Technology

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for June 7 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Practiced in a gym

• Green: To create

• Blue: A musical piece

• Purple: Associated with a season

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Tips for working out safely

• Green: Establish

• Blue: Ditty

• Purple: Spring ___

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #727 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Tips for working out safely: BREATHE, HYDRATE, REST, STRETCH

• Establish: FOUND, INSTITUTE, LAUNCH, START

• Ditty: AIR, NUMBER, SONG, STRAIN

• Spring ___: CHICKEN, EQUINOX, FLING, ONION

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 7

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferrined pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for June 7 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for June 7 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: I am what I am

The words are people-related.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words are characteristics of a being.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Be Yourself

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for June 7

• Human

• Individual

• Soul

• Be Yourself

• Someone

• Mortal

• Person

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for June 7 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for June 7, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

To recycle.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

The letter E appears twice.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter R.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

REUSE.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 7

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Wordle.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

To move over.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

SCOOT

Hurdle Word 2 hint

Slow speech.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for June 7, 2025 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

DRAWL

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Anxious.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for June 7 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for June 7, 2025 Hurdle Word 3 answer

ANTSY

Hurdle Word 4 hint

A leg bone.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for June 7 Hurdle Word 4 answer

FEMUR

Final Hurdle hint

A criminal.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

FELON

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Researchers at the Transportation Security Administration have designed virtual reality technology to effectively pat-down a person without touching them directly, according to materials recently published online by the Department of Homeland Security.

The conceptual technology, known as a "wearable sensor for contactless physical assessment," combines touchless sensors, cameras, and a haptic feedback pad with a virtual reality headset to "physically simulate" the "sensation" of a traditional screening. DHS has applied to patent the device, and 404 Media originally reported on the technology.

TSA researchers designed this wearable technology that could help make airport pat-downs less invasive. Credit: Department of Homeland Security

A description of the wearable device noted that the technology "can minimize potential harm when touching unsafe objects, preserve individual privacy during a security screening, or safely provide physical awareness for visually-impaired individuals."

SEE ALSO: Secure and locate your bags with this $20 TSA-approved travel lock

In 2024, TSA screened 904 million passengers, according to the federal agency. An unknown number of those passengers received a pat-down, which the agency says is used to determine whether a passenger is concealing a prohibited item, like a firearm or knife.

Such screenings have gone viral online in the past, with passengers claiming they were subject to invasive, sexual, or otherwise inappropriate touching.

The sensor system could use millimeter wave scanning, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), or backscatter X-ray technology in order to reveal items concealed by clothing. A handheld padded device containing those sensors would detect an individual's "contours" to ultimately produce a map that would guide the user's hand through haptic feedback.

According to 404 Media's review of patent documents, the display of sensitive body parts will be limited to preserve privacy.

Yet 404 Media also spoke with an anonymous, skeptical privacy expert who questioned whether the technology is truly non-invasive.

"I guess the idea is that the person being searched doesn't feel a thing, but the TSA officer can get all up in there?,” the expert told 404 Media. "The officer can feel it ... and perhaps that's even more invasive (or inappropriate)? All while also collecting a 3D rendering of your body."

For now, the TSA still conducts its screenings the old-fashioned way — with millimeter wave imaging, walk-through metal detectors, and yes, often-dreaded pat-downs.

Shooting Jesse Armstrong's Mountainhead came with a number of novel challenges for Jason Schwartzman.

For one, the film's turnaround time was a matter of mere months: Filming wrapped in April, and the film premiered May 31 on HBO and HBO Max.

SEE ALSO: 'Mountainhead' review: 'Succession' creator Jesse Armstrong brings your worst tech nightmares to life

"I didn't know they meant [May 31 of] this year," Schwartzman told Mashable in an interview. "I mean, it's very crazy, but it was so fun to do, because everyone was working so hard to try to make this work for Jesse."

