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Windows is teeming with useful tools that Microsoft, for one reason or another, doesn't talk about or promote. Worse still, many of them are tucked away in places where hardly anyone would think to look, even though they can be indispensable for troubleshooting various Windows issues. One of them is Reliability Monitor, which has been part of Windows for almost two decades.

Between work and my own hobbies, I basically always need access to a PC. So, after a recent power outage, I decided to repurpose an old Raspberry Pi and an Anker Power Station to work as a small backup Linux desktop in an emergency.

SAVE OVER $70: As of Aug. 7, the Dreame L40s Ultra AE robot vacuum and mop is on sale for $599.98 at Amazon for a limited time. Act fast to save $70.01 before the deal is done.

Opens in a new window Credit: Dreame Dreame L40s Ultra AE Robot Vacuum and Mop $599.98 at Amazon
$669.99 Save $70.01   Get Deal

Recently, the FCC announced it's banning all robot vacuums made outside the U.S. However, the ban doesn't include models that are already in circulation, which is good news if you've been hoping to buy one.

If you're searching for a good deal, Amazon is the place to look. As of Aug. 7, the retailer has dropped a discount on the Dreame L40s Ultra AE robot vacuum and mop, but not for much longer. For a limited time, shoppers can snag the Dreame L40s Ultra AE for $599.98 rather than its full price of $669.99. Overall, you're saving $70.01 with this offer, but you only have Aug. 7 to buy at this low price.

SEE ALSO: After a brief slump, iRobot announced 5 new Roombas and a wet dry vacuum. Is it redemption arc time?

Released last year, the Dreame L40s Ultra AE features 19,000Pa suction that can help free your carpets and rugs of dirt, crumbs, and hair. It even comes with a TriCut brush that helps prevent tangling, and a liftable rubber brush that can pick up larger debris from the floor. When it comes to mopping harder surfaces, it also features MopExtend technology, which extends the mopping pad to clean along edges or under furniture. And on top of that, it has AI-powered 3D obstacle-avoidance technology to help it steer clear of obstacles.

Its PowerDock Base is quite impressive, too. According to the store page, it automatically dispenses dust for up to 100 days and washes mops with hot water at 149 degrees Fahrenheit. It even offers hot-air drying to keep everything feeling fresh and clean the next time it goes out.

The clock is ticking to jump on this deal. Act fast to save on the Dreame L40s Ultra AE robot vacuum and mop at Amazon.

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The best Excel formulas are the ones that explain themselves. That's why I use named ranges whenever I can. Creating them one by one, though, feels like unnecessary admin—especially in larger spreadsheets. Since discovering Ctrl+Shift+F3, it's become one of my most-used Excel shortcuts.

Well, that was a bleak and bonkers two hours.

Netflix’s The Last House might be one of the most baffling films on the platform in an age, as a certified genre Rolodex that blends The Call of Cthulhu with Home Alone and the overwhelming essence of COVID lockdowns. By the end of the movie, from director Louis Leterrier (Now You See Me), The Secret Agent Oscar-winner Wagner Moura and Past Lives Oscar-snubbed Greta Lee have seen their family through five years of imprisonment in their own home thanks to some malevolent waterbending.

But what actually happens at the end of The Last House? Well, we're still thinking about the family dog in the freezer, but we'll break it down.

What happens in The Last House? Noah Alexander Sosnowski, Wagner Moura, Greta Lee, and Riley Chung. Credit: Netflix

In a set-up not unlike Netflix thriller Brick, The Last House sees a Seattle family suddenly sealed inside their own home. Unlike Brick, the sealing happens during an extreme rainstorm, with the locks bolted by tendrils of water itself. And it's not just the home of Ann (Lee) and Jason (Moura) and their children Ruth (Riley Chung) and Graham (Noah Alexander Sosnowski) — it's the whole neighborhood.

Scenes of being trapped inside might trigger memories of COVID lockdown for viewers, especially as the family tries homeschooling their stir-crazy kids and watching Annie and Air Force One on DVD on repeat. But things for this family only get more grim as they face starvation in their own home, then shoot their sickly Golden Retriever, Cassidy, freezing her for sustenance. Then, Jason goes all Caractacus Potts on the neighbourhood wildlife with "chimney fishing." Honestly, watching the Animals of Farthing Wood getting butchered one-by-one was not on our weekly agenda.

Days stretch into weeks, into months, then five years later, the family seems to be the "last house" on their street that's still got living residents inside. That's chiefly through Jason's ingenuity in collecting rainwater and setting animal traps through their chimney, and Ann's resourcefulness in growing a farm's worth of vegetables in the living room.

Why can't the family leave their home in The Last House? Ruth (Riley Chung) has been studying the creatures for years. Credit: Netflix

While the neighbors initially speculate it's the government or aliens causing this involuntary lockdown, it's neither. Essentially, the family is trapped by tentacled deep sea creatures, who look like Cthulhu, but smaller. They're less towering titans and more the height of a pro basketball team.

But are they actually monsters? Ruth (Emma Ho), who is ultimately revealed to be the film's narrator, doesn't think so. Early on, she tells her family that one of the creatures she saw outside "seemed nice" and was "trying to communicate." Jason has his own enigmatic experience, as the seemingly sentient rain takes the shape of his palm against the window pane.

Not all of the creatures seem so friendly; however. Aside from starving out their neighbors, the creatures also snatch up the long-lost jogger from the start of the film, as she tried to get into the family's home for safety. Later, the family gets their best view yet of these mysterious creatures, when one enters the house, and splashes salt water all over their crops, killing the lot.

From there, Ruth insists these creatures aren't aliens, but fabled deep sea creatures like Leviathan or the Kraken.

“80 percent of the ocean is unexplored," she explains, "What if these things aren’t from outer space? What if these tales of sea creatures are real? What if that's why they can control the rain? They're not conquering our world. This is their world."

And that's the only explanation we ever get. So why do the creatures kill off a bunch of Seattle residents? As the film starts in the shallows of the coast, which is littered with human debris, we might infer that the creatures are wiping out humanity to reclaim the planet, preventing further damage to their environment.

What happens at the end of The Last House? Ann (Greta Lee) makes a stand with her family. Credit: Netflix

The next time a creature comes calling, the family is ready with Home Alone-style booby-traps, molotov cocktails and harpoons. Once trapped, Jason threatens it, demanding, “Open the door, or I’m gonna gut you."

