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• Microsoft has just released a new update for Windows 11
• Unfortunately, it brings an advert for PC Game Pass into the Settings app
• Not everyone will see this, though, and this update applies a raft of useful bug fixes, particularly for File Explorer

Windows 11 just received its latest update, and as is quite often the case, there’s good and bad news – important fixes for File Explorer is the former, and yet another advert being officially introduced to the OS is the latter.

Yes, in case you didn’t realize, yesterday was 'Patch Tuesday', and the March cumulative update for Windows 11 was released.

Let’s get the dubious move out of the way first, then: the mentioned ad is placed in the Settings app, on the home page panel, and consists of promotional activity for PC Game Pass.

The positive news here is that it will only appear for certain Windows 11 users – those who are PC Game Pass subscribers – the reason being that it’s an ad that offers a referral for friends who might want to join the service, too.

In other words, this gives you the ability to invite friends to try PC Game Pass for free (for a 14-day trial, or at least that was the case in testing).

Right, onto the File Explorer fixes, which, for those who might be unsure, is the app that powers the very folders that you use on a daily basis (most likely) to deal with your files.

As Bleeping Computer reports, there are quite a few cures for various File Explorer blues, including an important one, whereby Windows 11 now offers much-improved performance levels when opening folders that have a large quantity of media files within them.

A problem that meant the right-click context menu was also sluggish to appear with cloud-based files has been resolved, too. Also, regarding files in the cloud (OneDrive), the thumbnails for these now show properly in Windows 11 search results (whereas some thumbnails previously wouldn’t be displayed).

On top of that, an issue with the address bar overlapping files when in full-screen mode with a File Explorer window has been remedied (and URLs entered manually in the address bar are guaranteed to work, whereas some were failing previously).

There are quite a number of bug fixes in this patch, in fact, including some work on the Start menu (where the colors were wrong in the Account Manager flyout), and a cure for an odd sound-related issue. The latter saw the PC’s volume increase to 100% when the device woke from sleep (a rude awakening indeed for some unsuspecting Windows 11 users, no doubt – and another in an unfortunate collection of recent audio bugs).

Also, a glitch that caused some apps to not recognize a connected scanner has been smoothed over, too.

There are the usual security patches here, as you’d expect, and also some work on features, including useful new shortcuts for the scan mode of Windows 11’s screen reader tool, Narrator.

(Image credit: Future / Jasmine Mannan) Analysis: Ad aggro and File Explorer remains wonky – yet Microsoft deserves some credit here

So, another advert has made it all the way through testing into the finished version of Windows 11 – and I can’t say I’m impressed with that. Okay, so this advert might actually be useful, I don’t dispute that – it is at least targeted at PC Game Pass subscribers, and they might genuinely want to give their friends the chance of a free trial (to try out some coop gaming with them).

That said, this is still an out-and-out advert – not some kind of ‘suggestion’ or more subtle prod to use a Microsoft service – and the more of this that’s brought into Windows 11, the more I feel that Microsoft is crossing lines it really shouldn’t be crossing. (Not in a paid-for operating system).

To give Microsoft credit where it’s due, we have witnessed some recommendations (in testing) of late that could prove genuinely useful, so the company isn’t going entirely in the wrong direction with Windows 11’s various nudges and prompts.

Furthermore, it’s definitely good to see the work on fixing File Explorer, although there have been a lot of bugs affecting it, and some annoyances still remain. Notably, only last month, the February 2025 update caused chaos with File Explorer falling over for some folks.

This is an area Microsoft clearly needs to fully smooth over, as it’s a central part of the Windows 11 interface, so it really doesn’t look good if there are glitches hanging about in the works.

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• OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, has shared a metafiction short story written by AI
• He claims the new ChatGPT creative writing model is the best AI writing he's ever read
• There's no timeframe on when this new AI model will launch to the public, but should it even exist?

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says the company is working on a new ChatGPT model that is good at creative writing and marks the first time he has been "really struck by something written by AI."

The new ChatGPT model doesn't have a name or a release schedule, but Altman clearly thinks this new creative writing tool could overhaul the way we use AI for writing fiction.

