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Last year, I said the ultra-thin Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 was the best foldable we've ever tested. That means the rumored successor device has big shoes to fill.

After months of speculation, Samsung finally confirmed that it will hold a Galaxy Unpacked event in London on July 22, where it will presumably announce its newest batch of foldable devices, among other things. While this means we haven't yet seen the follow-up to the Z Fold 7 in an official capacity, there's been enough reporting online to build a decent profile of the phone before its unveiling.

Here's everything we know about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra so far.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Health app gets big refresh ahead of Galaxy Watch 9 release Latest Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra rumors: Price and release date

As mentioned previously, everyone expects Samsung to show off the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra in London on July 22. That means the phone will most likely launch shortly after that, as per usual. As for its price, last year Samsung charged $1,999 for the Z Fold 7, which was itself a $100 price increase over the previous model.

There haven't been any concrete reports about the price of the new Z Fold just yet, but based on the way things are going in the tech world, thanks to RAMageddon, it might be reasonable to expect an even higher price this year. If we're lucky, it might "only" be another $100 price hike. It's just hard to see it staying the same considering the market conditions right now.

Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold Wide, or Fold Ultra: Will the name change?

This is where things start getting a little confusing regarding the Z Fold series.

Multiple reports have suggested that the device will be called the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, with the regular Z Fold 8 name going instead to a rumored third foldable that Samsung is allegedly going to announce at the show. More on that in a bit. Given that there have now been multiple official certifications referring to the device as "Z Fold 8 Ultra," we're going to stick with that name for the duration of this article, even though Samsung hasn't confirmed it yet.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Design This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

There have been a bevy of leaks all but confirming the existence of the new "Wide Fold" phone, alongside the Z Fold 8 Ultra and the Z Flip 8. Prominent leaker Sonny Dickson, for example, posted photos of some dummy units that very clearly show a new device that looks a lot like the Z Fold 7 next to one that looks like the Z Flip 7, and one that doesn't look like any Samsung foldable we've seen before.

Last year, the Z Fold 7 had a 6.5-inch outer display and an 8-inch unfolded inner display, and all signs point to Samsung maintaining a size profile similar to that for the Z Fold 8. What differentiates it from the "Wide Fold" phone is that the latter would have a smaller 5.4-inch outer display alongside a 7.6-inch inner display with a 4:3 aspect ratio.

You might wonder why Samsung is doing that. Well, that would be because Apple is reportedly working on an iPhone Fold to launch late this year with a wider design than book-style foldables like the Z Fold 7 and Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Thus, Samsung's "Wide Fold" device is clearly gearing up to compete with Apple's handset. There have been leaked images of an iPhone Fold dummy case, and it does look a lot like the wide phone in the earlier Samsung dummy image.

So, expect a head-to-head battle between the Z Fold 8 Wide and the iPhone Fold Ultra later this year.

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The Z Fold 7 was impressive last year because of its incredibly svelte size for a foldable; it measured in at just 8.9mm when folded and merely 4.2mm when unfolded, with a light weight of 215g. We don't yet know how much smaller the Z Fold 8 Ultra will be, if at all, but one Korean news report suggested it could be even lighter, coming in at 200g. That would be very exciting, as the thinness of last year's model was a huge reason it stood (and continues to stand) above most of the competition.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Specs

We don't yet know a lot about what will be inside the Z Fold 8 Ultra, unfortunately. But there is a little bit of info we can chew on for now.

Namely, the same Korean news report with the weight information also suggested Samsung could upgrade the battery cell from 4,400mAh to 5,000mAh. The battery life in the Z Fold 7 was really the only disappointing aspect of the device, so this would be a hugely welcome change. It could work in tandem with a new chipset, most likely a Snapdragon chip like the powerful ones seen in the Galaxy S26 line earlier this year.

That increased battery size might also come with up to 45W charging speeds, which would be lovely. Other than that, we don't know what to expect from the Z Fold 8 Ultra in terms of everyday performance. That said, the Z Fold 7 was quite a nice phone to use, so Samsung doesn't need to fix what isn't broken in that regard.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra: Cameras The camera array on the Z Fold 7. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Lastly, an intriguing update from Dutch outlet Galaxy Club suggested that Samsung could somewhat dramatically improve the rear camera array on the Z Fold 8 Ultra. For reference, the Z Fold 7 had a 200MP main shooter to go with a 12MP ultrawide lens and a 10MP telephoto lens.

If this report is to be believed, Samsung is keeping the 200MP lens, but upping the ultrawide lens from 12MP to 50MP, and the telephoto from 10MP to 12MP. It's hard to say without doing any testing how much of an effect that will have, but these new lenses should produce sharper images, at least in theory. You can probably also expect at least a few new AI image editing tricks this year, to go along with better hardware.

The reveal of the Z Fold 8 Ultra is still a couple of weeks away, but at least now we have a basic idea of what to expect from the phone, even if its name is confusing.

Samsung is set to capture the tech world's attention next week when it hosts its next big mobile launch event.

The Korean tech giant is hosting a Galaxy Unpacked event in London on July 22, and Mashable will be there, reporting live on all of the big announcements. We're fully expecting to see at least five new devices from Samsung, including the latest batch of flagship foldable phones. As per usual with Samsung, these devices haven't been leaking so much as flooding.

So, as we prepare for the big show, here's everything we know (and everything we think we know) about the Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event.

When is the next Galaxy Unpacked?

The next Galaxy Unpacked Event takes place on Wednesday, July 22 in London. The livestream will begin promptly at 9 a.m. ET. We expect all the new devices to be available for pre-order immediately after the event.

Mashable will be attending the event and hosting a live blog, so check back next week to unpack all of the day's news with us.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: What's actually new (and what's not) Three new foldables are arriving, including the Z Flip 8, Z Fold 8, and Z Fold 8 Ultra. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Samsung's new foldable phones typically debut during a summer Galaxy Unpacked event, and Samsung recently confirmed that it will be announcing new details about its next-gen foldables on July 22.

We don't have official confirmation on which devices will be announced, but all reports indicate that three new foldable phones will arrive at Galaxy Unpacked 2026:

• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 (previously known as the Z Fold Wide)

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

This is where things get a little confusing. You'd think the Z Fold 8 Ultra would be the new addition to the lineup, but recent reports indicate that the Z Fold 8 is actually a new device this year. Rumors for months have pointed to Samsung releasing a wider foldable this year, and it sounds like that phone will take the Z Fold 8 name, while a true successor to the Z Fold 7 will be called Z Fold 8 Ultra.

The new phones will probably arrive with price increases

Again, we don't have any official details, but it's very likely the successors to the Z Flip 7 and Z Fold 7 will indeed cost more. Most early reports and leaks indicate a price increase of $100, which is in line with the price increases we've seen from Motorola. The global memory crisis has led to price hikes for laptops, smartphones, gaming consoles, and virtually every product that requires memory, and Samsung probably won't be the exception.

Recently, South Korean outlet SEDaily reported that the starting price of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will be $2,099, a $100 price increase over the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The same outlet reported the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide model will start at $1,899.99. Finally, according to leaker Lanzuk (as reported by PhoneArena), the new Galaxy Z Flip 8 will likely have a starting price of $1,199, or $100 more than its predecessor.

TL;DR: Thanks to RAMageddon, do not be surprised to see year-over-year price increases for all of the new devices.

