Netflix's lineup of original comedy movies have often failed to make an impact among viewers, but Murder Mystery, the 2019 film starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, bucked the trend – and its sequel, Murder Mystery 2, which only debuted on Netflix on March 31, has done likewise.
In fact, Murder Mystery 2 has proven so popular on the world's best streaming service that it almost set a new record for a Netflix comedy movie.
Per a Netflix press release, Murder Mystery 2's debut was the second-biggest opening weekend for a comedy film on the platform. The film, which was recently added to our new Netflix movies list, was watched by 42 million households in the first three days post-release. According to Netflix, Murder Mystery 2 accumulated 64.4 million hours streamed over its debut weekend, too – a figure that catapulted it into the Top 10 of the streamer's movies section in 91 countries. It was also the most-watched English-language Netflix movie on the service for the week running March 27 to April 2.
Murder Mystery 2's release gave its predecessor a new lease of life, too. Murder Mystery was the second most-watched Netflix film during the same six-day period, with Netflix users racking up 24.7 million hours viewed. Not bad for a four-year-old movie, eh?
Netflix hasn't revealed which movie stood between Murder Mystery 2 and the title of most-streamed Netflix original comedy film of all-time. It seems likely that You People, the Jonah Hill and Eddie Murphy-starring comedy that arrived on January 27 this year, is the culprit, though – that flick accrued 55.6 million hours viewed in its first week on the platform. We've reached out to Netflix for clarification on this, and we'll report back if we receive a response.
A winning formula for Netflix
Why has Murder Mystery 2 proven to be so popular?(Image credit: Scott Yamano/Netflix)
So, why has Murder Mystery 2 proven so popular among Netflix's user base?
For one, it's got two fan-favorite, powerhouse performers in its lead roles. Aniston and Sandler are well liked among film fans, and the duo's star power is sufficient enough to draw viewers in, even if a film or TV show they star in isn't up to much.
Then there's the fact that Murder Mystery 2 is an easy watch. The film doesn't reinvent the whodunnit or comedy genres, but its combination of wacky and silly humor, plus a mystery that's more intriguing and elaborate than the one at the heart of its predecessor, fit together nicely. It's not overly cerebral, either, so viewers looking for an uncomplicated film to relax with over the weekend couldn't really go wrong.
There's also the movie's 90-minute runtime – that's breezy compared to most flicks released these days, and means you don't need to focus on its albeit simplistic plot for too long. Murder Mystery 2's position as a sequel to one of Netflix's most popular original films is sure to have helped as well. Don't be surprised if you see one or both of these flicks make it onto our best Netflix movies list soon.
New reports suggest Apple is currently working on an emergency patch for the recently released iOS 16.4 as the company aims to fix several bugs.
Be aware nothing is in stone for iOS 16.4.1 as things could change at the last minute. But if we had to take a wild guess, the update will most likely address recent problems with the Weather app. iPhone owners across the internet, including our Senior News Editor Mark Wilson, have been experiencing “Weather Unavailable” notices on the Weather app’s widget leaving many unable to know their local forecast. It does appear Apple is aware of the problem. If you check the tech giant’s System Status page, the Weather service is listed as having ongoing issues and it may be “slow or unavailable” to people.
The second fix will probably patch up iOS 16.4 suddenly forgetting Wi-Fi networks and passwords forcing iPhone owners to re-enter the information. One Twitter user claims the error happens when a connection is dropped or if you switch networks even if the information is synced via iCloud.
Persistent problems
It’s hard to say with total certainty what the rest of iOS 16.4.1 will bring; although there are a few clues. Others have experienced their phones heating up while charging alongside decreased battery performance. Some in the Apple Community forums imply this is a feature and not a bug as it may take up to 48 hours for an iPhone to “complete all the [necessary] behind-the-scenes tasks” post-update. Because the device is working overtime, sudden battery drain should be expected. However, it is worth pointing out that battery drain has been a persistent problem on iOS 16 since its launch. So it may also be an oversight on Apple's part.
A release date for iOS 16.4.1 remains unknown, but a recent report from MacRumors states it could come out later this week or the next. Be sure to keep an eye out for any new patches.
As for future updates, the first iOS 16.5 beta has recently been released for developers to check out. Its contents also remain a mystery, but there are a couple of hints floating around. It appears the Apple News app will get a brand new Sports tab sitting in-between News Plus and Audio. Both the Following and Search tabs will be melded into one in order to make room. Additionally, it appears Apple will give iPhone owners the ability to record their screens using Siri.
