Technology

• Netflix adds Download Season to iPhone and iPad apps
• The update comes after Android users got it
• It follows a significant price increase

During the dark days, the ones where my home broadband network went offline, we struggled to stream Netflix content on our iPads and iPhones. If only we'd had this recent update: the ability to download entire seasons.

Granted, that might not have worked so well with the almost useless 5G connection on my iPhone, but if I'd already had the ability to download entire seasons of Squid Game and Man on the Inside, we might've already had all those shows resident on our iPhones and iPads. In that case, who needs a connection?

The ability to download an entire series on one of the best streaming services is not entirely new. Android users have had it for a while. Netflix on my new Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra had this ability from the moment I installed the streaming service.

How to get it

(Image credit: Future)

The new download capability wasn't there today when I checked my iPhone 16 Pro Max. But I found a quick way to add it. I deleted the app from my phone and reinstalled it. Presto! Netflix Downloads management center moved to a new location under My Netflix, and shows where downloads are available now include a Download Season option next to the Share icon.

In the case of multi-season shows, the label says "Download Season 1" or whatever season you're in. In the case of a limited series or one with just a single season under its belt like A Man on the Inside, it'll say something like "Download 8 Episodes."

Over WiFi, it took about a minute to download 8 episodes of A Man on the Inside. To double-check the utility of this feature, I put my phone in airplane mode and was pleased to see that I could play any of the episodes.

I could also go into the Download Management section and delete the episodes individually or the entire season with one click.

(Image credit: Future)

Being able to watch Netflix streamers offline is a big deal. I know that in my house, when we had no connectivity and were only watching what we could stream live at the moment – which wasn't much and why we switched to DVDs (the old-school way of having instant access to entire seasons of your favorite shows) – we would've considered this feature a binge lifesaver.

There's no technical reason I can see that prevented Netflix from bringing this to the best iPhones and best iPads at the same time as Android phones and I hope they don't make a habit of covering only one platform at a time.

Giving us this content portability is the least Netflix can do after again raising prices on all levels of service.

As I prepare to go on a little vacation, I plan to take advantage of this feature and download a few seasons of some select shows to watch on the beach or when I just want to chill in my hotel room.

Such perfect timing. Thanks, Netflix.

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In a move straight out of the Twitter and Tesla playbook, Elon Musk is apparently camping out just steps away from the White House.

The Bundesliga giants' top-eight hopes rest on a win against the Slovakians.

A draw would be enough to see both sides through to the playoffs.

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• Wine 10 is now out with more than 6,000 updates on its release log
• The emulator - which turns 32 this year - allows Linux/Unix users to run Windows software
• Open source project doesn't require Windows unlike virtual machine solutions

If you want to run Windows software on a Linux OS, you'll need to install the Wine compatibility layer. Wine, a recursive acronym for "Wine Is Not an Emulator," provides a runtime environment for running Windows applications natively on Linux without virtualization. It can also be configured as the default installer for Windows software, simplifying the setup process.

First released on July 4, 1993, Wine was created by Bob Amstadt (the project’s original lead) and Eric Youngdale as an open source implementation of the Windows API for Unix-based systems. Over the past 32 years, it has evolved into a powerful tool for bridging the gap between Windows and Linux environments and after a year of development, the developers behind it have announced the stable release of Wine 10.

This new version includes over 6,000 individual changes. While many are minor fixes, there are some notable highlights, including full support for the ARM64EC architecture and hybrid ARM64X modules, allowing seamless integration of ARM64EC and plain ARM64 code.

OpenGL support

High-DPI support has been improved in this release, with automatic scaling for non-DPI aware applications. Vulkan enhancements now support child window rendering and Vulkan Video extensions.

Direct3D updates include a new HLSL-based fixed function pipeline, Vulkan shader backend improvements, and dynamic state extensions to reduce stuttering. And, in a welcome move, OpenGL is now supported within the Wayland driver, which is enabled by default. This addition will allow for better integration with Wayland-based Linux environments.