However, Ruth begs for her father to let it go, he does. And this act of mercy leads not only to the family being let out of the house, but also the creature signaling to its squad to give the family mercy in return. So, as the foundation in the house — much talked about — finally gives way, the sun comes out, and five creatures scoot away underwater in a flying V across what used to be Seattle, flooded so high the Space Needle is practically a dock.

From there, the family steals the boat of a dead neighbor they rudely ridiculed before lockdown as a "doofus," rename the man's boat from "Seas The Day" to "Cassidy," to honour the family dog they ate, and literally sail into the horizon.

Featured Video For You Did ‘Sinners’ Launch a New Wave of Horror Musicals?

"In the end, an act of mercy set us free. We showed it to them, and they showed it to us," Ruth, now an adult (and voiced by KPop Demon Hunters' Arden Cho) says in voiceover, as the film takes a decidedly Disney Channel tone out of nowhere. "We never saw them again but we think they're still out there. After all, it's their home too."

The Last House ends with the family on "Day 1" of their new existence, searching for a new home and any other humans that may have survived the five years of octopus occupation.

The Last House offers no clue to how far this nautical attack reached. It's also unclear how exactly the waterbending powers of these creatures work. If they can control all water, couldn't they have skipped the whole lockdown scenario and controlled the 60 percent of the human body is water to destroy us? But then, I guess you don't get to the point of grim where you're rationing the family pet for sustenance.

Let's look away from the nonsense of Matthew Robinson's script, and look to the horrid statistics that likely inspired it.

Every year, an estimated 130 million tons of plastic waste pollute waterways and seas. Microplastics are a plague on the planet, showing up in microscopic krill. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is 100,000,000 kilograms' worth of our crap and twice the size of Texas. And by 2050, estimates predict there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish.

The Last House's point might have been more impactful if it mentioned literally any of this. But perhaps our treatment of the ocean means we deserve a movie this atrocious.

The Last House is now streaming on Netflix.

TL;DR: The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Ascended Heroes Booster Bundle is on sale for $89.99 at Amazon, down from its $109.98 list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: The Pokémon Company Pokémon TCG: Mega Evolution Ascended Heroes Booster Bundle $89.99 at Amazon
$102.88 Save $12.89   Shop Now

Ascended Heroes has become the most expensive Pokémon TCG expansion released this year. You can still find deals, though.

As of Aug. 7, the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Ascended Heroes Booster Bundle is now on sale on Amazon for $89.99, which is 13% off its typical $102.88 list price. Shipped directly by Amazon itself via a third-party seller, this box with half a dozen packs will reach you between Aug. 16-19 at the time of writing. 

After spending most of July over the $90 mark (shown via price tracker camelcamelcamel), this is the best chance trading card collectors have had to save a few dollars on Ascended Heroes packs in weeks. 

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Amazon's price isn't quite at market value yet, although it's getting close. Against TCGplayer’s estimated market price of $87.24, Amazon is only $2.75 higher. However, you can get a sealed Booster Bundle from TCGplayer for the cheapest of all, with listings from RazorbackRarities coming to $87.99 after $4.99 shipping. 

Ascended Heroes has been incredibly popular because, among all the returning Mega Evolution Pokémon, there are some incredibly valuable chase cards worth well over $1,000. If you don't want to spend some time pulling packs, you can buy each card, like SIR Mega Gengar ex, SIR Pikachu ex, and SIR Mega Dragonite ex, individually on TCGplayer.

SAVE $50: As of Aug. 7, the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 are on sale for $199.95 at Amazon. That's a 20% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Beats Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 $199.95 at Amazon
$249.99 Save $50.04   Get Deal

Earbuds tech is advancing all the time. From seriously impressive noise cancellation to live translation tools that help you communicate when traveling. A pair that continues to impress is the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2. Not only do these earbuds deliver the incredible sound quality of Beats, but they also have built-in heart rate sensors, making them the ideal workout earbuds.

And as of Aug. 7, you can grab these for $50 less than their list price on Amazon, now down to $199.95. Amazon has marked this as a limited-time deal, so we don’t know how long this price will hang around. 

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In addition to heart rate monitoring, the design of these earbuds makes them ideal for workouts. They feature a secure-fit earhook that’s been tested across different ear shapes and activity levels to help keep the earbuds in place during exercise. They also include Active Noise Canceling to reduce background noise in training environments, alongside Transparency mode to stay aware of your surroundings, such as passing bikes or cars when running outdoors. 

The built-in heart rate sensors work by measuring heart rate directly from the earbuds, pulsing over 100 times per second. They also have an IPX4 rating, which means they are both sweat and water-resistant. 

And if you’re an endurance athlete, these earbuds will keep you going for up to 45 hours of total listening time with the charging case, plus the Fast Fuel charging gives you 1.5 hours of playback from a five-minute charge. 

For this deal, you can choose from all available colors: jet black, electric orange, hyper purple, and quick sand. Head to Amazon to grab your pair now.

SAVE OVER $10: As of Aug. 7, the Anker Zolo magnetic power bank is on sale for $34.99 at Amazon. That's a $15 discount off its full price of $49.99.

Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker Zolo Magnetic Power Bank $34.99 at Amazon
$49.99 Save $15   Get Deal

If you're worried about your favorite devices running out of battery while you're out and about or on vacation this summer, a portable power bank is a must-have investment. These devices can keep you powered up when you're on the go, and buying one doesn't have to cost you a fortune. Amazon usually has great deals on select models, and today, the Anker Zolo magnetic power bank is one of them.

As of Aug. 7, every color on Amazon's Anker Zolo store page has been marked down to $34.99. Normally, this power bank retails for $49.99, so you can save $15 with this deal. However, each color has a "limited time deal" sticker right now, so it's worth grabbing one sooner rather than waiting too long and missing out.

SEE ALSO: Google Pixel 11 Pro: Everything we know ahead of Aug. 12 Made By Google event

No matter where you're heading, the Anker Zolo's compact size makes it perfect to bring along in a backpack or purse. It also boasts a 10,000mAh capacity, offering up to 7.5W wireless charging or 30W wired charging via the USB-C to USB-C cable. Plus, it can charge through magnetic cases.

It's also compatible with a wide range of devices. According to the store page, everything from iPhone 12 to 17 and AirPods Pro 2 can be wirelessly charged, while wired charging covers iPhone SE devices alongside 12 to 17 models; iPad Air and Pro; Galaxy S24 Ultra, S24+, and S24; AirPods, and more.

Don't get stuck with a low battery this summer. Act fast to save on the Anker Zolo magnetic power bank at Amazon.

