Of the many minor to medium-size annoyances that come with a modern Windows 11 installation, the requirement that you sign in with a Microsoft account is one of the most irritating. Sure, all operating systems (including Apple’s and Google’s) encourage account sign-in as part of their setup process and prevent you from using multiple operating system features until and unless you sign in.

Various sanctioned and unsanctioned tools and workarounds existed to allow users to set their PCs up with old-fashioned local accounts, and those workarounds haven’t changed much in the last three years. But Microsoft is working on tightening the screws in preview builds of Windows, foreshadowing some future version of Windows where getting around the account requirement is even harder than it already is.

In a new update released to the Dev channel of the Windows Insider Preview program yesterday (build number 26220.6772), Microsoft announced it was “removing known mechanisms for creating a local account in the Windows Setup experience (OOBE).” Microsoft says that these workarounds “inadvertently skip critical setup screens, potentially causing users to exit OOBE with a device that is not fully configured for use.”

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We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon Big Deal Days is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.

• Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find.

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.

October Prime Day 2025 is here, and we’re highlighting all the best deals on our live blog as we find them. If you’re hoping to stay within a certain price point, though, I’ve already highlighted the best tech deals under $25—but if you have a bit more wiggle room, here are the best tech deals under $50.

Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker

$27.99
at Amazon

$44.99
Save $17.00

$27.99
at Amazon

$44.99
Save $17.00

Sony SRS-XB100

$0.00
at Amazon

$0.00
at Amazon

Amazon Echo Dot (5th Gen, 2022 Release)

$34.99
at Amazon

$49.99
Save $15.00

$34.99
at Amazon

$49.99
Save $15.00

Echo Buds With Wireless Charging Case

$84.99
at Amazon

$139.99
Save $55.00

$84.99
at Amazon

$139.99
Save $55.00

Soundcore by Anker Q20i

$39.99
at Amazon

$69.99
Save $30.00

$39.99
at Amazon

$69.99
Save $30.00

Blink Video Doorbell Wireless (Newest Model) + Sync Module Core

$34.99
at Amazon

$69.99
Save $35.00

$34.99
at Amazon

$69.99
Save $35.00

Roku Streaming Stick 4K

$29.99
at Amazon

$49.99
Save $20.00

$29.99
at Amazon

$49.99
Save $20.00

Camkory Kids Camera

$39.99
at Amazon

$49.99
Save $10.00

$39.99
at Amazon

$49.99
Save $10.00

ClokoWe Mini Projector

$39.99
at Amazon

$69.99
Save $30.00

$39.99
at Amazon

$69.99
Save $30.00

Rorry Portable Charger

$25.99
at Amazon

$32.99
Save $7.00

$25.99
at Amazon

$32.99
Save $7.00

Anker outdoor speakers are down to $28

Anker has been killing it in the budget speaker and headphone department for some time now. The Anker Soundcore 2 Portable Bluetooth Speaker is a great example, currently $27.99 (originally $44.99).

If you’re looking for a more recognizable brand name, you can try the Sony SRS-XB100 Wireless Bluetooth speaker, currently just $33 (originally $59.99). This is a record low price for this speaker.

An Echo Dot is as low as $35

While you can’t take the Amazon Echo Dot outdoors like the previous speakers, you can command it to turn devices on/off, ask it questions, or play music in multiple rooms if you own multiple Echo speakers. You can get this newest model for $34.99 (originally $49.99).

Anker earphones are down to $25

As I previously mentioned, Anker also makes great budget earbuds. The Soundcore P30i are just $24.99 (originally $49.99), offering ANC, 45 hours of battery, and an IP54 splash-proof rating.

For those in the Amazon Echo ecosystem, consider the Amazon Echo Buds (if they come back in stock), which were at their lowest price ever of $44.99 (originally $139.99) after a 60% discount. They have ANC, hands-free Alexa, and are compatible with both iOS and Android.

If you’re looking for over-ear headphones, Anker also has the Soundcore Q20i Hybrid ANC Headphones currently for $39.99 (originally $69.99) when you click “See All Buying Options.” They have powerful bass, customizable EQ in the companion app, and 40 hours of battery.

Blink security cameras are over half off

Blink always has good deals during Amazon events—it’s owned by Amazon after all. Right now, you can get the latest Blink Video Doorbell with the Sync Module Core for $34.99 (originally $69.99). If you prefer an outdoor camera, get the same bundle but with the Blink Outdoor 4 for $34.99 (originally $79.99)

You can get a Roku with 4K for $30

My favorite streaming stick is Roku: it’s simple, responsive, reliable, and affordable. The Streaming Stick 4K has HDR and Dolby Vision compatibility and the remote has voice support. Get it for $29.99 (originally $49.99).

