Technology

• Telegram has rejected allegations of ties with Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB)
• According to a new investigation, Telegram's server network were suspected to be controlled by a man whose firms have links to Russian intelligence services
• Telegram is one of the few social platforms still available in Russia

Telegram has rejected allegations that the popular messaging app may have ties with Russian Intelligence services.

This comes as an investigation carried out by the Russian independent investigative outlet Important Stories (IStories) claimed to have found evidence suggesting Telegram's server infrastructure is under the control of a man whose firms have links to Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).

While Telegram hasn't issued any public responses at the time of writing, the company's spokesperson Remi Vaughn told TechRadar: "All Telegram servers are owned by Telegram and maintained by Telegram employees. Unauthorized access to any data is impossible."

Telegram is one of the few online platforms that isn't blocked in Russia, meaning that citizens can access it without using one of the best VPN services.

What does the investigation say?

According to the IStories investigation – which was supported by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) – over 10,000 IP addresses within Telegram's technical infrastructure are managed by a company registered in Antigua and Barbuda called Global Network Management (GNM).

As per documents from a Florida court case accessed by IStories reporters, the owner of this company is a Russian network engineer named Vladimir Vedeneev, who allegedly told the court that he had been involved in the installation of Telegram Messenger and further technical support.

Florida's court documents seem to reveal more details of the relationship between Vedeneev and Pavel Durov, Telegram's Founder and CEO. This includes Vedeneev telling the court "he had the power of attorney to sign documents on behalf of Pavel Durov and on behalf of Telegram".

Telegram also reportedly operates 5,000 IP addresses provided by another St. Petersburg-based company, Electrontelecom, which IStories said to have found evidence to be an FSB contractor.

NEW: Messaging app Telegram has a reputation for security — but @istories_eng found that its technical infrastructure is run by a man whose companies closely collaborate with Russian intelligence services.Meet the little-known engineer at the center: https://t.co/zmaQ5Jpc1VJune 10, 2025

The IStories investigation claims that Vedeneev is also the founder of GlobalNet, a major Russian backbone telecom operator, which allegedly controlled Telegram's IP addresses, now managed by GNM, until 2020. ISStories claimed:

"But GlobalNet is not just any network provider. Among its clients is the Main Research Computing Center of the Presidential Property Management Department of Russia (GlavNIVTS). Officially, this organization provides technical support for President Putin’s public 'direct line' question-and-answer events, summits, and other high-level meetings."

In 2022, GlobalNet launched the first filter and traffic monitoring systems based on Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) at the request of Roskomnadzor, the Russian internet watchdog tasked with enforcing online restrictions.

What does Telegram say?

(Image credit: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Telegram rejects these accusations. In a written comment sent to TechRadar, Telegram's spokesperson Remi Vaughn said:

"As a global company, Telegram has contracts with dozens of different service providers around the world. However, none of these service providers have access to Telegram data or sensitive infrastructure.

"All Telegram servers belong to Telegram and are maintained by Telegram employees. Unauthorized access to any data is impossible. Throughout its entire history, Telegram never disclosed any private messages to a third party – and its encryption has never been breached."

A response that, according to IStories reporters, "contradicts facts established in a US court."

Is Telegram safe to use?

Launched in 2013, Telegram markets itself "as a messaging app with a focus on speed and security."

Its Founder and CEO, Pavel Durov, is a Russian-born billionaire, popular among free speech fighters for refusing to give away Telegram's users' identities to law enforcement requests.

Some countries have blocked access to Telegram over the years for this reason, with France issuing an arrest warrant against him for illicit activities that occurred on the platform. Yet, the company is one of the few mainstream online platforms still available in Russia at the time of writing.

Telegram doesn't offer the same level of security as the likes of Signal and WhatsApp, which encrypt all messages and calls by default. On the contrary, only Telegram's secret chats are end-to-end encrypted, and users have to actively turn on this extra protection themselves.

(Image credit: Shutterstock / Michele Ursi)

Talking to IStories, Michał "Rysiek" Woźniak, a security specialist who used to work for OCCRP as head of infrastructure and information security, warns that this system could leave users vulnerable to tracking, even if their messages remain inaccessible.

He said: "If I know your device’s ‘auth_key_id,’ and I can listen in on the network that handles the data … I know it is your specific device communicating with Telegram servers. By looking at the network packets … I also get your IP address at a given time, which tells me your rough geographic location."

According to Woźniak, this could become a real problem if Russian intelligence services actually have access to Telegram traffic. "A tool for global surveillance of messenger users, regardless of where they are and what server they connect to."

Whether a link between Telegram and the Russian FSB is yet to be confirmed, the investigation still highlights that protecting the content of communications isn't enough, as metadata privacy matters, too. I invite anyone concerned about their privacy to use solutions that minimize metadata exposure, like Signal and Session.

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• Match’s Singles in America report shows AI use in dating has surged 333% in just one year.
• Nearly half of Gen Z singles now use AI to help with profiles, messages, or match filtering.
• AI may help polish dating experiences, but its long-term utility is questionable.

Finding a date online or with an app went from an embarrassing secret to a universal experience over the course of a few years. But, while it arguably peaked a few years ago, it's still a hugely popular way to meet someone.

In 2025, a new wingman in the form of artificial intelligence has exploded in popularity. Match, the company behind Tinder, Hinge, and more than a dozen other digital dating services, found an enormous 333% increase in AI usage among singles in just one year. The rise was reported as part of the 14th annual Singles in America study, the largest of its kind, conducted with the Kinsey Institute. So, roughly one in four American singles now enlist AI to shape their profiles, come up with opening lines, or check up on potential matches.