A new Z Fold 8 to compete with the iPhone Ultra Fold

Rumors indicate that the new Z Fold 8 will potentially have a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.8-inch inner display when unfolded. With a 4:3 aspect ratio, it will be a book-style foldable. These dimensions are very similar to the rumored design of the still-unannounced foldable iPhone, suggesting Samsung wants to introduce this third foldable as a direct competitor to Apple's upcoming device. It's the latest salvo in the ongoing Apple iPhone vs. Samsung Galaxy battle for smartphone dominance.

Featured Video For You More Folding iPhone Reports and Rumors

The Z Fold 8's rumored specs, via PhoneArena:

• Processor: Snapdragon Elite 8 Gen 5 for Galaxy

• RAM: 12GB

• Storage: 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB

• Main display: 7.6 inches

• Cover Display: 5.5 inches

• Cameras: 50MP primary lens, 50MP ultra-wide lens, 10MP selfie lens

The new flagship: Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra The Galaxy Z Fold 7 (pictured here) was surprisingly thin and lightweight. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

As mentioned above, we think the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will actually be a successor to last year's Z Fold 7, which we enjoyed testing. This new foldable should have a new chip and a stronger 200MP main camera on the back. Samsung is also said to have done some work to make the crease on the folding display less visible this year. Finally, a Korean news report indicated the Z Fold 8 will be slightly lighter than the Fold 7, which was already impressively thin and lightweight.

At this point, pretty much all of the specs for the upcoming devices have leaked. So, while none of these details are official, we think the Z Fold 8 Ultra will have the following specs, via PhoneArena:

• Processor: Snapdragon Elite 8 Gen 5 for Galaxy

• RAM: 12GB or 16GB

• Storage: 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB

• Main display: 8 inches

• Cover display: 6.5 inches

• Cameras: 200MP wide, 50MP ultra-wide, 12MP telephoto

This week, Samsung revealed that its new foldables (which it didn't mention by name, unfortunately) will feature a new Flex Titanium technology. In short, a titanium-alloy film and a titanium plate will better support the phones' flexible display, creating a more durable device and a less noticeable crease. Samsung said more details will be revealed on July 22.

The new Z Flip 8 will look very familiar Last year's Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 on display. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

If the rumored specs for the new Galaxy Z Flip 8 are correct, this year's flip phone-style foldable will look a lot like the Z Flip 7, but with a better processor and a less visible crease.

Until recently, the rumor mill indicated that the Z Flip 8 would get a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. However, leaker WinFuture (as reported by 9to5Google) claimed that instead, the flip phone will get a new Samsung Exynos 2600 processor.

And here are the rumored specs:

• Processor: Samsung Exynos 2600 or Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

• RAM: 12GB

• Main Display: 6.9 inches

• Cover Display: 4.1 inches

• Storage: 256GB or 512GB

• Cameras: 50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP selfie

New Galaxy Watches are also on the way

Samsung usually uses this summer event to showcase its latest smartwatch advancements, and 2026 looks no different. This year, we expect to see two new Samsung watches:

• Samsung Galaxy Watch 9

• Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2

It's generally accepted that both of these watches will see fairly incremental changes from before. There will surely be new health-tracking features, and some small design changes, with the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 in particular said to incorporate classic numbers on the watch face, a thinner bezel, and better side buttons. Most importantly, for some, it sounds like Samsung is skipping out on a new Galaxy Watch Classic this year. You'll get a base model and a premium model, and that's it, as far as anyone can tell.

Finally, don't forget that Samsung is all-in on artificial intelligence, so we expect major upgrades to the Samsung Health app and the watches' overall health-tracking features.

Could we see Galaxy Glasses make their big debut? The upcoming Galaxy smart glasses as designed by Gentle Monster (left) and Warby Parker (right). Credit: Samsung

Lastly, Samsung's long-awaited smart glasses could also make their debut at Unpacked in July. Most likely called Galaxy Glasses, we expect these specs to work similarly to the ones Meta has been releasing for a few years now. We saw a preview of these specs at Google's recently developers' conference, and we know Samsung is working with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster on the designs.

These smart glasses will not include any augmented reality or heads-up display features, focusing instead on on-board cameras and a built-in AI assistant, courtesy of Google Gemini, to provide information about what you're seeing, should you ask. We expect the first generation of these glasses to arrive in 2026, and we're holding out hope that the glasses will get a shoutout or even a proper introduction at the London Galaxy Unpacked event on July 22.

It should be a pretty packed showcase, so stay tuned for all of our coverage as we get closer to Galaxy Unpacked.

Remember: Mashable will be attending the live keynote in London, and we'll have a live blog with real-time updates on all the day's news. Don't miss it!

Apple's flagship smartphone hasn't taken a year off from its updates since 2007, and barring a massive surprise, 2026 won't be different – but there will be a twist.

The Cupertino-based tech giant is widely expected to launch a new lineup of iPhones later this year, including the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max and the rumored iPhone Ultra, the company's first-ever foldable. The regular iPhone 18, the 18e, and the new iPhone Air are likely to arrive early next year.

Our big Guessing Game is back! Enter now for a chance to win an Apple Watch.

As we await the iPhone 18 — and its updated operating system, iOS 27 — tidbits of news and rumors continue to trickle out. The pace of leaks on the iPhone 18 Pro in particular is likely to increase after a massive hack exposed thousands of Apple's internal documents, reportedly including iPhone 18 Pro suppliers and tests.

We won't see any of the new Apple phones in the wild for months — but we can bring you the most substantiated and most likely updates in one place.

SEE ALSO: Apple reportedly working on anti-phone snatching security feature iPhone 18 lineup pricing

If you're in the market for a new iPhone, you should circle September in your calendar. That has been the month for Apple's big showcase event for a very long time, and there's no reason to believe Apple will change that in 2026.

Expect to see new Apple CEO John Ternus take the stage to introduce it; his term of office officially begins Sept. 1.

What he'll be introducing, alas, may put more of a dent in your wallet. Thanks to the ongoing RAM shortage caused by the AI industry (also known as RAMageddon), tons of smartphones, laptops, and gaming consoles are seeing huge price hikes. Experts who've spoken to Mashable say that trend isn't going to stop anytime soon.

As the world's number one smartphone maker, Apple has some advantages over its rivals, but a price increase is definitely coming. We had hoped otherwise — Apple raised prices on its new MacBooks earlier this year, while also introducing a low-cost $599 laptop that put big pressure on its Windows rivals.

But then outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook took the unusual step of preparing us for a pricier iPhone. "Price increases are unavoidable," Cook told the Wall Street Journal in an interview. The Journal quoted an analysis showing that the memory chip components in the iPhone 18 Pro will cost Apple $150 more than those in the iPhone 17 Pro.

So should you expect the phones to cost just $150 more than their predecessors (see the iPhone 17 prices here)? You wish. There's the pesky fact that Apple is a for-profit company, and the iPhone is the #1 smartphone in the world for a reason, even though it's already pricier than Samsung's.

How much of an increase will Apple fans bear? We may be about to find out, but the Journal estimated $1,299 for the iPhone 18 Pro ($200 more than last year).

iPhone 18, 18 Pro, and 18 Ultra launch dates

Barring a huge turn under Ternus, Apple will release the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the foldable iPhone Ultra in early September. Obviously Apple's first foldable iPhone is the biggest headline here, but the Pro models will bring numerous improvements too.

