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• Spotify has denied rumors that it's bringing ads to its Premium tier
• The platform shared a post on X to confirm the rumors are false after users were speculating online
• Other services such as Netflix have introduced cheaper subscription tiers with ads, so could Spotify follow suit?

If you’re a Spotify Premium subscriber, allow yourself to rejoice in the good news I’m about to share as the platform has officially shut down the rumors that it’s bringing ads to its Premium tier.

Spotify debunked the speculation in a post on X (formerly Twitter), addressing the online rumor and explicitly stating that this is in fact ‘false’ and that its Premium tier will ‘remain ad-free’.

The platform then doubled down by relying on its own post repeating ‘This rumor is false. Premium music listening is ad-free,’ with the exception of podcasts. But where did these rumors start?

There is a rumor circulating that Spotify is putting ads into premium music listening. This rumor is false. Premium music listening is and will remain ad-free.April 8, 2025

In February, many Spotify Premium users took to Spotify’s Community forum after noticing an odd bug that was showing ads in the service’s ad-free tier. It took Spotify a few weeks later to finally fix the bug - for now, at least. However, it still wasn’t enough to reassure its subscribers that Premium would remain completely ad-free.

Since Spotify fixed the bug there have been no further reports or complaints about any recurrences, but it hasn’t stopped Premium users from latching onto this conspiracy

Although Spotify has worked hard to gain its status as one of the best music streaming services, it has the tendency to flop in certain aspects. For some, this is more than just a simple ‘off day’.

Is Spotify shaking up its subscription tier structure?

It doesn’t take an avid Spotify listener to see that the platform is going through some rough patches - we all know that I’m talking about the possible, yet impossible, arrival of a Spotify HiFi tier.

Music platforms aside, it’s become common practice for the best streaming services to introduce more affordable subscription plans that feature ads in between movies and shows - Netflix, Prime Video, that’s you guys

So as a subscriber to both types of entertainment platforms, I’m asking myself the question; could a similar tier soon be applied to music streaming?

The recent ads in the Premium bug don’t help this speculation. Now that Spotify HiFi is slated to launch late this year, I’m not ruling out the possibility of a subscription tier shake-up which could see Spotify follow the steps of Netflix and introduce a cheaper tier with ads. But even then, surely Spotify would have to eradicate its free tier altogether?

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• Sid Meier's Civilization 7 update 1.2.0 launches on April 22
• It finally brings back the ability to play just one more turn
• Other new additions include new Resources, a Team Multiplayer mode, and more

If you're a long-time Civilization fan like me, then the next update for Sid Meier's Civilization 7 is not one that you will want to miss.

As outlined in the latest update check-in post on the official Civilization blog, update 1.2.0 is currently set for an April 22, 2025, launch. It introduces a wide range of quality-of-life changes, UI improvements, updates to mechanics, and much more.

For me, by far the most exciting addition is the return of the legendary "Just one more turn..." option, which used to appear after you finished a match. It allowed you to continue your game, which was ideal if there were still things that you wanted to experience or if you'd just had your match ended by a sudden and unexpected loss.

In Civilization 7, the option will lock Age Progress to 100% but not block you through completing other victory paths and even obtaining Legacy Path achievements. In update 1.2.0, the option will only be available at the end of the Modern Age - but the development team is working on implementing it in single Age games too.

There will also be changes to how Resources work, including the addition of ten new resources with their own unique new Narrative Events. Resources will also appear differently thanks to a newly added randomized generation system, which should help each Age feel more distinct.

Food will be rebalanced too, making strategies that rely on population growth much more viable.

We're also getting a new Teams Multiplayer mode, another thing that was present in previous Civ games. Players on the same team will share map visibility, relationships, war status, alliance status, and victory states - though not technologies, civics, or Legacy Path progress.

All of this is on top of some heavily requested smaller additions, such as the ability to queue research, repair all buildings in a settlement, improved map generation, and general bug fixes and UI polish. Full details will be available in the Update Notes on April 22.

Sid Meier's Civilization 7 is available now for PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. A Nintendo Switch 2 version will launch on June 5, 2025.

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Ninja Swirl by Creami: one-minute review

If you've been wanting to make your ice cream at home but you've been holding out for soft serve, you'll be thrilled with the Ninja Swirl by Creami. You can make real soft serve ice cream or healthier soft serve treats tailored to your own personal tastes and dietary considerations. You're not limited to soft serve; you can also make all of the frozen treats you can make in other Ninja Creami models or other ice cream makers. There are 13 different settings for all manner of frozen delights. The Ninja Swirl by Creami even has a special setting specifically for high protein, low fat, low sugar creations called CreamiFit.

There's definitely a learning curve when you unbox the Ninja Swirl by Creami. Once you have made a few pints, muscle memory kicks in and it's actually quite easy. You do have to freeze your pints for 24 hours before processing them, so you'll want to have some pints made, frozen, and ready to go for when ice cream cravings hit. The Ninja Swirl by Creami comes with two pint containers, so you can always have at least one pint deep frozen and ready to process.

