Entertainment
Meta plans to launch standalone Meta AI app. OpenAIs Sam Altman fires back.
Meta is reportedly planning to spin off Meta AI into a standalone app to compete with ChatGPT. OpenAI’s Sam Altman immediately responded with a heavy dose of snark.
According to CNBC, Meta plans to make Meta AI — which currently exists as a tool embedded within Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — into its own app in the second quarter of this year.
This is all part of CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s ambition to make Meta AI the go-to AI assistant, aiming to take on competitors like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and xAI’s Grok. “This is going to be the year when a highly intelligent and personalized AI assistant reaches more than 1 billion people, and I expect Meta AI to be that leading AI assistant,” said Zuckerberg in a fourth quarter earnings call in January.
In order to do that, Meta has a steep hill to climb. The world hasn’t embraced Meta AI as enthusiastically as ChatGPT, which became the fastest growing app of all time shortly after its launch. When Meta hard-launched Meta AI by making it the default search bar on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, people hated it and soon discovered you can’t turn it off. That, plus the fact that it’s integrated within Meta’s apps, might skew data on use and engagement. Meta CFO Susan Li said in the January earnings call that Meta AI has “more than 700 million monthly actives,” but that could be because it’s part of the existing apps, and again, cannot be turned off.
Mashable Light Speed
By comparison, ChatGPT has over 300 million weekly active users. Altman took notice of the CNBC story and seemed skeptical about Meta AI’s ambitious plans. “Ok fine maybe we’ll do a social app,” he said on X, reposting the CNBC article.
Altman added in another somewhat snarky comment, “lol if [F]acebook tries to come at us and we just uno reverse them it would be so funny.” Altman is referencing the Uno game card and meme that effectively boils down to beating someone at their own game.
Zuckerberg appears to see Meta AI as the company’s golden goose for increasing engagement and monetizing its apps. But it has bungled past efforts to meaningfully engage with users. There was the whole confusing celebrity AI avatars, which was axed after less than a year after failing to gain traction. And then there were the made-up AI characters like Liv the “proud Black queer momma of 2 & truth-teller,” that was annihilated for being “digital blackface” and has since been shut down.
On top of that, Meta has made it near impossible to opt out of scraping user data to train Meta AI, which isn’t great for fostering trust. That said, Google has similar data gathering practices for Gemini, so maybe it won’t be a deal breaker for Meta users.
Your move, Zuck. Hope you know how to play Uno.
Entertainment
Hurdle hints and answers for July 19, 2026
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.
Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today
If you find yourself stuck at any step of today’s Hurdle, don’t worry! We have you covered.
Hurdle Word 1 hint
Rode over.
Hurdle Word 1 answer
DROVE
Mashable Top Stories
Hurdle Word 2 hint
Salt water.
Hurdle Word 2 Answer
BRINE
Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today
Hurdle Word 3 hint
Bombardment.
Hurdle Word 3 answer
BLITZ
Hurdle Word 4 hint
Fabric.
Hurdle Word 4 answer
CLOTH
Final Hurdle hint
Tunes.
Hurdle Word 5 answer
MUSIC
If you’re looking for more puzzles, Mashable’s got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.
Entertainment
How to watch Spain vs. Argentina online for free
TL;DR: Live stream Spain vs. Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final for free on BBC iPlayer or ITVX. Access these free streaming platforms from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN, an Official Supporter of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has delivered weeks of electric entertainment. We’ve had controversy, moments of ecstasy, and incredibly displays of talent from the best players in the world. And now we’re down to the final, where Spain and Argentina will battle it out for the trophy.
Argentina are defending champions, but have stuttered through the tournament, relying on late goals. Spain also struggled to hit their best form in the group stage, but they’ve built momentum through the knockout rounds, culminating in an impressive victory over favorites France in the semi-final stage.
We’re expecting a fiery battle between two teams laden with stars.
If you want to watch Spain vs. Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final from anywhere in the world, we have all the information you need.