In his post on X, Altman shared a full metafiction literary short written by ChatGPT about AI and grief. The story itself is bizarre to say the least, taking on tropes of creative writing to generate a work that AI deems metafictional. The opening paragraph reads, "Before we go any further, I should admit this comes with instructions: be metafictional, be literary, be about AI and grief, and above all, be original. Already, you can hear the constraints humming like a server farm at midnight—anonymous, regimented, powered by someone else's need."

Until this point, AI's ability to write creatively has always yielded a sort of soulless stylistically-void attempt at recreating what ChatGPT finds from its training, and while Altman's example is definitely an improvement compared to asking ChatGPT 4o to do the same thing, it begs the question as to why would I even want AI to attempt creative writing?

we trained a new model that is good at creative writing (not sure yet how/when it will get released). this is the first time i have been really struck by something written by AI; it got the vibe of metafiction so right.PROMPT:Please write a metafictional literary short story…March 11, 2025

Creative writing without the creativity

As AI finds its way into every aspect of our lives, the constant pushing and pulling between how much we want from artificial intelligence becomes more and more prominent. Creative industries have frowned upon the use of AI, from movies like Oscar-nominated The Brutalist coming under fire for its use of software to enhance Hungarian dialect, to the taboo of using AI for journalism of any sort.

As someone who writes for a living, I only use AI tools to have reasons to write about them, whether that's pitting DeepSeek against ChatGPT for research or using Apple Intelligence to create emojis. It would never cross my mind to use ChatGPT to write an article or to think creatively for me, as the reason I'm able to work as a journalist is because I've honed in skills that make me talented to do so.

This example of ChatGPT's creative writing sparks fear in creative industries and makes authors hope that the general public can weed out the rubbish from the words that they pour their soul into.

With tools like NotebookLM already creating AI podcasts that are indistinguishable from human-created ones, improvements to ChatGPT's writing prowess and an ability to think creatively from a prompt is the next step in making those of us who write as a job to have even more disdain for AI.

ChatGPT's new creative writing model is impressive, but it completely misses the point of why creative writing even exists in the first place, allowing humans to pour their emotions and ideas into words. Who knows if we'll ever see a commercial version of what Altman shared on X, but I sure as hell hope we don't.

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• Apple has released new updates that fix a known vulnerability
• The flaw might have been exploited in the wild
• The latest update also re-enables Apple Intelligence, even if you disabled it

It’s a good idea to update your devices to the latest operating system versions if you can, and that’s been amply demonstrated by Apple, with recent updates to iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS patching a serious security vulnerability that might have been actively exploited in the wild.

The issue related to WebKit, Apple’s open-source framework that helps render web pages. In a support article describing the vulnerability, Apple’s update explains that “Maliciously crafted web content may be able to break out of Web Content sandbox.”

The issue was fixed by addressing an out-of-bounds write issue “with improved checks to prevent unauthorized actions.”

Apple adds that “this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals on versions of iOS before iOS 17.2.” That means it’s very important to update your devices to make sure you don’t fall victim.

How to update

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Specifically, the patch can be found in the iOS 18.3.2, macOS 15.3.2, and visionOS 2.3.2 updates. According to Apple’s update webpage, the updates are supplementary patches to an issue that was fixed in iOS 17.2.

Updating your devices is straightforward. To update macOS and iOS, open the Settings or System Settings app and go to General > Software Update > Update Now. Allow the update to finish – your device might restart a few times.

This isn't the only change you’ll find in the iOS 18.3.2 update. It looks like Apple has started automatically re-enabling Apple Intelligence when you install this software patch, even if you had previously disabled the artificial intelligence system. That’ll be frustrating news if you’ve decided you don’t want to use AI on your device.

In this case, you’ll see an Apple Intelligence splash screen after installing the update. The only option on this screen is to select Continue, which enables the AI. If you want to disable it, you’ll then need to open the Settings app and go to Apple Intelligence & Siri, then turn off the toggle for Apple Intelligence.

