Updated on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 9:15 p.m. ET — As of this writing, YouTube appears to be working again. So far, Google and YouTube have not announced the cause of the outage, or confirmed that the problems are resolved.

Updated on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 9.26 p.m. ET — YouTube has revealed the cause of the outage. In a statement on X, the company said it was due to an issue with their recommendations system, which stopped videos from appearing. “The homepage is back, but we’re still working on a full fix – more coming soon!”

Updated on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 10:19 p.m. ET — YouTube has announced that the issue has been solved.

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Original story follows.

If you can’t watch YouTube videos right now, you’re not alone. A Tuesday evening YouTube outage affected users across the globe, with problems starting around 8:00 p.m. ET. Early reports are sketchy, but here’s what we know.

The platform DownDetector received 837,973 user error reports (and rising) in the U.S. alone, with 46.7 percent of users reporting problems accessing the YouTube app and 21.1 percent reporting problems with the website. Users in Canada, Brazil, the UK, and Germany are also reporting problems. (Disclosure: Mashable and Downdetector share the same parent company.)

Mashable editors in both the U.S. and Australia were unable to access YouTube’s website and app. Attempts to access the website resulted in a blank black screen with only YouTube’s sidebar and search bar appearing.

The YouTube homepage goes dark…
Credit: Amanda Yeo / Mashable

YouTube acknowledged the outage on X, urging users to check the Google Support page for more information.

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The initial update from YouTube simply read, “Hi everyone, We’re aware some of you are having issues accessing YouTube right now. Our teams are aware, and we’ll provide updates as soon as we have them.”

An additional update from YouTube read, “We are aware of the ongoing issue impacting YouTube homepage, recommendations, search and uploads and are working to fix it. Please follow along in our Community for updates. Our support agents do not have any additional information to share with you at this time.”

YouTube is the largest streaming service by far in the U.S.

At this time, the cause of the outage is unknown. Mashable reached out to Google for more information (YouTube is owned by Google), and we’ll update this story if we receive more information.

This is a developing story …

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you keep up with the latest styles.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that’s captured the public’s attention. 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 today’s Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT‘s latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications’ Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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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.

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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.

Here’s a hint for today’s Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Old-school do’s

• Green: Awesome

• Blue: Cluck

• Purple: Lotion

Here are today’s Connections categories

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

• Yellow: Retro hair directives

• Green: Retro slang for cool

• Blue: Chicken descriptors

• Purple: ___ Cream

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 #983 is…

What is the answer to Connections today

• Retro hair directives: CRIMP, CURL, FEATHER, TEASE

• Retro slang for cool: BAD, FLY, RAD, WICKED

• Chicken descriptors: BANTAM, CRESTED, FREE-RANGE, LEGHORN

• ___ Cream: HEAVY, SHAVING, SOUR, TOPICAL

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? Get all the Strands hints you need for today’s puzzle.

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.

Caitlin Wylde lives with her dog, Rocket, on a woodsy street in Echo Park, Los Angeles. Though she’s been a Californian for over 30 years, her New England upbringing still echoes throughout her home with family heirlooms and nautical accents. Here, Caitlin gives us a tour, with photos by Leela Cyd…

On a great leap: Before I moved here, I was in a relationship, and even though I knew we weren’t the right fit, we’d started looking at houses together. The relationship ended, and two weeks later, I saw this house for sale on a bulletin board in a bakery. As soon as I walked in the door, I was like, ‘Oh my god. This is my house.’ I decided I was going to take the leap. And it ended up being the best leap I ever took.

LIVING ROOM

Wall paint: Sydney Harbour Paint Co.

On being a New Englander: I grew up by the sea in Massachusetts — surrounded by nature, roaming in the woods — and New England still has a big influence on my taste and my work as an artist. I once did a series of hand-stitched banners made from old boat flags, which was bananas, because they’re so huge.

On durable art: The circles on the table are actually an art piece of mine. Kids really seem to like them. They go right for them, and throw them around. But I let them — they’re sturdy!

On vignettes: I love to make clusters of things around the house. I’ve been doing it since I was a kid — collecting objects from outside and arranging them together, almost like they’re talking to one another. I’m always trying to pare down and put things away, but I just end up making another little scene. I can’t help it.

KITCHEN

Wall paint: Benjamin Moore Simply White.

On a connection: I spotted this French poster at an auction house here in L.A. I was born in the Year of the Rooster, so when I saw it was a rooster, I was immediately drawn to it. I told myself, ‘Okay, if the bidding doesn’t go too high, I can get it.’ And then of course, I was the only one who bid on it.

On working with what you’ve got: The kitchen was not in great shape when I moved in, so I had to work to make it functional. Since it’s such a small space, I think of it like a boat kitchen.

On a landline: We had a phone just like this in the kitchen when I was growing up, so I love having one in my own home. It was my actual landline for many years, and I finally just had the service turned off because the only people who still used that number were my mom’s old friends calling from back east, and they’d never remember the time difference!

On calendars: I buy these calendars every year from a store in L.A. called Bunkado. They’re designed by the artist Hajime Okamoto, and every year it’s a different cat theme — this one was railway cats. The drawing of my dog, Rocket, was done by my friend’s daughter, Charlie, when she was four (she’s now 14). I love it so much.

GUEST ROOM

Wall paint: Benjamin Moore. Rainbow lamp: MoMA Design Store.

On a playful space: My friends’ kids always end up hanging out in the guest room when they come over. So, it’s where I keep all the toys and stuffed animals and fun things.

On a just-right bed: You know what’s wild? Before I moved here, I saw this bed. It belonged to a dear neighbor, who had an estate sale when his partner died. And I just loved the bed — it was so adorable. So, I got it, then my relationship ended, and then I wound up in this house. When I saw this nook, with the little triangle ceiling, I just knew that bed belonged there. It fit perfectly.

On a green floor: When I moved in, these floorboards were just pine with shellac, and it was just — ugh. My solution was to just paint over with this dark green paint. And I’m so glad I did, because it makes me happy every time I look at it.

BATHROOM

Model ship: similar.

On a special feature: All the wood in the bathroom is cedar. So, when you take a bath or steamy shower, the room smells so good.

Cabinet paint: Fine Paints of Europe in Navy. “It’s Dutch door paint — it lasts forever!” Cup: Falcon. Clam shell bowl: similar.

BEDROOM

Wall paint: Benjamin Moore in Simply White. Bedding: Pietse.

On red and white: I have a great love for red-and-white stripes. Growing up, my dad’s best friend was a classics professor who had to spend time in Greece. We were able to go there, and I have this memory of being four years old, standing on a beach, and seeing all these red-and-white beach balls. I was filled with awe.

On a colorful collection: I love enamel lamps from the 60s and 70s. I get so pumped by the simple shapes, amazing colors, and utilitarian design.

ART STUDIO

On rituals: I’m an early morning person, and my ritual is to start the day by burning Japanese incense and playing dreamy music, like Brian Eno. Then I have a cup of tea. I like to sit and just be in the studio before I start work.

On reflection: Right now, my old and new work is mixed together in the studio, as well as some of my parents’ artwork. It’s nice to look around and see the progression, how it all connects.

Thank you so much for sharing your home with us, Caitlin!

P.S. Many more home tours, including a book lover’s family home, a soft landing in Brooklyn, and a Minnesota house with the cutest dog.

(Photos by Leela Cyd.)