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The United Kingdom may soon force social media firms to seek out and remove underage users from their platforms.

The UK's Office of Communications, more commonly known as Ofcom, has set out a plan to force tech companies to use facial recognition to ban social media users who are underage.

"The sort of thing that we might look to in that space is some of this facial age estimation technology that we see companies bringing in now, which we think is really pretty good at determining who is a child and who is an adult,"Jon Higham, Ofcom's head of online safety policy, told The Telegraph in an interview. "So we're going to be looking to drive out the use of that sort of content, so platforms can determine who's a child and who isn't, and then put in place extra protections for kids to stop them [from] seeing toxic content."

Ofcom told the Telegraph that up to 60 percent of eight to 11-year-olds have social media profiles, despite most major social platforms requiring users to be at least 13 years old. Lots of kids, as one might expect, lie about their age online.

"What we see is 22 percent of children are online with a profile which suggests they're an adult because at the moment all too many platforms basically let children self-certify how old they are," Higham told The Telegraph. "It doesn't take a genius to work out that children are going to lie about their age."

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Governments worldwide continually grapple with how to protect kids from the worst of the online world. In Australia, for instance, they've passed legislation banning anyone under 16 from using social media. Tech companies could be fined millions of dollars if they don't comply.

SEE ALSO: World’s strictest social media law targets users under 16 in Australia

Keeping kids off social media is likely a good idea, as Mashable coverage of many, many surveys and studies has shown. It's a tough task, but it may prove worthwhile for the mental health of every kid with a WiFi connection.

SAVE $250: As of Dec. 23, the PlayStation VR2 is back down to its Black Friday price of $349.99 ($250 off). It'll be delivered before Christmas if you pick it up at Best Buy, and you'll also get a copy of Horizon Call of the Mountain.

Opens in a new window Credit: Sony PlayStation VR2 + 'Horizon Call of the Mountain' bundle $349.99 at Best Buy
$599.99 Save $250.00 Get Deal

If you haven't ventured into the world of VR gaming yet, the holiday season is a perfect time to do just that. Why? Well, because they usually go on deep sale. Even if you missed Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it's still not too late to take advantage of some savings.

If you're one of those people who's scrambling to get a last-minute holiday gift (don't worry, we understand — 2024 was a weird one), you might want to consider picking up this PlayStation VR2 bundle. It's back down to the same price it was on Black Friday, and it'll get delivered before Christmas as long as you purchase from Best Buy. You'll also get a copy of Horizon Call of the Mountain, one of the very best PSVR2 games.

SEE ALSO: Gaming starter kit: All the gear you need to play like a real gamer

While the Meta Quest 3S is probably the more user-friendly option, the PlayStation VR2 is a great VR headset in its own right thanks to its catalog of games and simple setup. Yes, it is a tethered headset, but it plugs easily into your PlayStation 5 console instead of a PC tower and doesn't require anything else of you other than some guided calibration settings. The star of the show here is the gaming library, though. In addition to Horizon, you'll also be able to jump into killer titles like Gran Turismo 7, Resident Evil 4, Firewall Ultra, and more.

Grab your PSVR2 bundle at Best Buy today to save $250 and get it before Christmas. Just be fast!

Hallucinations, a bane of popular A.I. programs, turn out to be a boon for venturesome scientists eager to push back the frontiers of human knowledge.

The cast of A Complete Unknown—Timothée Chalamet, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro and Ed Norton—delve into the intricate process of portraying figures from Bob Dylan's orbit. From Dylan's input on the screenplay to the emotional weight of embodying Joan Baez and Pete Seeger, the actors share insights, challenges, and how Fanning approached Suze Rotolo’s sacred legacy.

A Complete Unknown opens only in theaters Dec. 25.

President-elect Donald Trump wants to keep TikTok — at least, right now he does.

At AmericaFest, hosted by Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action, on Sunday, Trump said he "did go on TikTok and we had a great response with billions of views." Trump has 14.7 million followers on the app. While his videos regularly have many millions of views, there doesn't appear to be any videos on his TikTok page with "billions of views." The video with the most views is the first he posted, with nearly 179 million views.

"They brought me a chart, and it was a record, and it was so beautiful to see, and as I looked at it, I said, 'Maybe we gotta keep this sucker around for a little while,'" he said, according to Reuters. This comes just after Trump met with TikTok's CEO and said he had a "warm spot" for the app.

SEE ALSO: When will TikTok be banned in the U.S.? And what can stop it from happening?

This is the newest approach Trump has taken on the platform, a significant change from his 2020 attempts to ban it.

It comes at a time in which a TikTok ban seems imminent. President Joe Biden signed a bill into law in April that would ban TikTok in the U.S. on Jan. 19 unless ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, divests from the app. A federal appeals court upheld Biden's law, and TikTok is begging the Supreme Court to take the case or at least let the new administration weigh in.

It's unclear what Trump will actually do to stop the ban on TikTok. He doesn't become president until the day after the ban goes into effect, and the president-elect can't make any legislative changes — no matter how badly he says he wants to "keep this sucker around."

President-elect Donald Trump is tapping the technology sector for key roles, and executives from the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz are featuring heavily.

Beast Games, MrBeast's new game show that has been at the centre of controversy after contestants accused production of creating unsafe filming conditions, is live on Prime Video — and now the YouTuber has shared the first 10 minutes.

In the footage above we see 1000 contestants entering a dark arena with the hope of winning the $5 million top prize — but it isn't long before the challenges start and the players begin to get whittled down.

Beast Games is streaming on Prime Video, with new episodes dropping each Thursday.

Even as Telegram faces legal scrutiny and grapples with billions in debt, it is set to be profitable for the first time as it tries cryptocurrencies, subscriptions and ads.

The older-style chips are crucial for a wide array of appliances and other machinery, including weaponry.

Being online in 2024 involved a few universal truths: Baby animals are back. Brat is in the eye of the beholder. And, most importantly, activism never rests.