The iPhone 18, however, alongside the cheaper iPhone 18e, and the next-gen iPhone Air, are rumored to come next year, likely in March 2027.

iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Pro design

Again, Apple has not released any official teasers or other imagery for the iPhone 18 lineup yet, so anything reported to date could be wrong. Still, from the sum total of all reports, it sounds like Apple isn't really reinventing the wheel, design-wise. But Ternus, a hardware guy, is reportedly bringing the company's industrial design group into the center of the Apple fold.

Looking further into the future, the iPhone 20 is said to bring big changes, including a curved waterfall display.

Per our friends at CNET (Mashable and CNET are both owned by Ziff Davis), the display sizes will be roughly the same as last year:

• iPhone 18: 6.3 inches

• iPhone 18 Pro: 6.3 inches

• iPhone 18 Pro Max: 6.9 inches

However, the display quality might be a little different this year. Prominent leaker Instant Digital shared on Chinese social media that Apple's brightness demands are unusually high this year, so it would be reasonable to expect much brighter displays than in previous years.

Some iPhone 18 models could also have a smaller camera bump compared to previous models. There are reports of a slightly redesigned Dynamic Island on the screen itself, with the pill-shaped notification hub potentially being made smaller in the iPhone 18 Pro models. One alleged leaked image purports to show an iPhone 18 Pro with a downsized Dynamic Island cutout.

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Wondering about the iPhone 18 color options? For the iPhone 18 Pro, at least, it seems the color options have already leaked. Previous rumors indicated Apple was experimenting with a "deep red" color for the iPhone 18 Pro, and a new report from MacWorld backs that up. According to their reporting, the color lineup for the iPhone 18 Pro will be silver, gray, light blue, and a color called "dark cherry" — likely the deep red previously reported.

Sadly, we think fans of black iPhones are out of luck again.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. iPhone 18: rumored hardware features

So we know the software the iPhone 18 will run: iOS 27, introduced at WWDC 2026. Time to start talking about some of the internal hardware changes Apple is reportedly making to the iPhone 18 lineup.

For starters, it sounds like the lineup will have a standardized 12GB RAM count across the board. In previous years, the Pro models had 12GB of RAM, while the base model had only 8GB. According to Korean outlet The Bell, Apple will be upgrading the base model so that it matches the Pro models in that regard. It's also widely expected that Apple will adopt new A20 and A20 Pro chips for the base and Pro models, respectively.

It's also expected that the new iPhones will have a new C2 modem for improved cellular connectivity, and they may also have 5G satellite support. Also reported: a new N2 chip for better WiFi performance.

Latest iPhone 18 Pro rumors

For the iPhone 18 Pro, the current expectation is that Apple will improve the battery size in the premium iPhone 18 models this year.

Leaker Digital Chat Station on Weibo reported that the batteries could exceed 5,000mAh, which would be an improvement over the iPhone 17 Pro.

Instant Digital posted in a separate Weibo leak that the back glass of the iPhone 18 Pro has been altered, resulting in a new unified look, as opposed to the two-tone look of the iPhone 17 Pro. Whether that change will affect durability (or if it's just an aesthetic difference) remains to be seen.

Other differences include Apple's new A20 Pro chip inside, improved LTPO+ display, Apple's new C2 modem, 5G via satellite connectivity, and the improved N2 chip which should improve hotspot and AirDrop reliability.

What about the iPhone 18 Pro Max?

Several reports out of China say the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a much larger battery — and be a bit of a chunky boy as a result.

We're not talking about a huge increase in weight and width: a quarter of a millimeter thickness and 7 grams more respectively. Still, every gram counts on the heftiest iPhone model you can get — so iPhone 17 Pro Max upgraders may want to check that their pocket linings can bear the larger bulk of the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

The iPhone 17 Pro has helped Apple break sales records in 2026. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

Are you an Apple superfan? Enter Mashable’s Big Guessing Game to win prizes.

iPhone 18 camera rumors

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, a source of many spot-on iPhone reports, says the iPhone 18 Pro, in particular, will have "some of the biggest camera hardware upgrades in the lineup's history."

Why? First, the telephoto camera has a larger aperture. But more important is the variable aperture.

First reported by Digital Chat Station on Weibo, variable aperture is a huge deal. It would let the iPhone 18 Pro camera capture different amounts of light for different situations — potentially leading to a huge leap in photo quality, if you know what you're doing.

For instance, the bokeh effect famously associated with portrait mode on iPhones would be possible in-camera rather than through software processing, resulting in more natural and generally better-looking shots.

What about AI Siri?

Of course, one of the first things many users will want to know about the iPhone 18 when they get their hands on one: what is the new, revamped, AI-upgraded Siri experience like?

If you're feeling adventurous, you can try it yourself by installing the iOS 27 beta.

The new features include Siri becoming an actual chatbot with its own app. It's also able to understand what's on your screen, and it can help you write, create images, and edit photos.

For an overview of some of the best features Siri AI has to offer, go here. And for the best new features in Apple's iOS 27 public beta, check our roundup here.

Substack is introducing a new tool to help readers figure out whether content was written by a human or generated by AI. Announced in a blog post on Tuesday, the self-publishing platform's new feature is powered by AI detection tool Pangram, and is available on Substack posts, notes, replies, and comments.

SEE ALSO: Substack gives creators control of the conversation with new Reply Rules

"Not everything made with AI is slop, and not all slop is made with AI," wrote Substack co-founder and CEO Chris Best. "The problem is when there is a mismatch between a reader’s expectation and reality, especially when they unwittingly invest their attention in something with no human thought on the other end."

Substack's AI detection tool is available now on web and in the iOS app, with Android to follow. To scan Substack content for AI contributions, simply click or tap on the "..." meatball menu, then select "Scan for AI text." A popup will then appear stating what percentage of the text Pangram has determined is AI-generated, AI-assisted, or human.

Substack's new AI detection feature does have some restrictions. Specifically, it will only work on Substack text passages longer than 100 words, and only those published after 8:30 a.m. PT / 11:30 a.m. on July 21. Attempting to scan Substack content published prior to this results in a popup stating that it's ineligible for AI detection. 

Trying to check passages that are shorter than 100 words also surfaces a popup explaining that there isn't enough text for accurate AI detection. The popup on Best's own posts also offers an additional message: "I'm still figuring all of this out. (In the meantime these words are mine, for better or worse.)"

Pengram will only scan text for any AI authorship if the reader requests it. As such, it's up to users to take the initiative and investigate the provenance of what they're reading to the best of their ability. Best notes that the tool cannot detect if, for example, a human used AI to do research before writing a post.

Substack's AI-detection tool adds some new features for authors as well. Writers are now able to add a statement explaining how they wrote content, which will appear when readers use the AI detection tool on their posts. Authors can run Pengram's AI detection tool on their drafts and submit a report if they believe it has classified their content incorrectly. Interestingly, writers can also remove the flag themselves by completely disabling AI detection on their content, regardless of whether or not Pengram's detection was correct.

Credit: Substack

Pangram itself uses AI to detect AI-generated text. However, rather than generative AI, it deploys a classifier neural network model trained to recognise and distinguish between human and AI-generated text. The company states that its algorithm's dataset of human authored text was gathered from sources published prior to 2021, before generative AI was widely used on the internet, to ensure no AI-generated text snuck its way in.