Another new wrinkle for Schwartzman? Phone acting. Mountainhead follows four tech moguls — played by Schwartzman, Steve Carell, Ramy Youssef, and Cory Michael Smith — on a remote mountain getaway during a period of international crisis. The four spend much of the film watching global conflict unfold on their phone screens, leading to a few montages of tense doomscrolling.

"I have never really done too much — I realized until I did this movie — work with a phone," Schwartzman told Mashable.

However, given Armstrong's work on Succession, where characters constantly receive phone alerts, Schwartzman couldn't have picked a better film to start truly acting against a phone. He revealed that all the footage he and his costars watched on phones was put there practically and in real-time, as opposed to being added in post.

That could make things challenging when it came to distinguishing between reality and the world of the film, because Mountainhead's news alerts about hyper-realistic AI aren't too far off from what we're seeing in the real world. (Look no further than Google's Veo 3 AI video generator.)

"At a certain point, I would get alerts on my personal phone, and I'm like, 'Is this my real phone?'" Schwartzman said. "It was sometimes a little crazy."

To hear more about Schwartzman's work on Mountainhead — including his thoughts on the massive mansion where it was filmed — watch the full interview above.

Mountainhead is now streaming on HBO Max.

When Elon Musk took his feud with Donald Trump to his social network, how long had I avoided the service in question? Long enough that my browser actually failed to autocomplete the URL Twitter.com (which I'd kept typing, like many users, in futile defiance of X). This felt like a subtle warning from a friend: Dude, you've been sober for six months. Are you sure a bar is the best place to be right now?

But with apologies to Bluesky and Threads, this particular bar was the only place to be as the world's richest man and the U.S. President tore into each other Thursday. In a flurry of posts and replies, Musk went as far as suggesting Trump be impeached.

Prominent hard-right followers of both men, forced to take sides, were drawn into a catfight for the ages, while the main concern of detractors was whether they had enough popcorn for this.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

For one night, at least, old-school Twitter was back — in bar terms, the "Cheers" of the internet.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

After 15 years of posting, I went dark on X/Twitter after the U.S. election. This was my response to Elon Musk's new can't-opt-out-of-AI-training terms of service and his ability to evade the service's fact-checking; It was also a way to stop doomscrolling and thus gain many hours of productivity back in my day. But I was far from alone.

X's user base was in decline in 2024 and was expected to keep declining in 2025. That's definitely true in the EU, where more than 11 million users have fled Musk's service this year. And while Bluesky and Threads user numbers climbed after the election, the numbers don't quite match. Plenty of exhausted users simply left X for ... real life.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

It's too soon to know whether the Musk-Trump feud created a Daily Active User bump, and way too soon to see its effect on the more telling stat, Monthly Active Users. But down at ground level, it certainly felt like a reunion — with some suggesting we had a new contender for something old-school users like to debate, the "best night on Twitter." (So much so that some right-wing accounts wondered whether Trump and Musk were just trolling us — but no, according to multiple reports, the break is real and continues Friday.)

It wasn't just Twitter, of course; Trump's own social network seemed to creak under the strain of traffic to his posts. But this too created a screenshot that went viral on, of course, Twitter.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The appeal wasn't just that Musk was making X/Twitter his war room. It was also where you were most likely to see other zingers from interested parties, including ones Musk might prefer to avoid.

Case in point: This tweet from a prominent conservative author and mother of Musk's 14th child.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Fuel for the feud was provided by the fact that X/Twitter itself has a long memory — an archive that Bluesky et al will always struggle to match. Musk, furious that Trump's "big beautiful bill" would increase the deficit, started posting quote tweets of every time Trump had promised to lower it, adding snarky comments in agreement.

But old tweets cut both ways, and many users were keen to point out one particular bromantic statement of Trump love from Musk back in February:

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The fact that the messy breakup erupted at the start of Pride month didn't evade notice either — especially given the fact that both Trump and Musk have a rocky relationship with the LGBTQ community.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Is the return of what we might call "popcorn Twitter" enough to reverse the long-term decline of X's user base? That, for now, is as up-in-the-air as the Trump-Musk relationship.

