Category: Technology

YouTube says it will now let viewers dismiss the popups and video suggestions that appear at the end of videos with a new “Hide” button. These end screen popups are a standard part of most YouTube videos, but the company says it received community feedback that viewers wanted to dismiss them so they “focus on the content they’re watching.”

If end screens are bothering you before the video you’re watching has finished, you can now tap or click on a new Hide button in the top right corner of YouTube’s video player to dismiss them. It’s worth noting, though, that the setting only applies to the current video you’re watching, so you’ll have to tap on the Hide button again for each new video you watch. Even with that small annoyance, giving viewers the option is a positive change. End screens might improve a channel or videos metrics, but when they get in the way of watching, you should be able to hide them.

Alongside this new button, YouTube is also changing an interface element on the desktop version of the video platform. Now you’ll no longer see a “Subscribe” button when you hover your mouse over a video’s watermark — a feature that was already redundant because of the dedicated Subscribe button under each video.

YouTube claims neither of these changes will prevent video creators from adding things like end screens or watermarks if they want to, and the tweaks themselves only have a minor effect on the views or subscriptions a channel earns. “Giving users the option to hide end screens resulted in a less than 1.5 percent decrease in views from end screens,” YouTube claims. Meanwhile, “less than ~0.05 percent of all channel subscriptions come from the hover-to-subscribe functionality on the video watermark,” so removing the option isn’t much of a loss.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/youtube-will-finally-let-you-hide-popups-at-the-end-of-videos-183002850.html?src=rss 

Nearly 15 years in, Instagram has passed a new milestone: the app now reaches 3 billion monthly users, Mark Zuckerberg shared in a post on Threads. That’s up from 2 billion monthly users in 2022.

Meta doesn’t regularly share monthly or daily user numbers for its “family” of apps, but Facebook reached 2 billion daily users in 2023; WhatsApp passed 2 billion monthly users in 2020. The company reported 3.48 billion “daily active people” across facebook, WhatsApp and Messenger last quarter.

Meta shared the latest metric as it reportedly plans some significant changes to Instagram. According to Bloomberg, Meta will soon make Reels an even more prominent part of the app. Instagram exec Adam Mosseri told the publication that users will see a redesigned navigation bar that will “highlight private messaging and Reels.” The company will also run a test in South Korea and India that will allow users to set Reels as the default feed for the app. (Instagram’s newly-announced iPad app already makes Reels the default feed in order “to reflect how people use bigger screens today,” the company has said.)

It’s probably no coincidence that these changes come as the United States government edges closer toward an agreement that will put the US version of TikTok largely in the hands of US-based investors. Despite more than a year of uncertainty surrounding the app’s future in the United States, TikTok is still a formidable competitor to Meta more broadly and Instagram specifically.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-reaches-3-billion-monthly-users-160554420.html?src=rss 

When it comes to cooking meat, finding that all-important sweet spot between under- and over-cooked can be tricky to get right every single time. That is, unless you’re using one of the ThermoWorks instant-read thermometers that we’ve been big proponents of for a long time. And right now our favorite one is down to a record low of $76 in select colors, as part of the brand’s fall warehouse sale. Usually priced at $109, you’re saving $33 if you pick one up now.

The Thermapen One records accurate temperatures in an instant (specifically one second or less), which can be the difference between a perfectly medium-rare steak and one that requires a bit too much chewing. This model also has a handy auto-rotating backlit display that allows you to easily see the reading regardless of how you’re holding it. It also has useful auto-wake and sleep features, which again, are useful when doneness deals in seconds. An IP67 waterproofing rating means you don’t have to worry about it getting splashed. That said, the thermometer isn’t suitable for dishwashers, so keep that in mind.

The Thermapen One took home our best thermometer award, so this is definitely a deal we’d confidently recommend taking advantage of, but it isn’t the only one available right now. ThermoWorks’ sale also includes offers on its various BBQ alarm thermometers, battery banks, kitchen utensils and more. You can shop all the deals here.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-thermoworks-thermapen-one-is-30-percent-off-right-now-163043164.html?src=rss 

Search Live is now available for Google app users in the US, offering real-time, multimodal search, powered by AI. This feature will enable users to have real-time conversations with Google Search in AI Mode while sharing their phone’s camera feed with the app. Search will be able to see and interpret what the user’s camera is focused on and offer relevant links for deeper context, as well as live guidance.

The new feature can be accessed from a new “Live” icon beneath the search bar in the Google app. It can also be used from Google Lens by selecting the Live option at the bottom of the screen. Camera sharing will be enabled by default here to allow for an instant back-and-forth conversation about whatever is in front of you.

Search Live is available through the Google app on iOS and Android now. This wider rollout only supports English for now.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/googles-ai-search-live-is-now-available-to-all-us-app-users-151849371.html?src=rss 

Following Sega’s Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios accidentally leaking the game’s existence last week, Yakuza Kiwami 3 has been officially announced by the developer during its RGG Summit presentation. Like Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2 before it, Yakuza Kiwami 3 is a full remake of an early entry in the long-running series, in this case 2009’s Yakuza 3, which originally launched on the PlayStation 3.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 is another ground-up remake from RGG, featuring modern graphics, enhanced gameplay and new cutscenes. The game continues the adventures of the (at this point in the story) middle-aged Kazuma Kiryu, who temporarily puts his criminal career on hold to help run an orphanage that will become very important in later entries in the series. Yakuza Kiwami 3 is also bundled with a free spinoff game called Dark Ties, which focuses on Kiryu’s adversary, Yoshitaka Mine.