Best stated that Substack is looking into adding more AI-focused features in the future, depending upon user interest and feedback. This includes allowing users to set preferences for the content Substack recommends to them, suggesting that we may eventually see the option to filter out AI-generated content altogether.

A recent study by digital marketing firm Graphite found that the number of online articles that are primarily AI-generated is now equal to the number written by humans. Multiple publications have been called out for using AI to generate articles over the last few years, several of which were laden with errors. In some instances, these AI-generated articles were attributed to fake, AI-generated authors or the publication's "staff."

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.

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

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

Possessive.

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

WHOSE

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A small, round fruit.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 22, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

GRAPE

Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To intrigue.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for July 22 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for July 21, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

PIQUE

Hurdle Word 4 hint

To follow.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

ABIDE

Final Hurdle hint

To yearn for.

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

COVET

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

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you watch college football.

As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, 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 the latest 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: Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. The sports 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 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 before 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: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. Here's a hint for today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: You can't golf here

• Green: Sports movies

• Blue: Stadiums

• Purple: Break this

Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Places Where an Errant Golf Shot Lands

• Green: Sports Films, With "The"

• Blue: College Football Stadium Nicknames, With "The"

• Purple: ___Break

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: Sports Edition #667 is...

What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?

• Places Where an Errant Golf Shot Lands: BUNKER, OUT OF BOUNDS, POND, ROUGH

• Sports Films, With "The": FIGHTER, KARATE KID, NATURAL, WATERBOY

• College Football Stadium Nicknames, With "The": BIG HOUSE, FLATS, HORSESHOE, SWAMP

• ___Break: FAST, HYDRATION, SERVICE, TIE

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports Connections 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.

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 yesterday's Connections.

Welcome to your guide to Pips, the latest game in the New York Times catalogue.

Released in August 2025, Pips puts a unique spin on dominoes, creating a fun single-player experience that could become your next daily gaming habit.

Currently, if you're stuck, the game only offers to reveal the entire puzzle, forcing you to move on to the next difficulty level and start over. However, we have you covered! Below are piecemeal answers that will serve as hints so that you can find your way through each difficulty level.

How to play Pips

If you've ever played dominoes, you'll have a passing familiarity with how Pips is played. As we've shared in our previous hints stories for Pips, the tiles, like dominoes, are placed vertically or horizontally and connect with each other. The main difference between a traditional game of dominoes and Pips is the color-coded conditions you have to address. The touching tiles don't necessarily have to match.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for July 22, 2026

The conditions you have to meet are specific to the color-coded spaces. For example, if it provides a single number, every side of a tile in that space must add up to the number provided. It is possible — and common — for only half a tile to be within a color-coded space.

Here are common examples you'll run into across the difficulty levels:

• Number: All the pips in this space must add up to the number.

• Equal: Every domino half in this space must be the same number of pips.

• Not Equal: Every domino half in this space must have a completely different number of pips.

• Less than: Every domino half in this space must add up to less than the number.

• Greater than: Every domino half in this space must add up to more than the number.

If an area does not have any color coding, it means there are no conditions on the portions of dominoes within those spaces.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for July 22, 2026 Easy difficulty hints, answers for July 22 Pips

Number (10): Everything in this space must add up to 10. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically; 4-0, placed horizontally.

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 6-5, placed vertically; 6-0, placed horizontally.

Number (4): Everything in this space must add up to 4. The answer is 4-0, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed vertically.

Less Than (4): Everything in this space must be less than 4. The answer is 6-0, placed horizontally; 4-3, placed vertically.

Medium difficulty hints, answers for July 22 Pips

Less Than (3): Everything in this space must be less than 3. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 0-4, placed vertically; 4-6, placed vertically.

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 6-6, placed vertically.

Equal (6): Everything in this space must be equal to 6. The answer is 4-6, placed vertically; 6-5, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 1-1, placed horizontally; 6-5, placed horizontally.

Number (6): Everything in this space must add up to 6. The answer is 5-3, placed horizontally; 3-0, placed horizontally.

Greater Than (1): Everything in this space must be greater than 1. The answer is 5-3, placed horizontally.

Hard difficulty hints, answers for July 22 Pips

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 3-5 placed horizontally.

Number (5): Everything in this space must add up to 5. The answer is 3-5 placed horizontally.

Number (3): Everything in this space must add up to 3. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically; 2-0, placed vertically.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 1. The answer is 1-4, placed vertically.

Number (12): Everything in this space must add up to 12. The answer is 6-6, placed horizontally.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (4): Everything in this orange space must be equal to 4. The answer is 3-4, placed vertically; 4-0, placed vertically; 1-4, placed vertically.

Number (2): Everything in this space must add up to 2. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically.

Equal (4): Everything in this space must be equal to 4. The answer is 4-2, placed horizontally; 4-5, placed horizontally.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 1-3, placed vertically; 3-0, placed horizontally.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 2-0, placed vertically; 3-0, placed horizontally; 4-0, placed vertically.

Number (11): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 4-5, placed horizontally; 6-2, placed horizontally.

Equal (2): Everything in this space must be equal to 2. The answer is 6-2, placed horizontally; 2-1, placed horizontally.

Number (1): Everything in this space must add up to 11. The answer is 2-1, placed horizontally.

Number (13): Everything in this space must add up to 13. The answer is 2-3, placed vertically; 5-5, placed vertically.

Number (0): Everything in this space must add up to 0. The answer is 0-5, placed vertically.

Greater Than (4): Everything in this space must be greater than 1. The answer is 0-5, placed vertically.

Equal (3): Everything in this space must be equal to 3. The answer is 3-3, placed horizontally.

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

More than a thousand new surveillance towers will be erected along U.S. borders, according to a recent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) assessment by the Government Accounting Office.

The expanded autonomous surveillance plan, including tech upgrades to existing towers overseen by DHS, is estimated to cost around $1 billion and aims to be finished by 2034. Upon completion, the country's borders will boast 2,300 surveillance towers — it currently operates around 830, the Electronic Frontier Foundation reports.

SEE ALSO: Google's AI Search is a minefield for schools

The expenditure is part of the Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) consolidated Integrated Surveillance Tower (IST) program, which operates a network of intel-gathering towers and surveillance that detect "items of interest" along the border and in nearby towns. The towers are integrated into a central system accessible by agents.

"It’s not just a barrier. A lot of people miss that [it] has technology built into it," said CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott during an April budget hearing with lawmakers regarding the agency's plans.

Building on years of work to outfit border regions with technologically-advanced security systems, the White House has proposed millions in infrastructure for a "smart" border wall, including autonomous and AI-powered surveillance towers that alert agents to potential security threats. In 2025 and 2026, more than $240 million was allocated for the IST program. The 2027 budget steered another $97 million toward the construction of 95 new towers over the next year.

There's a reason Paramount+'s fast-paced new movie Wardriver sits at the top of the streamer's Top 10 rankings—it's a thriller, and people love them. In fact, according to FlixPatrol, most of the biggest streaming services currently have thrillers among their top five because they offer mystery, crank up the tension, and dare you to look away lest you miss something.

Disclosure Day, which hit theaters in early June, marks a return to sci-fi for legendary director Steven Spielberg. Not just sci-fi, but specifically alien-themed sci-fi. It also reunites him with many of his longtime collaborators, including screenwriter David Koepp, who also wrote Jurassic Park and War of the Worlds. In other words, if you're a Spielberg fan, it's a must-watch.