But for one night at least, the service reminded us of what it could be: Not just a global town square, not just a news source that often trades veracity for immediacy, but a bar where a connected crowd of millions serves up the best snark on the planet.

And I, for one, will raise a single tentative glass to that.

Whiskey stones, funny T-shirts, and cheap cologne — these might be classic man gifts, but unique gifts for men, they are not. The special guys in your life deserve better. While searching for the perfect gift, you may have learned the hard way that finding unique gifts for men isn’t always such a simple task, especially if they have more eclectic, off-the-beaten-path tastes. To find the perfect present for these types of guys — whether they’re your dad, brother, best friend, boyfriend , or husband — you’ll need to do some creative thinking and get something they would have never thought of buying for themselves. For Christmas, birthday gifts, Valentine's Day, and anniversary gifts, these are our picks for the most unique and interesting gift ideas for your favorite guy.

Many of us wouldn't know how to live on our own if it wasn't for our father figures — this goes for uncles, stepdads, or anyone else who has stepped up to take on the role of dad. And though they probably insist that you don't have to get them anything, Father's Day is an extra special time to show appreciation for your dad. From practical gadgets that make his life easier to sentimental keepsakes that tug on his heartstrings, you’re bound to find the best Father’s Day gift for your dad below.

Whatever the occasion that has you looking for dad gifts (Father's Day, Christmas, Hanukkah), stay far away from clichés like whiskey stones and pocket knives. Unless your dad is an avid tie collector and seriously *lives* for ties, then avoid this played-out gift too. Instead, get him something that says, “I see your hobbies and I respect them."

When YouTube introduced its Premium Lite tier in March, the goal was to give people a way to see fewer ads on YouTube. It took only three months, but YouTube is already increasing the number of ads that Premium Lite subscribers will see, according to Dextero.

News of the ad hike spread to subscribers through email, as spotted on the TWiT Community forums and reported by German news site Deskmodder.

“We are writing to let you know that beginning 30 June 2025, ads may appear on Shorts, in addition to music content and when you search or browse,” the email reads. “Most videos will continue to remain ad-free.”

The good news is that if you don’t engage with music videos or YouTube Shorts, then you likely won’t see much of a difference when using the app, aside from a few ads while browsing. Those who do use YouTube for music and Shorts will be the most affected. Even though YouTube Music subscription numbers aren’t the best, YouTube itself continues to be one of the Internet’s most popular music streaming services, so the change will likely affect quite a few people. 

When it was introduced, Premium Lite was billed as a way to remove the ads from “most videos” for $7.99 per month, which is just over half the price of the full $13.99 YouTube Premium subscription. 

YouTube and its users have had a complicated relationship when it comes to ads. The streaming giant went to war on ad blockers in 2024, making ads as difficult as possible to block. In addition, ads have slowly gotten longer and more plentiful on the free version of the service, which has resulted in a lot of negative feedback from viewers. 

And for free users, certain ads are slated to get even more intrusive. In May, YouTube announced that it was using AI to pinpoint the peak moments in any given video and choose that moment to do an ad break. These Peak Points are a move long-used in television, where viewers have to wait for the ad break to view the conclusion to dramatic cliffhangers or otherwise emotional moments. 

The Nintendo Switch 2 is here. That means Mario Kart World is also here, and there are some new tricks up Mario's sleeves (and everyone else's sleeves too, even the characters who don't have arms) to learn if you want to stay in the competition.

Aside from the fact that Mario Kart World introduces a big ol' open-world to the series for the first time, it also introduces some key new mechanics. There's legitimate technique to some of this stuff, so you'd better practice in free roam mode first. Let's get into it.

SEE ALSO: The best Nintendo Switch 2 accessories include an irresistible Piranha Plant webcam Mario Kart World: 3 important new tricks to try

It all starts with one new move in particular.

The charge jump

Before you start doing anything else, you need to understand that Mario Kart World has a brand new charge jump move that is key to doing the other things I'll tell you about next.