In a year of political and digital upheaval, pockmarked by jarring headlines, tech launches, and an election season that felt unceasing, digital spaces were important hubs for education, organizing, and, consequently, emotional processing. Scrutiny was the name of the game online, and no person or technology was safe. As artificial intelligence embedded itself deeper into our daily lives, many began questioning its human and environment impact. When Democrats launched a late campaign for president, Americans wondered about the state of modern elections and political representation — and tech's influence in it all. With global conflicts raging on despite cries for change, digital communities found purpose in each other.

The digital was certainly political in 2024. Here's what users shined the spotlight on.

SEE ALSO: The best internet moments of 2024, from Moo Deng mania to 'brat' summer Palestine, online

Marking over a year since the attack on Israel on Oct.7 and defined by continued violence in occupied Palestine, 2024 saw one of the most universally recognized movements for Palestinian solidarity in the conflict's history. And it's still being amplified: Calls for a ceasefire continue to flood comment sections and online petitions, with some crediting it to a radical shift in how people, mainly young people, conceptualize their personal politics.

While students took over their campuses and harnessed live streams to get out the word, celebrities used their own online visibility to call attention to the humanitarian crisis, from emblems worn on red carpets and in their best glamour shots to outright political messages, fundraisers, and petitions posted to their public profiles.

The internet rallies for citizen journalists

The pro-Palestine movement has also created a new, digitally-connected legion of journalists and activists. Certain creators and artists morphed into international correspondents, like Bisan Owda, Motaz Azaiza, and Medo Halimy, and became more than symbols of a cause, but essential sources of news footage and disseminators of personal stories of those on the ground. And in doing this work, these accounts thrust the ongoing limitations, and outright biases, of social media platforms into the digital conversation.

Credit: Mark Kerrison / In Pictures via Getty Images Harnessing TikTok for good

Continuing the strategies that paid off in gathering mass attention in the wake of Oct. 7, users on TikTok found increasingly creative ways to keep the plight of besieged Palestinians in the forefront of users minds. Reconfiguring TikTok's notoriously mysterious algorithm, users turned the app's suggested search or "blue comment" feature into a tool for protest. A meticulously planned effort known as Operation Watermelon, creators and celebrities were flooded by coordinated user comments that would co-opt an already viral or highly-viewed page in order to steer attention back to the situation in Gaza.

Happening simultaneously, a fundraising movement called Operation Olive Branch saw popular users adopting and amplifying the voices of Palestinian creators, activists, and families on the ground, led by a network of grassroots volunteers trying to connect families with humanitarian aid. "Link in bio" took on a different meaning.

Boycotting goes viral

Widely, the historic strategy of coordinated boycotting became ingratiated into the internet lexicon, either part of or just inspired by the pro-Palestine BDS movement. Users online entered into a naming and shaming game of boycotted companies, brands, and even people — with some very successful (and some not so successful) results.

A movement to save TikTok

This March saw the latest effort to ban Chinese-owned social media app TikTok out of perceived national security concerns — several unsuccessful attempts to get the app to divest from its foreign owners had been introduced in the past. Many watchdogs, and the platform itself, felt the government was violating free speech protections in doing so. Users, increasingly relying on TikTok for information, agreed. That month, users engaged in a mass calling campaign urging their representatives to save TikTok, causing disruption en masse in congressional offices. Others have spent the year appealing to federal leadership and their fellow users, both online and off, to halt the ban.

President Joe Biden eventually signed the ban bill into law, putting the social media platform on official notice that it needs to obtain new owners or get the hell out of dodge. The ban is set to go into effect on Jan. 19, but users, civil rights organizations, and digital rights groups are still fighting to keep the app restriction-free and the Supreme Court is set to be the final decider on the issue.

Credit: Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg via Getty Images Social media stand off

While thousands worked to save TikTok, 2024 also fostered a widespread questioning of how social media has altered the way users, fans, influencers, and celebrities interact with social causes. Culminating in what was coined a "digital guillotine," users carved lines in the social media sand, deciding as a collective whole who and where they would place their attention — they turned engagement into a bargaining tool.

Celebrities get the cold shoulder

In May, as the annual Met Gala brought glitz and glamour to the streets of New York, activists online were taking down names. A reckoning of privilege, the #Blockout2024 movement saw a mass unfollowing or blocking of the internet's favorite celebrities and influencers, and it became an entry point for many online to get active in humanitarian calls for a ceasefire in Palestine.

The practice didn't stop there. Since the celebrity-studded gala, blockout lists have continued as a form of preferred political organizing online, across a variety of issues — although it's not without its complications.

X gets ghosted

Digital communities were also getting more serious about their distaste for corporate interests. In the wake of owner Elon Musk's controversial political alignments and policy decisions, including new data and AI terms of service, users and organizations alike have fled the platform. In September, the platform had lost nearly one-fifth of its active user base — new numbers project the platform may lose millions more in 2025.

News organizations like the Guardian, as well as some of the platform's most popular celebrity accounts, shuttered their presence on the site, following in the footsteps of nonprofits and activists who left the site in the early period after Musk's takeover. Users craving a similar digital environment instead looked for alternatives like Bluesky, an open source platform selling a community-driven version of social media.

A history-making election year

The most intensely covered news of 2024 was no doubt the U.S. presidential election, and the results, for many, signaled a sharp turn in America's future, one that had been hinted at long before November. Broadly, the internet and its flashy, audience-specific branding enmeshed itself further in political organizing, including Kamala Harris' brat-themed and meme-filled campaign and the rise of a new, thirst-driven political commentator class — for better or for worse. Young people were engaged, and tech companies were forced to address ongoing issues of misinformation and cybersecurity in the age of AI.

Zooms, fundraising booms

In the months leading up to November's vote casting, blocs of voters were showing out in history-making digital campaign efforts. Zoom fundraising calls for the Harris campaign skyrocketed past existing records, including platform-breaking calls organized by identity-based efforts, like White Women: Answer The Call! and #WinWithBlackWomen. The world of fandom entered the ring, as well, including the creation of an official Swifties for Kamala campaign.

