X Now Has Its Own Chat App

On Friday afternoon, X officially launched XChat, the company’s proprietary chat app. Unlike other chat app options, like WhatsApp, Telegram, or Signal, you need an X account to use XChat, which limits the user base to one specific social media platform. X users with a large enough social circle on the platform may find this new app to be useful, but XChat does come with some security contradictions that all new users should be aware of.

XChat is a standard chat app for X users

XChat’s biggest sell, apart from being a place for X users to communicate, is that it is end-to-end encrypted. As the app reminds you upon setup, this encryption means there is no way for anyone—including X—to read the contents of your messages. Only the sender and receiver (or receivers) of an encrypted message have the ability to open and read it. In fact, XChat has you set up a passcode before proceeding to the actual app.

Once the app boots up, you’ll find all of your X DMs arranged in the same way you’d expect from any standard chat app. However, it doesn’t seem like encryption applies to previous chats: Once you send a new message, you see an alert that reads “This conversation is now end-to-end encrypted.” Like other chat apps, you can send audio recordings, GIFs, files, photos, or take new pictures with the camera. By clicking on the recipient’s profile picture, you can see their profile and shared media, plus customize the chat a bit. You can set a nickname, block screenshots, or turn on disappearing messages so that chats go away after a set period of time.

There’s a decent level of customization available on the app level, too. There are the standard light and dark themes, but you can also choose whether left swiping on a message “likes” it or reveals info, such as when the message was sent, whether it was encrypted, or when the recipient saw it. You can also choose from one of eight different chat app icons, which I always appreciate.

XChat isn’t as private as it seems

I’m all for adding end-to-end encryption to X DMs, so there’s some good stuff happening here. But it is a bit concerning that a messaging app advertising itself as a private experience with “no tracking” actually scrapes a number of data points and links them back to your identity. XChat’s App Privacy page shows that the app reserves the right to take your contact info, contacts, identifiers, device diagnostics, and usage data, and links that information to you directly.

That’s a big improvement from what the app was taking when it was first announced, which included things like location, search history, and user content. Maybe X adjusted these after facing pushback, but it rubs me the wrong way that a “private” chat app would still take this much data. If all you care about is end-to-end encryption, however, you can rest assured X isn’t reading your messages

Where to watch Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers NBA playoffs: Live stream, start time, TV channel, odds for Friday, April 24

The Boston Celtics take on the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 3 of their NBA first-round playoff series. The teams split the first two games in Boston. Games 3 and 4 will be in Philadelphia. The Celtics are favored by 7.5 points in Game 3.

  • Spread: Philadelphia 76ers +7.5

  • Moneyline: Philadelphia 76ers +240 (28.2%) / Boston Celtics -300 (71.8%)

  • Over/Under: 214.5

Game 1:Celtics 123, 76ers 91
Game 2:76ers 111, Celtics 97
Game 3: Fri., April 24 at Philadelphia (7 p.m., Prime)
Game 4: Sun., April 26 at Philadelphia (7 p.m., NBC)
*Game 5: Tue., April 28 at Boston (TBD)
*Game 6: Thu., April 30 at Philadelphia (TBD)
*Game 7: Sat., May 2 at Boston (TBD)if necessary

6 things we learned from the first month of the MLB season: The NL Central is good, this rookie class is special and more

One month down, five to go in the 2026 MLB regular season. Four weeks of action are in the books, with teams having played between 24 and 26 games, or roughly 15% of their schedules. Soon, all of our “it’s only April” caveats will no longer apply as the sample of data grows to the point that we can start trusting the results as reality. 

For now, we’re left to take stock of what has happened thus far with the caveat that we’re looking at a limited sample. Even so, over just a few weeks of play, some big themes have emerged that will be worth monitoring for the rest of the year.

Here are six big takeaways one-sixth of the way through the regular season:

Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised; this division sent three teams to the postseason last year, including the Brewers with the best record in baseball. But the degree to which the NL Central has separated itself in April has been stunning. 