It's very simple: Hold the drift button (that's ZR by default) without moving the analog stick in either direction. After a couple of seconds, you'll see sparks underneath your kart, meaning that you'll do a little vertical hop when you release the button. This is useful for clearing small gaps or maybe, if your timing is good, avoiding certain obstacles or harmful items. However, that's not all it's useful for.

Grinding Out here grinding. Credit: Nintendo

You may have noticed a lot of rails or rail-like objects littered around every track in Mario Kart World. It turns out you can grind on those like it was Tony Hawk's Pro Skater or something. It's cool!

Some rails start out flush with the ground, so you can just ride onto those and start grinding. But for the most part, a lot of them are just high enough off of the ground that you need to do the charge jump to get up there. This is where proper technique starts to come into play, as you can't just instantly charge jump at your leisure. It takes a couple of seconds, so you need to learn your routes and plan ahead.

Grinding builds up charge sparks while you're on the rail, which you can cash in by pressing the drift button to jump off the rail back onto the road. You can also jump from one rail to another this way in certain circumstances, which is useful for completing certain P-switch challenges in free roam mode.

Wall riding I don't think cars can do that. Credit: Nintendo

The second big new mechanic that's attached to the charge jump is the ability to ride on vertical walls. It's as simple as charging up a jump and then, well, jumping into a wall.

I've admittedly not gotten very good at this yet. It's probably the most technical aspect of Mario Kart World's gameplay, and is clearly meant for high-level shortcuts and certain more challenging P-switch challenges. But like grinding, you build up boost while you're wall riding, which means you'll go faster if you properly time your jump back onto the track.

Now go and use this knowledge to dominate Knockout Tour online. Or, at least, dominate your friends while playing with GameChat.

If you are one of the more than 100 million people who use AT&T, you might want to take stock of your data.

Hackers said they accessed and leaked millions of AT&T customers' private information after the ShinyHunters group allegedly stole the data in April 2024, according to a new report from Hack Read. The report claimed some 86 million AT&T customer records have been leaked, including full names, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, and social security numbers. In total, Hack Read reported that 44 million social security numbers were included in the leaked data.

The social security numbers and birth dates were encrypted in the original hack by the ShinyHunters group, a leak that was made possible by security flaws in the Snowflake cloud data platform, as Mashable previously reported. Now, Hack Read has reported that this sensitive data is now decrypted.

We asked AT&T about the reported leak of their customer data. An AT&T spokesperson told Mashable in a statement that "it is not uncommon for cybercriminals to re-package previously disclosed data for financial gain."

"We are aware of claims that AT&T data is being made available for sale on dark web forums, and we are conducting a full investigation," the spokesperson added.

So, if you're an AT&T customer, this means your valuable private data could be part of this new leak. However, if your data was exposed in this leak, it was likely — although not certainly — already exposed in the August 2024 National Public Data breach. Mashable previously reported on this breach, which exposed "three decades’ worth of Social Security numbers on the online black market."

You can find out if your data was exposed in that breach by using a tool from Pentester, a cybersecurity firm, to check. Visit npd.pentester.com, enter your information, and see your list of breached accounts.

If you want to fill out your Switch game library without spending a dime, there are some brilliant free demos to download from the eStore. None of them offer a complete gaming experience, but you can still bag dozens of hours of excellent gameplay for free.

SAVE $90: Through July 2, Audible Premium Plus annual plans are just $89 instead of $149.50. That's like paying just $7.42 per month. When compared to the $14.95 monthly plan, you'll save $90 per year.

Opens in a new window Credit: Audible Audible Premium Plus annual plan $89 at Audible
$149.50 Save $60.50 Get Deal

Add at least a dozen books to your TBR instantly for less than $90 when you sign up for Audible annual plan.

Through July 2, Audible's Premium Plus annual memberships are just $89 for the first year. That's 40% off the usual cost of $149.50 and half the price of paying for a monthly membership for 12 months. After the first year, your Audible membership will renew automatically at full price. If you don't wish to continue your membership, be sure to cancel before the year is up.