All of the Ninja Creami machines are essentially drills that turn your solid frozen pints into a beautiful ice cream texture. With the Ninja Swirl, you start by making regular ice cream first. You can eat that as is, or you can add mix-ins, or you can proceed to the soft serve mechanism. In a few minutes, you'll have lovely soft serve just like you get at your local ice cream or frozen yogurt shop.

Real soft serve ice cream (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future) Ninja Swirl by Creami: price and availability

• List price $349.99 / £272.90 / AU$572.77
• Comes with two model-specific pint containers
• Nearly double the price of the original Ninja Creami

The Ninja Swirl by Creami retails $349.99 / £272.90 / AU$572.77. You can buy it directly from Ninja, or from the usual third-party retailers such as Amazon, where it currently sells for a slight discount.

The Ninja Swirl is substantially more expensive than the other Creami models. The Ninja Creami Deluxe retails for $249.99 while the original Ninja Creami retails for $199.99. The older models can also be had for a significant discount at third-party retailers.

Note that the pint containers that you use with the Ninja Swirl are different from the ones that come with the other models and are not compatible at all. If you like to have extra pint containers on hand, they will run you $34.99 for a two-pack or $64.99 for a four-pack.

• Value score: 3.5/5

Ninja Swirl by Creami: design

• Large in every dimension
• Designed for ideal ice cream texture
• Loud and delicate

The footprint of the machine is fairly large at 15.16 x 10.04 inches. Additionally, the 17.52 inch height means that you'll need to measure to make sure the machine will fit under your cabinets. The Ninja Swirl actually doesn't fit under mine, so I had to place the machine near my sink, the one spot in my kitchen where there are no upper cabinets. Plus, you'll need some elbow room to the right of the machine, in order to operate the soft serve dispensing handle.

There are 13 different programs on the Ninja Swirl. When you put your frozen pint into the machine to process it, you'll first select Scoop or Soft Serve, because certain programs are only compatible with one or the other. If you're making Scoop ice cream, you can use the Ice Cream, Light Ice Cream, Sorbet, Gelato, Frozen Yogurt, Milkshake, or CreamiFit buttons. If you're making Soft Serve, you can select Ice Cream, Lite Ice Cream, Fruit Whip, Frozen Custard, Frozen Yogurts, or CreamiFit buttons. The different settings run the blade at different speeds for varying amounts of time. If you're using the Ninja recipes, you'll be told which setting to use. If you're not sure, the recipe book includes a description of each setting so you can make the best choice.

After the initial spin, which is generally 4-6 minutes, you can eat it as is or you can select Re-spin or Mix-In. You'd choose to re-spin if the texture is too crumbly or snowy. If you're not doing soft serve, you can add a mix-in such as candy, cookies, or fruit for a chunky ice cream treat.

Note that the machine is quite loud; it triggered the "Loud Environment" warning on my Apple Watch. It got up to 96 decibels in my testing. The Creami, after all, is drilling through a solid block of deep-frozen ingredients. You don't actually have to stand over the machine while it spins, however. You can step out of the room while it does its thing to avoid the noise.

Mango and juice cups turned into fruit whip (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

The Ninja Swirl by Creami is not a blender, it's a drill. Be sure to follow the instructions in the included booklet or on Ninja's website. For example, the surface of your frozen ingredients must be flat. An uneven surface can result in blade damage. Don't process a solid block of (water) ice or ice cubes. Don't try to make a smoothie or process hard, loose ingredients. Because of the nature of drilling through a solid frozen mass, if you do incur damage, it may ruin the machine entirely.

That said, this machine is designed to make legit ice cream. The taste of your creations depends entirely on what you put in it, but the texture and looks are pretty amazing every time. Once you have your pint frozen, and a little practice under your belt, the processing is pretty quick and easy.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Ninja Swirl by Creami: performance

I started with some very simple ideas from Ninja's recipe booklet. For the bright orange fruit whip above, I just tossed two mango fruit cups with the juice included into the pint container and froze it. I processed it on the Fruit Whip setting and then through the Soft Serve mechanism. It was a super simple, healthy, and incredibly delicious treat. I did the same thing with pear fruit cups; you can do it with any fruit cups or canned fruit you like.

I made over two dozen recipes. I started with recipes from Ninja's booklet but soon found other recipes online and then created my own recipes. For me, the main reason to buy a machine like this is to make healthier treats, so that was my focus. My son wanted real ice cream, you can see him making the standard vanilla soft serve from the booklet in the image near the top of the article.