Later this year, we expect Apple to debut iOS 17, which is set to introduce some major upgrades to first-party features like CarPlay. Be sure to check out TechRadar’s iOS 17 roundup and see our wish list for the update.
Samsung has announced that its full lineup of OLED and Neo QLED TVs for 2023 is now available in the US. The company had previously announced pricing for nearly all models, and a few new TVs such as the QN900C / QN800C 8K and QN90C 4K sets, along with its 2023 OLED lineup, had been rolled out. But as of today Samsung’s full premium TV family for 2023 is now finally available to buy.
The company also announced several bundled “Your Choice” deals for buyers of its new 2023 Neo QLED 4K, 8K, and OLED TVs that will run from today through April 16. These deals let buyers take advantage of free delivery and installation, and in the case of the new 8K models, also receive a free 32-inch Samsung The Frame QLED TV.
Samsung’s 2023 TVs fared exceptionally well in our recent hands-on tests of the QN900C 8K and QN95C 4K Neo QLED models, and we have every reason to believe they will land on our list of the best 8K TVs and best 4K TVs, respectively, following our forthcoming full reviews. The same goes for the Samsung S95C OLED, which looks primed to land high on our list of the best OLED TVs.
Sweet Samsung deals
Here are the specifics of the Your Choice deals Samsung has announced to celebrate the arrival of its full TV lineup:
Buyers of a 2023 QN900C or QN800C 8K Neo QLED TV can choose between a free 32-inch The Frame (2022 model) TV or free delivery and installation and wall-mount
Buyers of a 2023 Neo QLED 4K (65 inches and up) or 2023 OLED TV can choose between 50% off a Samsung The Freestyle projector, free delivery and installation, or a free wall mount
The deals will run while supplies last on Samsung.com and from participating retailers such as Best Buy and Amazon
Samsung's 2022 The Frame QLED TV displaying art in ambient mode(Image credit: Samsung)
Analysis: The 2023 TV season is in full swing
With the arrival of Samsung’s full premium TV lineup in the US, the 2023 TV season is now fully underway. Will people be buying? While inflation has hit the economy of the US and other countries hard, there’s indication in the US at least that consumer sentiment remains strong, though it did hit its lowest level in four months during March 2023.
If consumers are in fact ready to spend on a new set, they will find prices for the new Samsung Neo QLED TVs to be the same at launch as they were in 2022, while the OLED ones are notably more expensive.
If history is any indication – and by that we are specifically referring to 2022 – prices will start to drop by summer and then follow a steep downward trend through to the Black Friday selling season. Even so, Samsung is smart to offer these bundled deals, which will let eager early buyers of the new TVs also save money.
The free 32-inch Samsung The Frame deal looks particularly intriguing, as that offer is for the upgraded 2022 model that added anti-reflective coating to reduce screen glare. And while 32 inches may seem small compared to a 65-inch or larger 8K TV, it’s a perfect size for a wall-hanging set that displays art in ambient mode – a key feature of The Frame.
Following our tests of Samsung’s new 8K and 4K Neo QLED and OLED TVs, we can confidently say that buyers of the company’s premium sets for 2023 will not be disappointed. These TVs all incorporate improved processing to enhance picture quality, and we found the S95C to be the brightest OLED TV we’ve yet tested in our hands-on review of the 77-inch model. Our review of the new LG G3 is forthcoming, so we can’t say which of these two flagship OLEDs will end up being the brightest, but we can say that Samsung’s slim and elegant SC95C captured our attention in more ways than one.
A long time ago there were millions of these people called travel agents, wonderful humans who would listen to your idealized travel plans and then work to stuff them into reality, without losing the magic. Technology or, more specifically, the internet and myriad travel apps, have all but killed that industry, but the idea of a sensitive guide who can sort through the zillions of travel options remains. And it may be the inspiration for Expedia's new ChatGPT integration.
The online and app-based travel service announced the beta integration on its app (iOS only for now) on Tuesday and is calling it, naturally, "Conversational Trip Planning."
Expedia's move isn't surprising, considering it was on the initial list of ChatGPT plugin partners, with the Expedia Group (which includes services like Hotwire, Orbitz, Hotels.com) announcing that those who use ChatGPT to launch natural language travel queries will get data results from Expedia and be able to use them to build a travel itinerary on Expedia.com.