SEE ALSO: The Kindle Paperwhite Kids is back down to its best-ever price in time for summer reading

Besides being a whole lot cheaper, the benefit of getting an annual membership over a monthly one is that you'll get 12 credits up front. No waiting around for your credit to appear in your account each month. Read what you want, when you want. Credits can be used to purchase titles in the premium collection, regardless of price. Sometimes you can even score two titles with a single credit during BOGO sales. So, your 12 credits might turn into two dozen audiobooks if you plan accordingly.

Premium Plus memberships also unlock access to hundreds of Audible Original audiobooks for free, as well as exclusive access to members-only sales.

The Premium Plus catalog will keep you endlessly entertained, with bestsellers and new releases like Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid and What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown, as well as BookTok favorites like Funny Story by Emily Henry and Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner. If you're craving some screen-free entertainment, I highly recommend signing up for Audible while it's so cheap. As a subscriber myself, I can confirm it's a worthy subscription.

The best tech deals to shop this week

• Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen With MagSafe USB-C Charging Case — $169.00 (List Price $249.00)

• Roku Ultra 4K Ultimate Streaming Player (2024 Release) — $79.99 (List Price $99.99)

• Beats Pill Bluetooth Speaker — $99.95 (List Price $149.95)

• Roborock Qrevo Master Robot Vacuum and Mop — $799.97 (List Price $1599.99)

• Apple AirTag (4-Pack) — $74.99 (List Price $99.00)

SAVE $7.99: As of June 6, get three months of Peacock Premium for free. This offer is only available to new subscribers.

Opens in a new window Credit: Peacock Three months of Peacock Premium $0 at Peacock
$7.99 Save $7.99 Get Deal

Looking to cut the cord, but don't want to end up paying as much for streaming services as you would for cable? Perfectly understandable. By the time you end up collecting a few, you're paying half the cost you would for a bundle of channels. So when deals like these pop up, it's a good idea to take them. Right now, Peacock is giving you a chance to try out the service without having to pony up any cash.

As of June 6, get three months of Peacock Premium for free. That's a discount of $7.99, and this offer is only available to new subscribers. When the three months are up, you'll automatically be charged for a regular monthly membership. If you decide not to continue with the subscription, be sure to cancel it before your months are up. You'll be able to access your account until your membership's end date.

Peacock is home to a wide variety of different shows and movies, and it's constantly being updated with more. You can catch up on reality TV like Love Island, solve mysteries with Poker Face, and even watch the SNL episodes you missed because you fell asleep too early to see them live. From sci-fi to fantasy to oldies and goodies like Heroes and The King of Queens, there's tons of content to sift through.

Some streaming platforms don't even offer trials, so being able to get in for free is a great deal. Grab your subscription while it's still available.

SAVE $100: As of June 6, the iPad mini (128GB, WiFi, A17 Pro) is on sale for $399 at Amazon. That's down from its list price of $499, saving you 20%.

Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple iPad mini (A17 Pro) $399 at Amazon
$499 Save $100 Get Deal

If you've been looking for the right moment to invest in an iPad, this could be your chance to walk away with a great deal. The Apple iPad mini with the A17 Pro chip has dipped below $400 at Amazon.

As of June 6, the iPad mini (128GB, WiFi, A17 Pro) is on sale for $399.99 at Amazon. This is 20% off its list price of $499 and the lowest-ever price according to camelcamelcamel.

SEE ALSO: The new Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 are over $50 off at Amazon

This iPad mini packs plenty of power into a small build thanks to the A17 Pro chip. It's a perfect portable pick, and sports an 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display with 128GB of storage so you can stock it up with plenty of apps to keep you busy. We even consider it the best iPad for reading.

Don't miss out on $100 off the iPad mini (128GB, WiFi, A17 Pro) at Amazon.

