can also be a really lucrative practice for creators.

At VidCon 2025, creators Carter Kench, Christie Xie, and Ben Schlichter spoke about how they use YouTube Shopping to streamline the affiliate process, and how it's seriously paid off. After the first month of using the tool, Xie couldn't believe how much money she made: "It was like  four times the amount that I was usually making, and I was like, did I commit tax fraud?"

SEE ALSO: Here are the highlights from VidCon 2025 this week so far

To become a part of the program, creators need at least 10,000 subscribers and to be a member of the YouTube Partner Program. From there, it's up to the user on how they navigate it. For a helpful place to start, here's what Kench, Xie, and Schlichter had to say.

Timestamps and auto-tagging make a big difference

Kench finds adding timestamps to products, which allows the link to pop up in-video as it's being mentioned, adds a level of ease that can't be matched. The moderator of the panel and head of creator partnerships for YouTube Shopping, Julia Hamilton Trost, chimed in with a stat that supported Kench's feeling, saying that in an experiment, YouTube found that creators using timestamps along with description links saw a 43% increase in clicks over creators who just used description links.

SEE ALSO: VidCon 2025: The latest updates from your favorite creators

Admittedly, tagging products can take some time, which is why Xie relies on YouTube's auto-tagging feature, which automatically detects and links products. She finds it takes care of the bulk of the work for her, and it allows her to go back in and revise the product list as needed.

Authenticity is key

Authenticity is a word that's thrown around a lot with content creation, but when sharing products with your audience, it becomes even more important to practice — it's a fine line between sharing and shilling.

All three creators spoke about the importance of being selective with the products you talk about.

 " I only tag products I actually want to talk about. I really try to keep it very real with my content," Kench said.

The moderator and panelists pose for a photo after dispensing their YouTube Shopping knowledge. Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Xie, a beauty creator, explained her approach, saying, “It’s content first, shopping experience next."

Schlichter, who reviews home appliances, echoed this sentiment, while calling back to a point Xie made about full-basket commissions, which allow creators to receive commission for a viewer's entire basket, even if they only linked out to one product with an affiliate link.

" Even if I give something a negative review, I tear into it and say this stinks. I don't like it, but here's the link for it, just for you to look at it. Because what Christie said earlier, with the full basket commission, they don't have to like that product for me to make money on it," Schlichter said.

It's a strategy that works: " I make more money off of affiliates on YouTube Shopping than I do even AdSense," Schlicher added.

YouTube Shopping data can help you negotiate brand deals

Despite being a popular home appliance reviewer, Schlichter didn't have a brand relationship with Lowe's. However, after seeing how well he did with Lowe's products through YouTube Shopping, he approached a brand rep, saying, " Hey, I'm doing really well for you guys on YouTube shopping. Can we work together in some sort of more creator-based capacity?"

He was able to strike a deal, and he soon became one of the brand's top-earning creators, he said.

"That knowledge is power as a creator," Schilichter told the audience.

Follow the audience data

The creators also stressed the importance of closely examining what resonates with their audience. This data helps guide their brainstorming process when creating content.

"Really watch your YouTube Studio on any insight," Xie said. " For example, for me, a lot of people love lip glosses and lip balms. So, I try to do more lip combo videos. Catering to your audience is very important."

Schilichter chimed in, " Of my top 10 videos, I'm gonna say half of them are from commenters saying, 'Hey, why don't you look into this?'" He added, "When it comes to my shopping videos, 75 percent of the ideas aren’t coming from me anymore.”

Sa Nguyen grew to fame on her TikTok for her mukbang videos, but the Orange County, CA college student has grown her channels far beyond the eating trend. She shoots lifestyle vlogs and content about running, music festivals, her dogs and more.

At VidCon 2025's Meta Night Out, we chatted with Nguyen about all the tech she needs to grow her audience to a whopping 4.3 million followers on TikTok, 263,000 followers on Instagram, and 38,000 subscribers on YouTube.