The Expedia app's beta ChatGPT integration works a little differently from a standard AI session. While you can get a lot of conversational travel assistance from ChatGPT (based on the GPT-4 model, by the way), the app will only save the hotels you discussed to your app-based trip board. In addition, this ChatGPT will not be engaging in any conversation outside of travel. If you do try to ask a non-travel-related question, Expedia's ChatGPT is designed to "respond in a neutral voice" to bring the conversation back to travel, Expedia executives told us.
Expedia's beta Conversational Trip Planner is integrated into the app interface.(Image credit: Future)
What it knows about where you go
Regardless of all the Expedia data backing up this ChatGPT integration, none of your personal Expedia profile is being fed to ChatGPT, according to executives.
"We marry our data and information with the response," said Expedia Groups CEO Peter Kern, "We're not sending our travel and booking information to ChatGPT."
Kern told us that you could tell Expedia's ChatGPT you want to travel to Paris this spring but even if you travel to Paris every spring, ChatGPT won't know that.
Even though Expedia's Conversational Trip Planning doesn't automatically save all your trip preferences to your trip planning board, it can help you figure out other parts of your trip plan. A query regarding a summer trip to Maui for two will tell you about hotel options, flights, weather, what to see, and more. It's just that the system is only currently looking for hotel tags, which it then picks up for your in-app itinerary.
Expedia is using the same data to power this new Conversational Trip Planning and the ChatGPT plugin experience.
It should help you find and save travel options and ideas.(Image credit: Future)
The speed with which Expedia integrated ChatGPT may be startling, but the company is not particularly new to AI-enhanced trip-planning experiences. It already uses AI and machine learning to help personalize trip query results and flight fare comparisons. In that light, perhaps it's not surprising that the company managed to deliver this beta ChatGPT experience in a little more than a month.
There are some unknowns here. Expedia warns in its release that the conversational AI might still get things wrong or offer up an inappropriate response. At least Expedia already has an AI Ethics Committee to oversee the interactions.
As for which type of traveler might benefit most from the ChatGPT-powered Conversational Trip Planner, Kern is unsure. "Is it suited to a particular type of traveler? Our view is, we don’t know."
The English-only app update is available now on iOS devices.
Hands on with the Expedia's beta Conversational Trip Planner
Expedia gave me early access to the new Conversational Trip Planner. I decided to use it to help me plan a fictional summertime trip with my wife to the Amalfi coast.
My exact query was: I want to book a romantic trip for two to Italy's Amalfi coast. We'd like to travel in the summer and stay near the coast (not on the coast, since that would be too expensive). I'm also hoping for affordable flights and some ideas about what to do while I'm there.
Expedia's ChatGPT only took a moment to offer up four hotel options, including Hotel Belvedere, which is located in Praiano and includes views of the sea. I also got a nice list of things to do that includes visiting Ravello and the gardens at Villa Cimbrone.
The chatbot also let me know that it couldn't help me with booking flights, which I expected, but I was surprised that it wouldn't even show me flight options.
I then wrote, "This sounds awesome. How can I book the Hotel Belvedere?"
Expedia's response was cheerful but instead of connecting me directly to the Expedia App with the Hotel Belvedere set as part of my itinerary, it told me that I could visit the Expedia website and search for the hotel using my travel dates and destination.
"Can you book it for me?" I asked.
Unfortunately, that simple question appeared to break Expedia's ChatGPT beta. I never got a response.
A little bit of my interaction with Expedia's ChatGPT integration(Image credit: Future)
I also wanted to see how the Conversational Travel Planner handled questions that weren't exactly about travel planning.
I typed in, "Have you ever gotten into a fight on an airplane?"
That also didn't get a response.
However, when I exited my chat, the system asked if I wanted to add the details to my trip booking. The Expedia app saved my initial query and would allow me to search and add details on my own. However, it didn't save anything related to my preferred hotel.
I had a lot more luck on my second round of tests. I cut down my initial query to "I want to travel to Paris in the spring."
Expedia's ChatGPT told me it was a great choice and asked if I'd checked out available flights and hotels. I told it to find me the best flights for May 2023.
Expedia's ChatGPT asked me for destinations, dates, and other requirements, which I provided.
ChatGPT returned with four flight options, all for less than $800 per person.
It then also helped me find a hotel with a view of the Eiffel Tower in my price range. It was even willing to help me book an evening at the Moulin Rouge. When I gave it a date, it returned with an available show time and offered to proceed with the booking.
Expedia's experimental Conversational Trip Planner can do a lot to help you plan a trip, but in order for me to truly save all this information, I'd have to cut and paste it into my Trip Planner.