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• Older Chromecasts have been unusable for several days
• Google now says it knows what's wrong and that a fix is coming
• In the meantime, don't factory reset your device

A couple of days ago we reported on issues affecting older Chromecasts and the Chromecast Audio device, preventing them from casting. Google has now provided another update for affected users – though it's not particularly helpful.

As per a post to the official Google Nest support forums (via 9to5Google), Google engineers are "working to resolve this as soon as possible, and will keep you updated when there is more to share" – and there's the usual apologies for inconvenience.

Apparently the cause of the issue has been identified, but Google hasn't shared what that is yet. What it is reiterating is not to factory reset your Chromecast if you're affected (a message we got on Monday too) – as this will lock you out of the device completely.

Instructions to factory reset Chromecasts are still on display in the official Chromecast Help Center, as it's (usually) such a helpful troubleshooting approach – but you shouldn't do it this time. Google has intimated it will help those users who have done a factory reset with specific instructions in due course.

What's gone wrong?

The Chromecast Audio has also been affected (Image credit: Future)

If you're new to this issue, it prevents users from casting anything: all they get is an "untrusted device" error, and the option to dismiss it. The only models that seem to be affected are those launched in 2015, the 2nd-gen Chromecast and the Chromecast Audio.

As Google hasn't provided any details about why this is happening, we're left to speculate. If you go back to the Reddit thread where this was first reported, there is some investigation there that points to a server-side issue (so a problem at Google's end).

The blame can apparently be assigned to an expired certificate authority validation – a security process that guards against hacks and snooping (and which needs to be regularly repeated). It seems the affected devices are no longer recognized as being genuine Chromecasts, which is in turn preventing any casting.

It's an incredibly frustrating bug for users, who continue to be unable to send their audio and video streams to bigger screens, and remain in the dark about when a fix might arrive. We will of course keep you posted here.

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Full spoilers follow for Daredevil: Born Again episode 3.

Episode 3 of Daredevil: Born Again is out now – and there's only one moment that the majority of Marvel fans are talking about in the immediate aftermath of its release.

The show's latest chapter, titled 'The Hollow of His Hand', is a tense courtroom drama centered on the trial of Hector Ayala (the late Kamar de los Reyes). And, while it's an episode that thematically holds up a mirror to Matt Murdock's (Charlie Cox) past as the vigilante known as Daredevil, nobody's really discussing what it means for Murdock's return to the crimefighting arena just yet.

The reason? A truly shocking incident, which plays out in episode 3's final scene and sets the stage for a fan-favorite anti-hero's arrival. Full spoilers immediately follow for Born Again's latest entry.

Ayala's death hits harder because it's the final performance given by de los Reyes before he passed away in December 2023 (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

Yes, Hector Ayala – i.e., the self-appointed vigilante known as White Riger – is dead. Hey, very few people survive a point-blank gunshot to the head.

It's an awful moment for three big reasons. First, an innocent man has been gunned down in cold blood. We know Ayala didn't murder New York Police Department (NYPD) officer Shanahan on that subway platform because we watched the latter slip on said platform and subsequently get hit by that train. Indeed, we saw that incident play out in the Disney+ show's second episode. The fact that Ayala was found not guilty of all charges leveled against him in his trial, then, proved that justice had been served.

Or so it seemed. That's because the second terrible thing about Ayala's death in this Marvel Phase 5 project is it was inadvertently Murdock's doing.

When Nicky Torres, the only witness who could prove Ayala's innocence, performs an unexpected U-turn and refuses to corroborate Ayala's story during the latter's day in court, Murdock and Kirsten McDuffie's defense falls apart. That causes Murdock to perform a Hail Mary move and essentially out Ayala as the White Tiger in court, which stuns those present.

Ayala (center) is found innocent of all of the charges brought against him (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

It's an out-of-the-blue measure that works in Ayala's favor, though. Following said revelation, numerous New Yorkers come forward to testify for Ayala, with many of them confirming that, as his superpowered alias White Tiger, Ayala rescued them from certain death. Based on this evidence and after much deliberation, the jury sides with Ayala. Hugs and cheers all round.