Yakuza Kiwami 3 and Dark Ties will be released on February 12, 2026, for PS4 and PS5, Xbox and PC (Steam), as well as the Switch 2. Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2 are both coming to Switch 2 later this year, and RGG has also announced that Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut is coming to PS5, Xbox and PC on December 8. The expanded version of what many consider to be the best Yakuza game of all time has been a Switch 2 exclusive until now.

This week’s RGG Summit also gave us a brief update on the studio’s next game, Stranger Than Heaven, which we still know very little about, other than that it’s separate from the Like a Dragon and Judgement series and is set during multiple time periods in the 20th century. The game is still several years away from release, but a new behind the scenes trailer shows off snippets of in-game footage and motion capture sessions with actors.

At the time of writing, we’re still waiting for an announcement of the next Like a Dragon game, with the most recent entry being this year’s wonderfully titled Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/yakuza-kiwami-3-is-official-and-its-out-next-year-with-a-bonus-new-spinoff-game-140315189.html?src=rss 

Logitech has launched the Signature Slim Solar+ K980, a new solar-powered keyboard that you don’t need to put under the sun whenever it runs low on battery. The company says it can use “light from any light source to stay charged and ready to use” and that you can use it in complete darkness for up to four months once it’s fully charged. As long as the light source reaches 200 lux in brightness, which is considered dim lighting during daytime, it can charge the keyboard. “Even the need to think about charging can be a distraction, so we designed Signature Slim Solar+ to take that off your plate completely,” said Art O’Gnimh, the General Manager of Core Products Group at Logitech.

You don’t have to think about plugging the keyboard in or changing its battery: It’s powered by a rechargeable battery that Logitech says can last up to 10 years. But if it does malfunction, the company told The Verge that you can replace it on your own, because it’s encased in plastic and is sold by iFixit. The keyboard absorbs light through a strip above the keys themselves, which use a scissor-switch mechanism and are in a full-size layout with a separate number pad. It’s compatible with multiple operating systems, and you can link it with up to three multi-OS devices and jump from one to the other with its Easy-Switch keys. If you use the Logi Options+ app, you can program its action key to automate simple tasks and to customize its AI launch key to instantly fire up the AI chatbot of your choice. 

The Signature Slim Solar+ K980 is now available for $100. Logitech is also selling a business variant with a USB-C receiver for $110 and a North America-exclusive model with a layout specifically for Mac for $110. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/logitechs-new-keyboard-can-be-recharged-by-any-kind-of-light-120019932.html?src=rss 

Spotify just announced integration with popular DJ software platforms like rekordbox, Serato and djay. This will make it much easier to build out sets from playlists and to do cool stuff like blend tracks.

The company says that users “will be able to access their entire library and playlists directly within desktop DJ software,” with just one caveat. This is only for Premium subscribers. The integration is available in 51 global markets.

It looks pretty easy to get started. Just log into a Premium account directly inside of the preferred DJ software. That’s pretty much it.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t a brand-new idea. Spotify offered something similar for years, but stopped supporting third-party DJ platforms in 2020. This was a business decision that was believed to be based on rights constraints.

The platform has been busy lately. Spotify recently introduced lossless streaming and an in-app messaging feature. However, it still pays artists peanuts while making nearly $17 billion each year. It’s also worth remembering that CEO Daniel Ek is heavily invested in a military AI company called Helsing.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/music/spotify-now-directly-integrates-with-dj-software-090055300.html?src=rss 

Apple has delayed the release of its new series The Savant just three days before it was supposed to premiere on September 26, Deadline reports. The series follows an investigator, played by Jessica Chastain, who infiltrates a domestic extremist group in the US. Apple hasn’t provided a new release date for the show.

“After careful consideration, we have made the decision to postpone The Savant,” the company shared in a statement to Deadline. “We appreciate your understanding and look forward to releasing the series at a future date.” The timing of the sudden delay, and the lack of explanation for why the company is delaying the show, could be telling. Disney made a similar knee-jerk reaction in placing Jimmy Kimmel Live! on indefinite hiatus following a joke Kimmel made about the reaction to the killing of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

Given that The Savant likely focuses on preventing acts of political violence, it might make you wonder who Apple is worried its show will offend. But it’s also entirely possible that the company is trying to avoid people making any kind of association between its TV show and a very public assassination.

Apple generally avoids rocking the boat whenever possible, particularly when it could hurt its business interests. The Problem With Jon Stewart was reportedly cancelled when Jon Stewart wanted to cover topics Apple deemed controversial, like China and artificial intelligence. Apple does business in China, so it seems likely the company was skittish about airing anything that could be viewed as criticism, even if having difficult conversations was the premise of Stewart’s show. The decision to pull The Savant, even if despite reading like the company is worried about offending right-wing extremists, was likely made from a similar place of caution.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/apple-tv-indefinitely-delays-its-domestic-extremism-thriller-the-savant-223044979.html?src=rss 

Google’s AI Mode is continuing its rapid global growth. Today, the company announced that this addition to Google Search is rolling out in Spanish. The new option is available in all countries that support AI Mode. The move will allow Spanish speakers around the world to engage with this AI chatbot in their language of choice when asking more complicated questions than a search engine can typically answer well.  

The proliferation of this AI enhancement to Google’s traditional search has happened at a break-neck pace. AI Mode was first introduced in March and then made available across the US in May. The first language expansion came earlier this month with the addition of AI Mode in Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean and Brazilian Portuguese.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-ai-mode-now-speaks-spanish-223346697.html?src=rss