Credit: Nick Oxford / The Washington Post via Getty Images Stepping up, nationwide

Organizing didn't stop in the wake of November's election results. Immediately, profiles online became hubs of support and calls to action. Students nationwide walked out after the results, coupled with continued cries for U.S. intervention in the Israeli bombardment of Palestine.

And there were wins to share, too. Seven out of 10 states entrenched abortion rights in their state constitutions. The first out transgender Congressperson, Sarah McBride, won a historic seat in the House, in addition to other major progressive pick ups. The electorate was, at the very least, paying attention again.

It is difficult (read: impossible) to summarize a whole calendar year of digital community building, culture making, and activism, but one thing was true: Users aren't just letting things slide anymore. Power holders should be prepared.

TL;DR: Safeguard your family's online experience with this AdGuard Family Plan lifetime subscription, which can secure up to nine devices — just $18.97 until December 29.

Tired of bothersome ads interrupting you? AdGuard's Family Plan offers a seamless solution with top-notch data privacy tools — for life. This plan includes powerful ad blocking and malware protection features, making your family’s browsing safer and more enjoyable. Start the new year with protection on up to nine devices with this deal for $15.97 (reg. $169) ending December 29.

AdGuard’s advanced ad blocker cleans up your screen, speeding up your browsing and eliminating distractions. Say goodbye to those annoying pop-ups and banners that slow you down and drive you crazy.

The malware protection feature is equally impressive. It safeguards your devices from cyber threats, ensuring your family's online safety. This protection is essential for keeping your sensitive information secure and your devices running smoothly.

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Customization is another key benefit. AdGuard offers user-friendly settings that let you tailor the protection to fit your specific needs. You can block inappropriate content for kids, manage tracking settings, and even create custom filters. This flexibility ensures that you get the exact level of protection you want.

Upgrade today and enjoy a secure, ad-free online experience in the new year — and the years to come — with the best data privacy tools available.

Keep your family’s digital life private and protected for years to come with this lifetime subscription to the AdGuard Family Plan on sale for $18.97 through December 29 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Supplies are limited, so act while you can.

AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription

Only $15.97 at Mashable

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TL;DR: Elevate your home cooking with this Seido Japanese Master Chef 8-piece knife set, on sale for just $119.97 (reg. $429).

Are you ready to kick your home cooking up a notch? The Seido 8-piece knife set is the perfect tool to help you achieve culinary greatness. Crafted with precision and designed for performance, these knives will elevate your cooking experience and help make easier work of meal prep. The set is on sale for just $119.97 (reg. $429) for a limited time.

Want to know just how this set can assist? Crafted from high-carbon steel, each knife in this set is a testament to both form and function. The forged construction and 15-degree blade angle ensure optimal cutting performance. Whether you're slicing through a juicy tomato, dicing onions with finesse, or carving a succulent roast, these knives are up to the task.

The chef's knife is a culinary workhorse that can be used for a variety of tasks, from chopping vegetables to slicing meat. The slicing knife has a long, slender blade, ideal for creating paper-thin slices of roast beef or smoked salmon. The bread knife has a serrated edge and effortlessly cuts through crusty bread and pastries.

The cleaver is a powerful tool designed to handle tough jobs like chopping through bones and large cuts of meat. The Santoku knife has a versatile blade made for slicing, dicing, and mincing. The boning knife features a slender, curved blade for deboning meat and poultry. And finally, the paring knife, a small but mighty tool, is perfect for delicate tasks like peeling and trimming.

With Seido's 8-piece knife set, you'll have everything you need to elevate your culinary skills, create delicious meals that impress your family and friends, and make you want to eat at home more often.

The Seido 8-piece knife set is available for just $109.97 (reg. $429) for a limited time.

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Opens in a new window Credit: Seido Seido™ Japanese Master Chef's 8-Piece Knife Set w Gift Box $119.97
$429.00 Save $309.03 Get Deal

TL;DR: Get lifetime access to Microsoft Visio Professional 2024 available for $79.97 and make pro-level diagrams in a snap.

Need a way to make sense of your ideas and share them with others? Microsoft Visio Professional 2024 is here to make everything look better, from flowcharts to floor plans. It’s the perfect tool for anyone who wants to whip up logical and aesthetically pleasing visuals without spending hours figuring out complicated design software. A lifetime license is on sale for $79.97 through December 29.

Visio comes with an extensive library of templates, covering everything from organizational charts and network diagrams to building layouts and data flow maps. These templates give you a head start, so you’re not starting from scratch every time you need to create something. Whether you’re a student working on a group project, a professional creating a business plan, or someone who simply likes things to look organized, Visio’s ready-made designs help keep everything neat and accessible.

One of Visio’s major benefits is its integration with Microsoft 365, allowing you to share and collaborate on your diagrams seamlessly. This feature makes it simple to get feedback from colleagues, present your ideas to others, or even work together on a project in real time. And because it’s a familiar Microsoft product, navigating and using Visio feels intuitive.

With this deal, you’ll have pro-level tools for everything from corporate diagrams to family tree projects — all with that familiar, easy Microsoft feel.

Through December 29, get a lifetime license to Microsoft Visio Professional 2024 for $79.97 while inventory is still available.

StackSocial prices subject to change.

Opens in a new window Credit: Retail King Microsoft Visio Professional 2024: Lifetime License for Windows $79.97
$579.99 Save $500.02 Get Deal

TL;DR: Upgrade your tech with this 2019 refurbished Apple Watch Series 5 for $119.99 — so you can stay active and connected in style.

The start of a new year is the perfect time to upgrade your gadgets. Enter the refurbished Apple Watch Series 5 on sale for 75% off at $119.99 (reg. $499) — a sleek, useful tool to help you crush your fitness goals, stay connected, and simplify your life. With GPS and Cellular, it keeps up with you wherever you go, even if your phone takes the day off.