Other changes include an experimental FFmpeg-based multimedia backend, improved HID and touchscreen input handling, enhanced Unicode and locale compatibility, and solid RPC/COM support on ARM platforms.

A number of other tweaks have been made too, such as process elevation, improved serial port event handling, and support for modern vector extensions like AVX-512. Developers also benefit from updated build tools, static analysis options, and bundled library upgrades like Capstone, Vkd3d 1.14, and FFmpeg.

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• IKEA announces a colorful new range of home electronics
• The range will be made in collaboration with the colorist Teklan
• Two new colors of its portable Vappeby Bluetooth speaker are out now

IKEA is no stranger to home tech, making smart lights, smart sensors and picture frame speakers, and more. Unfortunately, not many of those come decked in the bold colors that the homeware giant is famous for, but IKEA has just promised to fix that with a new series that it claims will "reimagine" home electronics.

The new home gadgets are being designed in collaboration with Tekla Evelina Severin, a designer and colorist known as Teklan on Instagram, and will apparently combine color, patterns and geometric forms to help the tech hold its own when surrounded by your bold, complementary home decor.

So far, so vague, but IKEA has given us a teaser of what to expect by refreshing its super-cheap (and surprisingly good) portable Vappeby Bluetooth speaker ($15 / £12 / AU$22) with two new colors. When the speaker launched last year it was available in black, red or yellow finishes, but the Teklan collaboration has delivered some rather fetching blue and pink versions that are available now.

The slightly less good news is that the full Teklan range isn't expect to launch until "early 2026" with more details to follow nearer that time. Come on, IKEAn – we were at least hoping to get some new stocking fillers in time for this Christmas. Still, the Vappeby speaker gives us some confidence that the new range could be worth the wait...

Cheap, cheerful...and actually good?

It's right at home with your bathroom accoutrements – but don't be fooled, the sound is no joke, not for this money (Image credit: Future)

If IKEA's refreshed Vappeby speaker is a taste of what's to come from its new Teklan collaboration, then that's a good sign – particularly if it applies that formula to some actually new, affordable products.

The Vappeby's price tag might create understandable caution, but TechRadar's Audio Editor Becky Scarrott tested the Vappeby last year – and her surprising conclusion was that it's "excellent" and an "alarmingly good Bluetooth speaker for the money".

While the speaker's new blue and pink variants look promising, it's hard to conclude that yellow (above) still isn't the best for bathroom tunes. Still, blue or pink could suit your decor better, and whatever version of Vappeby you go for it's hard to beat it on bang-for-buck.

Our testing found it to be "wholly worthy of its IP67 claim" for waterproofing, which means it can be dunked in water down to one meter and still survive for 30 minutes. And our review concluded that "there's very little wrong with the Vappeby sonically" as long as you "expect a forward-sounding, excitable performance rather than a laid-back or refined listen". That's why it made our list of the best cheap Bluetooth speakers last year.

It would be great to see IKEA repeat the Vappeby formula with other tech – I'm thinking portable heaters, desktop speakers, microphones, perhaps even a genuinely desirable router. What cheap-and-cheerful product would you like to see IKEA rustle up in this new designer collection? Let us know in the comments below.

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The Google Play Store has just introduced a new way for VPN providers to show they offer secure and trustworthy services – a "Verified" badge.

The new badge is designed to highlight consumer-facing VPN apps "that prioritize user privacy and safety," the Big Tech giant explains in a blog post. The goal is to help users make more informed choices about the VPN apps they download and use.

Google's new badge will be displayed on the VPN app's details page and in search results as a guarantee the virtual private network (VPN) service meets Google's safety standards.

How to get Google's "Verified" badge

"Earning the VPN badge isn't just about checking a box – it's proof that your VPN app invests in app safety," said Google, pointing out how the verification label will help providers stand out in a crowded VPN market.

To be eligible for the new verification badge, VPN providers need to complete a Mobile Application Security Assessment (MASA) Level 2 validation. This is essentially an evaluation of the app's security.