She told Mashable that she uses her phone when she shoots on TikTok because it gives off a "FaceTime vibe" that her audience loves. She edits directly on the TikTok app or on the Instagram Edits app.

"If I'm filming an Instagram reel, I'll use edits and post it directly from edits," she said, adding that she occasionally uses CapCut, too.

But she doesn't use her phone to shoot all of her content. She also uses her Alix Earle light and the wired headphones from Apple — but when it comes to cameras, she has three go-tos.

Alix Earle light

The TikTok-famous Alix Earle light comes from a brand called Newmowa. It's a clip-on LED light that's popular among creators like Nguyen.

Opens in a new window Credit: Newmowa Newmowa 60 LED High Power Clip-on Light $25.49 at Amazon
$29.99 Save $4.50 Get Deal Canon PowerShot V10

Nguyen uses her Canon PowerShot V10 when she vlogs on the go. She likes that it can stand up by itself at any angle. When she shoots on her Canon, she edits using Final Cut Pro.

Opens in a new window Credit: Canon Canon PowerShot V10 camera $399 at Amazon
$429 Save $30 Get Deal Canon XS740

She says she uses the Canon XS740, for instance, when she goes on a vacation and wants to take both pictures and videos. When she shoots on her Canon, she edits using Final Cut Pro.

Opens in a new window Credit: Canon Canon PowerShot SX740 HS Camera $835 at Amazon
Shop Now Leica D-LUX 8

When Nguyen just wants to take photos, though, she prefers her Leica D-LUX 8. "It's so, so good for photos," she said. While Nguyen uses the D-LUX for photography, it can also shoot 4K video.

Opens in a new window Credit: Leica Leica D-Lux 8 Digital Camera $2,189.95 at Amazon
$2,634.95 Save $445 Get Deal Final Cut Pro

The popular Mac video editing software is available via the Mac App Store. You can also sign up for a limited free trial.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Final Cut Pro $299.99 at Apple
Free trial available Shop Now

One of the scariest films of the year, 28 Years Later, used iPhones to film key scenes.

Director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Alex Garland reunite almost 28 years after their groundbreaking 2002 film 28 Days Later, delivering a gloriously horrifying cinematic experience in their latest film.

SEE ALSO: Review: '28 Years Later' is a triumphant return, one of the scariest films of the year

Also returning is cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, whose use of digital camcorders defined 28 Days Later. Here, Boyle and Mantle use a host of cameras, including 20 adapted iPhone 15s, all deployed to capture Boyle's go-to 2.76:1 widescreen aspect. But what effect does this produce in 28 Years Later, and what does it mean for the actors in front of the many lenses?

Mashable entertainment editor Kristy Puchko sat down with Boyle for Mashable's Say More podcast, and UK editor Shannon Connellan spoke to 28 Years Later stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, and Alfie Williams to understand more about making a major horror film using iPhones.

"When someone puts an iPhone very close, it's a bit intrusive. You feel kind of vulnerable, and you can't hide. There's a quality about it that just shows everything, and it meant we had to feel very present in the moment," says Taylor-Johnson. "You got used to it very quickly, and it became such a great environment to work around."

Credit: Sony Pictures

"Technology’s moved on, and we thought, we’ve got to move on and yet we want to respect that instinct which is to use the ordinary in some way. So it feels like it’s something that’s come from the place that the story is about. And of course, we’ve all got the phones now so we decided to use them," Boyle says.

"They’re lightweight, they now record at 4K, but they allowed us to visit places, remote places, in the UK, with a very light footprint," he adds. "But we used a lot of cameras. We didn’t just use the iPhones… there’s a red sequence in it that’s used this special Panasonic camera, the EU123. We used drones, which use 6K cameras. And we unified everything with a format, with a 2.76:1, which is a widescreen format, which you can do now with all these cameras."

As for teen newcomer Williams, who plays 12-year-old Spike, the experience of making films on iPhone is pretty standard for his generation. "This was normal for me," he says.