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TL;DR: Creative has launched the XF1, a Hi-Res desktop speaker with 72W RMS output, dual Hi-Res Audio certification, and app-based EQ control, priced at $179.99.

Creative just dropped a new desktop speaker that's punching well above its size. The XF1 is small enough to sit next to your monitor without taking over your desk, but it packs enough power and tech to make you forget it's tiny at all.

The XF1 delivers 72 watts of power, split between two speakers, each with its own dedicated amp for the woofer and tweeter. Instead of one amp trying to push both the bass and the treble at once, each part of the speaker gets its own power source. That means cleaner sound at any volume, without muddying or distorting when you crank it up.

Sound-wise, the XF1 covers a wide range, from deep, rumbling bass to super-high frequencies that most speakers in this price range just can't reproduce. Creative says you'll notice it in the small stuff: the rasp in someone's voice, a bass line under a game soundtrack, the finer notes in a piano piece.

Credit: Creative

It connects wirelessly via Bluetooth 6.0 with LDAC support, which means better audio quality over Bluetooth than you'd normally get. You can also plug in over USB-C for high-res playback, or use a standard 3.5mm cable if you want to keep things simple.

SEE ALSO: Marshall’s new Stockwell III speaker is officially live: Order the 40-hour Bluetooth speaker now

The speaker also connects to Creative's app, Nexus, which lets you fine-tune its sound. There's a 10-band EQ if you want to get hands-on, plus over 120 built-in presets tuned for specific games, movies, and music genres, so you don't have to be an audio expert to get it sounding right.

The Creative XF1 launches for $179.99 in the U.S. and £139.99 in the UK.

TL;DR: Hyperkin is releasing two new colorways of its SupaBoy portable retro console, Crimson and Prime, shipping this fall for $129.99.

Physical media diehards, this one's for you. Hyperkin just announced two new colorways for its SupaBoy portable retro console: Crimson and Prime, both shipping this fall.

The SupaBoy plays original Super Nintendo and Super Famicom cartridges directly, no emulation, no ROMs, and no downloads involved. It works with PAL, NTSC, and JP cartridges without worrying about region lockouts, so you can plug in whatever you've got and go. There's also an AV-out port for hooking it up to a TV and two controller ports if you want to turn portable play into a full couch session.

On the hardware side, the SupaBoy packs a 4.3-inch IPS screen and a rechargeable Li-Ion battery rated for up to 10 hours of play.

The two new colors are all about nostalgia: Prime uses the pastel colors of the Japanese and European Super Famicom, while the limited-edition Crimson pulls from the original Japanese Famicom. Both come in a translucent shell, which, let's be honest, is doing a lot of the collectible appeal here.

Credit: Hyperkin

Hyperkin product developer Nathan Perez said the company built the new colors around what longtime gamers actually want: a way to keep the excitement and collectible feel of game cartridges alive, letting the growing retro audience own their software and play without WiFi, delays, or interruptions.

Prime marks the first release in what Hyperkin says will be a yearly cycle of new SupaBoy colors, so this won't be the last time your shelf gets more crowded. The consoles are also launching in Europe for the first time with this release.

Both the SupaBoy Prime and Crimson replace the current models and are expected to ship this fall for $129.99.

TL;DR: Lionsgate Limited is releasing a remastered 2-disc Blu-ray and an exclusive VHS edition of The Blair Witch Project. Preorders are now live, with a launch date of Oct. 13.

Lionsgate Limited just opened preorders for a 2-disc Blu-ray edition and an exclusive VHS release of the found-footage horror classic, The Blair Witch Project, both landing on Oct. 13.

The Blair Witch Project follows three film students who vanish in the Maryland woods while shooting a documentary about a local legend, with only their footage left behind. What made it a genuine phenomenon back in 1999 was how many people actually bought it — the directors built an eerily convincing website and online mythology treating the "documentary" as real, complete with "missing" posters for the cast.

More than 25 years later, it's still one of the most influential horror movies ever made — and now it's finally getting a release that matches its legacy.

The Blu-ray packs three versions of the film: the filmmaker-approved theatrical cut, the festival cut (newly restored from the original Hi8 tapes and 16mm film), and the original 35mm theatrical version. Extras are stacked too — new cast interviews plus legacy bonus content like the original directors' commentary, deleted scenes, and the Curse of the Blair Witch mockumentary.

The VHS, meanwhile, is pure nostalgia — no extras, just the format that basically defined the movie's whole "is this real" marketing hook back in the day.

Credit: Lionsgate Limited

Preorders are now live at Lionsgate Limited.

There's nothing Willem Dafoe can't do. The critically revered American actor has played everything from Jesus Christ (The Last Temptation of Christ) to the Green Goblin (Spider-Man) from an iconic vampire (The Shadow of the Vampire) to a manic vampire hunter (Nosferatu), and a big-hearted motel manager (The Florida Project). And even with this list, I've probably missed a lot of people's favorite Dafoe roles (see also Finding Nemo, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, At Eternity's Gate, The Boondock Saints, Poor Things, and I could go on, and on.) 

The thrill of a Dafoe movie is that you can't predict where his performance will go, other than it will be riveting. In his latest, Late Fame, he delivers a nuanced performance, playing an everyman who was once a poet. Starring opposite Greta Lee, the pair create a portrait of a particular breed of New York artist who has flirted with fame but never gotten her number. 

The result is a film that's warmly earnest, achingly funny, and brilliantly humane. 

Late Fame is a love letter to dreamers, but not a romantically naive one.  The Enthusiasm Society gathers in "Late Fame." Credit: Magnolia Pictures

Cheers to screenwriter Samy Burch, who earned an Academy Award nod for turning the sordid story of Mary Kay Letourneau into the darkly hilarious melodrama May December. Another remarkable transformation occurs with Late Fame, which is adapted from Arthur Schnitzler's 1894 novella of the same name. 

She preserved the name of the unpublished novella's hero, Ed Saxberger, but transported him from turn-of-the-century Vienna to modern-day New York. His struggles are similar, but as she did with May December, Burch expertly depicts a cast of contemporary characters who range from the oblivious to the painfully self-aware. 

SEE ALSO: Does 'May December' snatch from 'All About Eve'? Todd Haynes explains

Dafoe stars as Ed, a SoHo resident, who works at the post office happily enough, until he meets a starstruck fan called Meyers (Edmund Donovan). See, fifty years ago, Ed was an aspiring poet, who even had a book of his work published. But fame eluded him, and he eventually slipped into the blue-collar life of many New Yorkers. To his friends, he's kind and beloved, but not known as a poet.