The Always-On Retina display means you’ll never miss an alert, while the lightweight 40mm aluminum design feels like it’s barely there. Whether you’re closing your activity rings, tracking heart rate, or logging a new personal best, this watch is packed with features to keep you moving in the right direction.

Beyond fitness, it’s your go-to for notifications, calls, and texts right on your wrist. Perfect for busy schedules and on-the-go multitasking, this refurbished Series 5 brings premium Apple tech at a fraction of the cost.

With a grade "B" refurbished rating, you may notice some signs of previous use like minor scuffing or scratching, but rest assured this product has been tested and certified to work just like new.

Step into the new year with a smarter approach to staying organized and active.

Get this 2019 refurbished Apple Watch Series 5 with GPS and Cellular for just $119.99 and make 2025 your most connected year yet.

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Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Apple Watch Series 5 (2019) Aluminum 40mm GPS + Cellular Space Gray (Refurbished) $119.99
$499.00 Save $379.01 Get Deal

Few nights in Hollywood's calendar year come close to the glitz and glamour of the Academy Awards. An Oscar statuette is a crowning achievement for anyone involved in the production of film, and those who garner one or more of the gold figurines win the right to label themselves "Academy Award–winning" for the rest of history. Plus, there's the career boost that comes with it. 

With the terrifically entertaining 96th Academy Awards behind us, let's look back at some of the more memorable past winners in various categories, or at least the ones that are currently streaming on Netflix (in no particular order).

Here are the best Oscar-winning movies now streaming on Netflix.

1. My Octopus Teacher Credit: Netflix

Won: Best Documentary Feature 

My Octopus Teacher may have a title that'll raise some eyebrows, but there's a more profound story of unexpected friendship waiting to surprise you. The documentary follows Craig Foster, a free diver who befriends a young octopus living in a bay near Cape Town, South Africa. We watch this young octopus grow fond of Foster as she plays around with him and invites him into her world. It's a gripping story of our relationship with nature and the lessons waiting to be learned from our many beautiful animal friends. — Yasmeen Hamadeh, Entertainment Intern 

How to watch: My Octopus Teacher is streaming on Netflix.

2. The Hateful Eight

Won: Best Original Score (Ennio Morricone)

Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2025, the eighth film from Quentin Tarantino now feels underrated among the director's fairly perfect filmography. A chamber piece Western that traps eight outlaws with overlapping murderous motives (played by Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern) inside a cabin during a blizzard, it might just be the director's nastiest piece of work. It certainly lives up to its title, since pretty much every character is an asshole to the nth degree.

But all the actors are very clearly having the times of their lives twirling their metaphorical or literal mustaches — perhaps none more than the lone female in the bunch, Jennifer Jason Leigh, who scored a Supporting Actress nomination for her unhinged, nigh rabid turn as "Crazy" Daisy. And DP 's Robert Richardson's also-nominated cinematography, which maps the cabin's claustrophobic interiors out via wide-screen scope, is really something astonishing to behold. The Hateful Eight is a gem hiding in plain sight worthy of rediscovery and appraisal. — Jason Adams, Contributing Writer 

How to watch: The Hateful Eight is now streaming on Netflix.

3. Selma Credit: Atsushi Nishijima / Paramount / Pathe / Harpo / Kobal / Shutterstock

Won: Best Original Song, "Glory" (John Legend and Common)

Director Ava DuVernay's recreation of the lead-up to the 1964 march across Alabama for voting rights led by Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) is incredible in its ability to make these larger-than-life icons accomplishing their legendary feats somehow feel real, lived-in, and human-sized. Refraining from hagiography, King in Oyelowo's hands stays prickly, difficult, and flawed, and in turn, the scope of what the man accomplished only feels all the more stratospheric. 

And it's not just The Oyelowo Show. DuVernay's film gives underappreciated performers like Carmen Ejogo, André Holland, Lorraine Toussaint, Stephan James, and Wendell Pierce plenty of space to shine. A too-rare example of textbook history being made to feel alive and now. — J.A.

How to watch: Selma is now streaming on Netflix.

4. Godzilla Minus One

Won: Best Visual Effects

Returning the big lizard to literal basics, the 37th (!!!) film in the franchise might just be its best? Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One transports us back to the tail-end of World War II, where the Japanese defeat via atomic weaponry once again gives birth to our favorite fire-breathing kaiju monster — the big difference being that this movie gives us a human story set in the rubble down under the beast's rise that's every ounce as moving and devastating as the sweep of his big rear-end. 

Kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), filled with regret about his own survival when so many others (including his own parents) perished, returns home crippled by shame. But he's forced to get on with life anyway as a stranger named Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and a child she's adopted show up one day and become, before he even realizes it, his makeshift family. And Godzilla Minus One gets us caring deeply about these people, so when the nuclear dinosaur starts stomping around, we're truly invested emotionally in their safety and security. Add on that Yamazaki also oversaw the film's Oscar-winning visual effects, which cost an unbelievably low 15 million dollars (aka the lunch budget on a Marvel movie), and Godzilla Minus One is a blast on all fronts. — J.A.

How to watch: Godzilla Minus One is now streaming on Netflix. 

5. Roma Credit: Carlos Somonte / Netflix

Won: Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography

Alfonso Cuarón's Oscar-winning drama follows Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a housekeeper working for a wealthy family in Mexico City. Thanks to Cuarón's writing, direction, and cinematography (each of which garnered its own respective Oscar), the film is remarkably immersive, enveloping us in Cleo's world in a way most movies strive for and can never even touch. We feel the comfort in her mundane day-to-day, the sting of her boyfriend's betrayal, and blinding panic and trauma in the film's final act. It's a stunning piece of cinema that should be talked about for decades to come. — Proma Khosla, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: Roma is streaming on Netflix.