The best deals this week, hand-picked by Mashable's team of experts

• Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Gen With MagSafe USB-C Charging Case — $169.00 (List Price $249.00)

• Roku Ultra 4K Ultimate Streaming Player (2024 Release) — $79.99 (List Price $99.99)

• Beats Pill Bluetooth Speaker — $99.95 (List Price $149.95)

• Roborock Qrevo Master Robot Vacuum and Mop — $799.97 (List Price $1599.99)

• Apple AirTag (4-Pack) — $74.99 (List Price $99.00)

SAVE UP TO 80%: We rounded up June's hottest sex toy deals from top brands including Le Wand, Lovers, and others. Shop vibrators, dildos, and more.

The best sexy toy deals in June 2025: Best deal overall The Rose Suction Vibrator $23.99 (save $65) Get Deal Best runner-up deal Lovers Loyal 5.5-Inch Dildo $38.40 (save $9.60) Get Deal Best budget deal ava VIVV massage wand $19.97 (save $5) Get Deal

Masturbation May is behind us, but I’m still seeing tons of sex toy deals across multiple retailers, big and small. Actually, some of these deals are even better than what I saw last month — from Pride sales to summer clearances, there are savings aplenty to be had in June. For example, I’ve seen $100+ vibes (like the Le Wand Grand Bullet, which I have in Rose Gold, and the Le Wand Deux) go for under $40, which is crazy.

Whether you’re looking for a new clit sucker, a couples vibrator, or some BDSM gear, there are tons of ways to save right now. Here are the best sex toy sales I could find this month.

Best deal overall Opens in a new window Credit: Le Wand Rose Suction Vibrator (Pink) $23.99 at Le Wand
$99.99 Save $76 Get Deal Why we like it

OK, so I’m talking a lot about Le Wand, but honestly, these are the best deals I’ve ever seen the retailer run. If you don’t know much about Le Wand, they’re known for making luxe sex toys without the pretentious vibe (like LELO, but actually fun). Many of the massagers and vibrators are on the higher end, so I’m always stoked when I see them on sale. I even gifted my sister the Le Wand Little Pleasures Set for her wedding, and she loved it.

And, despite the name, they don’t just sell wand vibrators. For example, I’m choosing the Rose Suction Vibrator as my overall fave because it’s a hot-selling toy that’s now under $30. (The price changes with color option — the mint was $14.99, but it’s sold out now.) This little toy is a clitoral sucker that uses gentle pressure and vibration to give you toe-curling orgasms. At under $30, I’d say to jump on this deal, like, yesterday.

Other must-mention items in Le Wand’s sale include the 9-inch Purple Rose Nubby Dildo (a glass dildo for less than $20, uhm, yes please) and the Le Wand Baton.

Best runner-up deal Opens in a new window Credit: Lovers Lovers Loyal 5.5-Inch Dildo $38.40 at Lovers
$48 Save $9.60 20% off with code GLOWUP Get Deal Why we like it

Speaking of dildos, one of my all-time faves is on sale at Lovers right now. The Lovers Loyal 5.5-Inch Dildo (exclusively sold at Lovers) is 20% off with the code GLOWUP. That brings the total to $38.40 (saving you $9.60), which is still a great deal for, in my opinion, the softest, most realistic-feeling dildo I’ve ever owned.

I don’t love the look of realistic dildos, and if I had a choice, I probably wouldn’t buy a skin-toned dildo. BUT, I do own and use the Lovers Loyal Dildo because it’s just that good. It has a suction cup base so you can stick it to just about anything, and it’s compatible with most harnesses.

More sex toy deals you should definitely know about

• Amazon: Save 22% on Amazon's #1 best-selling bullet vibrator and pay just $12.44

• Adam & Eve: Get up to 50% off select sex toys

• Babeland: Get up to 70% off clearance items

• Bellesa: Get up to 50% off sitewide with code 50JUNE

• b-Vibe: Get up to 30% off select anal toys

• The Cowgirl: Save $500 + get a FREE bundle with The Cowgirl Sex Machine

• FemmeFunn: Save on select sex toy bundles

• Good Vibes: Get up to 70% off select sex toys

• Je Joue: Get up to 50% off select sex toys

• Kiiroo: Get up to 70% off select male sex toys

• LELO: Get up to 50% off select sex toys, plus a FREE gift

• Lovers: Get 20% off dildos and harnesses with code GLOWUP

• Lovehoney: Get up to 70% off select toys and lingerie

• Unbound: Get up to 69% off select sex toys at Unbound

UPDATE: Jun. 6, 2025, 12:05 p.m. EDT This story has been updated with comments from Proton VPN.