Well, until Ayala's death, anyway. You see, a target is painted on Ayala's back when Murdock reveals he's the White Tiger. That puts Ayala in the line of fire of those crooked police officers who bear a tattoo that's near-identical to The Punisher's (more on this vigilante later) iconic skull symbol.

Clearly, all these officers have to do is find Ayala and enact their own sense of 'justice' by murdering him. That might not be so easy if Ayala wore everyday clothes post-trial, which would make difficult to track down or follow in a city with a massive population. However, despite Murdock's protestations that he shouldn't suit up as White Tiger again if he's found innocent, Ayala does so anyway. It's much easier to spot someone roaming the streets in a white costume, complete with black stripes and a so-called magical amulet, so it was only a matter of time before Ayala was taken out.

Okay, maybe I'm doing Murdock a disservice by saying it's his fault that Ayala is dead. After all, he told his client not to continue being a vigilante if he walked away a free man. In my view, though, Murdock is partly to blame because he publicly revealed Ayala's secret identity. Without doing so, nobody would've known that Ayala is White Tiger and may still be alive in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) at this point.

No, The Punisher doesn't kill White Tiger in Born Again episode 3 (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

But back to the reason that you opened this article in the first place: episode 3's misdirect.

After Ayala is killed, the murderer walks towards the camera and, before the screen cuts to black, it's revealed that they're wearing a bulletproof vest with The Punisher's skull moniker painted on it.

Now, you might think that it's the life-taking vigilante himself – aka Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) – who murders Ayala in one of the best Disney+ shows. You'd be mistaken.

How so? Scroll back up to the paragraph where I mention those NYPD officers with the skull tattoos. Clearly, some of them have an ax to grind with Ayala because a) they believe one of their own (Shanahan) was killed by Ayala and b) Ayala walked away a free man. So, what better way to get away with murdered an innocent guy than by adopting the symbol of a crimefighter who's renowned for using lethal force to dispatch of his enemies?

So, yes, I'm convinced that it isn't Castle who took Ayala's life. When he finds out that his symbol has been repurposed by dirty cops so they can get away with executing innocent victims, though – hoo, boy, they best watch their backs.

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• New research claims that global smartwatch shipments declined in 2024
• The 7% decline over 2023 would mark the first time the market has shrunk
• It is claimed that the missing Apple Watch Ultra 3 launch and iterative Series 10 may be partly to blame

A new set of figures into the global smartwatch market claims that the sector shrunk in 2024 year-on-year, the first time the market has ever declined.

The figures from Counterpoint Research indicate that global smartwatch shipments fell in 2024 by 7% over 2023.

While the likes of Samsung and Huawei enjoyed some reported growth (35% for the latter if the figures are correct), Apple saw shipments of its best Apple Watches reportedly decline by some 19% year-on-year, enough to shrink the market as a whole.

Apple drives the seismic shift because it makes up so much of the market. Counterpoint estimates that 25% of smartwatches shipped in 2023 were Apple Watches, with that share shrinking to just 22% last year.

The reason? Counterpoint claims the biggest driver in decline was a waning North American market disappointed by the iterative Apple Watch Series 10 and the missing Apple Watch Ultra 3, which we'd hoped might launch last year.

The figures are unlikely to be spot on. Counterpoint Research figures are based on analyst estimates rather than sales data, which Apple never makes public, and the outlet has been off before about Apple. Still, the notion of a disappointing 2024 for Apple Watch rings true, and is a plausible reason as to why the market might have shrunk last year.

A much better 2025 in store for smartwatches

The Apple Watch Series 10 did actually mark quite a refinement over the previous Series 9. It's decidedly more comfortable to wear and the display is much brighter when viewed from an angle.

In my opinion, the lack of Apple Watch Ultra 3 was definitely more of a disappointment. Apple's Ultra 2 did get a new titanium black colorway, but the lack of any other upgrades was sure to put off prospective new customers, including those looking to upgrade from the original Apple Watch Ultra.

