Update: Yes, Instagram Is Down

If you’re able to access your Instagram account right now, I guess you can consider yourself lucky. The app was reportedly down for some users Thursday according to thousands of user-generated reports on Downdetector.com.

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How To Fix The 'Unexpected Error' Message On Netflix

There are several ways to address a Netflix “unexpected error” message, including cache clearing for browsers or updating the app.

At Last, Star Trek: Lower Decks Finally Nailed It This Season

Star Trek: Lower Decks’ third season has struggled to find a point for itself, regressing its ensign heroes and relying on the charms of its pastiche rather than the growth of its characters to find something to say—a charm that was beginning to quickly run out. Thankfully, at the season’s halfway mark it decided to…

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You Can Use Dynamic Island on Android Now, But You Probably Shouldn't

It bears repeating that trying to emulate an iOS feature that isn’t native to Android often results in something too hacky to use daily. That’s how I feel about a new attempt to bring Apple’s dynamic island iPhone feature to Android.

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Tesla to recall more than a million vehicles over pinchy windows

More than a million Tesla owners will have yet another recall notice to deal with in the coming weeks. On Tuesday the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration filed a safety recall notice for numerous late model vehicles from across the EV maker’s lineup because “the window automatic reversal system may not react correctly after detecting an obstruction,” and as such, “a closing window may exert excessive force by pinching a driver or passenger before retracting, increasing the risk of injury,” per the notice.

The following models and years are impacted: 2017-22 Model 3s as well as 2020-21 Model Y, X and S vehicles. Tesla has until mid-November to contact affected owners and plans to push an OTA software update to correct the issue. 

Per the Associated Press, Tesla first identified the issues during product testing in August and has incorporated the update into newly built vehicles since September 13th. However, multiple Twitter users have sounded off in response to Tuesday’s announcement, noting that their vehicles have been having nearly identical issues since at least 2021. 

This is far from Tesla’s first safety recall. Over the last two years alone, Teslas have been recalled on account of overheating infotainment systems, camera and trunk defects, separating front suspensions, their “full self driving” ADAS, their pedestrian warning sounds, their seatbelt chimes, software glitches in their brakes, and sundry touchscreen failures. And that’s just in the US. In Germany this past July, Tesla got popped trying to pass off painted-over frame damage on its Model 3s too.

EXCLUSIVE: Roger Stone Admits He’s Been Advising The Proud Boys For Years

In this excerpt from “We Are Proud Boys,” Trump’s longtime confidant says he guided the gang’s leaders through their political ambitions — and their crimes.

She-Hulk's Jameela Jamil Talks Her Favorite MCU Characters

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NASA Refines Its Strategy for Getting Humans to Mars

NASA’s upcoming Artemis Moon program is serving as a stepping stone for an eventual crewed mission to Mars. A revised list of planning objectives details a strategy for accomplishing this daunting feat.

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Mike Bloomberg Wages War Against Plastic

Michael Bloomberg is taking on plastic producers. The billionaire announced Wednesday that he will launch a $85 million campaign to fight against the expansion of the petrochemical industry.

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Verizon's rebranded TracFone prepaid service includes Disney+ with some plans

Verizon (Engadget’s former owner) is finally overhauling TracFone’s service following the 2020 acquisition, and the reborn service might pique your interest in the right circumstances. The newly launched Total appears built to compete against big prepaid carriers like AT&T’s Cricket and T-Mobile’s Metro. In addition to more competitive rates than Verizon’s self-branded option (more on that later), you’ll also get a few new perks. Every plan offers 5G and unlimited calling and texts to Canada and Mexico, while unlimited plans now include a Disney+ subscription at either six months for the $50 plan or indefinitely with the $60 tier.

Service starts at $30 per month (you get 5 percent off with auto-refills) with 5GB of fast data and 5GB of hotspot data. A $0 plan provides 15GB of speedy data with matching hotspot support. The $50 unlimited plan caps you at 10GB of hotspot data, but the $60 offering bumps that to 20GB while also providing ultra-wideband 5G. Additional lines are $35 each, and international roaming is available if you have two or more lines on at least the $40 plan.

Whether or not this is a good value depends on what you’re looking for. Total is a better overall bargain than Verizon’s self-branded prepaid service. That doesn’t dip to $30 per month unless you’ve been with the carrier for three months ($25 after nine months), and Verizon is generally stingier with freebies. No plans include Disney+ for longer than six months, and you have to spend at least $50 per month ($35 after nine months) to get unlimited calls and texts with Canada and Mexico. Video streaming is typically limited to 480p, but you can contact support to remove that ceiling.

Rival providers are another story. Total is usually more enticing than Cricket, with greater benefits even at $30 per month — Cricket doesn’t even enable 480p video streaming until you spring for the $55 unlimited plan. The bundled HBO Max and 150GB of cloud storage in Cricket’s $60 level ($55 with auto-pay) might reel you in. With Metro, it’s more complicated. While the $30 5GB package is no-frills, you only need to shell out $40 to get unlimited data and a year of Spanish-language ViX+ streaming. Metro asks you to spend a minimum $50 per month to get hotspot data (and just 5GB at that), but that outlay also gives you a 100GB Google One subscription. Jump to $60 and you also get an Amazon Prime membership that could easily pay for itself.

Total isn’t a surefire hit as a result. However, it does make Verizon considerably more attractive to the no-contract crowd than before. It may also be alluring if you want Disney+ and don’t expect to switch carriers any time soon, particularly in light of upcoming price hikes for standalone subscriptions.