Meyers fawns over his book, and insists his friends, a collective of artists who call themselves the Enthusiasm Society, are just as in awe of Ed's writing. Coaxed into meeting them for coffee, he's stunned by both their ambition and their youth. One seems so young that you might well wonder if he's even had his first shave yet. Together, they insist they'll host a reading — or a recital or something — to present not only their writing, but also Ed's. 

While the young men who make up most of the group do entice Ed's untapped desire for praise, he's most intrigued by Gloria (Lee). Older and bolder than the rest, she's an actor who oozes a flirty sophistication that feels evocative of Holly GoLightly, a reference the boys of the Enthusiasm Society would likely miss. She enchants Ed, not only with her vibrancy, but with her assurance that through their collaboration, he'll finally achieve fame at long last. 

However, as the Breakfast at Tiffany's reference might suggest, not all is what it seems with these young artists or Gloria. Reality steadily permeates their big dreams, forcing Ed to reconsider who he is and what he wants. And by extension, the film urges us to consider what it means to be an artist? Must you be famous? Must you be prolific? Chic or Bohemian? Must you even be any good?

Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee are marvelous together.  Greta Lee as Gloria in "Late Fame." Credit: Magnolia Pictures

Burch expertly paints several New York City archetypes with care and distinction. The Enthusiasm Society boys, in their self-imposed uniforms of vintage bohemian wear, are the intellectual trust-fund kids who treat squalor as a delicious novelty. Their pseudo-intellectual blather is embarrassing but familiar, as it's the song sung by many who chased a dream of an artist's New York that hasn’t existed for the whole of their lives. 

Ed knows this all too well. But in Dafoe’s hands, there’s no bitterness in Ed. Instead, he blisters with resigned gratitude for the life he’s built. But as the boys hype him up, a crackle of what could have been urges him to crave more, or maybe feel he deserves more. This change percolates discontent. 

Gloria can relate. Her facade is one of a classic New York broad, though she’d rather be the ingénue. She's brash, sexy, funny, and defiantly chic in a showy way. Her every eyelash flutter or smile practically screams, “Discover me.” Her tragedy is that no one will. 

Willem Dafoe star in "Late Fame." Credit: Magnolia Pictures

While the boys live in the naïveté of privilege that is being white, male, and rich, Gloria is pursuing every second chance as if it's her last. Ed thought he was past such dreaming. But in this city, dreams can feel both impossible and achievable in the very same breath. That’s where Late Fame lives. 

As director, documentarian Kent Jones creates a true New York movie. Late Fame understands the romance of this city, without losing touch of its reality. His ensemble paints a world wonderful, fragile, enduring, and familiar. Lee glimmers then snarls, capturing the highs and lows of working artists now. But Dafoe gives a quiet dignity to the unknown artist, reflecting the beauty of creation, whatever its reach. 

Late Fame is now in theaters.

SAVE $105: As of Aug. 7, the Garmin vívoactive 5 is on sale for $194.99 at Amazon. That's a 35% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Garmin Garmin vívoactive 5 $194.99 at Amazon
$299.99 Save $105   Get Deal

If you’re looking for a premium fitness tracker to track everything from your daily step count to your sleep stages, you’ll want to check out this latest deal on the Garmin vivoactive 5. As of Aug. 7, this impressive smartwatch is over $100 off ($105, to be exact), bringing the price down from $299.99 to $194.99.

The vivoactive 5 was replaced as the newest in the lineup in 2025, but we’re still big fans, especially when it goes on sale. 

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And there’s lots to like about it. Firstly, it benefits from a bright AMOLED display and offers up to 11 days of battery life in smartwatch mode, with up to 5 days when using the always-on display. You’ll get a range of health-tracking features, including Body Battery energy monitoring, sleep scoring, stress tracking, wrist-based heart rate monitoring, fitness age, menstrual cycle tracking, and pregnancy tracking. 

And for sports, there are many tracking methods for anything from running, cycling, and swimming, to golf and HIIT. The watch also supports wheelchair mode, with push tracking, handcycle activities, and adapted workouts. 

It’s worth noting that this deal is only available for the Ivory colorway, but if the watch color doesn't matter to you, you can find it on Amazon right now.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you're a good actor.

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 hints today: Clues, answers for August 7, 2026 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 Pips hints, answers for August 7, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

To pretend.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.

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

Today's Wordle starts with the letter F.

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...

FEIGN

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.

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

Meet The Mashable 101: Our list of the content creators shaping the internet today

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 were thinking Callum Turner is the kind of actor likely to stoically soldier his way through Hot Ones while barely showing any signs of pain, then you'd be bang on the money.

In the clip above the actor takes on the series of increasingly spicy wings opposite host Sean Evans while staying impressively cool, answering questions on everything from his new rom-com One Night Only to the time he fell off a horse while training for a role.

The most impressive bit? Not just his ability to handle spice, but his ability to handle spice while also calmly offering obscure movie recommendations.

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SAVE $70: As of Aug. 7, the Anker 3-in-1 charger is on sale for $159.99 at Amazon. That's a 30% discount on the list price.

Opens in a new window Credit: Anker Anker 3-in-1 Charging Station $159.99 at Amazon
$229.99 Save $70   Get Deal

If you’re tired of juggling separate cables for your Apple devices, the Anker 3-in-1 charger offers a tidier setup. The charging station can power your iPhone, AirPods, and Apple Watch from one spot, helping keep your desk or bedside table a little less chaotic. And as of Aug. 7, it’s $70 off, bringing the cost down to $159.99.

A built-in 1.65-inch HD smart display gives you a quick overview of your devices, showing real-time details such as charging wattage, temperature, and device status. Behind the screen, the charger supports ultra-fast 25W Qi2.2 charging, capable of taking an iPhone 17 Pro to 50% in just 22 minutes. It combines that speedy charging with a compact design that keeps your setup neat and convenient.

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You can also switch between three charging modes: Boost, Ice, and Sleep, depending on what you need. Boost prioritizes faster charging, Ice is designed to keep temperatures down, and Sleep offers quieter charging for overnight use.

You can find this charger deal at Amazon right now.

The MacBook Neo might be Apple's most exciting laptop in years. It has the same premium build quality and stellar everyday performance as any other MacBook, but it starts at just $699 — a great deal even after its $100 price hike this summer. The Neo has almost no competition among cheap Windows laptops and Chromebooks.