The Singles in America survey is from 75,000 people. The AI usage isn't spread evenly among single people, with nearly half of Gen Z singles saying they’ve used AI in some aspect of their dating life. But, 44% of all singles said they’d like AI to help them filter potential partners, and 40% want help crafting the perfect dating profile. That means if you’ve been on a dating app recently, there’s a good chance you weren’t flirting with a person; you were flirting with an AI's suggestion of how they should flirt.

As odd as it sounds at first, it makes sense when you consider how so many people I know have become burnt out on them after dealing with confusing etiquette rules and more ghosts than a haunted house. Why not let a chatbot help you finesse your opening line or rewrite your bio?

"AI isn't replacing intimacy, it's giving singles an edge," Match Director of Sex and Relationship Science Dr. Amanda Gesselman said in a statement. "For a generation overwhelmed by options, tools that bring clarity and efficiency are more than welcome."

Apps like Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble have already started rolling out AI tools that suggest better photos, screen messages for tone, or recommend bios that perform well. Grindr’s testing an AI wingman to write icebreakers and date ideas.

AI romance

I used dating apps a lot in my single days. Crafting a fun, friendly hello, usually with a joke or little pun, was a key part of it, since if they didn't like my sense of humor, it would probably be a bad date. Sure, it could be frustrating if it didn't pan out, but the idea of letting an AI choose my photos, write my bio, message my matches, and schedule a date would not have been something I would have been interested in doing.

It was bad enough when my taken friends insisted on swiping and messaging on my behalf. Plus, when you finally meet in person after both using AI for the whole initial interaction, who exactly are you going on a date with?

I get the appeal of using AI to smooth over awkwardness. But AI should be a tool for taking over the tedious, boring bits of life. Using it for the fun parts of flirting and meeting someone seems like the opposite of how we should engage with AI. I’m not trying to be a Luddite or cranky old man about AI with dating.

If you're anxious or just very awkward when starting a conversation, an AI prompt or suggestion can be a lifeline. Or if English isn’t your first language, these tools can help you express yourself more clearly. But going beyond little assists could cross a line and lead away from actual relationships.

The Match study also found a stunning number of Gen Z singles, around a third, have already had a romantic interaction with AI, as in, they skipped from AI helping find a date to AI being the date. It might sound hyperbolic, but enough people building relationships with AI will reshape what they expect from human relationships in unpredictable ways.

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• An Nvidia events page has been hijacked with AI generated spam
• NPR, Stanford, and some US government sites were also taken over
• The spam seems to be explicit but non-malicious

Several Nvidia-owned web domains were hijacked to show explicit and AI-generated content in a spam campaign that also targeted NPR, Stanford, and US Government sites.

The Nvidia page, events.nsv.nvidia[,]com has now been taken down, but was seemingly an events site. The page was taken over and more than 62,000 AI-generated articles were posted, primarily containing incorrect or incomplete information about popular search topics like video game round-ups or restaurant recommendations.

Elsewhere, a domain belonging to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) advising on vaccines was also targeted, being defaced in a similar fashion.

WowLazy spam campaign

It’s not clear who hijacked the site or the purpose behind it, since the AI slop doesn’t seem to have a consistent theme or angle. The links in the pages direct to a “nonsense SEO spam page” stocks.wowlazy[.]com.

Much of the content appears to have been apparently explicit, but much was also “entirely mundane” - the spam campaign was discovered thanks to a technologist who was searching for ‘best Portland cat cafes’ on DuckDuckGo and was directed to the events.nsv.nvidia[,]com site and a spam page about cat cafes.

This isn’t the first time that cybercriminals have hijacked websites in order to post their own content, but usually this contains some type of malware of infostealer to gain profit from the spam campaigns - but as far as we can see, that wasn’t the case on this occasion.

SEO seems to be a tool that cybercriminals are taking advantage of in order to deliver malware (or not) to a wider audience. To mitigate the risk from this type of attack, users should disable push notifications from sites they don’t know/trust, and be very cautious with unfamiliar links.

TechRadar Pro did reach out to the CDC, NPR, Stanford, and Nvidia for comment but haven’t yet received a response.

Via 404media

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• Bose QC Ultra Earbuds Gen 2 launch this summer for $299
• Improved noise-cancelling algorithms, wireless charging now standard
• Six hour battery life and wireless charging for the case

The best noise cancelling earbuds you can buy right now are by Bose, and right now I'm going to suggest maybe not buying them. That's because there's a newer version incoming, and Bose promises that these ones are even better.

The Bose' QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen will launch later this summer with a price tag of $299; pricing and availability for the rest of the world hasn't been announced just yet.

In addition to the new earbuds, there are also two new SoundLink speakers. One of them is coming this month and the other shortly afterwards.

(Image credit: Bose)Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen): what's new

We're pretty unanimous when it comes to rating ANC earbuds: Bose are the best. That's been the case for quite a while, ever since we found the Sony WF-1000XM5 to be a bit of a let-down in the ANC department.

If I'm travelling any distance I'm more likely to take my OG first-gen QuietComfort Earbuds than my AirPods Pro 2. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are better still, and the second generation promise to improve the ANC experience yet again.

Bose says it's got new and improved AI algorithms for better filtering of sudden noise spikes via its ActiveSense system, so less outside sound will break through. Bose promises improved voice pickup and call quality too, which is good, because that was a weak spot f the Ultra compared to the competition.

Battery life is six hours with ANC, or four with immersive spatial audio turned on too, and the case can be charged wirelessly – weirdly, the first-gen Ultra Earbuds required a sleeve for the case to add wireless charging, but it's here by default now.

There's also a new embedded ear wax guard to prevent buildup, and avoid any audio blocking from it.

There are three color options: black, white smoke and deep plum.