VPN apps must also have at least 10,000 installs and 250 reviews. They also require an "organization developer" account type and to be published on Google for at least 90 days to qualify.

Eligible app developers must also submit information on how they collect user data and opt into independent security reviews.

While other factors contribute to the evaluation, Google explains, fulfilling these requirements "significantly increases" the chances of getting the VPN Verified badge.

"In a market where trust is key, this badge not only provides reassurance to customers, but also highlights the integrity of developers committed to delivering secure and reliable products," commented NordVPN to Google. (Image credit: Google)

Google's initiative comes as a very much-needed move. Increasingly more instances have proven downloading a legitimate VPN app from the internet isn't enough to be safe.

At the beginning of the month, for example, Google warned of legit VPN apps being used as a backdoor to infect devices with malware.

VPN downloads have also increased across the US lately to evade age verification laws and temporary blocks enforced on TikTok.

Some of the best VPN apps have already received a verification badge. These include TechRadar's top pick NordVPN, Hide.me, and Aloha Browser.

Google's new Verified badge adds to Google's ongoing commitment to better transparency and security in its App Store. These include the privacy labels rolled out in 2022 and the independent security review banners introduced the year after.

NordVPN’s newly launched NordWhisper VPN protocol aims to bypass VPN restrictions by mimicking traditional web traffic.

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• New details about Phantom Blade Zero's gameplay features have been revealed
• The game will reportedly take 20-30 hours to beat and have 20 hours of side content
• The soulslike will have four difficulty options and a phase two checkpoint on all bosses

New details have emerged about Phantom Blade Zero, S-Game's upcoming soulslike action game.

The PS5 exclusive was announced last year and it wasn't until recently that the developer treated fans to a fresh look in a six-minute gameplay trailer showcasing an intense boss battle.

We don't have a release date just yet, but thanks to multiple Chinese outlets (via Push Square) we now have confirmation of a ton of features the game will have at launch.

Interestingly, it looks like Phantom Blade Zero will be straying away from the traditional soulslike formula by featuring at least four difficulty options, including easy, normal, hard, and extremely hard, something other games in the genre, like Elden Ring or Lies of P, lack.

In terms of story, it will reportedly take between 20 and 30 hours to beat the main campaign. There will be 20 hours of additional side content too, which could mean side quests and bosses not tied to the narrative.

Speaking of boss fights, each boss will have two battle phases - although we can't be sure if this will apply to every single boss just yet. Unlike other popular soulslike games, there will be a phase two checkpoint, meaning if the player were to die, they will respawn at the beginning of that phase without losing phase one progress.

Additionally, there will be a separate mode that will allow players to replay boss fights, similar to the Reflections of Strength mode in Sekiro Shadows Die Twice, which lets players challenge any boss to a re-match.

It's said that this mode will also lead to more "hidden" bosses to confront, but we don't know how many there will be.

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• McAfee researchers find number of malicious GitHub repositories
• The repositories change every week, but always promise game cracks, hacks, or free access to commercial software
• But instead of the cracks, the victims get infected with Lumma Stealer

Cybercriminals are using GitHub to target children with infostealing malware, a new McAfee report has claimed, saying it spotted an ongoing malicious campaign on the popular code repository.

In an analysis, the researchers said they observed many repositories pretending to be game hacks, cracks, or free versions of otherwise commercial software. However, instead of providing these programs, the repositories were actually hosting Lumma Stealer, a known infostealer malware.

“McAfee Labs encountered multiple repositories, offering game hacks for top-selling video games such as Apex Legends, Minecraft, Counter Strike 2.0, Roblox, Valorant, Fortnite, Call of Duty, GTA V and or offering cracked versions of popular software and services, such as Spotify Premium, FL Studio, Adobe Express, SketchUp Pro, Xbox Game Pass, and Discord to name a few,” the researchers said.

Disabling the AV

This “network of repositories”, as McAfee described it, changes the description every week, and creates new repositories, since the old ones get flagged and removed by GitHub. The payload, however, always remains the same.