We've already stacked the Neo against the latest MacBook Air, which runs on the supercharged M5 chip. But how does the Neo compare to older MacBook Airs? Previous models with M1, M2, M3, and M4 chips are still somewhat readily available, mainly on the refurbished market, and they can be viable options for budget buyers, too. Let's dive right into the nitty-gritty details.

MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Specs The MacBook Neo is Apple's smallest laptop in seven years. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

As a refresher, here's a brief M-series MacBook Air release timeline:

• M1 MacBook Air (13-inch) — November 2020

• M2 MacBook Air (13-inch) — July 2022; 15-inch version launched in June 2023

• M3 MacBook Air (13- and 15-inch) — March 2024

• M4 MacBook Air (13- and 15-inch) — March 2025

Unlike the MacBook Airs, which run on ARM-based laptop silicon, the MacBook Neo runs on an iPhone processor — the A18 Pro chip, specifically. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as you'll see later in the "Performance" section. Smartphone chips are crazy overpowered nowadays.

The MacBook Neo's memory is fixed at 8GB. (This is probably its biggest drawback.) Most older MacBook Airs also start with 8GB of RAM, but users have the option to upgrade them. The M1 model can get bumped to 16GB of RAM, while the M2 and M3 models are configurable with up to 24GB of RAM. The M4 MacBook Air starts with 16GB of memory and maxes out with 32GB.

SEE ALSO: MacBook Neo review: Is this budget laptop still worth it after a price increase?

With the MacBook Neo, you can take your pick from two storage options. It comes with 256GB of disk space for $699 or 512GB for $799. (The latter adds a Touch ID sensor to its power button.) The older MacBook Airs have four storage variants: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB.

The MacBook Neo and the M1 MacBook Air both come in one 13-inch size, but the M1 Air is technically 13.3 inches on the diagonal, while the Neo measures 13 inches exactly. (It's Apple's smallest MacBook in seven years.) The M2, M3, and M4 MacBook Airs come in 13.6-inch and 15.3-inch sizes.

MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Pricing and availability Apple's M1 MacBook Air sells for $500 to $700 in refurbished condition as of mid-2026. Credit: Zlata Ivleva / Mashable

Again, the MacBook Neo costs $699 or $799 depending on your storage and Touch ID preferences. College students, their parents, and school staff can save $100 on either configuration with the Apple Store's clutch education discount.

The older M-series MacBook Airs originally started at $999 to $1,299, but these days, they typically go for less on the refurbished market. (Most major retailers have stopped selling them in new condition.) Best Buy tends to carry the most configurations at the best prices out of any retailer, though its inventory changes frequently — you may not find a model with your exact processor, storage, RAM, size, and color preferences in stock. The Apple Store itself was only selling a few refurbed M4 models at the time of writing, and they were almost as expensive as they were brand-new.

For reference, here's how much Best Buy was charging for M1 to M4 base models as of August 2026:

• M1 MacBook Air (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished — $499.99 $699 (save $199.01)

• M2 MacBook Air, 13-inch (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished — $729.99 $749 (save $19.01)

• M3 MacBook Air, 13-inch (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished — $849

• M4 MacBook Air, 13-inch (16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished — $854.99 $899 (save $44.01)

Evidently, the Neo is still cheaper than most of your refurbished Air options.

MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Performance The M2 MacBook Air is roughly 14 percent faster in multi-core scenarios compared to the MacBook Neo. Credit: Molly Flores / Mashable

Here at Mashable, we measure laptops' performance by having them run Primate Labs' Geekbench CPU test. This industry-standard benchmark produces two kinds of scores: a single-core score, which tells us how snappy the laptop will feel in everyday tasks (like web browsing), and a multi-core score, which tells us how well it can plow through more intensive workloads (like video rendering). The higher the scores, the better.

Apple's overachieving A-series chips have been making iPhones as powerful as some laptops for years, so it's actually not that weird to see one fueling a MacBook.

Our testing found that the MacBook Neo offers M4-tier single-core performance and M1-level multi-core performance. Since it's geared toward users with basic needs, that single-core result is more important — and very impressive. It means the Neo will feel just as zippy as a pricier last-gen MacBook Air when you're sending emails or online shopping. It definitely punches above its budget price point in this regard.

That isn't to say the Neo won't be usable for some lighter multi-core work. (Our tech editor used one to edit a simple video in Final Cut Pro.) It just won't be nearly as good for running a bunch of heavier apps at the same time. You'll want an M3 or M4 MacBook Air for that, or possibly even a MacBook Pro.

MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Battery life The M3 MacBook Air offers about 21.5 hours of battery life. Credit: Kimberly Gedeon / Mashable

Apple rated the MacBook Neo for up to 16 hours of video playback and all of the older MacBook Airs for up to 18 hours. We put those claims through our own video rundown test to see how they translate to real-world use.

Indeed, all of the MacBook Airs from the past six years outlast the MacBook Neo, which has an actual battery life of around 15 hours of video playback per charge. It should still get you through a full day of school or travel with some juice to spare.

For what it's worth, the Neo's 15-hour runtime beats our current battery life medians for Windows laptops and Chromebooks (14 hours and 10 hours, respectively).

MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Design The M4 MacBook Air features an incredible 12MP Center Stage webcam. Credit: Stan Schroeder / Mashable

The MacBook Neo has the same fully aluminum build as all of the older MacBook Airs. It's roughly the same size as the M1 MacBook Air, but its chassis is shaped more like the M2 to M4 MacBook Airs. Those three models have a flat "slab" design, while the M1 MacBook Air has a tapered "wedge" design. (Read more about the MacBook Air's 2022 makeover.)

The MacBook Neo weighs the same as a 13-inch M2, M3, or M4 MacBook Air, but it's slightly thicker. The M1 MacBook Air is both heavier and thicker than all of them.

Apple had to make some hardware sacrifices to make the MacBook Neo cheap from the jump, but it's nicer than the M1 MacBook Air in a few small ways:

• Display: The Neo's display lacks the Airs' True Tone feature for natural-looking colors, but it has the same 60Hz refresh rate and crisp Liquid Retina technology. It's just as bright as the M2 to M4 models' screens; the M1 Air is slightly dimmer.

• Keyboard: The Neo lacks keyboard backlighting and Touch ID (unless you pay $100 extra).

• Trackpad: The Neo's mechanical touchpad lacks haptic feedback.

• Webcam: The Neo's camera has same 1080p resolution as the M2 and M3 Airs' webcam. It's better than the M1 model's 720p camera but worse than the M4 model's 12MP Center Stage camera with Desk View support. It's housed in the upper bezel of the Neo's display (an M1 Air relic), not a notch.