Two new SoundLink speakers

There's a lot of citrus yellow in this photo of the SoundLink Plus Portable (Image credit: Bose)

Bose has also announced two new SoundLink portable speakers: the SoundLink Plus Portable, which sits between the SoundLink Flex and the Max, and a second-generation SoundLink Micro.

The SoundLink Plus Portable is IP67 rated, floats in water, delivers 20 hours of playback and features one subwoofer, a tweeter and four passive radiators, so it should be pretty big in the bass department.

It'll be $269 and comes in a choice of black, blue dusk or a new citrus yellow. Pre-orders start today, 12 June, except for the citrus yellow: those orders open on 18 June. All three models will be on sale from 26 June.

(Image credit: Bose)

The second-generation SoundLink Micro speaker gets USB-C charging, 12 hours of battery life and Bose app compatibility for adjusting the EQ, customizing the buttons and other tweaks.

There's a new removable fabric strap that makes it easy to attach it to things, and Bose says the new model delivers clearer highs without sacrificing any of the lows.

The SoundLink Micro (2nd Gen) will go on sale later this summer with a US price of $129 and two color choices: black and blue dusk.

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• The Chinese Room has announced the Still Wakes the Deep: Siren's Rest expansion
• The expansion will launch on June 18 for PC and console
• Siren's Deep will take place over a decade after the events of the original story

Developer The Chinese Room has announced Siren's Rest, a brand new story expansion for its 2024 horror game Still Wakes the Deep.

Still Wakes the Deep: Siren's Rest is set to release on June 18 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, and Xbox Game Pass, and is set over a decade after the events of the original game.

In this expansion, written by Helldivers 2's deputy game director Sagar Beroshi, players will sink below the waves of the North Sea as Mhairi to explore what’s left of the Beira D, an offshore oil drilling platform.

"1986. The Beira D is now a groaning steel catacomb interred in the inky depths of the North Sea," the expansion blurb reads. "What really happened that December day in 1975, when communications to the mainland were severed and the rig sank without a trace? What answers can be given to families who still grieve, ten years on?

"You are Mhairi. And you will find those answers. As the leader of a saturation dive to the wreck of the Beira D, you descend, a fragile light in the crushing dark. Your mission: uncover the fate of the crew and recover what remains of their passing."

Players will need to swim through the underwater wreckage armed with a cutting torch, crowbar, and camera, piece together the mystery of the lost crew, all while avoiding danger that lurks in the depths.

Siren's Rest will also introduce a new voice cast directed by Kate Saxon, including Doctor Who's Lois Chimimba, who will star as Mhairi, Bridgerton's Lorn Macdonald, and David Menkin, known for Final Fantasy 16 and Alan Wake 2.

In TechRadar Gaming's four-star Still Wakes the Deep review, Rob Dwiar said the game is "an incredibly atmospheric, tense, and gripping first-person horror game."

"With a tremendous sense of place, superb voice acting, and creepy horror elements, it’s a small but punchy experience that we fully recommend despite some hand-holding, simple puzzles, and the story being a little too short," he wrote.

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• Amazon has provided an update on The Rings of Power season 3
• Filming is underway on the Prime Video show's next installment
• The Lord of the Rings prequel series has also added three new actors to its cast

Amazon has announced the latest cast additions to The Rings of Power as principal photography finally gets underway on the hit show's third season.

In a press release, the company confirmed filming had recently begun on The Rings of Power season 3 at Shepperton Studios in the UK. That's the same location at which The Lord of the Rings prequel series' second season was shot and produced.

Three new cast members were also revealed as part of the high fantasy Prime Video show's next chapter.

A post shared by Amazon MGM Studios (@amazonmgmstudios)

A photo posted by on

Andrew Richardson, who some viewers might recognize from Apple TV+ sci-fi miniseries Extrapolations, will feature as a season 3 regular. Zubin Varla, who portrayed Xanwan in Andor's first season on Disney+, and Adam Young, who appeared in two episodes of Apple TV Original Masters of the Air, are also on board in recurring roles.

The trio join fellow season 3 newcomers Jamie-Campbell Bower and Eddie Marsan on the cast roster, with the Stranger Things and Heartstopper stars signing on in late February. That pair's hiring came two weeks after Amazon MGM Studios officially renewed The Rings of Power for a third season.

Which characters will Richardson, Varla, and Young play in The Rings of Power season 3?

Could one of these season 3 newcomers play the individual who becomes The Witch King? (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

We don't know. Amazon hasn't revealed who they'll portray in one of the best Prime Video shows' third installment, but that won't stop me from speculating on who they might play.

Per its official plot brief, The Rings of Power season 3 will "jump forward several years" to the height of the War of the Elves and Sauron. This near-decade long conflict should form the basis of next season's plot alongside Sauron's creation of the One Ring. It's possible, then, that Richardson, Varla, and Young could simply be new characters who are commanders, lieutenants, or ordinary soldiers for each army.

However, it's also a possibility that one or more of them could assume the role of established characters who populate Middle-earth in J.R.R. Tolkien's literary works.

I previously suggested that Marsan could play Durin IV's brother, who might vie with his sibling for Khazad-dûm's throne next season. Could someone like Varla, though, play him instead?

Then there's the prospect that one of next season's subplots will center on Sauron gifting the final nine Rings of Power to the Kings of Men.

Canonically, Middle-earth's Dark Lord does so before he fashions the One Ring to Rule Them All. The Rings of Power has been pretty liberal in its depiction of how and when events play out in the Second Age, but it wouldn't make sense if Sauron creates his own ring before presenting the remaining rings to the individuals who'll become his most trusted lieutenants, aka the Ringwraiths. After all, he can't use the Kings of Men's rings to bend them to his will without the One Ring.