When is Spain vs. Argentina?
Spain vs. Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final kicks off at 3 p.m. ET on July 19. This fixture takes place at the New York New Jersey Stadium.
Mashable Top Stories
How to watch Spain vs. Argentina for free
Spain vs. Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final is available to live stream for free on BBC iPlayer or ITVX.
BBC iPlayer and ITVX are geo-restricted to the UK, but anyone can access these free streaming platforms with a VPN. These tools can hide your real IP address (digital location) and connect you to a secure server in the UK, meaning you can unblock BBC iPlayer and ITVX to live stream the 2026 World Cup final for free from anywhere in the world.
Live stream Spain vs. Argentina for free by following these simple steps:
-
Subscribe to a streaming-friendly VPN (we recommend ExpressVPN)
-
Download the app to your device of choice (the best VPNs have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, and more)
-
Open up the app and connect to a server in the UK
-
Visit BBC iPlayer or ITVX
-
Watch Spain vs. Argentina for free from anywhere in the world
$12.99 only at ExpressVPN
The best VPNs for streaming are not free, but most do offer free-trials or money-back guarantees. By leveraging these offers, you can access free live streams of the 2026 World Cup final without actually spending anything. This obviously isn’t a long-term solution, but it does give you enough time to stream Spain vs. Argentina before recovering your investment.
ExpressVPN’s regular 30-day money-back guarantee is not available for any subscriptions purchased during the Summer Tech Sweepstakes promotional period (July 11 to Aug. 11), but you do have a chance of winning an iPhone 17 Pro. ExpressVPN remains our top pick for sport, but you will need to pay the monthly rate. Alternatively, Proton VPN still offers that all-important money-back guarantee.
What is the best VPN for the World Cup final?
ExpressVPN is the best choice for bypassing geo-restrictions to stream live sport on BBC iPlayer or ITVX, for a number of reasons:
-
Servers in 105 countries including the UK
-
Easy-to-use app available on all major devices including iPhone, Android, Windows, Mac, and more
-
Strict no-logging policy so your data is secure
-
Fast connection speeds free from throttling
-
Up to 10 simultaneous connections
A two-year subscription to ExpressVPN is on sale for $68.40 and includes an extra four months for free — 81% off for a limited time. Alternatively, you can get a one-month plan for just $12.99. That covers you for the duration of the World Cup.
Live stream Spain vs. Argentina in the 2026 FIFA World Cup final for free.
Entertainment
Moon phase today: What the Moon will look like on July 19
Wondering what you’re looking at on the Moon’s surface? Wonder no more, with the help of NASA’s Daily Moon Guide, we’ve broken down all the features you might be looking at when you look up tonight.
What is today’s Moon phase?
As of Sunday, July 19, NASA’s Daily Moon Guide tracker tells us the Moon phase is in Waxing Crescent phase, with 29% of its surface visible.
You won’t need any visual aids to be able to spot the Mares Crisium and Fecunditatis. However, if you do have binoculars or a telescope, you’ll also be able to see the Endymion Crater.
When is the next Full Moon?
The next Full Moon will take place on July 29.
What are Moon phases?
The Moon completes one full cycle around Earth in about 29.5 days, moving through eight different phases along the way, NASA explains. Although the same side of the Moon always faces our planet, the amount of sunlight reflecting off its surface changes as it travels around Earth. This changing angle of illumination is what makes the Moon appear to transform throughout the month, from a thin crescent to a half-lit Moon and eventually a fully illuminated Full Moon, before starting the cycle again.
New Moon – The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it’s invisible to the eye).
Mashable Light Speed
Waxing Crescent – A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).
First Quarter – Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.
Waxing Gibbous – More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.
Full Moon – The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.
Waning Gibbous – The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)
Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) – Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.
Waning Crescent – A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.
Rain threatens rematch between Yankees, Dodgers
Andres Chaparro, Nats try to top gaudy numbers vs. skidding A's