Simply strawberry yogurt (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Another super easy "recipe" is simply freezing your favorite yogurt. Just transfer it from the cup in comes in to your Ninja Swirl pint, flatten the top, and freeze. The image above is just strawberry frozen yogurt with nothing added. I scooped it out rather than putting it through the soft serve mechanism and then added some toppings, which you can see below. I ate that for breakfast!

Ice cream for breakfast? Why not, when it's just yogurt, frozen. (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I experimented with various protein "ice creams" using ready-made protein drinks and protein powders mixed with milk. There are many ideas in the recipe book and countless more online. While the Ninja Swirl does a fabulous job giving these frozen protein concoctions an authentic ice cream consistency, they tend to taste like, well, frozen protein drinks. I had the best luck mixing protein powders with yogurt, pudding mixes, and other more flavorful ingredients. Below you can see one of my healthier concoctions (if you don't count the chocolate on top.)

Yogurt, protein powder, almond milk, pudding mix, and vanilla extract high protein "ice cream" with melted chocolate on top (Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

After you run the initial cycle, the results are often crumbly or snowy. This is easily remedied by running a Re-spin cycle. You may need to re-spin it more than once, or add a bit more milk or other liquid before re-spinning. If you're not going to make soft serve, you can add mix-ins at this step for a chunkier treat. If there isn't a hole in the ice cream already, you'll want to create a hole with your spoon for your mix-ins in order to ensure they make it all the way to the bottom of your pint.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Particularly after making soft serve, you're going to have a lot of dishes to wash. Every part of the Ninja Swirl is dishwasher safe, but I found myself washing the parts by hand anyway since I wanted to make more ice cream right away. After all, the pint must be frozen for 24 hours before processing.

The image below also shows that there is some product stuck in the various parts that doesn't make it into your cone or cup. Of course, you can have at it with a spoon, but I wouldn't bother. The sides and bottom tend to be quite icy.

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

This leads me to a tip for avoiding icy chunks in your ice cream. The sides and bottom of the pint do get icy, it seems no matter which recipe you use. After the initial spin, scrape down the sides and bottom of the pint before running the Re-spin cycle.

What if you don't finish the pint in one go? Certain recipes will leave you with an ice cream that is scoopable even after re-freezing but this is rare. After you eat your portion, use a spoon or spatula to pat down the surface of your leftovers in the Ninja pint container. Once fully re-frozen, you can just process it again on the same cycle you used before. Just as before, you'll need to process the ice cream before putting through the soft serve mechanism.

Remember that the Ninja Swirl is not a blender. If your ingredients include chunks, you'll want to blend your mixtures before freezing to ensure uniformity. For example, if you're making cottage cheese ice cream, you'd probably want to blend that first. If you want to upgrade your current blender, check out our list of the best blenders.

You can check out some of my creations by clicking through the gallery below.

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(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Should you buy the Ninja Swirl by Creami Buy it if

You love ice cream, particularly soft serve, and eat a lot of it

It's worth the expense and counter space if you really love ice cream and eat it frequently. The soft serve mechanism is about half the machine's footprint, so this is the machine for soft serve fanatics.

You have specific dietary needs

It's easy to find good ice cream at the grocery store. But if you have allergies, you're vegan, or your have other dietary needs and preferences, being able to customize your frozen treats to your exact specifications is priceless.

Don't buy it if

Budget is a big concern

There are plenty of ice cream machines that cost quite a bit less, even in Ninja's own Creami lineup.

You have limited counter space

This is a pretty big machine in both footprint and height. Plus you need a bit of elbow room on the right to operate the soft serve mechanism. Be sure to measure your space before buying.

Ninja Swirl by Creami: also consider

Ninja Creami Deluxe

Don't really need the soft serve feature? Save about $100 with the Ninja Creami Deluxe, which has nearly all of the features of the Ninja Swirl minus the soft serve. It also has 50% larger pint containers. Save even more with the original Ninja Creami, which has fewer cycle options but still the same basic functionality.

Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker

If you've got to have that soft serve but you don't want to spend the money on the Ninja Swirl by Creami, take a look at the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker. Read our full review to learn all about it.

How I tested the Ninja Swirl by Creami

I ate a lot of ice cream in the name of science. I used the Ninja Swirl by Creami for several weeks and made dozens of ice cream treats. I made a handful of recipes from Ninja's recipe booklet as well as recipes I found online and others I made up myself. I used various cycles including Ice Cream, Fruit Whip, Frozen Yogurt, CreamiFit, Re-spin, Mix-in, and of course the Soft Serve cycle.

For more details. see how we test, review, and rate products at TechRadar.

First reviewed April 2025

Netflix's second most-watched movie right now is the buddy comedy One Of Them Days, in which best friends Dreux and Alyssa race across LA to try and get enough cash to avoid being evicted.

Starring Keke Palmer and SZA, it's a fun ride and while it gets a bit cartoony in places, it's a great example of why buddy comedies are such a popular genre on the best streaming services: you get action, you get adventure, you get wisecracks... in other words, you get a lot of entertainment.