• Speakers: The Neo has two fewer speakers than the 13-inch M2, M3, and M4 Airs. (Their 15-inch counterparts have two more speakers for a total of six.) The Neo does support Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos like the M2 to M4 Airs, but it lacks their dynamic head tracking support with AirPods. The M1 Air has Dolby Atmos but no Spatial Audio.

• Mic array: The Neo has one fewer mic than the M-series Airs (two instead of three).

• Ports: The Neo lacks the Airs' speedy Thunderbolt ports. The M3 and M4 models can also drive an extra external display (two instead of one).

• Connectivity. The Neo has same WiFi 6E tech as the M3 and M4 Airs (the M1 and M2 models have WiFi 6). The Neo has newer Bluetooth 6 tech than all of the older Airs.

MacBook Neo vs. older MacBook Airs: Colors The MacBook Neo comes in four colors: citrus, indigo (both pictured), blush, and silver. Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

The MacBook Airs come in neutrals. (Let's not pretend that "sky blue" is anything more than a cooler gray.) The Neo, in contrast, is available in a few wilder new colors:

• M1 MacBook Air — silver, space gray, and gold

• M2 MacBook Air — silver, space gray, starlight, and midnight

• M3 MacBook Air — silver, space gray, starlight, and midnight

• M4 MacBook Air — silver, starlight, midnight, and sky blue

• MacBook Neo — silver, indigo, blush, and citrus

"Wild" is relative, by the way. My kingdom for a (PRODUCT)RED MacBook.

Final thoughts: Should you get a MacBook Neo or an older MacBook Air? Neo or nah? Credit: Joe Maldonado / Mashable

Your decision will come down to three factors: what you need your MacBook for, how much you want to spend on it, and whether you can find the model you want in stock.

The MacBook Neo is a basic starter PC with limited RAM and features, but an enticingly affordable price. It's technically not designed to compete with MacBook Airs, but I can see shoppers with ultra-strict budgets weighing it closely against a cheap base M1 MacBook Air. In this case, I'd go with the Neo for future-proofing and vastly better single-core performance. The fact that it's missing True Tone, backlighting, a haptic touchpad, and Thunderbolt support shouldn't be dealbreakers for students and casual users with light workloads.

SEE ALSO: I tested the top MacBook alternatives: See which Windows PCs actually beat Apple

If you already own an M1 MacBook Air, don't bother buying a Neo. It would be a lateral move, not an upgrade.

A MacBook Air with an M2 chip or newer is a better, more well-rounded laptop than the Neo in almost every way. I think creative professionals and multitasking-happy business users who rely on heavier apps will see plenty of merit in spending a little more on one. Try to find a configuration with at least 16GB of RAM — and be prepared to maybe hunt around for a while, since the refurbished market can be fickle.

Shop Apple MacBooks: Apple MacBook Neo (A18 Pro, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) $699 Shop Now Apple MacBook Air (M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished $449.99 (save $199.01) Shop Now Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M2, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished $729.99 (save $19.01) Shop Now Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M3, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished $849 Shop Now Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M4, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) - Geek Squad Certified Refurbished $854.99 (save $44.01) Shop Now

If I turned my brain off, One Night Only (dir. Will Gluck) would be a funny movie with heart.

Owen (Callum Turner) and Allie (Monica Barbaro) meet on the one night a year that unmarried adults can have sex. As expected, everyone eligible goes buck wild to take advantage of those sweet 12 hours when premarital sex is allowed. Hijinks and hilarity ensue, with some genuinely funny moments (one featuring Maroon 5's "Payphone").

SEE ALSO: 'I Want Your Sex' shows Gen Z as sexually repressed. Is that really true?

But here's the problem: I can't turn my brain off. Rom-com One Night Only comes at a time of increased surveillance and policing of sexual expression on the internet. And in the movie, totalitarianism is played for laughs. 

How the titular One Night Only works

My biggest question after seeing the trailer is: How are they going to pull off, as the internet has taken to calling it, "The Purge for sex"? 

At the start of the movie, we're told through a text overlay that the law (called "the mandate") deeming premarital sex permitted for one night a year went into effect three years prior. Throughout, we learn a few details: It was a law passed by Congress, not voted on by the people. It happened after the Obama administration (revealed after a strained "thanks, Obama" joke), but there's no explicit mention of which president this happened under.

Law enforcement figures out who isn't complying through a biosensor installed on every unmarried adult's wrist; it is red 364 days a year and calls the police if there's a too-high dopamine spike. No word on whether masturbation is also banned, but if your dopamine gets too high during self-loving, god help you, I guess.

During the "one night" (which is really just 12 hours) that premarital sex is legal, the biosensors turn from red to green, and they're not monitored as they usually are. But if you haven't complied throughout the year, you won't have the "privilege" of being able to have sex during the night. 

Condoms are also compulsory, but it's not explained how the police would figure out if you haven't used one. It's rather a plot device to delay Allie and Owen's doomed sexual encounters with other people. 

What about gay sex? That's explained away fairly early on by Allie's lesbian roommate, who is more a brief sidekick than an actual character: Gay people have been skirting around "your laws" since the Bible, she said. Still, there are a few gay couples peppered as extras in some scenes.

The results of the mandate have apparently been fantastic, according to a suit who works for the lab that developed the biosensor. Sex is now saved for the "sanctity of marriage," after all. Since it went into effect, rates of unwanted pregnancies and STDs are down. (You know what else decreases these things? Comprehensive sex education.) Beyond that, it's now a "badge of honor to be an incel." (AHHHHHH.)

See One Night Only for punchlines and background Easter Eggs

For the zany/scary concept, there is something to love about One Night Only. Turner and Barbaro's performances are good, and I'm glad we hear Barbaro's voice following her turn as Joan Baez in 2024's A Complete Unknown. Her character, Allie, sings commercial song parodies for a living. In an early scene, she belts about a plaque psoriasis medication to the tune of Sara Bareilles's "Brave," and those were the first roars of laughter in my screening.

The laughs didn't stop there. Throughout the film, there's humor both crass and wholesome, and the theater crowd seemed to have a great time. (I won't spoil you for how Maroon 5 is involved.) 

And there's something quaint about the story — not the fact that sex is somehow more "sacred" under this regime, but that Allie and Owen don't exchange numbers or last names, making it genuinely difficult to find each other. (Though, through movie magic, they always do.)