This has partially been the product of a wonky early schedule that has featured hardly any intradivision games, thus limiting the chances for these teams to beat up on one another. Instead, all five clubs have seized their opportunities to prove themselves against the rest of the league, resulting in the NL Central accounting for five of the 10 best records in MLB at this point. 

Here’s a look at each division’s combined record entering Friday:

  • AL East: 60-63

  • AL Central: 58-69

  • AL West: 59-69

  • NL East: 58-69

  • NL Central: 73-50

  • NL West: 69-57

The Cubs and Reds are tied at the top at 16-9, though they’ve taken vastly different routes to first place. The Cubs are riding a nine-game winning streak, powered by an offense that is fully healthy and starting to fire on all cylinders. Chicago is missing a ton of key arms due to injury, but its elite defense and strong showings from Shota Imanaga and Edward Cabrera have ensured reliable run prevention nevertheless. The Cubs’ plus-43 run differential ranks third in MLB. 

The Reds, meanwhile, feature a negative run differential at minus-2, but their pitching has been stellar, even without an inning from ace Hunter Greene. Elly De La Cruz and rookie Sal Stewart have formed one of the best 1-2 position-player punches around, but the rest of the offense has been abysmal and will need to improve if the Reds want to remain in the mix atop this division. 

Next in line are the Cardinals, a team many thought would be rebuilding this year but one that thus far has proven rather competent, with an exciting young position-player group led by one of baseball’s biggest breakout stars, Jordan Walker. The Pirates aren’t far behind St. Louis, and they’ve looked like the better team, leaning on their terrific pitching staff led by Paul Skenes and a revamped lineup that has provided far more consistent run support than a year ago. 

Last year’s champs, the Brewers, are currently bringing up the rear, though they’re the only last-place team in baseball with a winning record, at 13-11. The Brewers are still waiting for Jackson Chourio to return from a broken hand injury, and their bullpen has been uncharacteristically shaky in the early going.

Another quirk of the standings through one month — and the flip side of the NL Central’s dominance — has been the complete lack of a standout team in the American League outside of the New York Yankees, who sit at 16-9 with a plus-37 run differential, the fourth-best mark in baseball behind the Braves, Dodgers and Cubs. The National League accounts for eight of the nine best records in baseball through one month of play. Of course, that’s not to say all the bad teams are in the American League: The six worst records in MLB are an even split of AL (Astros, Red Sox, Royals) and NL (Rockies, Mets, Phillies) teams.

For the most part, though, much of the American League has spent the first month floating in the messy middle, with a lot of the clubs that were expected to be contenders off to uneven starts. That group includes last year’s ALCS participants, Toronto and Seattle, each sitting multiple games below .500 as a brutal string of injuries has hampered the Blue Jays and the Mariners’ biggest bats have only recently started to look like themselves after an ice-cold start. Cleveland and Detroit, both postseason teams last year, have each been solid, but the Tigers had to dig themselves out of a 4-9 hole to get to where they are now, and the Guardians haven’t won more than two straight games, limiting their ability to climb the standings. And then Boston, the last 2025 AL playoff team, is a total mess at the moment.

It seems like the Yankees are pretty good — that much we know. But after that? We’re still waiting to see which teams step up as convincing contenders. Perhaps Baltimore or Texas can break into that discussion, with the Rangers in position to do so considering the slow start of the AL West. But at this point, we’re welcoming any and all nominations.

Four years ago, the Phillies and Astros met in the World Series, signaling the opening of a championship window for Philadelphia and reasserting Houston’s status as the gold standard of the American League. The Astros claimed the title in six games, a clean triumph for the franchise after their 2017 championship was sullied by the sign-stealing scandal. It was a disappointing conclusion to a magical run through October for the Phillies, but the future looked bright based on the talent in place, and another run at a title felt like a matter of when, not if. The Astros, meanwhile, had some key pieces approaching free agency, but their infrastructure inspired confidence that in all likelihood, the American League would run through Houston for the foreseeable future. 

Fast-forward to today, and these two teams find themselves in difficult spots after gradually trending further and further away from the ultimate prize in the years since that World Series. Despite ample regular-season success, the Phillies have endured increasingly early (and painful) eliminations in October, while the makeup of Houston’s roster has changed dramatically, and the Astros just missed the postseason for the first time since 2016. 