Whether or not these figures truly represent a decline in the smartwatch market, the outlook for 2025 is much better, at least for Apple. The company is planning to unveil three new models, including a new, redesigned Apple Watch SE 3, a long-overdue upgrade that has also likely impacted interest in the market.

The Apple Watch Series 11 might not be a major design change over the Series 10, but it is expected to include high blood pressure detection that will work in a similar vein to its sleep apnea detection, giving alerts for abnormal readings, rather than specific data.

Finally, the Apple Watch Ultra 3 will complete the set, with high blood pressure detection also in tow.

All of these should be unveiled at Apple's customary September event alongside the iPhone 17.

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• Hitman: World of Assassination launches for PSVR 2 on March 27
• It will cost $9.99 / £8.99 for existing owners to upgrade
• The VR Games Showcase also showed off loads of new Meta Quest games

As part of the recent VR Games Showcase live stream, developer IO Interactive gave us another look at Hitman: World of Assassination on PSVR 2 and confirmed a release date.

This VR (virtual reality) take on Hitman: World of Assassination features all of the content from the original PS5 version of the stealth game, which means more than three complete single player campaigns, countless sandbox levels to explore, and hundreds of weapons to try.

This latest gameplay trailer looks absolutely superb, showing a player pulling off a daring assassination on a target in a moving race car with a compact sniper rifle. We were also told that the game will launch on March 27, 2025, which means that there's really not long to wait if you're keen to dive in.

You can see the full presentation for yourself below.

Although you will need to own a copy of Hitman: World of Assassination on PS5 to play, the PSVR 2 upgrade will not be free. IO Interactive has previously confirmed that it will cost $9.99 / £8.99.

This was far from the only reveal in the showcase, however, which also showed off loads of games coming to Meta Quest and PC VR.

For me, a few highlights include pet simulator Stay Forever Home which lets you interact with an adorable creature named Ember. Releasing for Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S and Meta Quest Pro, it will utilize the headsets' AR (augmented reality) features to put the animal right in your home.

There's also 'roguelite' mech battler Underdogs, which is coming to PSVR 2 on March 25 and looks like a blast with the promise of detailed haptic support to help you feel every blow.

Finally, creepy adventure Ghost Town (announced for Meta Quest 3, Meta Quest 3S, Meta Quest Pro, and Meta Quest 2 in addition to PSVR 2 and PC VR) is pretty intriguing. Coming from the developers of The Room VR: A Dark Matter, I'm expecting a great mystery with plenty of good puzzles to solve.

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• iRobot scraps all its robot vacuums apart from the Combo 10 Max, replacing them with 5 new models
• The new vacs have LiDAR, rotating mop pads, and introduce a cool new design language
• They're available for pre-sale from March 18 in North America and some European countries

iRobot has pulled out the big guns for 2025, scrapping almost its entire Roomba fleet and replacing it with five new models that look like they could actually trouble the likes of Roborock and Ecovacs.

A few years ago iRobot was the go-to robot vacuum brand – if you were looking for a robovac, you wanted a Roomba. But over the years other brands started to overtake it, and the gap kept widening, with Roombas slipping further and further down our best robot vacuum ranking and threatening to disappear from them entirely – until now.

The biggest update to the new Roomba lineup is the introduction of LiDAR, and it's remarkable that it's taken iRobot this long to get on board with the tech – LiDAR is almost universally considered the best, most reliable form of robot vacuum navigation, and is more or less standard across the rest of the market.

The new Roombas should, as a result, offer faster, more accurate navigation, and they'll be able to find their way around in the dark, too.

iRobot is calling its LiDAR navigation 'ClearView', and it features across all the new models. That includes – interestingly – one that doesn't have the usual central, raised LiDAR puck. (iRobot assures us that this won't compromise navigation accuracy, but it's definitely something we'd like to test out for ourselves.)

(Image credit: iRobot)

Perhaps overdue, too, is the introduction of rotating discs, which can lift, and, in one case, kick out for edge mopping. These tend to deliver a more efficient wet clean than the static pads favored by Roomba thus far. They're paired, on the Roomba Plus 405 Combo and 505 Combo, with more advanced 'AutoWash' docks that can clean and dry the mop pads, in one case with hot air.