6. American Factory Credit: Aubrey Keith / Netflix

Won: Best Documentary Feature

This 2020 Best Documentary Feature winner takes viewers inside a shuttered General Motors factory in Ohio, recently purchased and re-staffed by a Chinese billionaire, for a stunning look at worker exploitation in the modern age. A complex presentation of multiculturalism and its impacts on the global economy, American Factory is an uncomfortable watch that remains steadfastly objective from start to end but still manages to make its point. — Alison Foreman, Entertainment Reporter

How to watch: American Factory is streaming on Netflix.

SEE ALSO: 10 documentaries to watch on Netflix if you want to learn something new 7. 8 Mile

Won: Best Original Song, "Lose Yourself" (Eminem)

In 2002, it seemed, to put it mildly, improbable that a movie starring Eminem in a lightly fictionalized retelling of his rise through Detroit's "rap battle" scene would go on to become an Oscar-winner — heck, it seems improbable now in retrospect. But it was foolish to underestimate the formidable powers of late director Curtis Hanson, who'd previously made movie magic out of everything from killer nanny thrillers (The Hand That Rocks the Cradle) to James Ellroy adaptations (L.A. Confidential), and sure enough, he turned this rough-and-tumble biopic into a legitimate critical darling and awards contender. Also on display here – two fine and fiery performances from Brittany Murphy (RIP) and Kim Basinger as the rapper's love interest and mother, respectively. — J.A. 

How to watch: 8 Mile is now streaming on Netflix. 

8. Marriage Story Credit: Wilson Webb / Netflix

Won: Best Supporting Actress (Laura Dern)

Writer/director Noah Baumbach’s tense tale of a couple ending their marriage divided audiences, with some viewers reporting they were surprised by whose "side" they ended up on. But critical reception for the film was almost universal in its praise of the story's execution and impact, with leads Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver singled out for their magnetic scene work.

At the 92nd Academy Awards, Marriage Story took home only one Oscar from the six categories in which it was nominated. Still, this artful depiction of intimacy remains a triumph of romantic storytelling, venturing far beyond the Happily Ever After audiences know so well. — A.F.

How to watch: Marriage Story is streaming on Netflix.

9. Man on Wire

Won: Best Documentary

Forget Robert Zemeckis' fictionalized retelling starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. This 2008 documentary telling the story of performance artist Philippe Petit's illegal high-wire walk between the two World Trade Center towers in 1974 contains all the dizzying spectacle you could ever need. Staged like a real-life heist movie, director James Marsh listens to Petit explain how he pulled the incredible feat off step by step, and the planning and execution is as riveting as anything Hollywood's ever dreamed up. And the film doesn't shy away from the man's difficult personality either — it's a profound portrait of dreams turning into obsessions that brush away any cost. — J.A.

How to watch: Man on Wire is now streaming on Netflix.

10. Darkest Hour Credit: Focus Features

Won: Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Actor (Gary Oldman)

Set in the early years of World War II, Darkest Hour follows Winston Churchill (remarkably played by Gary Oldman) as he navigates Britain's position in the ensuing war, along with the trials and tribulations that follow. On Oldman's Oscar–winning performance, Mashable's Angie Han writes, "Oldman knows the difference between packaging and performance… There's a living, breathing soul underneath all that makeup, at the center of all those tics, and Oldman makes him fascinating to watch." So come for a masterclass in acting by Oldman, and stay for the gripping story that follows; it's worth the watch. — Y.H. 

How to watch: Darkest Hour is streaming on Netflix.

11. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Won: Best Live Action Short Film

In 2023, Wes Anderson directed a series of short films based on Roald Dahl stories for Netflix. It was the longest and most substantial of the four that finally got the director his long-overdue Oscar statue. (Let's pretend it's an apology for the crime that was not giving his 2023 masterpiece Asteroid City a single nomination.) The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (taken from the 1977 collection of short stories with the same name) tells the tale of a disaffected gambler (Benedict Cumberbatch) who learns how to harness the power of his mind from a legendary yogi (Ben Kingsley) to win big. But what happens once you have everything? This 39-minute short hits that final mark beautifully. 

If you love Anderson's signature aesthetic, you'd be wise to watch all four of the ones Netflix commissioned. They're all wonderful. (My particular favorite is The Rat Catcher, which more than any of the other four really nails Dahl's nasty streak as we watch an hilariously aggressive Ralph Fiennes as a sharp-toothed rodent-hunter on the prowl.) — J.A.

How to watch: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is now streaming on Netflix.

12. Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Credit: Netflix

Won: Best Animated Feature

You know when hitting play on this movie that the fantastic horror visionary Guillermo del Toro isn't going to be telling Walt Disney's version of Pinocchio. Meaning no offense to that 1940 animated masterpiece, but del Toro took that classic's scattered-about scary moments — the donkeys, oh god, the donkeys! — and multiplied them by infinity. 

Setting the story of the little wooden boy who gets wished to life by his depressed carver Geppetto in WWII-era fascist Italy, del Toro slathers his version of the fairy tale in politics and righteously disturbing anti-war propaganda. And that's before he violently kills off our main character multiple times. Featuring voice acting by Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton, Cate Blanchett, and Christoph Waltz, plus revelatory stop-motion work from the animators at ShadowMachine, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is like no other. — J.A.

How to watch: Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio is now streaming on Netflix.

13. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Won: Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling

The final film of Chadwick Boseman (released posthumously and netting him another acting nomination) is a fitting tribute to the Black Panther star's non-superhero skills – he tap-dances the screen on fire as the over-ambitious trumpeter working in the band of the titular blues singer Ma (Viola Davis, having a blast). Based on August Wilson's 1982 play, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is set across a single scorcher of a July 1927 day as Ma's band tries to wrangle her to record a single track, with every conceivable interruption getting in their way. Directed by stage director George C. Wolfe (who went on to direct Rustin in 2023 with Colman Domingo, who plays another band member here) the movie is stagey but electrifyingly so — you really feel like you're trapped in this airless hot basement with these extremely talented musicians, making music that sizzles while living just as loud. — J.A.

How to watch: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is now streaming on Netflix.