A popular VPN service reported a 1,000 percent increase in registrations just 30 minutes after Pornhub blocked access in France this week. The adult site reportedly exited its second-biggest market because of a new French age-verification law that has a June 7 compliance deadline, per Mashable's Anna Iovine.

"5PM - PornHub blocks France from accessing its website," Proton VPN tweeted Wednesday. "5.30PM - @ProtonVPN registrations increase by 1,000%[.] For context, this is more than when TikTok blocked Americans."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Proton VPN previously documented a 490 percent increase in daily signups in mid-January when TikTok briefly went offline ahead of a possible ban in the U.S.

A Proton spokesperson tells Mashable that when it built its VPN "to help people in authoritarian countries with online censorship, an access gateway for porn was obviously not what we had in mind." Still, they add, "VPN can be used in this way and signups from France have temporarily increased by a factor of 10."

A VPN, or virtual private network, is a service that routes your internet traffic through an encrypted tunnel to a remote server before sending it out onto the web. The main purpose of a VPN is to reclaim some online privacy from your ISP and other prying eyes. But they're also commonly used to spoof one's location: A VPN can make it appear as though its user is visiting websites from a country they're not physically in.

SEE ALSO: Why age-verification bills for porn sites won't work

Age-verification laws for adult content have been enacted abroad and in nearly 20 U.S. states. They typically require sites to verify their users' ages via facial recognition or government ID. Such laws are intended to restrict children's access to adult content (and in some cases social media), but experts have flagged free speech and privacy concerns. What's more, technology like VPNs makes enforcement difficult.

For its part, Proton shares these concerns. "There's no such thing as age verification for children only, it's age verification for everyone, and having offshore porn sites or any other third parties collect IDs from adults and becoming a repository of potential blackmail material comes with its own risks," said the company's spokesperson. "A more technically sound approach would be content controls directly implemented on the devices parents chose to give their children."

Founded in 2014, the Swiss-based Proton offers a suite of privacy-centric web services, including email and cloud storage. Its VPN service was launched in 2017 and currently maintains a massive network of more than 13,000 servers in 117 countries worldwide. To date, it's the only VPN we've tested that's won a Mashable Choice Award. Read our full Proton VPN review for more information.

Your AirPods will reportedly get some major upgrades as Apple debuts iOS 26 next week at Apple's World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC).

While the event is rumored to feature fewer AI advances than expected, WWDC typically brings some big news. Perhaps chief among the expected news is Apple's latest iOS, which will reportedly be called iOS 26, to match the upcoming year, instead of the previously expected iOS 19.

SEE ALSO: Everything we know about iOS 26 ahead of Apple WWDC 2025

With that new software could come some big changes for your AirPods. Apple-focused site 9to5Mac exclusively reported this week that some of the AirPods upgrades are expected to come with iOS 26.

Here are three exciting new AirPod features to expect, according to 9to5Mac:

1. A new head gesture that will end a Conversation Awareness volume adjustment, which, as of now, requires you to press and hold the AirPod stem.

2. A new camera control feature, where tapping an AirPod stem will take a picture. This might be way easier than using the iPhone's timer feature.

3. A sleep detection system that'll auto-pause when someone falls asleep while using their AirPods.

Now, keep in mind that the report from 9to5Mac relies on unnamed sources within Apple, so it is not guaranteed that we will get all these features at WWDC. That's not to say the report isn't true; just that Apple can always change course.

We'll just have to wait until Monday's WWDC to see what, exactly, happens for AirPods.