This Camkory point-and-shoot camera is $40

Point-and-shoot cameras have been making a comeback. You can get the Camkory Kids Camera for $39.99 (originally $49.99), which shoots 1080p with a 44MP camera lens.

This Clokowe mini projector is $40

You don’t need an expensive projector to get the job done—the Clokowe Mini Projector is just $39.99 (originally $69.99) after the 30% on-page coupon. It projects in 1080p and is compatible with iOS and Android phones. Not bad for a budget projector.

A keychain-sized portable charger for $26

You never know how important a charger is until you’re in need of one. If you’re the kind of person who always forgets to bring a portable charger, this keychain that’s also a universal device charger with both USB-C and Lightning cables built in is a great solution. Get it for $25.99 (originally $32.99).

Smart leak sensors for $37

Leaks are no fun. What makes them dangerously expensive is that by the time most homeowners realize there is one, they’ve already suffered extensive damage that is costly to repair. Luckily, smart tech can help. This three-pack of sensors from Aqara work with a companion app that alerts you when they detect a water leak.

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

• Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+.

• Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member.

• Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon Big Deal Days is on October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools.

• Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find.

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.

I’ve tested my fair share of adjustable dumbbells, and whichever brand you choose, I highly recommend investing in a set for yourself. The math is undeniable: Individual pairs of dumbbells from five to 80 pounds in five-pound increments would cost well over $1,500 (and take up considerable space), while you could get the same value in adjustable dumbbells for half that price. Combine that sort of value with Prime Day prices, there’s never been a better time to buy adjustable dumbbells.

Right now, the PowerBlock Elite EXP Adjustable Dumbbells, normally priced at $449, is available for $339.51 on Amazon during Prime Day.

PowerBlock Elite EXP Adjustable Dumbbells

$339.51
at Amazon

$449.00
Save $109.49

$339.51
at Amazon

$449.00
Save $109.49

You’d be hard-pressed to find a list of the best at-home dumbbells without seeing Powerblocks at the top. When rounding up her favorite adjustable dumbbell sets for your home gym, Lifehacker senior health editor Beth Skwarecki ranks these Powerblocks as the best overall. If you couldn’t tell from their futuristic cubic design, these dumbbells are about as compact as possible—again, the major selling point of adjustables over a traditional rack of individual dumbbells. With their pin system (my personal favorite for adjustable dumbbells), adjusting your desired weight is quick and easy mid-workout. The only real downside to consider is that you have to put your hand inside the dumbbell’s frame, which can be awkward (especially if you’re wearing a nice big watch).

Alternatively, if you know you’re one to focus on single-arm exercises at a time, you could snag a single adjustable dumbbell (which goes up to 50 lbs) for just $199.99 at Walmart right now.

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

• Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+.

• Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member.

• Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free.

This is a video from appropriately named Youtuber Picard Looking imagining Star Trek’s Captain Picard and crew attempting to hold an agenda-less (my favorite ) Zoom meeting from their own quarters. Despite the dysfunction, that was still 95% more productive than 100% of the Zoom meetings I’ve attended recently, which, as far as I can tell, were only scheduled to prevent any actual work from getting done.

An anonymous reader shares a report: YouTube megastar Jimmy Donaldson, the creator behind the platform’s biggest channel MrBeast, is worried there are “scary times” ahead for the creator economy as AI video tools make it increasingly difficult to tell what is real.

“When AI videos are just as good as normal videos, I wonder what that will do to YouTube and how it will impact the millions of creators currently making content for a living.. scary times,” Donaldson said on X on Sunday. Donaldson’s concerns come on the heels of OpenAI’s release of a Sora social media platform able to AI generated short-form videos, including of individuals who “upload” themselves onto the app. Meta launched its similar video-generating Vibes platform last month.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded Google’s Chief Scientist of Quantum Hardware the Nobel Prize in Physics alongside former Google employee John Martinis, and University of California, Berkeley professor John Clarke. This is the second year in a row that current or former Google employees have been awarded the prestigious prize: In 2024, a  former Google vice president was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was shared by researchers from Google DeepMind.