14. Whiplash Credit: Sony Pictures Classics

Won: Best Supporting Actor (J.K. Simmons), Best Editing, Best Sound

When he was just 29 years old, writer/director Damien Chazelle's second feature film, 2014's Whiplash, took Sundance by storm. By the time he was 30, he had snagged himself a Best Adapted Screenplay nom, along with a slew of other honors for the adrenaline-fueled indie. Thank goodness he didn't let all of that early success go straight to his head and blow all his movie-making capital on a great big vanity project next! (He waited, making two more movies and winning a Best Director Oscar for La La Land before bestowing upon us the toxic epic that is Babylon.) 

Still, it's easy to see why everybody fell for Whiplash, a ferocious music school tale where we watch an overly determined drumming prodigy (Miles Teller) meet his match in an abusive teacher (J.K. Simmons). Asking questions about the dangerous lengths we're tempted to go to be the best, the film was ahead of its time in taking a hard look at the excuses we make for the sake of so-called genius. — J.A.

How to watch: Whiplash is now streaming on Netflix.

15. Icarus

Won: Best Documentary Feature

This one tells the tale of Russian scientist Grigory Rodchenkov and his whistleblowing against the Olympic doping routines of the Russian state, which he was intimately involved in as the head of the country's Anti-Doping Center for several decades. Filmmaker Bryan Fogel, an amateur cyclist when not directing films, started his documentary off as an experiment to see if he could get around the sport's doping rules without being caught. This test led him to Rodchenkov, and before you knew it Rodchenkov was fleeing his home country and being put into witness protection as his former colleagues were being murdered around him. It's quite the terrifying snowball of a tale, and an excellent explainer of the ways a fascist state will insinuate itself into every aspect of our existence. — J.A. 

How to watch: Icarus is now streaming on Netflix.

16. Mank Credit: Netflix

Won: Best Production Design, Best Cinematography

Director David Fincher's father Jack had a decades-long obsession with the story of the making of Orson Welles' masterpiece Citizen Kane. Specifically, he was fascinated by screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (aka Mank) and how much credit he deserved for the final product, given the well-known fact that Mank was a fall-down drunk. And so Jack wrote a film script about the story, hoping he and his son could make the movie together. But the project languished and Jack passed away in 2003, never seeing it realized. 

David Fincher stayed determined though. In 2020 he finally delivered a film starring Gary Oldman as Mank that feels unlike almost anything else the Social Network director has done. Awash in nostalgia and a hard-fought sincerity, you can feel Fincher's love for his father thrumming through the movie — most especially in the ways the film itself side-eyes a creator's ability to twist truth into fiction. Amanda Seyfried, wonderful in the role of real-life actress Marion Davies, sees straight through to how Mank can spin truth into fiction with one clack of his typewriter key, and gives the movie its tremulous heart. — J.A. 

How to watch: Mank is now streaming on Netflix.

17. Legends of the Fall

Won: Best Cinematography (John Toll)

An overwrought romance novel given lush old-fashioned cinematic life, Edward "Glory" Zwick's 1994 family epic stars cover-boy Brad Pitt at the absolute height of his prettiness – those long golden locks! – as Tristan, the leading man in a love quadrangle between three brothers (also including Aidan Quinn and Henry Thomas) and the woman named Susannah (played by Julia Ormond) who steals all of their hearts. 

Although the film spans decades, the majority of the story takes place in the aftermath of World War I, which has left one brother dead, one brother wounded, and Pitt's wild man a shell-shocked husk of sad dream hunk. Susannah yearns for him (which, understandable) but is forced by outside forces to take the more responsible route, which inevitably leads to tragedy. And all the while, papa (a deliriously overacting Anthony Hopkins) is bellowing from the sidelines at everybody. It's perfection, of the nonsense sort. — J.A.

How to watch: Legends of the Fall is now streaming on Netflix.

18. The Power of the Dog Credit: Netflix

Won: Best Director (Jane Campion)

Adapted from Thomas Savage's 1967 novel, The Power of the Dog sees Benedict Cumberbatch slip his twisted beanpole self into a pair of dirty dungarees as Phil Burbank, a deeply closeted cowboy in 1925 Montana at the tail end of the time for such ranch-haunting relics. One day in town, Phil's brother George (Jesse Plemons) finds himself a wife named Rose (Kirsten Dunst), and Phil does not like that one bit! Once Rose and her weirdo son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) move in with the brothers, it's a war of the wills, and only one queer cowpoke's gonna be left standing. A psychotic marvel of a movie that only Jane Campion could've delivered. — J.A.

How to watch: The Power of the Dog is now streaming on Netflix.

SEE ALSO: The (very) brief Oscars history of women nominated for Best Director 19. RRR

Won: Best Song (M. M. Keeravani and Chandrabose)

A Tollywood spectacle, this three-hour-plus epic from director S.S. Rajamouli tells the 1920s-set story of the best buddies Bheem (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.) and Raja (Ram Charan), who end up on opposite sides of the revolution against the British Raj. Will they fight? Will they make up? Will they sing and dance? Absolutely. 

All of these questions, many tigers, and much, much more make RRR's three hours an absolute breeze. A truly over-the-top endeavor with action and romance and several musical sequences, it was the latter that got the Academy's attention, with the unforgettable dance number "Naatu Naatu" stomping all its rivals out of the way for the little gold man statue in the end. — J.A.

How to watch: RRR is now streaming on Netflix.

20. 1917 Credit: Universal Pictures / Moviestore / Shutterstock

Won: Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects

Sam Mendes' 2019 film drops us right into a day in the life of two British soldiers (George Mackay and Game of Thrones' actor Dean-Charles Chapman) fighting in France during the first World War. It doesn't let up to take a breath — using camera trickery old and new, 1917 makes its two-hour run-time seem like it was captured in a total of two massive shots. (The truth is not that, but it sure looks like it anyway.) 