There are lots of brilliant buddy movies out there, and lots of buddy comedies currently make up some of the best Netflix movies you can stream – so if you're looking for a buddy movie to watch with your best buds, or to stream solo, I think you'll enjoy at least two of these three.

Friday

• Where to watch: Netflix (US, UK, AU)

Ice Cube and Chris Tucker play newly unemployed Craig and his stoner pal Smokey who, one Friday in LA, suddenly need to find $200 to avoid a world of trouble. As you'd expect from an Ice Cube movie it's got a killer soundtrack, but while some of the gags are a bit toilet humor the film itself is strong: Entertainment Weekly said that "Friday has energy, and sass, and the nerve to suggest that the line between tragedy and comedy may be in the bloodshot eye of the beholder."

Friday was released after a slew of movies that showed South Central LA as a violent criminal hellhole, and that made it a refreshing correction: as Emanuel Levy wrote: "A new generation of Black talent (director Gray, actors Chris Tucker and Ice Cube) bring verve to this much welcome comedic view of street life in South Central, after mostly crime and drug pictures set there."

If you're easily offended this might not be for you; Variety was one of many publications to point out that a lot of the humor was very crude. But many more found it hilarious, including the Arizona Daily Star: The film "synthesizes blaxploitation and pot-comedy genres and melds them into a colossus of unending laughs."

Wedding Crashers

• Where to watch: Netflix (US, UK), Prime Video (AU)

I have a rule: if it's got Walken, it's worth watching. And this is no exception. Walken is a hoot every time he's on screen in this fun comedy about two men, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, whose idea of a good time is to crash strangers' weddings to get free booze and pick up women. But then the duo crash the wedding of Treasury Secretary William Cleary (Walken)'s daughter, and plans start to go awry.

The Chicago Reader puts it plainly: "Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are enormously funny." The Sydney Morning Herald liked it too: "It's an easy, breezy, lanky Hollywood rom-com with a brain, for most of its running time."

The casting is key here, because as the Bangor Daily News put it: "The film's best element is the inspired casting of Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson; their easy repartee helps to grease over the film's shortcomings." Isla Fisher as Walken's daughter is particularly great: as Three Movie Buffs said, she "manages to steal every scene that she's in."

Me Time

• Where to watch: Netflix (US, UK, AU)

Fancy a hate-watch? Any film with a 7% Rotten Tomatoes rating begs to be watched, if only to find out why so many people hated it. This Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg movie about a bored dad who finds some "me time" when his wife and kids are away has been pelted with so many rotten tomatoes I almost feel sorry for it.

How bad can it be? The critics were almost unanimous: it's a promising premise that's completely wasted by the script and phoned-in performances.

Empire Magazine was not amused. The jokes are "crass" and the stunts are "hackneyed"; a rare highlight is Ilia Isorelýs Paulino, an anarchic Uber driver who's genuinely funny. But the film itself is just chaotic. ABC News agreed. "This laugh-starved, buddy comedy is crushingly dim-witted and disposable."

Groucho Reviews didn't like it either. It's "a very strange mix of family sitcom and R-rated bro-down buddy comedy. A witless string of dumb comic set pieces and an unfunny slog." And Uproxx perhaps summed up the problem: "Me Time is an R-rated comedy about parenthood. Why do most of the jokes feel like they're aimed at 8-year-olds?"

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• Users are reporting a persistent Google Messages bug
• It repeatedly asks for an emoji reaction to images in chats
• The issue may be limited to users running the beta app

We're seeing multiple reports of a rather annoying emoji reaction bug in Google Messages – one that prompts you to apply a reaction to the last received message before you can do anything else, if the last message in the chat was an image.

These reports surfaced on Reddit (via Android Police) in the last few days, and it seems quite a few users have come across them. It doesn't really break the app, but it does make for a more frustrating user experience.

Emoji reactions were added to Google Messages last year, one of several upgrades rolled out to the app recently to help it catch up to the other popular messaging services out there, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and iMessage.

It means you can react to any message with an emoji of your choice, rather than sending a full reply: but with this bug users are being prompted to leave a reaction as soon as they go back to a chat. Ordinarily, you need to long press a message to bring up the emojis.

Finding a fix Reactions automatically popping up from r/GoogleMessages

As far as bugs in Google Messages go, this isn't the most serious we've ever come across. The easiest way to fix the problem is to send a standard text message to add to the chat, which seems to resume normal service again. We've asked Google for an update on the issue and will update this story if we hear back.

The bug also seems to be affecting users of the beta version of Google Messages too – so you could try updating to the latest stable release to solve the issue. You can do this from the Google Messages listing in the Play Store app on your phone.

Hopefully this annoyance will be caught before it rolls out more widely, which should be the case if it's only beta users who are affected. After all, the whole purpose of beta testing is to squash these kinds of bugs ahead of a full update.

