If you're having trouble with the Facebook app today, you're far from alone — hundreds of people are reporting that the mobile app is closing down unexpectedly.
According to Downdetector, the problems started at around 6am ET / 11am BST, when large spikes in reports appeared from both the UK and US. Those numbers aren't yet huge — around 1,000 in the US and 500 in the UK at the time of writing — but they are growing rapidly.
There's been no official comment from Meta yet about the issues, but you can follow all the latest news in this live report...
What's wrong with the Facebook app?
Right now, hundreds of people are reporting that the Facebook app isn't working properly — with the most common complaint being that it simply closes when they open it.
We haven't been able to replicate the issues here on TechRadar, but the comments on Downdetector and social media point to similar issues. Some say it simply "keeps closing down when I open it", while other are reporting that that a pop-up box says that there's a known bug.
The reports are growing
(Image credit: Downdetector)
Today's reports of issues with the Facebook app are continuing to move in the wrong direction — we're now at 1,175 reports on Downdetector in the US and counting, while the UK isn't far behind with 580 reports.
These issues seem to be specific to the mobile app, with over 80% of reports on Downdetector related to the app rather than the website or login issues. There's still no official comment from Meta, but I'll be expecting one soon if these reports continue to grow.
A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Wednesday, June 17 (game #836).
Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.
Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Strands today (game #837) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Beneath the waves
NYT Strands today (game #837) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
SLAP
RULES
SEEK
SALE
SPARE
CLAG
NYT Strands today (game #837) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 9 letters
NYT Strands today (game #837) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First side: bottom, 3rd column
Last side: top, 1st column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #837) - the answers
(Image credit: New York Times)
The answers to today's Strands, game #837, are…
CRAB
SEAWEED
SHARK
FISH
PLANKTON
URCHIN
ALGAE
SPANGRAM: CORALREEF
My rating: Hard
My score: Perfect
I didn’t need any hints in this game, but I did waste a lot of time getting parts of words as non-game words before realizing what we were actually searching for: “chin” before I saw URCHIN, “weed” before SEAWEED and “reef” long before I put together the Spangram.
I spent a few years living by the ocean and would regularly go swimming along the shoreline, but I don’t think I ever thought about what was beneath my feet on the seabed.
However, on TikTok recently I saw some underwater footage of exactly where I used to go swimming and was shocked to see thousands upon thousands of starfish — it was quite a strange sensation thinking they were likely there the whole time.
Anyway, I digress. Due to its marine nature, which as you can no doubt tell sent me off daydreaming, I thoroughly enjoyed this game despite finding it tricky.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, June 17, game #836)
BUCKET
TRACTOR
SAWHORSE
PITCHFORK
WHEELBARROW
SPANGRAM: FARMING
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.
A new Quordle puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: Quordle hints and answers for Tuesday, June 16 (game #1604).
Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,400 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.
Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
Quordle today (game #1605) - hint #1 - Vowels
How many different vowels are in Quordle today?
• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.
* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).
Quordle today (game #1605) - hint #2 - repeated letters
Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?
• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.
Quordle today (game #1605) - hint #3 - uncommon letters
Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?
• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.
What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?
• H
• P
• G
• L
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
Quordle today (game #1605) - the answers
(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)
The answers to today's Quordle, game #1605, are…
HOIST
PLUSH
GROUP
LEMUR
This was another game where getting the words in the correct sequence helped me get through without any mistakes, as HOIST helped narrow down the possibilities for PLUSH, and PLUSH revealed the letter P in GROUP.
For the final word I did a lot of sounding out with the letter I had left before arriving at LEMUR.
Daily Sequence today (game #1605) - the answers
(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)
The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1605, are…
If you're having problems with Spotify or DoorDash today, you're not alone — both apps are experiencing issues according to reports from thousands of users.
Interestingly, the problems on both apps appeared to start at around the same time, 9.30am ET / 2.30pm BST. That suggests there could be a connection between the two, though there aren't currently any reported problems on the likes of AWS.
Right now, there are 2,790 reports of Spotify issues in the US, and a massive 32,000 for DoorDash, with users reporting that they're being locked out from making orders. You can follow all the latest news for both apps in this liveblog...
A huge spike for both
(Image credit: Downdetector)
Welcome to this liveblog for the issues thousands are experiencing right now on both Doordash and Spotify.
Right now, it isn't clear what the connection (if any) there is between the two, but we'll be getting to the bottom of it in this liveblog, and bringing you all of the latest official information.
As you can see, the spikes on both Doordash and Spotify on Downdetector are considerable. Let's hope they're both short-lived, unlike the Google Gemini outage we saw last week...
This Reddit thread shows that the DoorDash issues are pretty widespread across the US right now, with reports from Tampa to Michigan, and also in Australia too.
It appears to be down for both users and drivers, which is causing widespread worry for those who need their hit of energy drinks and snacks. Most are seeing an error message like "the data couldn't be read because it's missing", and logging out seemingly isn't helping.
Today's Spotify issues don't seem to be as widespread as those on DoorDash — the app is working fine for me and many here at TechRadar, but there are thousands of reports on Downdetector and social media platforms like X.
Many are experiencing the classic "something went wrong" message when trying to play tracks that haven't been saved for offline listening, while others are seeing "Spotify can't play this right now" or "That didn't work right" messages.