The film also astutely shows how society would mold itself to fit the new status quo should premarital sex be banned. Backgrounds are peppered with ads from Red Bull, Dunkin, and Equinox about "the night." Sellers gouge prices for haircuts and condoms (Durex, always). The Empire State Building is lit up in green.

But One Night Only seems to be doing the same conforming. In a country that repealed Roe v. Wade and instated age-verification laws for First Amendment-protected content — not to mention that the Trump administration is now going after the birth control pill — One Night Only makes light of rising fascism. Like the in-universe Red Bull ad claiming to "give you wiiings" for the night, the movie is winking and nodding at our decreasing rights. 

Don't expect One Night Only to have real cultural commentary

The mandate appears to be a retrograde, puritan idea that Congress voted on — but that doesn't seem to be that much of a problem for the American people. 

There is resistance to it…barely. Protests are regulated to signs calling for "REPEAL" and graffiti declaring, "Fuck the mandate!" An anti-mandate concert is scheduled for the day after "the night," but as it turns out, the musician hosting it is a hypocrite. He secretly likes the mandate and says that maybe the fascists were right about this one(!). 

That musician character is also a bumbling misogynist, and he's certainly not the hero of the story. Maybe One Night Only is a stealth satire about such hypocrisy, or about the boiling frog metaphor, but I'm not convinced. The protagonists also don't seem interested in taking action against the mandate. Throughout the film, they decry casual sex and long for romance. They lament the societal push to sleep with people within these 12 hours; they (especially Allie) want to do it the "right" way, with the "right" person.

And the realities of how cruel such a mandate would be are skirted around or unaddressed entirely. 

Let's be real: If straight premarital sex is banned, gay sex would be, too. SCOTUS deemed state sodomy laws unconstitutional just 23 years ago. But in the movie, gay sex is a brief joke one minute, and several gay couples are shown complying the next.

Another harrowing topic that went unmentioned is sexual violence. Some male characters are misogynistic to Allie, and others give her leering glances. But it's something that I, as a woman, couldn't stop thinking about — whether women would be forced to participate in the night even if they didn't want to.

Pornography is also never mentioned in the film (or, if I missed it, only in passing), but surely it would be banned before straight premarital sex, too. As it is, Project 2025 (the blueprint for President Trump's second term) calls for porn to be banned and the imprisonment of its creators. In the world of One Night Only, that would probably get treated as another gag as opposed to the free speech nightmare that it is. 

On the topic of free speech, which pornography falls into, it's almost unbelievable that any dissent would slide here, even the tepid REPEAL signs. In our actual world, people were arrested over social media posts following Charlie Kirk's assassination. You can't tell me that this regime would be OK with civilians saying "fuck the mandate." No, the population of One Night Only would be neutered, in more ways than one.

The audience is also expected to yuck it up for surveillance. Partway through the movie, an ill-fated love interest of Allie's is arrested because he violated the mandate and wasn't allowed to participate in the night. He tries to escape from the cops, naked, and fails. Then, in a police station, Allie is also scrutinized, and other rebels are shuffled in. Restaurants and shops have signs telling employees to report violations, but other than these instances, the Big Brother-style operation that would need to exist to enforce this law isn't explored. 

I know, I know: It's "just a movie." But movies have the power to reflect our reality and to actually say something about it. Case in point: The real Purge series.

The Purge was a commentary on what privilege can protect you from and the barbarism that seems uniquely American. One Night Only may comment on a uniquely American puritanism — there are brief scenes of foreign news programs discussing the U.S. "celibacy night" — but if anything, the film falls for the same ideas of the mandate. 

When Allie and Owen finally get together in the end, they decide to not spend the last 10 minutes of legal unwedded sex to have any. They decide to wait a whole year until the next one — how beautiful! It's played as a way to once again buck the mandate, even though they…totally comply with it. So what is this movie actually saying?

One Night Only adheres to our rising purity culture; it doesn't defy it. And if it had some real commentary to say, it wouldn't be a rom-com. Like The Purge, it'd be a horror.

If you have experienced sexual abuse, call the free, confidential National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), or access the 24-7 help online by visiting online.rainn.org.

NASA engineers have found still more power inside Voyager 2's aging systems, keeping the veteran spacecraft alive as it drifts through space at 34,000 mph.

Voyager 2 is now completely immersed in interstellar space, the region beyond the influence of the sun and its planets. But after 49 years in flight, its reserves have faded so much that engineers must decide, instrument by instrument, what stays on and what shuts down.

It started off with 10 instruments. Only three — the Cosmic Ray Subsystem, Magnetometer, and Plasma Wave Subsystem — are still on. Those remaining sensors measure high‑energy particles, the local magnetic field, and ripples in charged gas around the spacecraft to reveal what interstellar space is like.

To avoid having to sacrifice yet another instrument this year, engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory came up with a new idea. Nicknamed the "Big Bang," the plan involved turning off certain powered devices, swapping in lower‑power alternatives, and balancing the system so the spacecraft stays warm enough to operate. 

Those savings should keep the trio of instruments working for at least one extra year, according to the agency.

SEE ALSO: Earth plays peekaboo with NASA's Perseverance rover across space

Launched in 1977 to survey the outer planets, Voyager 2 long ago outlasted its original five‑year plan and now ranks among humanity's most distant missions at about 13.3 billion miles from Earth. Between Voyager 2 and its farther twin, Voyager 1, the spacecraft have explored four planets — Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus — 48 moons, and a host of planetary magnetic fields and rings.

In August 2012, Voyager 1 made history as it entered interstellar space, filled with material ejected by other stars that died millions of years ago. The twins are the only spacecraft ever to leave the solar system. 

Every extra year of data from the missions carries outsize value, according to NASA. 

Voyager 2 runs on radioisotope thermoelectric generators, which turn heat from decaying plutonium into electricity. That heat source weakens over time. The spacecraft generate about 4 fewer watts of power annually, leaving a thin margin to keep them running.

Engineers have spent years looking for ways to reduce the probes' energy consumption. In 2023, they tapped a hidden source of power in a voltage‑protection system on Voyager 2 to buy more time before facing a key instrument shutdown. 

"All the decisions we will have to make going forward are going to require a lot more analysis and caution than they once did," said Voyager project manager Suzanne Dodd in a statement that is now already two years old. 

Since 2024, the dwindling power supply has already forced the mission to turn off two science instruments on each of the spacecraft. Others had been switched off earlier because they were only needed during close planetary flybys, not in deep space. 