These troubling trends aside, there was considerable hope entering 2026 that both teams had enough high-end talent to contend, but ugly April showings have squashed that optimism. For the Astros, injuries have tormented the roster for the second straight year, and they lack the depth to overcome so many key absences, even with Yordan Alvarez playing at an MVP level. And the Phillies have been healthy on offense, but the bats outside of Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber have been awful while the pitching has disappointed, leaving Philadelphia with the worst run differential in MLB (minus-51) and tied with Kansas City for the worst record (8-17). 

There’s still time for these franchises to course-correct and remain relevant in the postseason picture, but they can’t wait much longer before kicking it into high gear.

This past offseason featured another round of Japanese stars making the leap to the majors. Only one of them — Kazuma Okamoto (four years, $60 million with the Blue Jays) — received a contract in line with industry expectations, while Munetaka Murakami (two years, $34 million with the White Sox) and Tatsuya Imai (three years, $54 million with the Astros) settled for far smaller deals than many projected when they were posted. 

We’re a long way from knowing how these contracts will play out, but there has been a clear winner so far among this trio of signings, and that’s Murakami and the White Sox. Murakami’s home run streak ended at five Thursday, but his prodigious power has been on display from the get-go, as he has racked up 10 home runs in his first 25 big-league games. The 26-year-old is whiffing a ton, as his track record hinted he would, but he’s drawing plenty of walks to help offset the punchouts, and the standout slugging speaks for itself. He has been a treat to watch. 

Okamoto, viewed as the safer bet of the two hitters to contribute right away, has struggled to make an impact thus far. He has started nearly every game at third base for Toronto and has collected a few big hits, but his overall output (79 wRC+) has been underwhelming. There are some underlying metrics to feel good about — his 50.9% hard-hit rate and 10.3% walk-rate are both comfortably above league-average — but if the Blue Jays were hoping for a difference-maker, Okamoto hasn’t been one quite yet.

And then there’s Imai, whose Astros tenure barely got off the ground before a stoppage. After three starts — one bad (4 ER in 2 ⅔ IP), one good (5 ⅔ scoreless innings) and one catastrophic (one out recorded, six baserunners allowed) — Imai was placed on the injured list due to what the team described as “right arm fatigue.” He told reporters he was struggling to adjust to life in America both on and off the field, a discouraging development considering the Astros had never signed a player directly from NPB before and apparently have struggled thus far to help Imai make the transition.

The vague diagnosis of his ailment suggests Imai’s IL stint might be a mental reset as much as anything. Houston needs him to return to the rotation soon, considering how many key arms are expected to be out much longer, including ace Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier.

While Murakami, Okamoto and Imai are technically rookies, their older ages and prior professional experience puts them in a different category than most first-year MLB players. Among the more traditional prospects in their debut big-league campaigns in 2026, there are a ton of rookies making exciting first impressions. Murakami’s epic power pace could have him squarely in the AL Rookie of the Year conversation, but he’ll have to fend off some serious competition. 

That starts with Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle, who already looks like Detroit’s best all-around position player at age 21. Cleveland has ROY candidates on both sides of the ball, as outfielder Chase DeLauter has single-handedly changed the complexion of the Guardians’ offense while lefty Parker Messick leads all rookies in innings pitched (30 ⅔), and his 1.76 ERA ranks fifth-lowest among qualified starting pitchers. Kansas City’s Carter Jensen might have slept through his alarm in an embarrassing early-season incident, but he has been terrific at the plate, with a .565 slugging percentage that ranks behind only Murakami among AL rookies.

In the National League, Pirates phenom Konnor Griffin has arrived as the first major leaguer born in 2006, but he’s still settling into his role as Pittsburgh’s every-day shortstop. There’s time for him to play his way into the Rookie of the Year conversation, but several other NL rookies have gotten a nice headstart toward the award. That group begins with Reds slugger Sal Stewart, as Cincinnati’s first baseman has been one of the best bats not just among rookies but also among all hitters league-wide. He’s hitting .297/.389/.615 with eight homers, and his 24 RBI rank second in MLB behind only Yordan Alvarez. 