So, if and when the Kings of Men are presented with this nonuplet, it's plausible that Richardson, Varla, and/or Young might play some of these individuals. That includes the monarch who goes on to become The Witch-King of Angmar and Khamul the Easterling, the latter of whom also becomes one of the nine Ringwraiths.

Season 3 doesn't have a release date yet, so we'll be waiting a while to find out who these actors will play. For now, get further insights into what next season's story might entail by checking out my ending explainer on The Rings of Power season 2, or checking out some of my exclusive season 2 finale coverage below.

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• Google Beam's first compatible hardware comes from HP, and it costs $25k
• You'll still need to pay separately for a license from Google
• HP has new mics for your everyday video calls, too

HP has shared more details of the first-ever 3D video communication solution for enterprises, co-developed with Google Beam, as it looks to make holographic video conferencing calls a reality.

Formerly known as Project Starline, the newly-named 'HP Dimension with Google Beam', utilizes Google's platform, which promises life-like 3D video calls with no glasses or headsets needed.

HP says workers could see a 28% increase in memory recall when talking to colleagues using Google Beam, while benefitting from 39% more non-verbal communication.

HP Dimension

HP says the technology delivers realistic depth, colour and presence in one-on-one virtual meetings.

The hardware consists of six high-speed camera, adaptive lighting and spatial audio to create life-size imaging with natural eye contact on a 65-inch light field display – it means that users won't need to use headsets or glasses, as they would with an Apple Vision Pro.

From launch, the technology supports Zoom Rooms and Google Meet, but it also offers interoperability with Microsoft Teams and Webex, covering most bases.

There are some limitations, though, for example Google Beam requires a plain, white background for optimal performance and life-like projections.

Then, there's the price. At $24,999, it's not a cheap piece of kit, and enterprises will require separate licenses for the Google Beam technology – an essential tool to unlock the hardware's capabilities. Salesforce and Deloitte are among the early enterprise customers committed to HP Dimension with Google Beam.

A launch later in 2025 will see units arrive in the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany and Japan.

In the same breath, HP also lifted the wraps off its new Poly Studio A2 Audio Bridge and Table Microphone for improved communications and interactions across more conventional video calls.

Featuring daisy-chain support for up to eight mics, NoiseBlockAI for smart background sound suppression and simple integration with other Poly Studio hardware, pre-orders open this month for shipping in September 2025, with prices starting at $549 and $329 respectively.

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• The June update for Windows 11 24H2 was paused by Microsoft
• A revised update took its place for PCs that were impacted by a compatibility issue
• Microsoft has now explained the nature of the bug, which pertained to certain PC games using anti-cheat protection

Microsoft just fixed an issue with the latest Windows 11 update and has now clarified exactly what the problem was, and the apparent extent of the bug.

The June update for Windows 11 24H2 was deployed yesterday (June 11), but it came with a ‘compatibility issue’ that meant Microsoft paused the rollout for certain PCs. However, the company didn’t tell us what this mystery compatibility problem was.

That patch (KB5060842) was replaced by a new one (KB5063060) which has now rolled out to affected devices, and Microsoft has explained what the bug was, as Windows Latest reports. It was a problem with an anti-cheat tool which meant that the PC games which used this system were crashing.

Microsoft said: “This update addresses an incompatibility issue where Windows might restart unexpectedly when opening games that use the Easy Anti-Cheat service. Easy Anti-Cheat automatically installs with certain games to enhance security and prevent cheating in multiplayer online PC games.

“Windows users likely didn’t experience this issue because the [initial] update that led to the incompatibility issue (KB506842) was not offered to devices with Easy Anti-Cheat installed.”

Analysis: cutting through the confusion

(Image credit: Epic Games)

This whole affair has been causing some bewilderment. Some people have been left scratching their heads and wondering whether, if their PC got the first June patch, does it need the second (replacement) one? And others were left confused about why they weren’t getting any patch at all.

To try and clear things up, if you didn’t get any patch, that’s because your PC has a game installed that uses Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC). Microsoft blocked the patch for those Windows 11 devices to avoid the compatibility bug which crashed those games. At this point in time, though, you should have received the second (tweaked) update (KB5063060).

If your Windows 11 PC received the first update (KB5060842) and you don’t have games with EAC, you probably won’t be given the second patch. After all, you don’t need it as such. However, if you received the first update and you have got PC games with EAC on-board – and this happened to some folks before Microsoft paused the initial patch, even though the company insists it wasn’t “likely” – then you will get the second update which will effectively overwrite the first one.

You can see where the confusion comes in, as it’s a bit of a sticky situation. The long and short of it is that if you have one of these patches, you’re good for all the security fixes and feature improvements the June update brings. They’re both identical updates; it’s just that the second one packs the mitigation for the EAC bug on top.

So, as long as you have one of these patches installed, that’s all good. If you’re still seeing crashing in games that use EAC, keep checking Windows Update for that second patch to override the first (assuming you haven’t already got it).

A further oddity here is that Microsoft said the compatibility issue applied to a ‘limited set’ of Windows 11 devices. But EAC is in some huge games, such as Apex Legends, Fortnite and a bunch of other Epic games. That explains why quite a few folks were reporting that they didn’t receive the initial June patch for Windows 11, which seemed strange given that Microsoft indicating that this was a niche issue.

It may have been a limited problem in terms of the number of PCs actually experiencing crashing, but the number prevented from receiving the June update was substantial, and Microsoft didn’t make that distinction.

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• Dying Light Franchise Director Tymon Smektała has said that Dying Light: The Beast will answer a number of unanswered questions, including why Kyle Crane has returned
• Smektała said The Beast doesn't have a branching narrative, because Techland wanted the game to be canon
• He also said that the game is "a very canonical Kyle story that answers everything that happens to him"

Dying Light: The Beast is set to see the return of former series protagonist Kyle Crane, but developer Techland has said that fans will need to play the game to find out.