“These repositories also include distribution licenses and software screenshots to enhance their appearance of legitimacy,” McAfee concluded.

The descriptions also contain instructions on how to download and run the malware, and how to disable any antivirus programs on the computer, before running it. The attackers said that antivirus solutions flag these programs as false-positives, and can safely be ignored.

McAfee says this social engineering technique, combined with the trust GitHub enjoys with its users works well, and that the campaign infected many users. The researchers did not share any numbers, but stressed that the targets are mostly on the younger side:

“Children are frequently targeted by such scams, as malware authors exploit their interest in game hacks by highlighting potential features and benefits, making it easier to infect more systems.”

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• Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked's first trailer just dropped
• It shows us the Demeo-meets-D&D experience we were expecting
• There's no release date, but we were promised post-launch DLC support

Just over a year ago it was announced that Demeo developer Resolution Games would be creating a VR Dungeons & Dragons title, a collaboration akin to combining peanut butter and jelly – it just made perfect sense. Now we’ve got the first trailer for the upcoming project: Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked (try saying that five times fast), and we’ve got our first look at the gameplay.

Demeo is the essential tabletop experience in VR with elements that fans of IRL games will recognize instantly – including dice rolling, miniatures, and fantastical settings. It was already approaching D&D in VR, so an official partnership between the two games wasn’t surprising. And the end result is exactly what people expected.

As seen in the trailer (we’ve dropped it below for you) various players come together as their diverse set of characters – a Dragonborn warrior, Halfling mage, Elf bard, and Tiefling rogue – to take on a band of Kobolds in a tabletop setting made to look like woodlands.

It ends with a quick flash of recognizable Demeo gameplay – a player rolling a die to make an attack, while the other members of their party scan their hand of cards to decide what actions they’ll take on their turn.

So far, the only distinctly D&D change is that the usual 12-sided die used in Demeo has been swapped for the iconic 20-sided die (D20) which all D&D campaigns rely on. However, other D&D elements have been stripped away to make the game more like Demeo; Battlemarked will be a Dungeon Master-less experience (a person who runs the game for the players) with the game deciding how NPCs and monsters engage with the players, and the title will focus on “social strategy rather than social roleplay” according to the developers – so expect combat galore.

Beyond what the trailer had to show us, Resolution Games and Wizards of the Coast have promised us two story-based campaigns at Battlemarked’s launch, with additional campaigns planned as DLC for future updates.

We’re not sure which settings will make an appearance, but we expect a few iconic locations and campaigns from the Forgotten Realms – Icewind Dale, the Tomb of Annihilation, Waterdeep, and Ravenloft to name a few – will be adapted for this upcoming title.

We unfortunately don’t know when that launch will happen however, nor which platforms Demeo x Dungeons & Dragons: Battlemarked will launch on, though we’re expecting it’ll match the core Demeo’s release – Meta Quest 3, PCVR, PlayStation VR 2 and Apple Vision Pro systems.

(Image credit: Wizards of the Coast) Give me customization, or give me death

There’s a lot we still don’t know about Battlemarked but one aspect of D&D I hope we do see is customization – the ability for players to create their own characters, and potentially even their own campaigns.

I’m not expecting something to the same degree of Baldur’s Gate 3’s character creation, but the ability to mix and match classes with different D&D species to create my choice of hero rather than having to select a pre-made champion – which is what you do in Demeo – would make this feel more like a D&D adventure.

I also know a lot of players – myself included – were hoping this Demeo collab might materialize as some kind of virtual tabletop experience that gives us control over the action for our own custom games. I certainly don’t mind the inclusion of a DM-less campaign mode, but a DM-led custom mode would be awesome – especially as a stepping stone for new groups to transition from playing Battlemarked to playing D&D-proper. Demeo isn’t new to PvP – with its Demeo: Battles variant – so pulling in elements into a 3v1 players vs DM environment would be a lot of fun.

Admittedly, I’m not holding my breath for either of these customization suggestions, but as a D&D and VR fan I’m excited to see what Resolution games and Wizards of the Coast have in store for us.

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