It's definitely intriguing that both the Spotify and DoorDash issues seemingly started simultaneously, but so far there's been no confirmed cloud connection between the two.
A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Monday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, June 15 (game #834).
Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.
Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Strands today (game #835) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… For here or to go?
NYT Strands today (game #835) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
SHAME
WORLD
PUNCH
HAND
PASTA
COAST
NYT Strands today (game #835) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 13 letters
NYT Strands today (game #835) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First side: top, 1st column
Last side: bottom, 3rd column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #835) - the answers
(Image credit: New York Times)
The answers to today's Strands, game #835, are…
WRAP
SANDWICH
GYRO
RAMEN
SALAD
SOUP
TACOS
SPANGRAM: WHATSFORLUNCH
My rating: Easy
My score: Perfect
I thought that all our lunch options were going to be bread-based after finding WRAP, SANDWICH and GYRO first.
Then, after spotting RAMEN I found all the healthier and less bread-heavy choices — although why anyone would choose to have SOUP I will never know.
Of all the words here, only TACOS caused me a bit of doubt; initially, I tapped out “oats”, which would be an even worse choice than SOUP to be honest.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, June 15, game #834)
QUASH
CONQUER
VANQUISH
SURMOUNT
OVERCOME
SPANGRAM: YOUVEGOTTHIS
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.
Experts say more evidence is needed on kids' phone use
They were speaking in a House of Commons Select Committee
Right now "almost everything is correlational"
The UK government has now put in motion a plan to ban under-16s from accessing social media content in apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok — but elsewhere in the corridors of Westminster, experts are advising politicians that there's not much in the way of solid evidence when it comes to phone use and the childhood brain.
Speaking at the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee this week in the House of Commons (via The Register), academics said that there just isn't enough data to show how social media and phone use might be shaping young minds as they develop.
"There is very little, if any, causal research in the early years," said Professor Denis Mareschal, who is the director of the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development at Birkbeck College. "Almost everything is correlational."
Those views were echoed by University of Cambridge Professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore who said that the impact of "digital devices or social media" on adolescent brains amounted to "almost nothing". "There are a few small studies, but they haven't been replicated, and they're purely correlational," she said.
No precise age cut-off
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a social media ban for under-16s (Image credit: Getty Images)
However, while it's a case of more research needed, the experts certainly didn't dismiss concerns over child safety either. The panel acknowledged that reward and self-control systems in the brain are still forming during childhood and adolescence, and that even adults find phone use and social media addictive.
Dr Dusana Dorjee, from the University of York, made the point that time spent on a device is time not spent playing or interacting with others. A lack of that kind of multi-sensory input could be having an impact, she suggested.
As you would expect, there were questions about suitable age for letting children have phones and use social media, but according to Blakemore "what neuroscience can't do is pinpoint a precise age" — there's just too much variation between individuals.
AI chatbots were brought up too, but the answer was the same: we urgently need more evidence for their effects on kids and how they are relating to tools like ChatGPT. While there are a lot of worries and stories around these child safety issues, we're still waiting for the large-scale studies that can provide some definitive, data-led answers.
The UK has become the latest country to ban social media for under-16s, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer announcing today that "children will be given back their childhoods thanks to government action".
The landmark legislation, which the UK government says is "backed by 9 in 10 parents", is expected to be brought before Parliament before Christmas, and could then come into force in Spring 2027.
So how exactly will the social media ban work, and what does it mean for children in the UK? You can follow all of the latest updates here live...
UK social media ban — a quick primer
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Hello, and welcome to our liveblog on the UK's landmark social media ban for under-16s.
We'll be rounding up all of the latest news, reactions and more here today, but first a quick primer on what's happened.
The UK announced the social media ban for under-16s this morning. The statement says that social media is "designed to be addictive" and that the restrictions will give mean "less time for scrolling and more time for play".
The government says it will "use the same model for a social media ban as Australia" and that means the platforms will include Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. It won't include private messaging apps likes of WhatsApp and Signal.
If it's passed by Parliament later this year, the ban is expected to come into force from Spring 2027.
Which platforms are affected?
(Image credit: Ka Han / Shutterstock)
The UK government's statement lists some of the major platforms that will be affected by its proposed ban. These are
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Instagram
Facebook
X
The UK government says that "we do not intend for messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal to be included in the social media ban".
However, there are also planned restrictions for "so-called AI ‘romantic companion’ chatbots – designed to simulate sexual relationships or roleplay with users", which will "have to enforce a minimum age of 18".
The statement adds that "similar intimate functionalities will be restricted for under-18s on AI chatbots more widely".
This is an 'Australia plus' ban
(Image credit: Getty Images)
As expected, the UK's proposed social media ban for under-16s is following a so-called 'Australia plus' model. That means it's following the thrust of Australia's legislation by restricting access to social media apps for children, but also adding extra restrictions for platforms that aren't banned.
The UK says this will include "world-leading blocks on harmful functions such as livestreaming and stranger communication with children for under-16s" and will affected "a wider range of online services, including on gaming sites".
And that's not it — the government says it will "also be looking in more detail at overnight curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for under-18-year-olds". Exactly how this might be implemented isn't clear, which is why Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said the UK will "set out more detail in July".