In an interview with TechRadar Gaming at Summer Game Fest 2025, Franchise Director Tymon Smektała explained that one of the goals of Dying Light: The Beast is to offer answers to "a number of unanswered questions", including why Kyle Crane has returned.

At the end of Dying Light: The Following, players are presented with two possible outcomes for the character: Kyle will be fully infected or killed in a nuclear explosion.

Despite these endings, The Beast will once again star Kyle, but Smektała emphasized that players will need to play the game to find out why.

"Play the game, play the game to get that answer. But actually, that's what that's one of the goals," Smektała said. "That's one of the kinds of things about Dying Light: The Beast, is that we want to answer a number of unanswered questions from previous games, and I say plural games meaningfully and reasonably."

Smektała said this is one of the reasons why The Beast doesn't have a branching narrative, because the team wanted the game to be canon and be set in the same timeline as the previous games.

"There is a continuity in all of those games," he continued. "If we were to give players agency in terms of how they want to shape the story, then it will be harder for us to have Kyle where we want him to have at the end of this game.

"So, so this is like a very canonical Kyle story that answers everything that happens to him, before, after, the events of Dying Light: The Following, but also sets him a little bit into the future."

Smektała added that the upcoming game will also have post-credit scenes like the MCU films that will "hint at some things that are going to happen in the future", but didn't give anything away.

Dying Light: The Beast is set to launch on August 22 for PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC. It was initially being developed as downloadable content (DLC) for Dying Light 2: Stay Human, but Techland announced last year that the project had become a standalone title.

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It really is the season for game presentations, live streams, and showcases, and today we strap in for another one.

Today's Konami Press Start live stream will focus on two upcoming games from the publisher: Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (the excellent-looking remake of the critically acclaimed third Metal Gear Solid game), and Silent Hill f (the survival and psychological horror game in the famous series).

Konami is promising an "extended look" at both games, too, so we expect to see plenty of action, new footage, and more.

Might we see news about other things in the franchises, though? Who knows, but I always hold out hope that publishers and developers throw in surprises! Konami has got more games and series up its sleeve, so here's hoping for a treat!

We've been covering live game reveals and events for ages now, so we know how to present the most pertinent information quickly and concisely for you in moment-to-moment coverage.

Konami Press Start live stream: start time

Konami's Press Start live stream showing off the two games will start at 9am ET / 6am PT / 2pm BST.

Konami Press start live stream: where to watch

You'll be able to watch the Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and Silent Hill f presentation on Konami's YouTube channel and Twitch page.

Hello and welcome!

Greetings! Welcome to our live coverage of the imminent Konami Press Start live stream.

We'll be providing moment to moment coverage of what the publisher shows off, as well as giving you all the best information about the stream and throwing in some fun predictions and personal takes too.

Strap in, the live stream starts in just under an hour!

The key information

Right, let's remind you of the most important information, shall we?

Konami's Press Start live stream will start at 9am ET / 6am PT / 2pm BST, and you can catch it on the publisher's YouTube channel and Twitch page.

Easy peasy - but get in position and open those tabs now, as interest will be peaking soon!

More Metal Gear Solid is never a bad thing

(Image credit: Konami)

While the two games on show today are both huge deals, personally, I'm more excited for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.

As a PlayStation fan of a...certain age group..., Metal Gear was a huge part of my gaming youth and is 'my' PS1 and PS2 series. As a result, my hype is reaching fever-pitch levels, and with the game looking as good as it does, it looks set to be a cracker.

Cold War Russia never looked so good, and Naked Snake's famous adventure can't come quickly enough for fans like me.

Commentary: Stop dwelling on clear app icons and start talking about robots butting into our phone calls.

At WWDC 2025, Apple's new Games app came out days after Xbox's new handheld, a juxtaposition in strategy.

• Garmin has revealed the Garmin Venu X1, a surprise new premium smartwatch
• It costs a hefty $799.99 / £679.99 / AU$1,499
• Its 2-inch square display is bigger than the Apple Watch Ultra 2 – but could last up to 8 days (vs the Apple Watch's 36 hours)

Surprise! Garmin has revealed the Garmin Venu X1, an "ultrathin" smartwatch with a massive 2-inch AMOLED display and up to eight days of battery life.

The Garmin Venu X1 looks set to be an Apple Watch Ultra 2 competitor, with an even bigger screen (the Ultra's is 1.9-inches). This giant, square AMOLED display is set to showcase full-color maps to ensure you can navigate adventures with ease, custom watch faces and what appears to be a redesigned interface.

An on-board speaker and microphone array allows you to take calls on-wrist while connected to your phone, and use simple voice commands such as 'set a timer' or 'start a running activity' even while offline.

The new model packs 32GB of internal memory, presumably for on-watch music, and Garmin's updated Elevate v5 heart rate sensor, most recently used on the Garmin Forerunner 570 and 970. It's got Garmin's LED flashlight onboard, a titanium back, and scratch-proof Sapphire Glass coating the display.

Component

Garmin Venu X1

Price

$799.99 / £679.99 / AU$1,499

Dimensions

41 x 46 x 7.9 mm

Weight

41g

Case/bezel

Titanium

Display

51.2 mm AMOLED Sapphire Glass display

GPS

GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, Beidou, QZSS

Battery life

Up to 8 days

Connection

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE

Water resistant

Yes, 5ATM

This is certainly a watch ready for the great outdoors, while incorporating lifestyle elements such as those voice commands and more font sizes, which makes notifications much easier to receive and navigate on that giant screen.