Diligent code diggers have spotted numerous new features apparently on the way to Google Messages: it looks likely that we'll see improvements to how longer texts are handled, and how you can manage your busy group chats.

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• Strava just got four major upgrades
• The company has added new route filtering, a redesigned activity page, and a Strava Stickers upgrade
• The biggest change is a new proprietary map rendering engine

Strava has added four new updates to its app, including an absolutely massive 3D map rendering overhaul that promises a new level of detail to terrain and routes, making one of the best fitness apps around even better.

Strava's more modest changes include updates to Saved Routes filtering, a new Activity Details page, and Sticker exporting.

Strava subscribers can now search Saved Routes by keyword or filter them by sport type, distance, elevation, owner, or even surface type.

The Activity Details page is now more immersive, with a full-screen layout including route, photos, and videos showcased, letting you more easily see your best moments and achievements.

Thirdly, Strava Stickers can now be exported directly to Instagram Stories, and you can download them for use on other platforms. As mentioned, however, it's the 3D mapping that we're really excited about.

Strava's new 3D mapping

Strava's rich new 3D mapping (Image credit: Strava)

Strava has integrated its own proprietary mapping engine into the Strava app. The company says it will bring lifelike 3D terrain, detailed satellite imagery, and new map layers for winter trails and activities.

Strava's Map Rendering Engine (MRE) now uses a hilariously-named technology called FATMAP, a company it acquired in 2022. With the new maps, users will get more detailed insight into Avalanche Gradients, general gradients, aspect (the direction a slope faces), and improved winter map styles to help you plan cold-weather activity.

You can find the new maps in the Maps tab on the app, and they'll even show when you're looking back at previous activities. Strava says that it's going to keep building on MRE to add even more improvements and map innovations in the future, so there should be plenty to look forward to.

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• Ninja has launched an extra-large version of its Sizzle Pro indoor grill
• It's large enough to cook family meals and is non-stick for easy cleaning
• It's available in the US for $199.99 but isn't currently sold elsewhere

Ninja has released a new indoor grill with an extra-large cooking area that's big enough to cook up to 10 burgers at once so that you and your guests can all eat together, or so you can prepare whole family meals.

Ninja is well known for making some of the best air fryers you can buy, but it's also no slouch when it comes to hybrid cookers and indoor electric grills. The new Ninja Sizzle Pro XL is a super-sized version of the original Sizzle Pro, with a 20-inch griddle that gives you enough space to cook a whole stack of pancakes for a family of four or prepare a huge batch of fried rice for a quick weekday dinner.

You can cook with the lid up or down, depending on whether you want to create char-grilled flavor when cooking meat or lock in moisture when preparing fish and vegetables.

When you're done, the non-stick ceramic plates are a piece of cake to clean, and you can remove the ventilated lid for hand-washing. No more awkward scrubbing.

(Image credit: SharkNinja) License to grill

The Ninja Sizzle Pro XL is available now direct from Ninja for $199.99. That's approximately £160 / AU$330, but the grill is currently only available in the US, and I expect it's likely to stay that way since the original Sizzle Pro isn't available in other countries either.

If you can't get your hands on the Sizzle Pro XL, take a look at the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL, which adds a smoky flavor to your food using a small portion of woodchips, and earned a full five stars from our reviewer thanks to its extra large capacity and smart thermostat for temperature control.

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• Google's March Wear OS update has been causing Pixel Watch problems
• Users have reported notification lag, crashing, and more
• An April hotfix has rolled out that appears to solve those issues

Google appears to have rolled out an April hotfix for the delayed-notifications, crashing, and performance issues caused by the Google Pixel Watch Wear OS 5.1 update that rolled out in March.

Redditors in the r/Pixelwatch subreddit noted the rollout on April 8. We've reached out to Google to confirm whether or not this specifically fixes the aforementioned issues, and while the company has yet to respond, the early signs are promising.

In March Google told TechRadar: "We’re aware of an issue affecting a very small number of Pixel Watch users, where they are experiencing delayed notifications on their device after taking the March update."

Google confirmed that it was investigating and said it would share more details when a fix was ready. While those details have yet to be shared, users are reporting that many of the issues appear to be solved.

Wear OS 5.1 fixed

"I've been testing it for around 2 hours and so far so good regarding the notification lag," one Redditor stated. Another said the update had "Fixed my issues with editing the watchface in the phone app. It was crashing and lagging. Back to smooth again."

Users are downloading the fix on all three Pixel Watch models, including the original, the Pixel Watch 2, and Google's best Android smartwatch, the Pixel Watch 3.

One issue that went unreported when the first update rolled out last month was battery drain. However, in the wake of the hotfix, a few users have reported the issue, hoping it'll be fixed.

"I completed the update, and now everything is working," another reported users.