As the two painfully young soldiers work their way across fields, both green and battle, tasked with delivering a message trying to stop the advance of a doomed mission, we're sucked right in alongside them. The you-are-really-there is strong with this one, capturing the unfathomable horror of war in scale simultaneously epic and intimate. — J.A.

How to watch: 1917 is now streaming on Netflix.

21. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Won: Best Animated Film

As cemented as our favorite cheese-loving inventor and his whip-smart dog sidekick seem now in pop culture, there have only been two feature-length Wallace & Gromit films released to this day — most recently, 2024's Vengeance Most Fowl and then this one, from 2005. Of course you add on the four short films that span 1989 to 2008 and you've got more of a complete picture, but still — feels like there should be more. (This is really just me begging for a new Wallace & Gromit every other year, if that wasn't clear.)

But if there's one thing Aardman Animation masterminds Nick Park and Steve Box have proven it's that taking one's time to get it right pays myriad dividends, since all six chunks of the ongoing Wallace & Gromit story spread out across four decades now (!!!) are sparkling little masterpieces. And The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is perhaps the masterpieciest of all, telling a Jekyll-and-Hyde inspired tale of gigantic bunny terrorizing our twosome's quaint little hamlet on the eve of its annual Giant Vegetable Competition. A hysterical riff on old horror movies (Universal and Hammer-flavored alike), the Were-Rabbit's imagination and laughs are endless. — J.A.

How to watch: Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is now streaming on Netflix.

22. Phantom Thread Credit: Annapurna Pictures / Kobal / Shutterstock

Won: Best Costume Design

Early on in the filmmaking process, very serious artists writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson and actor Daniel Day-Lewis were trying to figure out a name for the lead character in their next collaboration. Naturally, their text thread led to a dick joke that, in turn, birthed the moniker "Reynolds Woodcock."

That movie became Phantom Thread, a darkly hilarious romance about a stuffy fashion designer who meets his match in a blushing waitress (Vicky Krieps). There's something perfect about it all being built on a dick joke. Phantom Thread is ultimately a satire of male domination, and an ode to the armies of women who've trussed up the egos of pampered men and gotten the jobs done in spite of them. 

Pulling their female lead out of nowhere (aka Luxembourg), Anderson gave a role for the ages to the relative newcomer Krieps, who goes toe to toe with the greatest actor of his generation. And, much like Alma the blushing waitress does to Reynolds, she shows DDL how it's done. Incredibly, while both Day-Lewis and Lesley Manville, who played Reynolds' deliciously stern sister Cyril, got nods — Krieps was snubbed. It's a crime, considering the effortless way she steals the entire movie away from them all with just her Mona Lisa smile and a basket of suspicious mushrooms. — J.A. 

How to watch: Phantom Thread is now streaming on Netflix.

23. Still Alice

Won: Best Actress (Julianne Moore)

Remembered now primarily as the vehicle that finally landed Julianne Moore a long overdue Oscar, Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland's 2014 film is a small-scale heartbreaker of a character study that deserved more appreciation both at the time (it got knocked as a bald Oscar grab) and now, a decade later.

Adapting Lisa Genova's book about a linguistics professor at Columbia celebrating her 50th birthday as she grapples with the effects of early on-set Alzheimers, Still Alice can't be separated from Moore's tremendously affecting work, but that's just because it smartly remains so resolutely laser-focused on her. And when is staying laser-focused on an actor as perceptive as Moore ever a bad thing? That said, it's the scenes between Moore and Kristen Stewart as Alice's stubborn daughter that truly linger all these years later; two fine, delicate actors speaking histories with just their eyes. — J.A.

How to watch: Still Alice is now streaming on Netflix.

24. All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) Credit: Reiner Bajo / Netflix

Won: Best International Feature, Best Score, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design

This is one of the rare instances where a remake of a classic film ended up being a terrific idea. The original 1930 All Quiet on the Western Front was one of the very first Best Picture winners, and it remains great to this day. So, how did they make a remake work? It was a pretty simple idea, actually. Director Edward Berger took the original story, which drops audiences down in the dirt with the German soldiers during World War I, and he filmed it in Germany with German actors. Wild, right? 

Still, the 90-year update on film techniques also helped in situating viewers in the middle of that maelstrom. Taking a page from Sam Mendes' 1917, Berger and his DP James Friend really make us feel like we're right there in the trenches, dodging the bullets and bombs as often as they hit their deadly mark. The anti-war message of the original comes through loud and clear, bolstered by the unforgettable drone of Volker Bertelmann's score. The baton-pass nature of the script, which introduces character after character only to see them get ground up in the horrible machinery of war, is a correctly unsubtle hammering home of combat's cruel dehumanization. — J.A. 

How to watch: All Quiet on the Western Front is now streaming on Netflix.

25. When We Were Kings

Won: Best Documentary Feature

Considered one of the best, if not the best documentary, about the sport of boxing, Leon Gast's When We Were Kings from 1996 takes a look back at the legendary "Rumble in the Jungle" match of 1974 between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. Controversially staged in the African country formerly known as Zaire — then ruled by the brutal dictator Mobutu Sese Seko  — Ali was gunning for the Heavyweight Champion title that he'd had taken away when he refused to be drafted to fight in Vietnam seven years earlier.

Meanwhile, Foreman was struggling to rival Ali's megawatt personality— this was still awhile before he'd fine-tune his grill-selling charm, after all. Capturing not just the Main Event but also the "Zaire 74" music festival (aka Black Woodstock), which happened at roughly the same time, When We Were Kings is a larger-than-life document of sports and celebrity history at its absolute biggest. — J.A.  

How to watch: When We Were Kings is now streaming on Netflix.

Asterisks (*) indicate the entry has been modified from a previous Mashable list.

UPDATE: Dec. 16, 2024, 5:52 p.m. EST This list has been updated to reflect Netflix's current selection.

Opens in a new window Credit: Netflix Netflix Watch Now

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

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

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Monday, December 23, 2024:

AcrossCharacter who's blue in the face?

• The answer is Smurf.

Mideast country that juts out from Saudi Arabia

• The answer is Qatar.