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics is being awarded in recognition of “the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantization in an electric circuit.” Google puts it more plainly in its blog, writing that Devoret, Martinis and Clarke “created a superconducting electrical circuit” with a feature called a Josephson Junction “that can be used to create and manipulate… quantum phenomena.”

Google says the group’s experiments with Josephson Junctions in 1984 and 1985 were important, not just for the field of physics, but also its current research into quantum computing. The work of the company’s Quantum AI team is occasionally trotted out as a glimpse of a future where major scientific discoveries are driven by hyperefficient computers. See, for example, the Willow quantum chip the company announced last year. Google is ultimately still working on creating the fundamental components that will power these computers, though. And “Josephson Junctions form the basis for today’s superconducting quantum bits (qubits),” an enabler of many of the quantum computing milestones it’s hit in the last few years.

“It is wonderful to be able to celebrate the way that century-old quantum mechanics continually offers new surprises,” Olle Eriksson, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, shared in a press release announcing the winners. “It is also enormously useful, as quantum mechanics is the foundation of all digital technology.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/googles-michel-devoret-is-one-of-the-2025-winners-of-the-nobel-prize-in-physics-192226450.html?src=rss

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon Big Deal Days is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.

• Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find.

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.

After years of debating whether I need an ebook device, I finally bought a Kindle Paperwhite during Amazon’s (other) Prime Day sale a few months ago. I’m pretty happy with my purchase, and with my decision to de-Amazon my Kindle. If you’re looking to buy a Kindle during Amazon’s ongoing October Prime Day sale, you have many models to choose from, and I’ll walk you through all of them.

Kindle 

Amazon Kindle (ad-supported)

$84.99
at Amazon

$109.99
Save $25.00

$84.99
at Amazon

$109.99
Save $25.00

Amazon Kindle (without ads)

$104.99
at Amazon

$129.99
Save $25.00

$104.99
at Amazon

$129.99
Save $25.00

The most affordable Amazon Kindle (with lockscreen ads) is currently going for $85 (list price $110), which matches its lowest-ever price, according to price-checking tools. If ads are a no-go, you can buy the Kindle (without ads) at $105 (list price $130), which is also the lowest ever price seen since its launch.

I seriously considered getting this version of the Kindle over the Paperwhite because it has a similar 300ppi display and it’s a lot cheaper. Ultimately, I went with the Paperwhite because I like having the screen flush with the rest of the device, and I also value the slightly larger screen, waterproofing, and extra battery life. If you don’t care for these features, the base Kindle is an excellent pick, particularly at these October Prime Day prices. It has a six-inch display and offers up to six weeks of battery life on a single charge.

Kindle Paperwhite

Kindle Paperwhite (ad-supported)

$124.99
at Amazon

$159.99
Save $35.00

$124.99
at Amazon

$159.99
Save $35.00

Kindle Paperwhite (without ads)

$144.99
at Amazon

$179.99
Save $35.00

$144.99
at Amazon

$179.99
Save $35.00

I think the Kindle Paperwhite is the best ebook reader for most people. It hits the sweet spot between price and performance, thanks to the seven-inch display, IPX8 waterproofing, and up to 12 weeks of battery life. During October Prime Day, the Kindle Paperwhite’s price has hit a new low, starting at $125 for the ad-supported version (list price $160). 

If you want the Kindle Paperwhite without ads, you can get it for $145 (list price $180). This is the first time it’s gone below $150, which makes this an excellent deal too.

Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition

Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition

$149.99
at Amazon

$199.99
Save $50.00

$149.99
at Amazon

$199.99
Save $50.00

The Kindle Paperwhite has an upgraded Signature Edition, which adds interesting features such as wireless charging, an auto-adjusting front light, and 32GB of storage, which is double the amount you get on the non-Signature model. None of these features are important to me, but they might catch your eye. The extra storage is handy if you use your Kindle to listen to Audible audiobooks (you’ll need to connect a pair of Bluetooth headphones for this). You’ll be happy to know that even the Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition has hit a record low price during October Prime Day. You can get it for $150, which is a 25% discount from the $200 list price.

Kindle Colorsoft

Kindle Colorsoft

$199.99
at Amazon

$249.99
Save $50.00

$199.99
at Amazon

$249.99
Save $50.00

For those who want a Kindle with a color display, the Colorsoft is the one to get. During Amazon’s October Prime Day sale, the Kindle Colorsoft is going for under $200 (list price $250), which is the lowest price I’ve seen so far. Don’t get too excited just by looking at the price though, because the Colorsoft is a polarizing device. My colleague Michelle Ehrhardt gave the Colorsoft a 3.5/5 in her review, and called it out for making black-and-white content look worse. She also doesn’t recommend it for reading comics, which makes it a tough sell overall. Its battery life is rated at eight weeks, which is lower than that of the Paperwhite.