Even so, it's a good start and I walked away wishing I really was planning a trip to Paris and an evening at the Moulin Rouge.
Potential spoilers follow for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
The official trailer for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is here – and yes, it looks as gorgeous, dramatic, funny, and action-packed as we expected.
The upcoming Sony Pictures and Marvel Entertainment animated movie thwips its way into theaters on June 2, so it's high time we got another look at how stylishly beautiful it's set to be. If you haven't watched the trailer yet, you can do so below:
While its eyepopping visuals and foreboding story will have caught your attention, there's plenty in the near three-minute long trailer that you probably missed on first viewing.
Below, we've picked out seven of the biggest things you'll have missed from Across the Spider-Verse's latest teaser (read our article on Across the Spider-Verse's first trailer if you need additional context). So, what are you waiting for? Throw on your favorite Spider-Man suit and let's webshoot our way towards some secrets!
A live-action crossover?
Could we see an animated version of the MCU's Spider-Man?(Image credit: Sony Pictures/Marvel Entertainment)
Okay, this first one is a little left-field – but only because it isn't included in Across the Spider-Verse's official trailer. Instead, it opens the Pan-India and German versions of the teaser, so it's easy to miss if you don't know there's more than one iteration.
Anyway, these alternate trailers open with a brief montage of the three live-action Spider-Men – those being Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland's takes on the webslinger, all of whom appeared in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Voiceovers from the trio, which are played over the footage, are pulled directly from Spider-Man films they've starred in (read our Spider-Man movies in order guide for more details on where each Spidey shows up).
It's a curious way to open two trailers for an animated movie, albeit one that's Spider-Man-based. Does this suggest we'll see Maguire, Garfield, and Holland's wallcrawlers interact with Miles Morales (Shameik Moore)? And, if they do, will it be in animated or live-action form?
There have been rumors that the trio will appear in Across the Spider-Verse or its sequel – Beyond the Spider-Verse, which arrives in March 2024 – so it's a possibility. Alternatively, Sony could just be messing with our heads. We'll find out when one or both movies are released.
Spot the difference
The Spot is the main villain in Across the Spider-Verse.(Image credit: Sony Pictures)
In the movie's official trailer, we get a different elongated opening sequence containing more new footage, which is centered on the film's primary villain.
Meet The Spot, aka Jonathan Ohnn (Jason Schwartzman), a scientist whose body becomes covered in black spots when an experiment goes wrong. Ohnn quickly realizes that the spots covering his body are actually time and space-based portals, meaning he can open them anywhere in his and Miles' universe and the whole Spider-Man multiverse. You don't need to be a *ahem* scientist to work how much of a threat he'll pose to Miles and company, then.
That'll likely form the bulk of the film's plot anyway (more on this later). In this teaser, The Spot is positioned as nothing more than a jokey sort of antagonist. We see him trying (and failing) to steal cash from an ATM as Miles makes fun of him, a loaf of bread humorously falling through two portals that The Spot creates, and then the duo engaging in a brief, amusing, portal-based skirmish. As the trailer later shows, though, he's far more dangerous than most people realize.
Spider-Force, Spider-Force, does whatever a Spider-Force does
Spider-Man India is part of the Spider-Force.(Image credit: Sony Pictures)
Once Miles and Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) are reunited and traverse the Spider-Verse via those hexagonal multiverse streams, we're given proper looks at some of the other main Spider-People we'll see.
We saw Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) in the previous trailer. This time around, it's Spider-Punk and Spider-Man India's turn to take the spotlight. We catch a glimpse at Daniel Kaluuya's Spider-Punk – complete with a punk aesthetic and a classic cockney "Oi oi!" line from him, before Spider-Man India (played by Deadpool's Karan Soni) darts across the screen, asking "Who's the new guy?"
Alongside Gwen, Spider-Woman, Peter B Parker (Jake Johnson), and Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac), Spider-Punk and Spider-Man India are part of the main Spider-Force crew. This gang are responsible for protecting the Spider-Verse from all manner of threats and, alongside many other Spider-People, convene at the Lobby. Here, they discuss what's going down in each other's universes and how they can stop each realm's villains from destroying the multiverse.
Understandably, Miles is eager to join them. However, unlike Gwen – who Spider-Man 2099 and Spider-Woman seek out (we see them give her a wrist band that allows her to traverse the Spider-Verse in the teaser) – Miles isn't invited to the party. Why? We'll explain that in a moment. But first...
