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Instagram head Adam Mosseri has announced that as part of a test, some Instagram users will be able to try a new menu bar in the app with a different arrangement of tabs. Notably, the new menu bar has dedicated tabs for both Reels and DMs, two of the app’s most popular features.

If you opt-in to the test, Instagram’s current tabs for your feed, search, creating a new post, Reels and your profile page will be replaced by a new layout that swaps search and Reels, and switches the dedicated tab for creating a post with a new one for DMs. Meta’s test also makes it possible to swipe between tabs.

Mosseri’s post announcing the test acknowledges that these kinds of changes “can take time to get used to,” which is why the new layout is optional for now. Based on recent announcements though, it’s clear Meta has wanted to move in this direction for a bit. Setting aside the long-awaited iPad version of Instagram defaulting to Reels, the company has also said publicly it plans to prioritize messaging and short-form videos moving forward. It even tested a similar Instagram tab redesign with Indian users in early October, where the default tab was Reels and the second tab was DMs.

“Reels and DMs have driven most all our growth at Instagram over the last few years, so we are exploring making them the first two tabs,” Mosseri said at the time. Users who joined Instagram when it was an app for sharing photos might be uncomfortable with its slow drift away from photography, but the shift is reflective of Meta’s decision to chase larger social media trends.

As posting has become more professionalized, chatting and sharing privately has become more popular. If you take Meta at its word, Instagram is increasingly an app for consuming content made by people you don’t know, and then talking about it in private group chats with friends. This test just reflects that reality more accurately.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-tests-new-layout-that-puts-the-spotlight-on-reels-and-dms-215407062.html?src=rss 

Apple is partnering with Spectrum SportsNet to stream select Los Angeles Lakers games directly to the Apple Vision Pro during the 2025-2026 basketball season. The games will be filmed in the Apple Immersive video format, the same VR-friendly filming style the company used to capture the Metallica concert film it released earlier this year.

Beyond giving you a reason to blow the dust off your $3,500 Apple Vision Pro, watching the games in-headset will showcase “perspectives impossible to capture in traditional broadcasts,” Apple claims. Live games will be limited to headset owners living in the Lakers’ regional broadcast territory (Southern California, Hawaii and parts of southern Nevada) and will likely require a subscription to view, but Apple says the full replays and highlights will also be accessible in “select countries and regions from both the SportsNet and NBA apps.” There’s no schedule of games available yet, but Apple and Spectrum say they’ll announce their final plans this fall, with the first games streaming early 2026.

While the general consensus on the Vision Pro is that it makes for a great media consumption device, sports programming that takes advantage of its unique features has been largely missing. Apple makes it easy to watch things like Friday Night Baseball and Major League Soccer, but the NBA is the only mainstream sports league trying to offer an experience that’s specific to the Vision Pro. Beyond playing live games, the NBA visionOS app can display real-time player stats, stream multiple games at once in multiview and show you a tabletop view of games, complete with a 3D court and tiny players.

Now that Apple is reportedly prioritizing smart glasses over a lighter and cheaper version of the Vision Pro, the best thing the company can do is supply existing owners with new things to watch. Not everyone loves the Lakers, but if it opens the door to more live sports in the future, that’s only a good thing.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/apple-is-bringing-live-nba-games-to-the-vision-pro-in-2026-184941594.html?src=rss 

Cybersecurity firm Cleafy just issued a report warning against a rising malware called Klopatra, which infects personal devices by posing as a free VPN app called Mobdro Pro IP + VPN. This is the latest corroboration of a series of warnings delivered by Kaspersky security researchers in 2024 about the increasing number of malware apps pretending to be free VPNs — a warning that’s more relevant than ever as VPN usage spikes in response to age-restriction laws.

Mobdro is the name of a popular IPTV app that’s been taken down by the Spanish government at least once, but the Mobdro Pro IP + VPN app appears to be unrelated, piggybacking on the name to use it as a malware vector. If you download the app, it guides you through what appears to be an installation wizard, but is actually the steps for handing over total control of your device. Once inside, Klopatra abuses accessibility services to pose as you, enter your banking apps, drain your accounts and assimilate your device into the botnet for further attacks.

Cleafy believes that Klopatra has already roped around 3,000 devices into its botnet, mainly in Italy and Spain. Its report concludes that the group behind Klopatra is probably based in Turkey, and is actively refining its approach, incorporating innovations and changing with the times. Hence the use of a combined cord-cutting and free VPN app as a mask — it’s perfect for exploiting rising frustrations with both streaming balkanization and government clampdowns on web freedom.

According to Kaspersky, other free VPNs used as malware vectors in the past year include MaskVPN, PaladinVPN, ShineVPN, ShieldVPN, DewVPN and ProxyGate. With Klopatra’s runaway success, Cleafy believes that imitators will spring up. App stores aren’t always quick to take down implicated apps, so be very careful to vet any free VPN app before you download it. If you’re not sure, you can always go with one of the free recommendations from our best VPN list (Proton VPN or hide.me).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/vpn/malware-apps-posing-as-free-vpns-are-on-the-rise-175629088.html?src=rss 

When Google announced the Pixel Watch 4, it made a point to mention that the smartwatch was “designed with serviceability in mind.” Now that it’s out, the repair experts at iFixit have taken a look and can confirm Google’s claims. The how-to specialist site has called the Pixel Watch 4 the most repairable smartwatch you can buy right now. That’s notable, as iFixit points out, because you’d probably expect a sustainability-oriented brand such as Fairphone or Framework to be getting this kind of recognition ahead of Google. (That said, the Fairphone 6 did recently receive a perfect 10/10 repairability review.) But iFixit said it was “truly impressed” with what owners can do to fix Google’s latest wearable on their own.

The first thing it highlights is the presence of visible screws that don’t interfere with the watch’s IP68 water and dust resistance rating. Both the vibration motor and battery are also easy to remove, the latter being glue-free and requiring you only to unscrew from its enclosure. As for the display, that’s also secured by screws alone (spotting a pattern here yet?) and sealed using a replaceable O-ring gasket that you can easily purchase. iFixit notes that it’s harder for square watches to use the same solution, so Google’s decision to make the Pixel Watch 4 round boosts its repairability.

At the end of its comprehensive video, iFixit awards Google a provisional rating of 9/10 for repairability, calling it “the most satisfying smartwatch teardown” it has performed to date. For transparency, the site points out that it does have an ongoing business partnership with Google, but insists it’s completely unrelated to the teardown treatment it gives the Pixel Watch 4.

Its perhaps surprising level of repairability isn’t the only thing in the Pixel Watch 4’s favor. In Engadget’s 86/100 review of the device, Cherlynn Low also praised its rapid charging speeds, excellent health and fitness tracking credentials and attractive display.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/ifixit-says-the-pixel-watch-4-is-the-most-repairable-smartwatch-around-171242107.html?src=rss