The Garmin Venu series has always aimed to straddle the line between a 'true' smartwatch extension for your phone and Garmin's classic dedicated fitness companion, and has done so admirably in the past: the Garmin Venu 3 was ranked 'best for most people' in our best Garmin watches list for 2025. This new thinner Venu X1 appears to follow a similar brief, with its square watch face inevitably drawing comparisons to Apple like the Venu Sq before it.

As you might expect from a premium GPS watch from Garmin, the Garmin Venu X1 doesn't come cheap, costing $799.99 / £679.99 / AU$1,499. Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, this is right around the Apple Watch Ultra 2's price point.

It's available now in two colors, Black and Moss, and includes Garmin's 24mm ComfortFit nylon band.

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Though we're still in the era of iOS 18, the next big update – which rather than iOS 19 is instead called iOS 26 – has been unveiled at WWDC 2025.

As such, we now know what to expect, and for the intrepid among you, it's even possible to download a beta version of the software and try it out for yourself.

That might be tempting too, because as well as a new name, iOS 26 also sports a whole new look, among numerous new and improved features.

Below, you'll find everything you need to know about this software update, including all its major features and when it will start rolling out.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? The next major update to the iPhone’s operating system
• When is it out? Announced on June 9, probably rolling out in September
• Who will get it? All models from the iPhone 11 onwards will be compatible

iOS 26: release date

(Image credit: Apple)

iOS 26 was announced at WWDC 2025 on June 9, and it's available in beta now. If you'd like to grab it yourself, we've got a guide covering how to download the iOS 26 developer beta.

However, the finished version probably won't launch until September 2025, where it's likely to land alongside the expected iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and possible iPhone 17 Air.

Still, since it has been announced we already know what to expect, so read on to learn all about iOS 26.

iOS 26: compatibility

The iPhone XS doesn't support iOS 26

While iOS 26 isn't out yet, we do know the full list of phones that are compatible with iOS 26.

In short, if you have a model in the iPhone 11 series or later or an iPhone SE (2020) or later, then you'll be able to download iOS 26.

That means almost every phone that can get iOS 18 will also be able to get iOS 26, with the exception being the iPhone XS, the iPhone XS Max, and the iPhone XR.

iOS 26: a new design

(Image credit: Apple)

While there are lots of new features in iOS 26, the biggest change is to the look of the operating system, with Apple having given it a complete revamp.

This is the largest redesign to the iPhone software experience since iOS 7 launched alongside the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c, so it's a massive change, and it's focused around a digital 'material' called Liquid Glass.

What this means in practice is a lot of rounded and transparent elements inspired by visionOS, along with a new clear theme, which you can optionally choose instead of light or dark.

This should freshen up the interface, and a version of this new style is also being applied to most of Apple's other operating systems, so there will be more unity across devices.

iOS 26: new features

(Image credit: Apple)

iOS 26 includes a slew of useful new features, ranging from overhauled apps to Apple Intelligence improvements, details of which you'll find below.

A new camera app

(Image credit: Apple)

iOS 26 features a redesigned camera app, which streamlines the photo and video modes to make them easier to use.

When you launch the app, the only options you'll see below the shutter button are 'Photo' and 'Video', rather than the large number of options that are present in iOS 18. Then, once you select one of those you can view other related options with a swipe to the left or right.

Other menus within the camera have also been reorganized to make them clearer and more intuitive, so navigating the camera app should be a lot slicker with iOS 26.

Apple Intelligence improvements

(Image credit: Apple)

Siri still hasn't got the ChatGPT-like overhaul we're waiting for, but iOS 26 does include some Apple Intelligence improvements.

There's Live Translation, which will translate text and audio across the phone app, Messages, and FaceTime, and Visual Intelligence has been upgraded to allow you to get help with anything on your screen.

The Shortcuts app has also been improved, with a new set of Shortcuts available that have been enabled by Apple Intelligence, and Genmoji and Image Playground now allow you to combine emoji, Genmoji, and descriptions, for all-new creations.

Apple Games

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple Games is a new app that takes the place of Game Center, but unlike Game Center you can manually launch this, and you'll be able to find and start games from within it.

You'll also find leaderboards here, and be able to track achievements, and the same app is coming to macOS, adding to the sense of unity between these operating systems.

An overhauled Phone app

Call Screening in iOS 26 (Image credit: Apple)

The Phone app has also had a lot of attention in iOS 26, with this now having a simpler layout that puts Favorites, Recents, and Voicemail all on one screen.

More excitingly though, it also now has a Call Screening feature which lets you hear what a call is about before deciding whether to pick up. There's also Hold Assist, which will notify you when you're no longer on hold.

Battery boosts

(Image credit: Future)

Your phone's battery life could also be improved with iOS 26, as a new Adaptive Power mode will make changes in the background to reduce battery drain at the cost of things like screen brightness and performance, so this will be useful when your battery is running low.

There's also a new charging time estimate, which will predict how long it will take for your battery to charge, and you'll see more in depth battery stats in the battery section of the Settings app.

Better flight features

(Image credit: Apple)

Frequent flyers should appreciate iOS 26, as Apple has made it so that if you've got a boarding pass saved in Wallet, you'll be able to see related Live Activities, providing real-time updates on the flight.

This improved boarding pass experience also provides shortcuts to mapping to the airport, and to Find My for luggage tracking.

Other small updates

Apple Maps in iOS 26 (Image credit: Apple)

As well as the large new features above, there are also some smaller features in iOS 26.

These include lyrics translation and pronunciation tools in Apple Music, a new Visited Places screen in Apple Maps, the option to pay in installments for in-store purchases made with Apple Pay, alerts when your phone's camera lenses are dirty, and additional Background Sound options.

iOS 26 will also filter messages from unknown senders so they don't clog up your inbox, and you can create polls in the Messages apps.