Something else that marks this out as a new start for iRobot is the introduction of a new design language, dubbed GRID (Geometric, Rational, Iconic and Dynamic). The new bots have a sort of Mondrian-style geometric grid on top, and introduce matte textures for a friendlier and more style-forward look than most of the competition. It's also distinctive to the brand, and will help Roomba stand out in a sea of rather generic-looking competitor products.

(Image credit: iRobot)

The most interesting introduction to the lineup, for me, is the Roomba 205 DustCompactor Combo robot. Designed for those who don't have space for a giant auto-empty dock in their home (raised hand), this bot does the next-best thing, and compacts the dust in its small onboard bin, making it capable of holding far larger quantities and removing the need for you to constantly empty it. As an aside, this is the same bot that doesn't have the LiDAR puck, which I guess fits with the space-saving, streamlined vibe.

What's in a name?

The fact that the names have been revamped to a clearer system of Roomba (good), Roomba Plus (better), and Roomba Max (best), should be a big help to consumers looking to make sense of the various options.

The only disappointing thing here is that the Max category currently comprises just the Roomba Combo 10 Max. That's the only model not to be scrapped – and given that it only came out in 2024, I can kind of see why. However, it didn't receive the best response, and doesn't make for a great range-topper. In fact, it looks positively decrepit compared to the sleek, capable new fleet, and it's notably lacking in updates like LiDAR. I hope a better 'best' model is on the cards soon.

Another boon for consumers is iRobot's decision to once again share suction specs. The brand had stopped doing this, arguing that cleaning power wasn't all about suction. While that's true, it's a useful indicator of the performance you can expet, and helpful when comparing different models (both from within iRobot's range and outside). The new Roombas all have 7,000Pa of suction, which is less than most premium bots, but is still a decent amount, especially when combined with an efficient design.

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Get ready to be judged for the things that make you uniquely human.

You season 5: key information

- Coming to Netflix on April 24
- Teaser trailer released in January, ahead of a full trailer
- Huge cast announcements revealed
- Joe Goldberg returns to New York
- Season 5 will be the show's final outing

"Hello, you." The two simple words that Joe Goldberg utters have haunted us for the past seven years, but we’re still desperately awaiting the return of You season 5, the twisted finale and one of the best Netflix shows, to hear them just one more time. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait much longer as You season 5 will premiere on Netflix, one of the world’s best streaming services, on April 24.

Based on the novels by Caroline Kepnes, You follows Joe, a hopeless romantic with a twisted mind. Time and time again, he'll meet a new woman and quickly become smitten to the point of obsession, that eventually and most likely leads to him killing them, or at least trying to, and anyone else that gets in the way in the process. Yikes. In true Joe fashion, every morsel of information we’ve been fed so far about You season 5 is issued in the foreboding narration from the man himself - from teasers to reveals. So, where is he luring us to next? Well, it’s a return to where it all began for You season 5, as teased in the season 4 finale, as he’s back in New York with Kate by his side.

There’s plenty more to know about Joe’s ominous and looming return though, so as we prepare for the thriller to suitably chill our spines once again, here’s everything we know so far from release date, to cast announcements, to story synopsis, news, rumors and more.

You season 5 release date

On January 16, Netflix revealed that all ten episodes of You season 5 will be released on April 24. This news was guided by Joe's voice, speaking over clips from the past four seasons of You showcasing the different women he's loved and different places he's been. Hauntingly saying: "Hello, you. Do you remember me? 'Cause I remember you."

And yet, while he's travelled the world, it's all led him back to where it all began - New York and the cage in Mooney's bookstore. Fortunately, we don't have to wait much longer to discover what his return to the Big Apple means for the 'perfect' life he has seemingly created with his partner, Kate.

You season 5: has Netflix released a trailer?