You should be able to download the latest Wear OS 5.1 hotfix from Settings > System > System updates, tapping multiple times to trigger the download.

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From campy to satirical, Tubi is the place for all your fringe comedy needs.

Hospitals and nursing homes rely on the immigrant workforce to fill many key roles, research finds. Trump's crackdown on immigration threatens to exacerbate shortages.

(Image credit: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group)

• Instagram has never released a native app for Apple’s iPads
• That might soon change, as a leak claims an iPad app is coming soon
• For now, you can install an Instagram web app while you wait

Instagram has long lacked a native iPad app, but that could soon change, at least according to a claim from The Information. That could be welcome news for iPad and Instagram fans who are tired of having to use a different device for their favorite social media site.

The Information’s report cites an Instagram employee who supposedly has knowledge of the plans. This worker states that Instagram developer Meta is hoping to take advantage of the turmoil facing TikTok – which could be forced to sell its American business under pressure from US president Donald Trump – to target TikTok users who might be looking for an alternative app.

While Instagram has never had a native iPad app, you’ve been able to run it on Apple’s tablets for a while. That’s because iPads are able to run apps designed for the iPhone, although in Instagram’s case the experience is not well optimized for Apple’s tablet.

Instagram recently took aim at TikTok owner ByteDance in another way, debuting a video-editing app called Edits that's designed to compete with ByteDance’s CapCut. CapCut was recently removed from Apple’s App Store due to federal restrictions on its parent company’s apps.

How to install Instagram on your iPad

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

While we wait for a native Instagram app on the iPad, you can actually add the social media site to your Apple tablet in the form of a web app. This works like a normal app, so it can be added to your iPad’s Dock and found in the App Switcher.

First, go to instagram.com in Safari and log in. Tap the share sheet button and select Add to Home Screen > Add. This places a web app on your iPad that launches Instagram. Tap the app icon that has appeared and log in again.

That’s all you need to do. The web app has a few restrictions compared to Instagram’s native iPhone app – you can’t post images, for example, but you can browse feeds, send direct messages, like posts and add comments.

For now, this method will have to suffice if you want an Instagram app on your iPad. But with a native app supposedly on the way, workarounds like this might not be needed for much longer.

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• Copilot in Azure is now a fully supported, generally available tool
• It lasted 11 months in public preview, counting millions of interactions
• Microsoft says it listened to customer feedback to improve performance and more

Microsoft has confirmed the general availability of Copilot in Azure, which will become available to all users at no additional cost.

The milestone comes nearly one year after Copilot in Azure entered public preview in May 2024, and since then, hundreds of thousands of users are reported to have submitted millions of prompts, highlighting the eagerness surrounding the product.

Ruhiyyih Mahalati, VP, Engineering Manager detailed how the AI tool can help save workers time by enhancing productivity, noting that Microsoft’s developers alone have saved more than 30,000 hours every month.

Copilot in Azure is now generally available

Speaking about the wide scope of AI, Mahalati envisions enterprises from finance, healthcare and consumer goods all being able to leverage Copilot in Azure to enhance efficiency.

Moreover, Microsoft promises to have listened to customer feedback in the 11 or so months that Copilot in Azure has been in public preview, making considerable improvements along the way to improve performance and stability.

For example, Copilot in Azure’s response time has been improved by more than 30% in the past year, with a few different tweaks responsible for the upgrades, such as using newer, quicker base models. Mahalati also proudly proclaimed that Copilot in Azure boasts a 99.9% uptime.

Besides UI improvements to improve accessibility, Microsoft has also shoehorned 19 languages into the product as of general availability: Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Czech, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

In the blog post, the VP also noted Microsoft’s commitment to responsible AI. “Copilot in Azure has been built keeping AI fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability at the center in accordance to Microsoft’s Responsible AI principles,” Mahalati said.

At the same time, users can now access a generally available version of Copilot in Azure Mobile App, which features bug fixes, performance optimizations and other enhancements.

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• The Google Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro could cost the same as their predecessors
• The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL might cost more
• The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is said to cost less, with future models reducing in price even further

It’s not unusual for prices of an upcoming phone to leak, but what is unusual is to hear about prices for devices that are several years away, and that’s exactly what’s happened today, with a massive Pixel series pricing leak. This leak also includes the Google Pixel 10 line though, so let’s start with that.

According to Android Headlines citing “a source familiar with Google’s plans”, the Google Pixel 10 itself will have an unchanged price, at least in the US, making it $799 again. If that holds true elsewhere it will be £799 / AU$1,349.

The Google Pixel 10 Pro will also apparently retain its predecessor’s price, meaning a starting price of $999 (and likely £999 / AU$1,699). You will however apparently have to pay more for the Pixel 10 Pro XL, with that said to be roughly $100 more than the $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849 Pixel 9 Pro XL.