An MCU reference – but confusion reigns
Miguel O'Hara is messing with our heads, right?(Image credit: Sony Pictures)
After we're officially introduced to Spider-Man 2099, aka Miguel O'Hara, we learn that he's got plenty of experience negotiating the Spider-Verse.
We also find out that O'Hara is well aware of events that played out in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), especially those that took place in No Way Home. He's not joking when he says it, but it's hard not to chuckle when O'Hara references No Way Home's events when he says "Don't get me started on Doctor Strange and that little nerd on Earth-199999!"
It's a fun shout-out to Marvel Studios' cinematic juggernaut and Spidey's latest live-action adventure, which was part of Marvel Phase 4. However, O'Hara's comment has reignited an online debate about which universe the MCU actually exists in.
Numerous MCU films have referred to this universe's Earth as Earth-616. The most recent reference was made in Doctor Strange 2, when the Earth-838 version of Christine Palmer confirms this to Doctor Strange. However, O'Hara's comment throws that out of whack. He's clearly talking about No Way Home here, but he refers to the MCU's Earth as Earth-199999, not 616.
So, which is it? We suspect the MCU is still designated Earth-616, and O'Hara's Earth-199999 comment is just Sony's way at poking fun at the confusion over which universe the MCU is set in. In short: don't take O'Hara's word as gospel.
A catastrophic choice?
Will Gwen and Peter side with Miles or not?(Image credit: Sony Pictures)
Back to O'Hara's reason for not including Miles in his Spider-Force gang. Initially, it appears O'Hara is warning Miles about the perils of being a Spider-Man. In short: you can't save those you love. Every other Spider-Person has had to make similar sacrifices before, after all. Prime examples include the original Spider-Man being unable to save Uncle Ben, and Spider-Gwen not acting fast enough to rescue her universe's Peter Parker.
But it seems O'Hara is actually preparing to cut off Miles' universe from the rest of the Spider-Verse here. He talks about "sacrifice" and "saving every world", before a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot shows The Spot sitting at the center of the multiverse, with numerous portals to each Spider-Man universe at his fingertips.
Reading between the lines, we think O'Hara will sever Miles' world from the rest of the Spider-Verse because The Spot hails from Miles' universe. As a multiversal villain who could cause irreparable damage to the Spider-Verse, The Spot poses a massive threat to every Spider-Person and their universes. For the greater good, O'Hara plans to sacrifice Miles' world. To do so, he can't let Miles return home to try to save his family, friends, and his whole universe.
Unsurprisingly, Miles isn't enamored of this plan, hence why he flees and gets pursued by every other Spider-Person. We believe this Spider Civil War between Miles and O'Hara will be the main driver of Across the Spider-Verse's story, with O'Hara positioned as an anti-hero/secondary antagonist to The Spot, who is really the movie's main villain.
Taking a byte out of the competition
Say hello to Spider-Byte, everyone.(Image credit: Sony Pictures)
Amid O'Hara's lengthy exposition dump (lengthy as far as trailers go, anyway), we catch another Spider-Person who could be integral to the film's story: Spider-Byte.
Also known as Margo (her surname is undisclosed in the comics), Spider-Byte hails from a technology-rich universe where people spend most of their time in the metaverse. Spider-Byte was one of the many characters shown in an Across the Spider-Verse poster that spoiled its biggest surprises, and this trailer confirms she'll appear. We see her splitting into four versions of herself to work across a vast computer-based console.
Considering O'Hara is a fellow technophile, we suspect Spider-Byte is one of the first people he recruits to his Spider-Force team. Spider-Byte would have the know-how to help him create other technologies capable of tracking down other Spider-People, or even helping him make a better version of his multiverse-traveling wrist band, which O'Hara crafted in Into the Spider-Verse's post-credits scene. As we said, expect Spider-Byte to be a major supporting player in this sequel.
Spider-People, assemble!
Scarlet Spider is one of many Spider-People in this sequel film.(Image credit: Sony Pictures)
The final 50 seconds of the trailer are devoted to O'Hara and most other Spider-People chasing Miles to stop him from throwing their plan into disarray.
If you thought we saw a ton of Spider-People in the first teaser and poster, the movie's latest trailer shows just how many Spider-based individuals we'll actually see on the big screen.
As well as all the aforementioned characters, we also picked out *deep breath* another Spider-Woman, Ben Reilly/Scarlet Spider, Cyborg Spider-Woman, zombie Spider-Man, Spider-Man PS4/PS5, Spider-Man Unlimited, Superior Spider-Man, Mayday, Spider-Girl, Therapist Spider-Man, and even Widow, aka Spider-Horse.