Netflix released the official trailer for You season 5 on March 10, which teased "the killer finale you never saw coming". In the trailer, we see Joe with his You season 4 love interest Kate Lockwood (Charlotte Ritchie), who's now the head of her father's company.

Before the trailer was dropped, we had a short teaser trailer for You season 5 that was released on January 30, mere months away from the show's official release date. It’s only 20 seconds long, but it's enticingly filled with eerie shots of Joe trapped inside the empty cage of Mooney's basement.

Similarly to the release date announcement, there's a lot of intense staring and ominous utterances, such as: "Let's get to know each other better before we bid each other one last farewell. Goodbye, you." With those parting words, once we have a full trailer, we'll be sure to update it here.

You season 5: new and returning cast

Joe's return to New York hints at new and returning characters (Image credit: Netflix)

Spoilers follow for You season 4.

For You season 5, there's been plenty of announcements for returning and new cast members. Here's who we can expect to see in the show's final season:

• Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg
• Charlotte Ritchie as Kate Lockwood
• Madeline Brewer as Bronte
• Griffin Matthews as Teddy Lockwood
• Anna Camp as Reagan/Maddie Lockwood
• Natasha Behnam as Dominique
• b as Phoenix
• Peter Ploszek as Harrison
• Tom Francis as Clayton
• Nava Mau as Detective Marquez

As mentioned, there's been abundance of new cast reveals to mark Joe’s return to New York and the conclusion of his story in season 5. We'll delve into this more in the story synopsis below, but Joe meets someone new to be intrigued by (no surprise) in season 5 - Bronte (Madeline Brewer), described in Tudum as: “an enigmatic and free-spirited playwright who gets a job at Joe’s new bookstore.”

Then, there’s Kate’s siblings; Teddy (Griffin Matthews), Reagan and Maddie (twins played by Anna Camp) and by marriage, Reagan’s husband Harrison (Peter Ploszek) who will all pose new hurdles to Joe and his unpredictable actions.

And there’s certainly more names to add to the cast that are yet to be revealed. One of which is a familiar face from Joe’s past, as Badgley teased during the Tudum: A Global Fan Event. Shown in the video above, he says: “Though I can’t say who just yet, we all know there are many loose ends from Joe’s past. The question is, who are you?”

Then followed a montage of clips, teasing victims of his past that could make a return including Ellie (Jenna Ortega), Dr. Nicky (John Stamos), Marienne (Tati Gabrielle) and Sherry Conrad (Shalita Grant) amongst others. It’s not clear yet who will return, but whoever it is will certainly not be happy to see Joe again.

You season 5: what can we speculate so far about the story?

You season 5 sees the unwelcome return of the Mooney's bookstore cage (Image credit: Netflix)

Full spoilers follow for You seasons 1-4.

You season 5 marks the end of the show, but there’s still a lot to unpack as killer Casanova Joe returns to New York – the place where it all began.

In conversation with Tudum, executive producer Michael Foley spoke on their plans for Joe: “We always said that we would stop after five and [that], in a perfect world, we would bring Joe back home to New York. We loved the idea of things coming full circle for him. We’re excited by the fact that Joe came home as such a different person than [who] we saw in Season 1. At the core of our final story for Joe is this dichotomy of the old and the new.”

And returning to a place where he’s committed unforgivable acts, it’s no surprise that Joe will reportedly become, as the official logline for You season 5 so perfectly puts it: “threatened by the ghosts of his past and his own dark desires.” It wouldn’t be Joe if he wasn’t tempted to implode his own happy ending, would it?

We know he has Kate (Charlotte Ritchie) now, but when it comes to You season 5, it’s about as plain sailing as the rest of the seasons have been (wink, wink) as he’ll reportedly cross paths with a new young woman on the scene, Bronte (Madeline Brewer). In Tudum, the role her character will play is expanded on: "As the two connect over literature and loss, Bronte stokes in Joe a nostalgia for his former self, causing him to question everything his life has become."

He's also got Kate's siblings to contend with, as announced in the cast list above, there's Teddy, Reagan and Maddie who all have the same power and influence now afforded by Kate and, in turn, Joe.

