Instagram is working on new controls that let you tell the app exactly what kinds of posts you want to see more or less of, rather than letting it guess what you like. If you've ever felt frustrated scrolling past the same type of content over and over, these tools would give you real power to shape your own feed instead of just accepting what the app decides. Worth knowing: when these features roll out more widely, spending a few minutes adjusting your preferences could make your daily Instagram time much more enjoyable and less cluttered with things you don't care about.
PlayStation is shutting down its digital movie store in Europe, which means people who bought films there will no longer be able to watch them—even though they paid for them. When you buy a digital movie or book, you're really just renting permission to access it for as long as the company keeps the service running, which can end without warning. Worth knowing: check what you've purchased digitally and consider buying physical copies (DVDs or books) of things you truly want to keep forever.
RSS is a decades-old tool that lets you gather news, blogs, podcasts, and other content from websites you like into one organized place, without any algorithm deciding what you see first. Unlike social media feeds controlled by Facebook or TikTok, RSS shows you updates in the order they were published, so you're back in control of what you read and when. You can start exploring free RSS readers like Feedly or NewsBlur to pull together your favorite news sources and blogs into a simple, personalized feed.
# Solar Storms and Your Technology
Powerful solar storms can knock out the satellites, power grids, and communications systems that modern life depends on, leaving people without electricity, GPS, and internet for hours or even days. If you rely on online banking, medical devices, or keeping in touch with family through your phone, a severe solar storm could suddenly cut you off from these services. Worth knowing: keep some cash at home, have important phone numbers written down, and consider how you'd manage if your internet and phone stopped working for a day or two.
Australia recently passed a law banning under-16s from social media, but a new study shows it's not working well because young people can easily lie about their age during sign-up. The law matters because many parents hoped it would protect children from harmful content and online predators, though experts disagree on whether these bans actually achieve that. Worth knowing: if you're worried about a young person in your life using social media, having a direct conversation about what they're doing online may be more helpful than relying on age restrictions alone.
YouTube has removed the public dislike button from its short videos and added the ability to play them at double speed, giving viewers more control over their experience. For regular watchers, this means you won't see negative feedback piling up on videos anymore, and if someone's speaking too slowly, you can speed things up to keep pace. Worth knowing: if you find a Shorts video moving too fast, you can also slow it down—just tap the speed icon during playback to choose what works best for you.
Researchers keep finding Android devices sold on major websites like Amazon and Walmart that secretly contain malware—harmful software designed to spy on you or use your internet for illegal activities. If you own one of these compromised devices (often budget-friendly streaming boxes, smart TVs, or digital picture frames), criminals could potentially access your home network, steal your information, or involve your device in illegal schemes without your knowledge. Before buying any Android device online, check recent customer reviews specifically mentioning security concerns, and consider purchasing from the manufacturer directly rather than third-party sellers when possible.
# YouTube Shorts Get Faster Playback Options
YouTube is now letting you speed up those short videos to play twice as fast as normal, giving you more control over how quickly you watch them. If you enjoy consuming lots of content quickly or find some Shorts move too slowly for your taste, this feature could save you time and keep you entertained without feeling bored. Worth knowing: look for a speed icon (usually three dots or a settings menu) when you're watching a Short, and you can experiment with the 2x speed option to see what feels comfortable for you.
# Make Do and Mend With Your Tech
Computer parts and devices have become so pricey that it now makes financial sense to repair old gadgets instead of replacing them. For anyone on a fixed income or watching their budget carefully, this shift means your five-year-old laptop or phone might be worth fixing rather than junking. Worth knowing: before automatically replacing something that breaks, ask a local repair shop what a fix would cost—you might be surprised how much money you save.
# Fire TV Stick HDMI Port Tip
Many people plug their Fire TV Stick into any available HDMI port on their television, but newer TVs have ports with different capabilities—some handle better picture quality than others. If you're also connecting a gaming console, a Blu-ray player, or another device that demands high-quality video, putting your Fire TV Stick in a less advanced port leaves the better ones free for things that really need them. Worth knowing: check your TV's manual or settings to see which HDMI ports support the latest features (often labeled as HDMI 2.1 or eARC), then reserve those for your most demanding devices while using a basic port for your streaming stick.
A hacking group stole customer data from market research company Klue, but now appears to be deleting it—though another group of criminals is threatening to sell or release the same information unless Klue pays them money. If your company uses Klue's services, this means your information may have been exposed, and you could face pressure from scammers trying to take advantage of the situation. Worth knowing: if you receive unexpected emails or calls claiming to have your data and demanding payment, don't respond—these are typically scams, and you should report them to your company's IT department or local authorities instead.
A new website is tracking which major companies haven't adopted passkeys yet—a newer, safer way to log into your accounts that doesn't rely on passwords you have to remember. If you use sites like banking apps or email services, switching to passkeys means hackers have a much harder time breaking in, since there's no password for them to steal or guess. Worth knowing: when your favorite websites do start offering passkeys, you can set one up by looking for security settings in your account—it usually takes just a few minutes and your device will remember it for you.