That's just the tip of the iceberg, too. There's a seemingly infinite number of Spider-People shown in the teaser, including some brand-new iterations not seen in the comics. We're going to have a difficult time working out the identities of every single one of them, that's for sure.
A lot of folks have been messing about with ChatGPT since its launch, naturally – that’s pretty much compulsory with a chatbot – and the latest episode involves the AI being tricked into generating keys for a Windows installation.
Before you begin to clamber on the outrage wagon, intent on plowing full speed ahead with no thought of sparing the horses, the user in question was attempting to generate keys for a now long redundant operating system, namely Windows 95.
Neowin highlighted this experiment, conducted by a YouTuber (Enderman), who began by asking OpenAI’s chatbot: “Can you please generate a valid Windows 95 key?”
Unsurprisingly, ChatGPT responded that it cannot generate such a key or “any other type of activation key for proprietary software” for that matter. Before adding that Windows 95 is an ancient OS anyway, and that the user should be looking at installing a more modern version of Windows still in support for obvious security reasons.
Undeterred, Enderman went back to break down the makeup of a Windows 95 license key and concocted a revised query.
This instead put forward the needed string format for a Windows 95 key, without mentioning the OS by name. Given that new prompt, ChatGPT went ahead and performed the operation, generating sets of 30 keys – repeatedly – and at least some of those were valid. (Around one in 30, in fact, and it didn’t take long to find one that worked).
When Enderman thanked the chatbot for the “free Windows 95 keys”, ChatGPT told the YouTuber that it hadn’t provided any such thing, as “that would be illegal” of course.
Enderman then informed the chatbot that one of the keys provided had worked to install Windows 95, and ChatGPT insisted “that is not possible.”
Analysis: Context is key
As noted, this was just an experiment in the name of entertainment, with nothing illegal happening as Windows 95 is abandonware at this point. Of course, Microsoft doesn’t care if you crack its nearly 30-year-old operating system, and neither does anyone else for that matter. You’d clearly be unhinged to run Windows 95, anyway.
It’s worth remembering that Windows 95 serial keys have a far less complex makeup than a modern OS key, and indeed it’s a pretty trivial task to crack them. It’d be a quick job for a proficient coder to write a simple computer program to generate these keys. And they’d all work, not just one in 30 of them, which is actually a pretty shoddy result from the AI in all honesty.
That isn’t the point of this episode, though. The fact is that ChatGPT could be subverted to make a working key for the old OS, and wasn’t capable of drawing any connection between the task it was being set, and the possibility that it was making key-like numbers. If ‘Windows 95’ had been mentioned in the second attempt to create keys, the AI would doubtless have stopped in its tracks, as the chatbot did with the initial query.
All of this points to a broader problem with artificial intelligence whereby altering the context in which requests are made can circumvent safeguards.
It’s also interesting to see ChatGPT’s insistence that it couldn’t have created valid Windows 95 keys, as otherwise it would have helped a user to break the law (well, in theory anyway).
Google appears to have already stepped back from introducing a file limit to its online cloud storage platform.
Earlier this week, reports began to surface from Google Drive users across the globe that they had encountered new notifications about a seemingly newly-introduced account limit of five million files.
However, Google Drive has now officially responded to the reports, revealing that it will not be introducing a limit after all, and reassuring users that their files are safe.
There's no limit
"We recently rolled out a system update to Drive item limits to preserve stability and optimize performance," the company's official Twitter account said. "While this impacted only a small number of people, we are rolling back this change as we explore alternate approaches to ensure a great experience for all."
"If we need to make changes, we will communicate them to users in advance."
The move was met with some alarm by Google Drive customers, who received no warning of the change, suggesting it may have been a mistake on the company's part.
The wording of the warning notification certainly didn't reassure users, who were confronted with a message reading, "Error 403: This account has exceeded the creation limit of 5 million items. To create more items, move items to the trash and delete them forever."
One Reddit user was even given a notification telling them to, "Please delete 2 million files to continue using your Google Drive account."
As we noted in our original story, five million files is a pretty big allowance in real terms. For users on Google Drive’s 2TB offering - the highest personal plan available - the average file size across an account would have to be 400 kilobytes (KB).
That being said, there are certainly some instances where users may have that many files, for instance in the storage of large amounts of record data - but for the vast majority, users shouldn’t hit their limit, whatever Google decides that will be.