The best news relates to the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which could actually be cheaper than its predecessor. Apparently, this will start at around $1,600, down from the $1,799 Pixel 9 Pro Fold. That might mean a price elsewhere of roughly £1,600 / AU$2,450.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future) 2026 and beyond

And here’s where we get to the more future-looking news, as the same source claims that the Pro Fold model will drop again in price in 2027, bringing it to around $1,500 (possibly around £1,500 / AU$2,300). There’s no word of a price change next year, so presumably that will stay at $1,600, and in 2028 it will apparently remain at $1,500.

The source also claims that Google will keep offering its current selection of handsets – a standard phone, a Pro model, a Pro XL, and a Pro Fold, as well as the A-series – through to at least the Pixel 13 series in 2028.

And speaking of the A-series, this will apparently remain at $499 (likely £499 / AU$849) through at least the Pixel 12a in 2028.

All that said, we’d take these claims with a pinch of salt. Any leaks that look this far ahead could easily be wrong, as even if this is Google’s plan currently, that could change.

The claim that Google will gradually reduce the price of the Pro Fold line is especially surprising, since we haven’t seen that with other foldables so far, and with tariffs and inflation, that could be hard to achieve. But then this might be exactly what’s needed to make foldable phones mainstream.

We should find out whether the first of these claims are accurate in August, as that’s probably when the Pixel 10 series will launch.

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Marvel Rivals Season 2 is just days away, meaning you'll be able to jump into the next season of Marvel Rivals, and try out the new Heroes soon. There's a ton of changes coming to the game in the next few months, including a shift in how Team Ups work, and an overhaul of the missions system. If things pan out, it should be easier than ever to earn new cosmetics, and work your way through the Battle Pass.

What's new in Marvel Rivals?

(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals is currently primed and ready for a new season. Developer NetEase has released the full patch notes for the next update, which will add new Heroes, maps, and more. There's still time to work your way through the current Battle Pass, which features an awesome Wolverine skin in its final tier. For now, three strategist teams appear to be the meta, though I'm hoping Season 2 will disrupt this, giving teams more choice in how they play. We'll have to wait and see.

In my Marvel Rivals review, I praised the game's huge suite of Heroes, and the surprising amount of depth found when trying out each one. With Season 2, there's set to be two new Heroes, X-Men legend Emma Frost and the delightfully villainous Ultron. We know more about the former, with the latter arriving later on in the season. Since its launch, Marvel Rivals has changed quite a bit, adding smart changes to Competitive Mode while giving players something to work toward. It's consistent updates like this that make Marvel Rivals a worthy inclusion in our best PC Games of 2025 list.

Here's everything you need to know about the next season of Marvel Rivals, including when the current one ends, and what to expect from the new Heroes that are being added. As release day draws nearer, I'll update this page with all of the latest news and info.

When is the next season of Marvel Rivals?

Marvel Rivals Season 2 will arrive on April 11, 2025. This means that it'll launch at the following time according to your timezone:

• April 11 at 5AM PT: West Coast US
• April 11 at 8AM ET: East Coast US
• April 11 at 1PM BST: United Kingdom
• April 11 at 2PM CET: Central Europe
• April 11 at 9PM JST: Japan

The times above are based on the Tweet linked here, which gives an estimated downtime of 2-3 hours. Given that we now know when the game will go down for maintenance, I've approximated when it'll be back up. This could differ on the day, depending on how the maintenance period goes.

When does the current season of Marvel Rivals end?

(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals Season 1.5 will go offline for a few hours before the launch of the second season. Keep an eye on the official Marvel Rivals website for any changes. For now, here are the maintenance times for the scheduled downtime preceding Season 2:

• April 11 at 2AM PDT: West Coast US
• April 11 at 5AM ET: East Coast US
• April 11 at 10AM BST: United Kingdom
• April 11 at 11AM CET: Central Europe
• April 11 at 6PM JST: Japan

Marvel Rivals Emma Frost release date

(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals will add Emma Frost at the launch of the new season on April 11. She's a new Vanguard, operating on the front line of battle by utilizing telekinetic abilities and sheer brawling firepower. NetEase has fully detailed the character in the video below, which shows off each of her abilities.

It appears that she'll have a decent bit of range, as well as the ability to apply her diamond skin and move in for close-quarters combat. She has an ultimate that damages multiple enemies at once with telekinetic beams while pulling them toward her.

There are some interesting details to Emma Frost's kit that are worth diving into. Firstly, her dash and choke slam ability ends with a sweep kick which knocks enemies back. This can be used to throw an opponent off of an edge for a quick kill.

Emma Frost can also place diamond shields, using them to block Ultimates like Iron Man's. This works similarly to Groot's shield walls, in that there's a fair bit of range to where you can place them.

Emma Frost joins Hulk, Doctor Strange, Venom, Captain America, The Thing, Groot, and Magneto as a Vanguard. Primarily, she will be used to tank damage on the frontline, though she clearly has a lot of potential as a brawler, and some support elements in her shielding abilities.