Plus, CarPlay also has a new design and features – such as a Tapback tool in Messages – as part of iOS 26.

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A Fortnite Superman skin is set to be added next month, based on the new version as featured in James Gunn's Superman. Interestingly, players can actually unlock the skin now, though there will still be additional cosmetics to get once the pass goes live for everyone.

What's new in Fortnite?

(Image credit: Epic Games)

Fortnite just launched its newest season. We're now at the beginning of Chapter 6 Season 3, titled Fortnite Super. This major update added Superman, Robin, and other Heroes to the game, alongside a whole host of super-powered items and weapons. You can now unlock three new map locations, with Utopia City being a real highlight. Elsewhere, Fortnite OG just got its newest season.

Now that a brand new season of Fortnite has launched, there's a completely fresh map to try out, and the addition of a superhero ranking system. There are ranks to rise through in each match, giving you access to progressively more powerful gear. We've got a couple of months until the next season of Fortnite arrives, but there's plenty to keep us busy until then.

Here's everything you need to know about the Fortnite Superman skin, including when it's coming to the game and details on how to unlock it early. As new info is revealed closer to launch, we'll be sure to update this page.

Fortnite Superman release date

(Image credit: Epic Games)

Fortnite's Superman skin will release on July 11, 2025. This can be seen in the in-game calendar that's on the main menu screen before loading into a match. Battle Pass owners can unlock Superman and additional Superman items by completing Quests starting July 11. The Super Battle Pass is available to progress in now until August 8, 2025.

The best place to keep up on specific updates closer to the launch of the new season is the Fortnite Status Twitter account. We'll be sure to keep this page up to date as well.

How to unlock the Fortnite Superman skin early

(Image credit: Epic Games)

You can actually unlock the main Superman Fortnite skin early by purchasing the Premium Battle Pass. This grants access to the Battle Pass, 25 levels, as well as the skin. This costs 2800 V-Bucks and instantly unlocks Superman. This is the same skin as you'll get on July 11, though there will be additional cosmetics to earn via Quests once the pass is live.

Epic usually details the rewards associated with bonus skins like Superman, closer to their launch date. On release, the Superman skin will have five additional rewards to earn, with five more being added a week after. This is how bonus skins have worked for quite a while, so hopefully Superman follows suit. If anything changes, we'll be sure to update this page.

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• Apple’s iOS 26 update introduced a new Liquid Glass design
• There are also lots of little changes to be found in the software upgrade
• Here are five of the most useful smaller iOS 26 changes

If you watched Apple’s WWDC 2025 event earlier this week, the Liquid Glass redesign is probably the thing that leapt out the most to you. But despite the understandable airtime it got, it’s far from the most significant change to Apple’s iPhone operating system.

The iOS 26 update is packed with useful tweaks and changes that do far more than a visual overhaul ever could. We've covered the big ones in our iOS 26 roundup, but with the developer beta now out in the wild, some smaller quality-of-life changes have emerged.

Here, we’ve gathered five of those smaller, unheralded features that we think we will impact you much more than the Apple's Liquid Glass redesign...

1. Banish spam voicemails

(Image credit: Apple)

Spam is the bane of any phone user, and sometimes it feels like there’s very little you can actually do about it. But Apple is hoping to change that in iOS 26, as it’s giving you the ability to report spam voicemails from your iPhone.

The feature is simple to use. If you get a voicemail left by an unknown number, you just need to tap into the message and you’ll see a “Report Spam” button. Pick that and it’s sent to Apple (likely to help improve its detection, although Apple hasn’t confirmed that yet).

You can then report the voicemail as spam and keep it on your device, or report it and delete it forever. Combined with iOS 26’s Call Screening feature, this will hopefully help you deal with unwanted calls and messages a little more easily.

2. Upgraded boarding passes

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple’s Wallet app has been able to store boarding passes for a while, and it’s a useful way to quickly present your travel info in an airport without needing to print anything on paper. In iOS 26, though, boarding passes just became a whole lot more capable.

With the update, virtual boarding passes can now give you directions to your terminal and help you find your luggage if it’s been paired with an AirTag or other tracker.

Boarding passes now offer Live Activities, too, and these show flight progress, arrival gate number, baggage claim info, and much more.

3. Custom your snooze timers

(Image credit: Future / Apple)

Sometimes, you just need a little extra sleep in the mornings. If your iPhone alarm goes off, you’ve long had the option to snooze it in iOS, but that function has always given you exactly nine minutes more to doze – nothing more, nothing less.

In iOS 26, you can customize the snooze duration to your needs, with options ranging from one to 15 minutes. That should give you plenty of flexibility to get a little extra kip on your own terms.

4. Apple Intelligence in Shortcuts

(Image credit: Apple)

Shortcuts is already one of the smartest apps on your iPhone, and it’s just had another boost in iOS 26 thanks to deep integration with Apple Intelligence, Apple’s artificial intelligence (AI) platform.

You can now incorporate AI directly into your workflows, with options like comparing two input documents, generating an image, or using Visual Intelligence.

There’s an option to tap into Apple’s on-device processing, use the company’s Private Cloud Compute, or hand off to ChatGPT. And there are a bunch of pre-made shortcuts that showcase some of Apple Intelligence’s abilities, too.

5. Apple Music Lock Screen animations

(Image credit: Apple)

When you’re playing music from the Apple Music app on your iPhone, iOS 26 will present a new visual treat on your Lock Screen. By default, you’ll see the track’s album art, but if it has an animated version, a quick tap on it will start the animation on your display.

This effect requires the album or single to have an animated cover in the first place, and not all tracks come with this functionality. You’ll also need to do it in Apple Music, as it doesn’t work with Spotify. Still, it’s a neat bit of visual flair to go along with your favorite music.