The best ways to watch 'Disclosure Day' at a glance: Watch now Buy or rent 'Disclosure Day' on Prime Video $19.99 or $24.99 Shop Now Watch now Buy or rent 'Disclosure Day' at Apple TV $19.99 or $24.99 Shop Now Watch now Buy or rent 'Disclosure Day' on Fandango $19.99 or $24.99 Shop Now Watch later Peacock Premium yearly subscription $109.99/year (save $21.89) Get Deal Watch later Peacock Premium for Students and Young Adults $5.99/month for 12 months (save $5/month) Get Deal Watch later Peacock Premium for First Responders and Medical Professionals $6.99/month (save $4/month) Get Deal Watch later Peacock Premium for Active Military and Veterans $6.99/month (save $4/month) Get Deal Watch later Peacock Premium for Teachers $6.99/month (save $4/month) Get Deal Watch later Instacart+ (includes Peacock Premium for free) $99.99/year (save $109.99/year) Get Deal Watch later Walmart+ (includes Peacock Premium for free) $98/year (save $109.99/year) Get Deal

"With Disclosure Day, I experienced the distinctive thrill of watching a master filmmaker do what he does best," Mashable's Kristy Puchko cheered. In her review of the film, she called it "a dizzying mix of action, humor, adventure, sci-fi, and wonder."

Unfortunately, it underperformed at theaters, despite an 80 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating. Universal Pictures is hoping to find a wider audience this month, as the alien thriller is officially making its at-home debut. Here are all the streaming details you need to know to watch Disclosure Day.

What is Disclosure Day about?

Disclosure Day follows cybersecurity administrator Daniel Kellner (Josh O'Connor), who is on the run from a military-industrial corporation called Wardex after he steals sensitive files that he seeks to reveal to the world. I'm not saying it's aliens, but it's definitely aliens. He teams up with TV meteorologist Margaret Fairchild (Emily Blunt), and they fight "not just for the future of humanity, but also humanity's understanding of the universe," as Mashable's entertainment editor puts it in her review.

Check out the official trailer below.

How to watch Disclosure Day at home Credit: Universal Pictures

As of July 21, Disclosure Day is available to watch at home. You can buy it or rent it at digital-on-demand retailers for as low as $19.99, or you can wait a little longer to stream it on Peacock. See all the details below.

Buy or rent it on digital

A little over a month after its theatrical release, Disclosure Day made its digital debut on July 21, 2026. This means you can buy or rent the movie from on-demand retailers for $24.99 or $19.99. If you choose to rent, you'll get 30 days to watch the film and just 48 hours to finish it once you start. If you choose to buy it, then it's yours to keep and watch as many times as you want.

Here are some quick links to rent or purchase the film. Note that these prices will drop in the coming weeks.

• Apple TV — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• Fandango — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• Google Play — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

• Prime Video — buy for $24.99, rent for $19.99

Stream it on Peacock

While no specific streaming date has been officially announced, we can make an educated guess that Disclosure Day will make its streaming debut on Peacock in September 2026. We'll update this story with the latest information once it's revealed.

While the cheapest Peacock subscription costs just $7.99 per month, it unfortunately won't grant you access to theatrical releases. You'll need at least Peacock Premium, which costs $10.99 per month, to stream Disclosure Day. Before you sign up, be sure to check out some of the best ways to save some money on a subscription below.

The best Peacock streaming dealsBest Peacock deal: Save up to $33 on an annual subscription Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium annual subscription $109.99 per year or $169.99 per year (save 17%) Get Deal

The best way to save money on a streaming subscription on any given day is by opting for the annual plan instead of the monthly plan. Paying for a year of Peacock Premium or Premium Plus up front saves you up to $33.89 per year.

Peacock Premium (with ads) costs $10.99 monthly, which adds up to $131.88 for 12 months. If you pay for the annual plan, however, it'll only cost you $109.99 — a savings of $21.89. Likewise, the Premium Plus plan costs $16.99 per month, which adds up to $203.88. The annual plan, on the other hand, costs just $169.99 — a savings of $33.89. You'll essentially be getting two months of streaming for free by opting for an annual subscription.

Best Peacock deal for Xfinity customers: Free Peacock Premium for eligible accounts Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock / Xfinity Peacock Premium Free for select Xfinity customers Learn More

Nothing beats free. If you're an Xfinity customer and have yet to check if you get Peacock for free, I highly recommend heading to Xfinity.com for more details. Here's a brief breakdown:

• Xfinity Internet customers who are Diamond or Platinum Xfinity Rewards members can get Peacock Premium for free by redeeming a reward for it. Sign in at xfinity.com/rewards and choose Peacock as a reward. Then, wait for your email (it may take a few hours) with instructions on activating the offer.

• NOW TV customers can also receive Peacock Premium as part of their service.

• New customers with Xfinity Internet and an X1 TV Box, Flex streaming TV Box, or a Xumo Stream Box from Xfinity can get Peacock Premium for free for six months.

Best Peacock deal for students and young adults: Save $5/month for one year Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium for Students $5.99/month for 12 months (save $5/month) Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium for young adults $5.99/month for 12 months (save $5/month) Get Deal

Both students and young adults (ages 18 to 24) can take $5 per month off a Peacock Premium subscription all year long. Verify your student status or age through SheerID and generate a unique promo code to knock the price down to just $5.99 instead of $10.99. Just a heads up that once the promo year is up, you'll be charged full price unless you cancel.

Best for first responders, medical professionals, military, and teachers: Save $4/month Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium for First Responders and Medical Professionals $6.99 per month (save $4 per month) Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium for Military $6.99 per month (save $4 per month) Get Deal Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Peacock Premium for Teachers $6.99/month (save $4 per month) Get Deal

First responders, medical professionals, teachers, and military personnel can all unlock Peacock Premium subscriptions (with ads) for a discounted rate of $6.99 per month by verifying professional status through SheerID. If you continue to meet verification qualifications, then you can renew your subscription at a discounted rate each year. Prices are subject to change year to year.

Best for Instacart users: Free Peacock Premium with Instacart+ subscription Opens in a new window Credit: Instacart / Peacock Peacock Premium annual subscription Free for Instacart+ subscribers (save $109.99/year) Get Deal

An Instacart+ membership ($99.99 per year) unlocks a free Peacock Premium subscription ($109.99 per year value) on top of free grocery delivery, lower fees, and credit back on eligible pickup orders. You'll even get a free two-week trial to kick things off. Pro tip: Sign up for your trial of Instacart+ when Disclosure Day debuts on Peacock so you can watch it for free. Just be sure to cancel before you're charged the full amount. We recommend setting a calendar alert to remind you.

Best for Walmart shoppers: Free Peacock Premium for Walmart+ members Opens in a new window Credit: Walmart Walmart+ $98 per year Get Deal

One of the best ways to score streaming services for free is by signing up for a Walmart+ membership. A $98 Walmart+ subscription unlocks either Peacock Premium or Paramount+ Essential as a free perk — and you can switch every few months. Since Peacock Premium is a $109.99 value, the $98 Walmart+ membership is already a better deal than paying for Peacock on its own. With Walmart+, you'll also get free shipping with no order minimums, fuel discounts, a Scan & Go checkout tool, and early access to deals during Walmart's major shopping events.

Spotify is giving music videos their own Top 50.