Loosen, as a knot

• The answer is Untie.

Author's negotiator

• The answer is Agent.

Labourite's rival, in British politics

• The answer is Tory.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 23, 2024 DownWhat catchers do behind home plate … or an adjective that might describe their physique

• The answer is Squat.

Tropical fruit in a sweet salsa

• The answer is Mango.

Say aloud

• The answer is Utter.

Like stereotypical weather in the Pacific Northwest

• The answer is Rainy.

Bar on a guitar's neck

• The answer is Fret.

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

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

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

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Mini Crossword.

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

A surprise.

SEE ALSO: Mini crossword answers for December 23 Hurdle Word 1 answer

SHOCK

Hurdle Word 2 hint

To aggerate an emotion.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for December 23 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

EMOTE

Hurdle Word 3 hint

Someone trained in medicine.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for December 23 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for December 23, 2024 Hurdle Word 3 answer

MEDIC

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Someone who makes bread and pastries.

SEE ALSO: NYT Strands hints, answers for December 23 Hurdle Word 4 answer

BAKER

Final Hurdle hint

Liquified fruit or vegetables.

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

PUREE

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

Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, 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 the latest 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 Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Tweet may have been deleted

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.

Tweet may have been deleted

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 December 23 Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories

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

• Yellow: Oops!

• Green: Where a pitcher stands

• Blue: Parts of shooting at a target

• Purple: Two of them

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

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

• Yellow: Mistake

• Green: Pitching mound

• Blue: Archery terms

• Purple: Double ____

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 Sports Edition #91 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Mistake - BLUNDER, ERROR, FLUB, HOWLER

• Pitching mound - BUMP, HILL, MOUND, RUBBER

• Archery terms - ARROW, BULLSEYE, NOCK, QUIVER

• Double ______ - DRIBBLE, DUTCH, HEADER, PLAY

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.

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 yesterday's Connections.

In late 2023, Apple finally added RCS support for the iPhone. RCS – or Rich Communication Services – is a communications standard for messaging, supported by most Android phones, offering features like group chat, high-res image and video sharing, and typing indicators.

Apple's own Message has similar features, but they previously worked only when you texted another iPhone user; if you happened to be texting with someone using Android, a lot of the advanced features were missing.

SEE ALSO: Apple reportedly cancels plans for iPhone subscription service

At launch, however, the list of carriers that supported RCS on the iPhone was very short, and included just the largest carriers. Now, as noticed by 9to5Mac, Apple has updated the list of carriers that support RCS on the iPhone, and it's far more complete.

The full list is as follows:

• AT&T

• C Spire

• Consumer Cellular

• Cricket

• FirstNet

• H20 Wireless

• Metro by T-Mobile

• PureTalk

• Red Pocket

• Spectrum Mobile

• T-Mobile

• TracFone / Straight Talk

• US Cellular

• Verizon

• Visible

• Xfinity Mobile

The list is rounded out by Boost Mobile, which isn't listed for RCS support but it does support the standard, as long as you have an iPhone XS/XR or later with iOS 18.2 installed.

As you can see, there are still many carriers that don't have RCS messaging support for the iPhone. For example, Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile are notable omissions because they were acquired by T-Mobile in 2024 but do not yet have RCS support.

In Europe, the list is still pretty short, and support is completely absent in many countries. Here's the full list:

• Belgium - Base, Proximus, Telenet

• Finland - SFR, O2, Telekom, Vodafone

• Spain - Masmovil, Movistar, O2, Orange, Pepephone, Vodafone, Yoigo

• Ukraine - BT, EE

Canoo is having a very unmerry Christmas. Remaining employees of the beleaguered U.S. electric vehicle startup have been placed on a "mandatory unpaid break" according to TechCrunch, with no view to return for a few weeks at minimum. 

While it isn't uncommon for businesses to close around the end of the year, Canoo's decision to put staff on break from Monday is unlikely to be driven by holiday cheer. The company has been plagued by financial problems and furloughs, resorting to borrowing millions from CEO Tony Aquila's private equity firm AFV Management Advisors in order to stay afloat.

SEE ALSO: Canoo unveils electric pickup truck that's way smaller than the Tesla Cybertruck

According to EV, staff were notified of the mandatory break via email last Friday, and told they would receive further updates to their personal email addresses in the first week of January. Employees' access to Canoo's system was apparently suspended by close of business the same day.

"We apologize for the timing of this message," Canoo's email read, as sighted by EV. "Please take this time to have a restful and enjoyable holiday season with your family."

Mashable has reached out to Canoo for comment, though we aren't expecting a reply considering that they're all reportedly on leave.

Last Wednesday Canoo announced it had furloughed 82 employees and was idling its Oklahoma factories, suspending work while attempting to secure the funding needed to continue operating. This followed a 12-week furlough of 30 Oklahoma factory workers which was previously announced in November. 

"We regret having to furlough our employees, especially during the holidays, but we have no choice at this point," said Canoo in a brief statement last week. "We are hopeful that we will be able to bring them back to work soon."

This news is likely unsurprising to anyone following the startup's struggles. Several executives have left Canoo in the past few months, including its last remaining co-founder. The company is also facing multiple lawsuits, some of which concern allegations of unpaid bills. 

Last month Canoo reported having only $700,000 in cash reserves, its stock sitting at just $0.086 as of writing. The company lost over $300 million in 2023 alone, bringing in a mere $886,000 in revenue — and spending twice as much on Aquila's private jet travel. 

Last year, Oklahoma approved up to $100 million in performance-based state incentives for Canoo over the next 10 years. Speaking to News 4 last week, the Oklahoma State Department of Commerce noted that it had only paid Canoo $1 million to date, and that "if necessary, [it] will explore avenues to claw back public dollars."

Canoo isn't the only electric vehicle manufacturer who seems to be ramping down this month. Tesla also temporarily suspended Cybertruck production in early December, telling workers at its factory in Austin not to report for their shifts for three days.