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• Gartner report claims companies are reversing or toning down their strategies for AI customer service
• Almost all companies will keep human agents in their teams
• Experts call for a hybrid approach, with AI and humans

A growing amount of of companies are abandoning plans to drastically reduce human customer service roles in the next two years due to technical, operational and cost-related challenges, research has claimed.

A new Gartner report found a staggering majority (95%) plan to retain human agents as a result, acknowledging AI's current limitations in handling complex or nuanced customer interactions.

The report also confirmed customers prefer human interactions and support, with only 7% trusting AI most for issue resolution. Three in five (62%) also worry that AI will make it harder to reach a human if they need more detailed support.

Companies still plan on using human customer service agents

Gartner's analysts emphasized that AI cannot fully replace humans in the field just yet, citing poor user experiences and unexpected costs from failed AI implementations.

So far, projects expecting GenAI to solve all customer issues have largely fallen short of expectations, and the idea of a fully human-less contact center is neither feasible nor desirable at this stage.

"Human touch remains irreplaceable in many interactions, and organizations must balance technology with human empathy and understanding," Senior Director Analyst Kathy Ross explained.

"A hybrid approach, where AI and human agents work in tandem, is the most effective strategy for delivering exceptional customer experiences."

However, separate IBM research revealed UK businesses are still bidding big on AI – four in five (83%) execs expect agentic AI to improve efficiency, with UK businesses allocating an average of 15% of their IT budgets to AI.

A similar number of execs (84%) also expect AI to automate repetitive tasks at above-human speeds by next year.

All of this in mind, even IBM admits that some challenges remain, especially surrounding data quality (49%), trust (46%) and skills shortages (42%).

IBM Consulting VP for AI Integration Services, Francesco Brenna, explained how AI isn't a plug-and-play, solve-all tool to fix all business problems: "This isn’t about plugging an agent into an existing process and hoping for the best. It means re-architecting how the process is executed, redesigning the user experience, orchestrating agents end-to-end, and integrating the right data to provide context, memory, and intelligence throughout."

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As we head closer and closer to summer (for those of us in the northern hemisphere at least), the best streaming services are reviving their libraries in order to keep you away from nature and sunlight, safely ensconced on your couch. Which, considering allergies and heat, is a worthy tactic that I shall be adhering to. And it's not hard to see why with everything due to hit streaming in June 2025.

But, as the cost of streaming rises along with… well, the cost of everything, it's a good idea to contemplate which services you absolutely have to keep for the upcoming month versus those you can probably go without for June.

Luckily, this month sees one of my favorite reliable hubs knock out a bunch of titles I simply cannot ignore – I’m talking about Hulu (a lot of the same titles of which will arrive on Disney+ internationally) – and one of my other favorites offer up so few, I'm happy to let it go for the month. Here's my take.

Why I'm keeping my Hulu subscription in June

I can't wait to get back into this heated kitchen. (Image credit: FX)

I love Hulu. It's one of my favorite streamers because of its deals with several major TV networks– NBC, ABC and Fox– which allows you to get the latest episodes of shows either the day-of, or the day after they originally air. While that's been essential for my addiction to 9-1-1 and The Rookie, this month however, I've got eyes for one show only.

Yep, The Bear season 4 debuts June 25. This award-winning drama continues to stoke curiosity, and based on a lil' detail in the teaser trailer it looks like this could be the last outing for Carmy and the crew. Whether that's the case, I'll be ready to chomp down on whatever they're serving up!

If you're looking for movies then two of my favorite franchises are coming to the platform. Anyone who knows me knows I love the Alien series– yes, I ranked them even though it was one of the most difficult things I've ever done – so I'm delighted that all nine of the movies will be available as part of everything new on Hulu in June in the US (those in the UK or Australia can catch these on Disney+ instead).

Alien: Earth isn't coming out until August but the entire Alien franchise is streaming on Hulu in the US. (Image credit: FX)

2024's Alien: Romulus dropped on Hulu and Disney+ a while back but now you can binge the entire xenomorph legacy in one go, which also includes both Alien vs. Predator films. Are they good? Not particularly. Do they fit into the chronology? Not particularly. But they attempt to unite two of the bloodiest franchises into a PG-13 film so honestly, worthwhile watching for that alone.

Now is a great time to revisit all of the films, as FX is bringing the xenos to the small screen with Alien: Earth, which makes its way onto Hulu on August 12. Of course, there's also the new Predator: Killer of Killers to enjoy, too.

Keeping that horror vibe, Scream 2022 slashes its way onto Hulu June 8 – unfortunately, it's only streaming on the Channel 4 app in the UK and isn't available in Australia. This requel ought to get audiences prepared for next year's Scream 7, which is one of my most anticipated horror films of 2026.

On the newer end of things the latest Steven Soderbergh outing, Presence, is slated for a June 3 arrival on Hulu in the US and Disney+ internationally, and I'm very excited to check this out. Its critical reception has wavered depending on the viewer; some people hoped for a flat-out horror and others wanted a drama, and judging on the reviews, it sounds like a mashup of the two.

Why I'm canceling HBO Max in June

The Last of Us season 2 has ended on HBO Max. (Image credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO)

If you’ve gathered by now, I tend to keep streamers that have at least two things I’m excited to watch – movies or TV series. Aside from the service finally reverting back to its old name of HBO Max – which is exciting to me but I'm going to need a little more to go on – Max simply doesn’t carry any fresh offerings I have to watch in June.

Granted, there are exceptions to my preferences as Max offers a ton of great shows. With The Last Of Us season 2 all wrapped up, there isn't much to necessitate my subscription, BUT, if you are a fan of The Gilded Age, I expect you'll want to keep Max as season 3 drops later in the month.

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