Will Kate's love be enough to right Joe's wrongs? (Image credit: Netflix)

We also know from You season 4's tumultuous finale that Joe has finally accepted that he is categorically not a good person. A realization he came to during his time in London when he came up against the Eat the Rich Killer – and spoiler alert, in a Fight Club-esque twist, it got him looking really closely at himself. And seemingly, a Joe fueled by self-actualization is even more dangerous than the Joe that came before it.

Though stepping down as showrunner for season 5, co-creator Sera Gamble spoke of plans for Joe's ending with The Hollywood Reporter following season 4: "The conversation we have among the writers, between Greg and I, and a lot with Penn is about the fact that it would be nice to end his arc with some form of justice. Guys like this don't usually see a lot of justice from the world. That's challenging to plot."

Adding: "How does Joe Goldberg go down in a world where he's been branding people with bricks in broad daylight for years? And he's cute. And he gets away with it. The deeper question that we frequently pitch in the writers' room is, what's real justice? What would hurt him the most?"

So, whether Joe's ghosts return to haunt him, or the real physical victims he didn't manage to actually kill do it, there's seemingly plans for Joe to meet some comeuppance for his crimes - though whether that's actually attainable is another story.

There's always Nadia, who discovered Joe's crimes in season 4, though he successfully framed her for murder, there's always an opportunity to return. Or, Marienne, who cunningly cheated death, but may still want to serve revenge. But, for now, their return to the show is unknown. What we do know is there's a lot of loose ends.

Will You return after season 5?

Closing the book on You (Image credit: Netflix)

No, You season 5 is the show's final outing after seven spectacular years. Speaking to Tudum, Netflix's vice president of scripted series, Peter Friedlander, said: "We're proud to see how You has captivated audiences around the world, becoming an instant sensation on Netflix with a resounding cultural impact that has grown season over season. We're excited - and a bit terrified - to see how it all ends for Joe Goldberg, but one thing is for sure: You are in for an unforgettable ending."

For more Netflix-focused coverage, read our guides on Stranger Things season 5, 3 Body Problem season 2, Arcane season 2, and The Witcher season 4.

• Two in three UK workers are more overwhelmed at work than before
• We spend nearly half our days doing ‘busy work’
• Workers call for clearer processes and more AI

New research from Atlassian has revealed that Britain’s workers are spending an average of nine hours per week tracking down information, which equates to more than an entire typical working day.

This comes as nearly two in three (64%) UK workers feel more overwhelmed than before, with poor collaboration practices contributing to widespread workplace burnout and stress.

The research reveals exactly how much time is wasted on non-productive tasks, highlighting the immense scope for improvement that could dig the UK and other nations out of their productivity crises.

This is how much time we’re spending on meaningless tasks

According to the stats, nearly half (48%) of our time is spent on so-called ‘busy work’, which includes sharing information and tracking people down. Assuming a typical 40-hour working week, that’s more than 19 hours every single week spent being unproductive.

The problem stems from poor collaboration setups in workplaces – 55% agreed that their work is blocked while waiting for information from other teams, and 44% find it hard to coordinate with other teams. One in three (34%) feel that cross-team collaborations slow down work.

This breakdown in communication is causing further inefficiencies, with more than half unknowingly working on the same task as other teams, resulting in unnecessary duplication.

On the flip side, Atlassian says that teams with clear collaboration processes can meet tight deadlines, with the report revealing how artificial intelligence can plug some of the gaps that exist today.

Workers believe AI can make them a better teammate (43%), improve work speed and quality (59%) and help them more effectively manage information (67%), but AI isn’t a silver bullet. Many also call for clearer goals and strategy (69%), consistent processes across teams (40%) and standardized collaboration tools (30%).

“This research highlights a critical issue in the modern workplace: the systems designed to support employees are not keeping pace with the increasing demands of work… This 'digital hide-and-seek' not only wastes time but also stifles creativity and innovation, as employees are forced to focus on administrative tasks rather than high-impact Work,” concluded Dr Molly Sands, Head of Teamwork Labs at Atlassian.

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