On Tuesday, July 21, Spotify launched its first global chart dedicated to music videos, ranking the 50 most-watched videos on the platform each day. Artists can also pitch new videos directly to Spotify's editorial team for the first time, giving them a chance to appear on playlists including Best New Videos, Live Performances, and Today's Top Videos.

The features arrive after a steady expansion of music videos across Spotify, including full-length uploads, personalized recommendations, and early premieres from artists like BTS, Jelly Roll, and Taylor Swift. Artists can also now upload their own videos through Spotify for Artists.

SEE ALSO: Spotify adds editor videos to New Music Friday. We asked its curators why.

Add it all together, and Spotify is beginning to resemble a version of MTV built for the streaming era, complete with exclusive premieres, countdowns, and ever-changing rankings. There may not be a VJ telling viewers what comes next, but there is an AI DJ if you're into that sort of thing. Otherwise, Spotify's editors and recommendation algorithms fill the role.

Spotify has built its own music video countdown

The new Music Video Charts Global ranks videos by daily stream counts, refreshes daily at 6 p.m. ET, and lives in Spotify's Charts and Music Video Playlists hubs. Every Tuesday, the company will also highlight the week’s top 10 videos across its social media accounts.

Shakira and Burna Boy claimed the chart’s inaugural No. 1 with "Dai Dai," the official song of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which just surpassed 130 million total streams on Spotify.

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For anyone who remembers MTV countdown shows, the idea should feel familiar.

But Spotify’s version comes with a more modern, personalized layer. Its Videos For You playlist, the platform's first personalized music video playlist, recommends videos based on an individual user's listening habits. Someone who wants a broader view of what is popular can visit the global chart, while everyone else can receive a lineup tailored to them.

Videos can also appear on Spotify’s Home screen, artist profiles, release pages, editorial playlists, and the Now Playing view. Followers may receive push notifications when an artist releases a new video, increasing the likelihood that a listener will encounter it.

Spotify is also using early releases to give fans a reason to watch music videos inside its app rather than automatically heading to YouTube.

On July 17, 2026, BTS premiered the video for "NORMAL" on Spotify and kept it exclusive to the service for its first 48 hours. Spotify said the release set a platform record for the most-streamed K-pop music video in a single day. BTS currently occupies six of the top 10 positions on Spotify's inaugural Global Music Video chart.

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Jelly Roll gave Premium subscribers a similar 48-hour first look at “Hands Up,” which was filmed at San Quentin State Prison. Fans in Spotify's beta markets could watch both premieres on mobile, desktop, or television by playing either song and selecting "Switch to video."

Taylor Swift took a slightly different approach with "Opalite," releasing its video on Spotify and Apple Music in February 2026 before bringing it to YouTube — rumored to be because YouTube pulled itself from the U.S. charts in January 2026.

A new option beyond YouTube This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

For years, YouTube views helped determine where songs and albums appeared on the Billboard charts. That ended in January 2026, after YouTube and Billboard failed to agree on how those views should be counted.

The dispute centered on Billboard's decision to give more weight to streams from paying subscribers than to those on free, ad-supported services. YouTube argued that the formula undervalued its viewers, but Billboard kept its methodology. YouTube subsequently withdrew its U.S. data, and its views no longer contribute to either chart.

That does not make YouTube any less useful for reaching fans. More than 2 billion logged-in users watch music videos on the platform each month, according to the company. YouTube Music also offers more than 100 million songs alongside official videos, live performances, remixes, covers, Shorts, and fan uploads, much of it available without a paid subscription.

That enormous audience brings in money, too. YouTube paid more than $8 billion to artists, songwriters, labels, and publishers between July 2024 and June 2025. Its Music and Premium services had more than 125 million subscribers globally, including users in free trials. Some online consider YouTube the reigning champion among music video platforms — that hasn't changed.

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What has changed is the automatic assumption that every major music video should appear on YouTube first. Spotify also says its eligible music videos can earn royalties and qualify for charts, though chart eligibility depends on the release and the chart's rules.

Smaller artists can upload videos, too

The biggest premieres may bring fans into Spotify’s video section, but artists do not need a BTS-sized rollout to appear there.

Until recently, music videos primarily reached Spotify through labels, distributors, or services such as DistroVid, a paid video-distribution tool operated by independent music distributor DistroKid. Artists use the service to send music videos to platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Vevo without going through a record label. That changed on June 17, when Spotify began allowing artists in its beta program to upload full-length videos directly through Spotify for Artists.

Nearly 100,000 artists now have access to the feature, and everyone else can join a waitlist. Labels and distributors will remain Spotify's primary delivery route for music and video, but participating artists no longer have to rely on either to get a video onto the platform.

They also have more options than producing a traditional music video. Spotify accepts live performances, acoustic and studio sessions, and covers, all of which can earn royalties and may qualify for its charts, giving artists room to work with the content they can realistically produce.

Spotify pointed to indie rock band The Runarounds as one example of how that can translate into additional listening. According to the company, people who watched the band's live cover of "Valerie" went on to stream 67 percent more of its wider catalog than people who only heard the audio. They also listened to 21 percent more individual tracks.

For artists already making video content, Spotify gives that work another chance to reach listeners and lead them directly into the music.

Spotify says watching leads to more listening

Spotify is investing in video because the company says viewers tend to keep listening after the screen goes dark.

According to Spotify’s latest data, users stream a song 64 percent more frequently during the three weeks after watching its full-length video than comparable listeners who only heard the audio. They are also 1.4 times more likely to save it, share it, or add it to a playlist.

That interest can spread. Spotify also says viewers stream 57 percent more of the artist's catalog during the same period. Among "super listeners," its name for an artist's most active monthly listeners, streaming increases by 62 percent after watching a video. Spotify adds that equals more than an hour and 40 minutes of additional listening on average.

The company has therefore built video directly into the standard listening experience. When a song has a video available, users can select “Switch to video” without restarting it. They can then switch back to audio at the same point. The process keeps every part of the interaction within Spotify: a user can hear a song, watch a video, save it, and continue exploring the artist’s music without leaving the app.

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It also gives Spotify another way to keep users engaged as it expands beyond its original music-streaming business. The company already offers audiobooks and video podcasts, and by late 2025, almost 500,000 video podcast shows were available on the platform.

Some listeners would still rather Spotify stick to audio

Spotify's growing focus on video has created some friction with people who open the app simply to listen. WIRED reported that videos had sometimes played automatically, consuming additional data and battery life. In other cases, the video replaced the album recording with audio containing dialogue or sound effects.

Spotify has since added settings that let users disable music videos, Canvas animations, and video podcasts, giving audio-only listeners a way to remove most of the app's visual features.

Even so, finding a particular music video can still be hit or miss. WIRED also found that Spotify's catalog appeared inconsistent, with some videos available while others were missing.

The bigger question is whether Spotify can persuade listeners to become viewers. If it can, the next breakout music video may begin not with a YouTube search, but inside a personalized Spotify playlist.

A federal judge in San Francisco has granted final approval to a $1.5 billion settlement between Anthropic and a class of authors who accused the AI company of illegally downloading their copyrighted books, closing out what the court called the largest copyright class action settlement in history.

U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín signed the order on July 20, resolving claims brought by lead plaintiffs Andrea Bartz, Kirk Wallace Johnson, and others over Anthropic's use of pirated libraries LibGen and PiLiMi to build its book collection. Notably, the underlying dispute centered on how Anthropic acquired the books, not on whether training AI models with copyrighted material is lawful.