The team now plans to apply the same strategy to Voyager 1, which is even farther from Earth than Voyager 2, at about 15.9 billion miles away. If that effort succeeds, both spacecraft will keep flying among the stars for at least an extra year.

Bryce Gruber was scrolling through TikTok when a self-tanner promotion appeared on her For You page. The woman rubbing the product onto her body looked very familiar.

It was her. Sort of.

"This is super scary and weird," Gruber, an editor and writer behind the Substack, Extra Good, said in a TikTok posted Aug. 5 "By the way, this is not me. I mean, it’s me, but it’s robot me," she told her 193,000 TikTok followers.

The video Gruber encountered featured an AI-generated version of her enthusiastically reviewing a self-tanner: "This tanner changed my entire routine," her digital doppelgänger says in the clip.

As the AI version of Gruber rubs the product across her body, the real Gruber says that she had never seen or used the product before and had no relationship with the company selling it (though she didn't identify the brand).

"Obviously, I freaked out over this," she said. "I never saw that product in my life before, and I probably never want to."

The strange encounter led Gruber back into her TikTok settings, where she discovered just how much access other users appeared to have to her digital double.

How does TikTok AI Cast work?

The feature behind the video is called AI Cast, which lets users create an "AI Self" that can appear in AI-generated videos. TikTok's Help Center describes AI Self as one of the "digital avatars or voices" users can create from their face and voice information.

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Unlike a traditional deepfake made by scraping someone's existing posts, creating an AI Self requires a user to deliberately set one up.

TikTok requires users to verify their identity before creating an "AI Self," a source at the company told Mashable. The process involves recording themselves from multiple angles and reading a series of numbers after selecting "Add AI Self" from their profile.

When asked about Gruber's case, the source said, "This creator would have had a notification that [someone] was using AI Cast." Users can also control who has access to their "AI Self," keeping it private or sharing it with friends or the public. TikTok says anyone whose AI Self appears in another person's video can delete the video or draft directly, regardless of who created it. Once they do, the original creator can no longer access the content.

However, once that digital version exists, AI Cast can put it into scenarios that the real person never filmed. A user can generate a video starring their own AI Self, or bring another person into the video by @-mentioning a friend or user whose AI Self is available to them. In other words, two people don't have to get together to film something for their digital versions to appear together in a video.

According to Gruber, though, when she opened up her own AI Self settings, she said her permissions were set to "Everyone," which she described as the default. She urged users to switch the setting to "Only You."

"If it’s on 'Everyone,' you become a self-tanner ad," she joked.

Notably, Gruber told Mashable she reported the self-tanner video to TikTok, but was told that because the AI-generated voice differed from her own, the platform did not consider the person depicted in the video to be her. She isn't sure whether the brand faced any consequences.

And there were differences. Her voice and natural cadence weren't quite right, she said, while other details had seemingly been invented altogether.

"My voice and speech cadence are definitely different in the AI video, but also little details like the freckles on my arms and legs are very different — and the manicure?" she said. "I haven't had a French manicure since 1999, so that was a funny touch to see."

AI doubles are becoming big business

Platforms and advertisers are increasingly experimenting with synthetic influencers.

TikTok itself has been building AI advertising tools through its Symphony platform, which lets advertisers generate videos using AI avatars. In June, the company expanded those tools through Symphony Agent, which can produce ads using generative video, scripts, and avatars.

The technology has also advanced to the point where creators don't necessarily need to build an official digital twin for someone to imitate them. In Mashable's 2025 investigation into AI-generated YouTube ads, UC Berkeley professor Hany Farid explained just how little source material is required.

“With just 20 seconds of a person’s voice and a single photograph of them, it is now possible to create a video of them saying or doing anything,” Farid told Mashable's Technology editor, Timothy Back Werth.

Gruber says she has already experienced that version of the problem, too.

After finding the self-tanner video, Gruber said she discovered that a Chinese denim company had previously used her face and voice, and even recreated what looked like her backyard, to market jeans. According to Gruber, the company sold more than 1,000 pairs.

She is far from the only creator confronting that problem. In June, guitarist and creator Sophie Burrell told Guitar World that she stumbled across a TikTok that reproduced one of her videos almost exactly — down to the camera angle, room, guitar, and movements. YouTube musician Rhett Shull also discovered an AI-generated guitar channel that appeared to recreate pieces of his older videos, including his former filming set. The channel, named "Guitar Gems With Chase," had accumulated more than 5,000 subscribers and 600,000 views when Shull found it.

Plus, as Mashable reported last year, the problem was already showing up in advertising: AI-generated videos impersonated Hoda Kotb to promote weight-loss products and Elon Musk in crypto scams, while synthetic financial advisers and even fabricated small-business owners appeared in deceptive YouTube ads.

When asked whether brands can use someone’s AI Self to create promotional content, the TikTok representative said the company would "look into it."

"It should just be more of a peer-to-peer kind of creator-level product,” the source said.

There are rules against at least some of this behavior. The Federal Trade Commission's rule on fake reviews and testimonials prohibits testimonials that falsely represent someone as having experience with a product they never used.

The FTC has even addressed AI advertising specifically. In guidance that mentions TikTok's Symphony Avatars by name, the agency says AI avatars aren't inherently prohibited in advertising, but their use could violate federal rules when they create a fake or misleading testimonial.

“Just last week, we announced that we’re testing a new feature that helps folks find accounts on TikTok who are maybe using their likeness," a source at TikTok told Mashable. "You could easily upload your photo and verify your ID through the third-party platform, and it will then confirm you’re the owner of your identity.”

"We are testing strategies broadly to help protect AI likeness on the platform," he added.

Instagram already learned how sensitive this is the hard way

TikTok isn't the only platform discovering how quickly users react when control over their likeness becomes an opt-out setting.

Last month, Meta launched a feature for its new Muse Image generator that allowed people to @-mention public Instagram accounts and use their photos as references for new AI-generated images. Users could disable this feature in their settings, but it was enabled automatically for public accounts.

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The reaction was swift. SAG-AFTRA criticized the opt-out approach, while Emmy-winning actor Hannah Einbinder urged her followers to disable the setting. Three days after introducing it, Meta pulled the feature entirely.

"Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control over whether their public content could be referenced in this way," Meta said in an update. "We’ve heard the feedback that this feature missed the mark, so it’s no longer available."

The episode gets at the same question now raised by Gruber's TikTok experience: If your AI self can say and do things you never did, where does your control over your own likeness begin...and end?

For now, Gruber has considerably more practical advice: "Careful out there with this stuff," she said. "It can happen to anyone."