Emma Frost joins Hulk, Doctor Strange, Venom, Captain America, The Thing, Groot, and Magneto as a Vanguard. Primarily, she will be used to tank damage on the frontline, though she clearly has a lot of potential as a brawler, and some support elements in her shielding abilities.

I'm a Venom main in Marvel Rivals, so I primarily tend to go with Vanguards over the other two classes, so I'll definitely be giving Emma Frost a go when she launches.

We'll have to wait and see how her Team Up with Magneto and Psylocke plays out, but having a 2-tank team with Emma Frost and Magneto could be a good place to start in terms of working out a new meta.

Marvel Rivals Ultron release date

(Image credit: NetEase)

Now for Ultron, who won't launch until Season 2.5. If we look at the release schedule for the previous season, I expect Ultron to arrive sometime in May.

We haven't seen much from this upcoming character just yet, only a brief tease in the Season 2 reveal trailer. It's clear that he's set to be the villain of the season but in terms of how he'll play? Well, that's yet to be seen.

Marvel Rivals Season 2 Team Up Changes

(Image credit: NetEase)

Marvel Rivals Season 2 will bring in a bunch of new Team Ups, while removing existing ones. The first new one sees Emma Frost as the anchor Hero, with an ability called Mental Projection. This gives Magneto and Psylocke illusory projections, making it more difficult for the enemy to hit them.

Next up is Arcane Order, which sees Doctor Strange sharing his magic abilities with Scarlet Witch, enhancing her attacks. Then, Stars Aligned allows Winter Soldier to leap towards allies at critical moments.

Here are the key points on the changes coming to Team Ups in Marvel Rivals Season 2:

• Mental Projection: Emma Frost, Magneto, Scarlet Witch (NEW)
• Arcane Order: Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch (NEW)
• Stars Aligned: Captain America, Winter Soldier (NEW)
• Gamma Charge: Hulk, Namor, Iron-Man (Doctor Strange removed, Namor added)
• Ammo Overload: Rocket, Punisher (Winter Soldier removed)
• Dimensional Shortcut: Magik, Black Panther (Psylocke removed)
• Chilling Charisma: Luna Snow, Jeff the Land Shark (Namor removed)
• Voltaic Union: Thor, Storm, Captain America (Removed entirely)
• Metallic Chaos: Magneto, Scarlet Witch (Removed entirely)

Marvel Rivals Season 2 balancing changes

In the Developer Vision video you can view above, some general balance updates are outlined for the future of Marvel Rivals. We've collected the key points in the list below:

• Hero balancing (buffs): Black Widow, Mister Fantastic, Scarlet Witch, Jeff the Land Shark, Peni Parker, Moon Knight, and Rocket Raccoon
• Hero Balancing (nerfs): Doctor Strange, Adam Warlock, Loki
• New Hero schedule: One per month from Season 3 onwards
• Maps: Map rotation will be in effect from Season 2 onwards (ranked), Hellfire: Gala (new map)
• Modes: New limited-time modes will be added over time
• Competitive: Map rotation, Bans added to Gold III, each player drops 9 divisions at the start of Season 2, minimum level requirement now 15, One Above All and Eternity ranks only allow duo queuing, Increasing the rate of individual performance vs match outcome.

Marvel Rivals next season FAQ Who was the last Hero to be added to Marvel Rivals?

The Thing and Human Torch were added at the launch of Marvel Rivals Season 1.5, rounding out the Fantastic Four in-game. The Thing acts as a Vanguard, while The Human Torch is a Duelist. Both are great options for newcomers, with The Thing being the perfect starter tank to learn.

Who are the next characters coming to Marvel Rivals?

The next two characters coming to Marvel Rivals are Emma Frost and Ultron. Emma Frost has been fully revealed, and she'll be a Vanguard with telekinetic and diamond-skin abilities. Ultron has been shown in trailers, but we've not seen gameplay yet.

What season is Marvel Rivals in?

Marvel Rivals is currently in Season 1.5. This started on February 21, and runs through until April 11. We'll then be in Season 2.

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There are 25 new additions to the Library of Congress collection. They include albums by Elton John, Miles Davis, Amy Winehouse, and the original cast recording of Hamilton.

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Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., says a bill that would require Congressional approval for tariffs has bipartisan support because they are an "economic nightmare."

(Image credit: Mark Schiefelbein)

The CDC unit that dramatically reduced Black Lung Disease among coal miners has been fired in Trump's sweeping overhaul of health agencies. Mining communities must now grapple with its disappearance.

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The birth of tortoises native to Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos increases their U.S. population from 44 to 48. A few thousand remain globally, according to estimates by experts.

President Trump has repeatedly called tariffs "the most beautiful word in the dictionary." NPR's Word of the Week explores how they got their name.

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