SEE ALSO: Anthropic to provide California government with AI tools

In an earlier ruling cited throughout the order, the court had already determined that the use of training itself constituted fair use.

Per the settlement, authors and publishers whose pirated books ended up on Anthropic's "Works List" can claim roughly $3,000 per book — about four times the usual minimum for copyright infringement cases. More than 91 percent of eligible works, over 440,000 books, have already been claimed. Anthropic also has to delete the pirated files it downloaded.

The settlement only releases Anthropic from liability for how it acquired the training data in the past — not from future lawsuits over what the chatbot generates, or new claims going forward. Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín was explicit that the settlement does not release claims for future harm or claims "based on the output of AI models."

The court overruled all 54 objections and comments filed by class members and third parties, including requests to expand the list of covered works, add non-monetary remedies like source attribution, or even deletion of Anthropic's models entirely. Per the court's judgment, those requests went beyond what this lawsuit could address.

With the order finalized, the case is officially closed, though the court will keep an eye on how the money actually gets distributed to authors.

I have broken Linux desktops in all the usual ways. I have installed a random PPA because some forum comments from 2018 sounded confident. I have removed a package that looked useless, only to discover it was holding the login screen together with tape and ancestral prayers. Not only that, but I upgraded at midnight, watched the system return with a black screen, and then pretended this was “learning” (copeeee!).

HBO Max has a reputation to uphold. It's one of the O.G. premium cable networks and has been the home of prestige TV for decades—it's the home of the dragons, the mushroom-zombies, the goombahs, and the rich people misbehaving at luxury resorts. But it's also got a whole lot of weird and funny stuff to make a marathon out of.

The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is finding new fans in more places than the stadium.

According to new data from the league, views across its YouTube channels increased 41.7 percent through the first 10 weeks of the 2026 season, reaching 11.2 million. Watch time climbed nearly 50 percent, while subscribers grew 17.9 percent.

Those gains are part of a strong first half of the season for the NWSL. Attendance is up, the league’s social following has expanded, and merchandise sales have increased. New clubs and a wider mix of broadcast and streaming options are also creating more ways for people to follow the league.

So, who are these new fans, how are they discovering the NWSL, and what is turning their interest into a lasting connection with the league?

Who is watching the NWSL?

The NWSL's audience is broader than the young, predominantly female fan base often associated with women's sports.

Nielsen estimated that the league had 39.3 million fans in the United States in 2025, up from 30.8 million in 2023. On ESPN, women accounted for nearly half of the NWSL audience for the second consecutive season, while viewership among women ages 18 to 34 increased 30 percent year over year. The league’s average audience on ESPN Deportes also more than doubled from 2024, rising 109 percent.

Women now account for nearly half of the league's audience on ESPN, while women ages 18 to 34 are among its fastest-growing viewer groups. Spanish-language viewership is also rising, introducing the league to more fans across the United States.

That growing audience is increasingly visible in the stands. Mashable senior reporter Matt Binder attended a recent Gotham FC match at Citi Field, where more than 40,000 people came to watch the team play — the biggest women's sporting event in New York history.

"There were way more younger girls there than even young boys at any NYCFC game I've been to," Binder said.

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For young fans, following a team goes far beyond attending matches. NWSL clubs and players share highlights, interviews, training videos, and behind-the-scenes content across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. This lets fans stay connected between games while drawing in new supporters.

YouTube and social media are becoming a larger part of the NWSL

NWSL's recent YouTube gains are part of a broader increase in viewing across its media lineup. Through Week 10, match coverage generated more than 1 billion minutes viewed across broadcast, streaming, and digital platforms.

The platform has played a similar role across other women's sports, giving leagues and athletes an additional way to reach younger viewers. Matt Hochberg, who runs Hochberg Sports Marketing, a FIFA-licensed women’s soccer agency, described the platform as a key growth driver for several women’s leagues.

"Women’s sports fans skew younger [and] digital-first," Hochberg wrote in an X post about the NWSL's YouTube gains, adding that the audience is also attractive to brands trying to reach the same demographic.

The league's broader social audience is growing, too. Its combined following increased 24 percent year over year to 3.1 million across six major platforms. According to the NWSL, fans are engaging with highlights, behind-the-scenes access, player-focused stories, and other league content.

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Individual players also bring massive audiences of their own. Trinity Rodman, Rose Lavelle, Sophia Wilson, and Mallory Swanson have each built social followings of hundreds of thousands of fans that reach far beyond their NWSL clubs.

U.S. national team players are only part of that equation. The NWSL included players from 55 national teams in 2025, allowing clubs to reach fans who already follow those athletes in their home countries. Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga, for example, represents Malawi and has become one of the NWSL's biggest stars after winning back-to-back league MVP awards.

More fans are attending matches

The NWSL's digital growth comes as attendance is also increasing. Clubs averaged 11,044 fans per match during the first half of the 2026 season, up 10 percent from the same period last year. The league reached one million attendees faster than in any previous season and is on pace to average more than 10,000 fans for the fourth consecutive year.

The season's largest crowd arrived in Denver back in March 2026, where expansion club Denver Summit FC hosted the Washington Spirit at Empower Field at Mile High. The match drew 63,004 fans, setting a league attendance record and becoming the largest crowd for a professional women's sporting event in the United States.

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Denver Summit and Boston Legacy FC both joined the league in 2026, expanding the NWSL to 16 teams. The additions created local clubs for fans in two new markets and gave the league more matches, players, and storylines to feature across its platforms.

Matches are available through CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video, ION, Victory+, and the league's NWSL+ service. Highlights and other clips then extend the life of those games across YouTube and social media.

Fans are also buying more merchandise

The league's retail numbers offer another sign of increased engagement.

Combined merchandise sales across NWSL clubs rose 72 percent during the first half of the season compared with the same period in 2025. Sales through NWSL Shop increased 207 percent.

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The league didn't disclose total revenue, but attributed the growth to rising demand for club merchandise, player products, and league-branded apparel.

There's also been plenty for fans to follow on the field. Every NWSL club has defeated a higher-ranked opponent at least once this season. At the midway point, the league has recorded 10 percent more upsets than during the same period last year, and twice as many matches have been decided in the final 15 minutes.

Those late goals and upsets create a steady stream of can't-miss highlights. For the NWSL's growing fan base, sometimes one highlight is all it takes to get the ball rolling.

Google Photos caps your free storage at 15GB, and that isn't just your email—it is pooled between Drive, Gmail, Photos, and every other Google service. Given how many things it gets used for, that storage space disappears pretty quickly. If you need more storage, or if you use iCloud, you're basically forced to opt into a monthly subscription.

When it comes to in-flight entertainment, there are two kinds of flyers—the ones who gamble on the random crud on the seat-back screen or the airplane Wi-Fi and those who download their entertainment the night before. Be the second kind. TV shows offer the ultimate flexibility when flying. You can watch a single episode between the drink cart and your nap, or binge a whole season on a long-haul flight—it's your call.

If you've ever held the power button to shut your PC down, you've done an "unsafe shutdown," and chances are that your SSD wasn't too happy about it. The event was probably logged, adding up to your error count.

The last year has been a roller-coaster for those competing in the world of electric vehicles. From tariffs to the removal of the federal tax incentive for EVs, demand for electric vehicles has slowed down drastically. For those that invested the most, like Honda, this turbulence has been quite costly. Now it has officially claimed another victim.