Kindle Scribe

Kindle Scribe

$299.99
at Amazon

$399.99
Save $100.00

$299.99
at Amazon

$399.99
Save $100.00

The Kindle Scribe is for those who want to be able to take notes, too. Lifehacker’s Deputy Editor Joel Cunningham gave the Scribe a 3.5/5 in his review, saying that it’s a great ebook reader but a disappointing digital notebook. It does not have waterproofing, which is a disappointing omission considering this product’s price. During October Prime Day 2025, the Kindle Scribe is down to $300 (list price $400), which matches its lowest ever price. 

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

• Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+.

• Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member.

• Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free.

Samsung, Hisense, TCL and Sony presented RGB LED TVs at IFA in Berlin last month. The technology replaces each standard LED backlight with a trio of red, green and blue LEDs to expand the range of colors a screen can display. Each manufacturer is using different name for the technology: Hisense has called it RGB-MiniLED, Samsung named it Micro RGB, Sony introduced Sony RGB Technology, and TCL branded it RGB Micro LED. The companies previously tried other monikers at CES.

Avi Greengart of Techsponential told PCMag the difference in color fidelity was not subtle when he viewed Samsung’s version. PCMag found the Hisense 116UX the brightest TV with the widest color range he had evaluated. Both the 116-inch Hisense and Samsung’s 115-inch model list at $30,000. TCL introduced RGB sets in China at prices starting at the equivalent of $1,150 for a 65-inch model. Greengart cautioned that it remained unclear whether the technology would rapidly decline in price or stay expensive like MicroLED.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon Big Deal Days is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.

• Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find.

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.

Like most couples, my wife and I split up the household chores, more or less along the lines of our particular skills and obsessions. As a result, most of the cleaning chores have become my responsibility, mainly because my wife does it all wrong. I’m not sure where she learned how to clean a house, but long ago it was silently agreed that I’d do all the cleaning.

Puftem Electric Spin Scrubber

$18.99
at Amazon

$25.99
Save $7.00

$18.99
at Amazon

$25.99
Save $7.00

I don’t mind; I weirdly enjoy cleaning the house. Except the scrubbing. Bending over a tub and scrubbing away is not my idea of a good time. Then one day, I realized that I am living in the 21st century, so I went looking for a power scrubber that would make it a lot easier, and I found this little gem from Puftem—the cordless electric spin scrubber. It’s great—powerful enough to get through just about any stain, small and lightweight enough to use one-handed and in tight spaces, and with solid battery life (and simple, USB-C charging).

It comes with six attachments—a flat brush, a sponge brush, a scouring brush, a corner brush (thank the lord), and a cloth brush. That makes it versatile enough to use in just about every room. It has excelled in scrubbing down my glass shower doors, for example—in the past, getting those hard water stains off seemed impossible, but now it’s a relative breeze. You can use this on sinks, floors, toilets, showers and baths, counter tops, oven doors—just about anywhere. It’s also waterproof, which is pretty important if you’re going to be cleaning in wet areas.

If that all sounds great, it’s 27% off for October Prime Day, which means you can pick one up for less than $20.

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

• Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+.

• Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member.

• Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.

Amazon Big Deal Days is coming October 7-8, and Lifehacker is sharing the best sales based on product reviews, comparisons, and price-tracking tools before it’s over.

• Follow our live blog to stay up to date on the best sales we find.

• Subscribe to our shopping newsletter, Add to Cart, for the best sales sent to your inbox.

• New to Prime Day? We have a primer on everything you need to know. Sales are accurate at the time of publication, but prices and inventory are always subject to change.

I used to spend way too much time sawing everything by hand. Wood, PVC, copper pipe—I can’t explain it, I had some weird purist obsession with breaking out the hand tools and sweating my butt off. When I finally broke down and bought a reciprocating saw, my life changed: It cut everything, quickly, and I was able to get so much more done.

But a full-size, two-handed power hacksaw can be too bulky for some jobs—jobs when you have to hold something with one hand while you cut, or jobs when you’re squished into a tight spot and don’t have a lot of room to position a larger tool. So I went looking for something lighter and smaller, and I found this gem: a one-handed reciprocating hacksaw from Milwaukee that cuts everything like butter, weighs only four pounds, and is easy to use even in spots you can barely squeeze yourself into. If that sounds like something you could use, know that it’s 36% off for Prime Day (you’ll also need a Milwaukee-compatible battery and charger).