28 Years Later is now playing in theaters. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple is slated for theatrical release on Jan. 16, 2026.

TL;DR: Game like you used to on a Kinhank Retro Console on sale for $89.97.

Opens in a new window Credit: Kinhank Kinhank Super Console X2 Pro Retro Gaming Emulator & Streaming Console $89.97
$159.99 Save $70.02 Get Deal

More and more games are raising their prices. For gamers who just want to sit back and enjoy a quick game whenever they can, dropping $80 on a single title isn’t really practical. If you want to go back to the days when gaming was an affordable hobby, check out this new retro console.

The Kinhank Super Console X2 Pro has thousands of games preloaded, and you might recognize a few. These are retro titles like Street Fighter and Final Fantasy, and it’s only $89.97 (reg. $159.99) to get access to all of them.

70,000+ games plus a surprise

Kinhank Super Console X2 Pro gives you a single, smooth interface to play thousands of modern and old-school titles. You get dual operating systems, with Android 9.0 for streaming apps and EmuELEC 4.5 for emulation, giving you flexibility beyond gaming. You can go straight from trouncing your friend in a 1-on-1 deathmatch to marathoning your favorite show.

The included 256GB game card comes loaded with thousands of games, spanning classic systems like NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, PlayStation, and more. Plus, you can easily expand your library using a microSD card or download additional 3D games at no extra cost.

You also get two wireless controllers right out of the box, making multiplayer gaming easy. Thanks to the plug-and-play design, setup is simple. Just connect it to your TV or monitor with the included HDMI cable, power it up, and start playing. It even supports 4K HD output, so your retro games will look surprisingly crisp on modern screens.

With built-in dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0, the Kinhank Super Console X2 Pro offers stable connections for both online features and wireless accessories. And while it’s pretty stacked with games, this console is still small enough to toss in a backpack and take to a friend’s house. You know, like people used to.

If you want gaming to feel like it used to, get a Kinhank Super Console while it’s on sale for $89.97. Shipping is also free.

StackSocial prices subject to change

TL;DR: Scan anything, anywhere, with this lifetime subscription to iScanner, now A$38 (reg. A$306) with code SCAN through 20 July.

Opens in a new window Credit: iScanner iScanner App: Lifetime Subscription AU$38
AU$306 Save AU$268 Get Deal

Raise your hand if you've ever had to rush to the library to print something. If most of us don't have the space for clunky printers, chances are we also don't keep a scanner at home. That's what iScanner is for.

This iOS app transforms your iPhone or iPad into a handy little scanner that works for basically any document type. It's also only A$38 (reg. A$306) for a lifetime subscription. 

No more wasted desk space

Even if you're one of the few with a physical scanner still in your presence, you can now clear some counter space thanks to iScanner. And while you're at it, you can throw away that dusty old filing cabinet, too. 

iScanner is the number one US-based scanning and document management tool, letting you knock items off your to-do list from anywhere. Need to save a receipt for taxes? Do you have a contract you need to digitize? You can scan any document using just the phone on your iOS device. 

Students, entrepreneurs, educators, and stay-at-home moms alike will all find endless uses for a scanner in your pocket. The AI-powered tools ensure your documents' borders are detected and automatically adjusted while also straightening scan pages and ditching curves and skews. 

Thanks to AI, you can also use iScanner to help you solve complicated math problems.  Or put its OCR technology to the test and let it help you decipher text in up to 20 languages.

Once things are scanned, the app becomes a full PDF editor and file manager. Edit your scans, including signing them, adding text, or autofilling them with custom templates. Then, use the file manager's folder via drag and drop to keep them safe and organized. 

Scanning something confidential? You can also protect files and folders by locking them with a PIN. 

Use code SCAN by 20 July at 11:59 p.m. PT to get an iScanner lifetime subscription on sale for A$38. 

StackSocial prices subject to change.