Leaving Love Island USA can give a contestant the kind of audience most aspiring creators spend years trying to build. By the time Islanders get their phones back, they may have millions of new followers, brands filling their inboxes, and television producers considering where they could appear next.

But leaving the villa does not necessarily mean they are free to accept every opportunity waiting for them.

That could matter for Mackenzie "Kenzie" Annis, whose commitment to practicing her splits throughout Season 8 inspired fans to campaign for her to join Dancing With the Stars. Professional dancer Ezra Sosa encouraged the idea beneath Annis' first post-villa TikTok.

"The mirrorball is CALLING your name," Sosa commented.

"SHUT THE FRONT DOOR," Annis replied.

Turning that exchange into an actual trip to the ballroom may require more than an invitation from ABC. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Love Island USA contestants enter a one-year exclusivity period that can limit their television appearances, brand partnerships, and other commercial work after the show.

Because Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+, outside Peacock’s NBCUniversal family, Annis may need approval before she can compete. Her situation provides a useful look at what happens after Islanders leave Fiji, when sudden internet fame collides with the contracts they signed before anyone knew their names.

What happens after Islanders leave the villa?

Love Island USA places a group of singles in a Fiji villa, where they date, compete in challenges, and try to remain coupled up long enough to win. Viewers follow their relationships almost every night on Peacock, discuss each episode online, and vote on who stays, leaves, and ultimately takes home the prize.

The contestants experience the season very differently. Like the casts of Big Brother, The Traitors, and many other reality shows, Islanders are largely cut off from the outside world while filming. They do not have their phones, cannot check social media, and have no way to see which conversations, outfits, or facial expressions have become memes.

An Islander can therefore enter the villa as a relatively unknown person and return home several weeks later as a major online personality. Season 8 generated more than 4 billion social video views and ranked as the No. 1 social program during its run, according to NBCUniversal. Winner Trinity Tatum emerged from the season with more than 3 million Instagram followers.

That kind of attention quickly attracts agents, managers, publicists, brands, and television producers. Representatives generally have about 10 days to meet with the most sought-after Islanders before the contestants begin receiving interview requests, sponsorship opportunities, and choosing representation.

It also forces Islanders to absorb several weeks of memes, criticism, fan edits, and public discussion about decisions they made without knowing how viewers would respond. Trinity asked viewers to stop directing "hate & ignorant comments" at Zach Georgiou, called him one of the most "amazing" people she met in the villa, and reminded fans that the Islanders are "people just like everyone else."

All of this happens just as they begin deciding how to turn their new audience into a career. Their options, however, may be more limited than they initially appear.

How does the Love Island USA exclusivity period work?

According to a report, Love Island USA contestants are subject to a one-year exclusivity period, and ITV America, the show's production company, must approve their brand partnerships. The contracts also govern which television appearances contestants can make, meaning an Islander may receive an offer without having the sole authority to accept it. Former Season 4 contestant Deb Chubb supported their claims, saying in a June TikTok: “contract-wise, you can't go on any shows a year after the finale.”

The full terms of the current agreements have not been made public, but available reporting suggests the restriction is more complicated than a blanket ban on television appearances.

These restrictions are not unique to Love Island USA. A publicly available Survivor agreement defines an exclusivity period lasting one year after the finale and requires contestants to obtain permission for certain media appearances. Contracts used by RuPaul’s Drag Race have also included one-year exclusivity clauses, while allowing contestants to participate in live performances and personal appearances.

The agreements can also help networks manage conflicts with advertisers. If a company already sponsors Love Island USA, for example, Peacock may not want one of the show’s contestants immediately promoting a competitor. A source told THR that limited noncompete provisions have become standard in reality casting and can give networks veto power over outside brand and commercial deals.

Networks frequently recast personalities from their own franchises

Dancing With the Stars has featured a steady supply of contestants from ABC’s The Bachelor franchise, including Matt James, Gabby Windey, Charity Lawson, Joey Graziadei, and Jenn Tran over five consecutive seasons. Disney personalities and stars from Hulu, another Disney-owned platform, also regularly appear in the ballroom.

Season 34, for example, included Jen Affleck and Whitney Leavitt from Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, while Disney Channel actor Chandler Kinney competed during Season 33.

Netflix takes a similar approach by treating its unscripted shows as a connected "Netflix Reality Universe." Contestants who become popular on Love Is Blind, Too Hot to Handle, The Circle, and The Ultimatum are regularly brought back for crossover programs such as Perfect Match and Battle Camp; some later become hosts or receive shows built around them, including Too Hot to Handle breakout Harry Jowsey’s Let’s Marry Harry. This lets Netflix keep recognizable personalities on the platform after their original seasons end.

Peacock and NBCUniversal have their own growing reality ecosystem. Former Islanders can return for Love Island Games, compete on The Traitors, or appear in Love Island: Beyond the Villa, which follows cast members as they navigate their relationships and careers after leaving the show.

Season 6 Islander JaNa Craig joined NBC's Destination X less than a year after leaving Fiji, for example, while fellow Season 6 contestant Rob Rausch later competed on and won Peacock’s The Traitors. A third season of Beyond the Villa is expected in 2027, creating another potential destination for members of the Season 8 cast.

For contestants, that means one successful reality show can lead to several more opportunities, but the network that introduced them may have the first say in where they appear next.

Could Kenzie still compete on Dancing With the Stars?

The exclusivity period may complicate Annis' chances, or those of any other Islander hoping to strap on their dancing shoes, but it does not necessarily keep them out of the ballroom.

Two celebrities announced for Season 35 show that NBCUniversal is willing to let some of its reality personalities compete on Dancing With the Stars. Maura Higgins, who became known through the British version of Love Island before appearing on Peacock's Love Island Games and The Traitors, will join the cast alongside Bravo's Ciara Miller. Miller stars on Summer House, hosts Love Island USA: Aftersun, and also competed on The Traitors.

Christine Cowan, the NBCUniversal executive who oversees casting across Bravo, NBC, and Peacock, said during the ATX TV Festival panel "How Familiar Faces Drive Fandom" in May, that the company had allowed Higgins and Miller to participate.

"We want them to be happy, and we want to continue our relationship with them," Cowan said.

Cowan characterized Dancing With the Stars as a one-off opportunity rather than a permanent departure for a competing entertainment company. She also said NBCUniversal makes its talent available to outside productions under certain circumstances.

Do the restrictions help or hurt Islanders?

For contestants, the arrangement brings both opportunities and tradeoffs.

ITV America sets rules for how contestants choose representation and offers a list of preferred managers and agents. This guidance can help someone navigating sudden fame evaluate offers, negotiate contracts, and avoid jumping at the first deal that lands in their inbox.

Staying in NBCUniversal's orbit can open doors to more television opportunities. The company has several programs ready to transform a successful Islander's season into a longer reality TV career.

The downside becomes apparent when the best opportunity comes from outside the network. The weeks right after a finale are when contestants get the most attention from viewers and brands. Another network might want to cast an Islander while the season's still buzzing, or a company might want to build a campaign around a viral moment or catchphrase that’s currently making the rounds online.

Those offers may not remain available for a year or even a month. Requiring approval can reduce contestants' control over the audience and the opportunities they gained on the show.

Leaving Fiji may end an Islander's search for a connection, but their relationship with Peacock could just be getting started.