Milwaukee 2719-20 Hacksaw

$117.90
at Amazon

$184.80
Save $66.90

$117.90
at Amazon

$184.80
Save $66.90

This thing is so light it’s easy to work with (even one-handed) for a long time without getting tired. The brushless motor provides plenty of power, and I haven’t found anything it can’t cut. It’s pretty smooth—other reciprocating saws can buck when they hit a snag, but this hasn’t, so far—and the battery provides solid running time. I’ve had to work in some pretty cramped spaces in my small house, and having this as an option when the bigger tools are awkward has made a lot of projects not just easier, but possible in the first place.

It’s a good value at its normal price; at $118 for Prime Day, it’s even better, especially if you frequently find standard hacksaws difficult to maneuver during your projects.

Looking for something else? Retailers like Walmart and Best Buy have Prime Day competition sales that are especially useful if you don’t have Amazon Prime.

• Walmart’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET through Oct. 12 and includes deals up to 50% off. It’s an especially good option if you have Walmart+.

• Best Buy’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 12, and has some of the best tech sales online. It’s an especially good option if you’re a My Best Buy “Plus” or “Total” member.

• Target’s Prime Day competition sale runs from Oct. 5 through Oct. 11, and it has deals going up to 50% off. You can become a Circle member for free.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement paid $825,000 this year for surveillance tech that can spy on nearby mobile phones. TechCrunch identified the contract, which “provides Cell Site Simulator (CSS) Vehicles to support the Homeland Security Technical Operations program,” in public records. This isn’t the first time ICE has used cell-site simulators, but the agency has recently drawn outcry for actions such as unlawfully detaining US citizens and using violence against journalists and protestors as it carries out the immigration enforcement ordered by President Donald Trump.

TechOps Specialty Vehicles supplied the vehicles equipped with cell-site simulators, also known as IMSI-catchers, in this contract with ICE. IMSI stands for “International Mobile Subscriber Identity,” and is a unique identifier for every user on a cellular network. Cell-site simulators act as fake cellular towers that can eavesdrop on any mobile phone in the nearby area when a user connects to the actual cellular towers of their service provider.

There are active and passive versions of IMSI catchers. The passive ones are less intrusive, but the active IMSI catchers can intercept all data transferred from mobile phones as well as tracking the phones’ location. The TechCrunch report didn’t uncover which version is being used by ICE. This surveillance tech can also interfere with a targeted phone’s ability to contact emergency services via 911, posing a safety risk. It is also controversial since it doesn’t involve obtaining a warrant and can expose innocent bystanders’ information to the government.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ice-spent-825k-this-year-on-vehicles-with-imsi-catchers-182947167.html?src=rss

Mastodon, the federated social network built on ActivityPub, is taking cues from Bluesky and introducing its own version of the social platform’s “Starter Packs.” The hope is that Mastodon’s “Packs” will make it easier to find people to follow when you first join a server, a sometimes daunting task given the distributed nature of decentralized social networks.

In comparison to Starter Packs, which let Bluesky users curate a list of accounts that you can follow in one foul swoop, Packs will come with some modifications and improvements. For one thing, Mastodon’s nonprofit developer Mastodon gGmbH says that users will have a say in whether they appear in Packs. Packs will be incorporated in the discovery features Mastodon already has, so if you don’t want to be included in a Pack, you can just toggle off the existing “Feature profile and posts in discovery algorithms” setting.

The developer also says that there will be a more “neutral” way to remove yourself from a Pack once you’re added. On Bluesky, to be removed from a Starter Pack you have to either report the pack or block its creator. According to Mastodon gGmbH, once you’re notified you’ve been added to a Pack, you’ll be able to remove yourself in a similar fashion to the way Mastodon lets you remove yourself from Quote Posts.

Mastodon gGmbH says it’s collaborating with other Fediverse developers on a Fediverse Enhancement Proposal (FEP), that once completed, will allow the feature to be used by any developer building an app on ActivityPub. Bluesky’s feature is one of its better additions to the microblogging format, so it makes sense Mastodon would want to adopt it. In fact it’s so good that Meta added a clone of it to Threads late last year.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/mastodon-is-adding-bluesky-like-starter-packs-182014446.html?src=rss