The Cubs’ Moises Ballesteros is another NL Central rookie doing a ton of damage at the plate (1.086 OPS), though his production has come almost exclusively as a DH and in a platoon role. St. Louis’ JJ Wetherholt and Philadelphia’s Justin Crawford have both been reaching base consistently and could factor into the ROY discussion if they add more power. On the mound, the Mets’ Nolan McLean will be tough to top, but Andrew Painter, Rhett Lowder and Bubba Chandler are all playing pivotal roles for their rotations as well.

Shohei Ohtani is coming for the Cy Young Award … and so is his former teammate

With Shohei Ohtani beginning his first full season as a pitcher with the Los Angeles Dodgers, there was substantial buzz that the two-way sensation could make a serious run at the top accolade that has eluded him: the Cy Young Award. While his spot at the back of the Dodgers’ rotation and his increased time between outings mean he has made just four starts, instead of the five or six by some of the other top arms around the league, Ohtani has delivered on the hype when on the hill. He has allowed one earned run across 24 innings, racking up 25 strikeouts to just six walks and 12 hits allowed.

This is similar to the version of Ohtani we saw down the stretch last season, before he tired out by the end of the World Series, and it lends optimism that if he can rack up enough innings, Ohtani will indeed be in the NL Cy Young conversation. Meanwhile, his bat has yet to really heat up relative to his standards, but it’s hard to complain about a Cy Young contender with an .812 OPS, and his underlying metrics still indicate he is crushing the ball with regularity. 

That Ohtani, intent in reestablishing his pitching bona fides, is wowing us should come as no surprise. Much more unexpected has been the breakout of one of his former Angels teammates, José Soriano. The early front-runner for the AL Cy Young Award has allowed just one run (a Drake Baldwin solo blast) across his first six outings, marking a historic beginning to a season for a starting pitcher.

Soriano and Ohtani shared a clubhouse for only a few months in 2023, when Ohtani was playing his final season in Anaheim and Soriano was a hard-throwing rookie reliever looking to establish himself in the majors. Soriano moved to the rotation after Ohtani left and showed flashes of impact the past two seasons, most notably elite groundball rates. But everything has elevated for him in 2026, and Soriano is now translating his top-end velocity into more whiffs while throwing more strikes than ever, suddenly giving the Angels the kind of ace they haven’t had in years (excluding Ohtani). 

We’ll see how the schedule shakes out, but it’d be awesome to see Soriano and Ohtani face off on the mound when the two L.A. teams clash in mid-May in Anaheim or in early June at Dodger Stadium.

These Adjustable Dumbbells Actually Got Me to Stick to a Lifting Routine

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This past Christmas, I came up with the perfect idea for my 15-year-old son’s “big gift”—a set of adjustable dumbbells and an adjustable weight-lifting bench. It was perfect for two reasons. First, because my son and his friends had gotten into lifting several months earlier, and he loved it, but the weather (or life in general) couldn’t always cooperate in order for him to get to the gym when he wanted. And second, because we live in a 100-year-old home that is generally lacking in space—or even a garage—we’re limited on how much of a “home gym” we can really accommodate. Having essentially a full set of weights, plus a bench that could be folded up and stored, was a great solution.

The dumbbells can be adjusted in five-pound increments from 10 pounds all the way up to 55; the bench can lie flat or be adjusted at essentially eight different angles. Plus, they match, which is fun.

The bow was a nice touch, don’t you think?
Credit: Meghan Walbert

Adjustable Dumbbells, Set of Two


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He was thrilled and immediately began showing off some lifts while I sipped my coffee and watched from the couch. “Maybe you could create a little routine for me,” I said on a whim. “Like arms and shoulders and stuff.” With zero hesitation, he propped his phone up on the floor in front of the bench to take video of several lifts he thought would be good for me (shoulder presses, hammer curls, bicep curls, and such). I asked Lifehacker’s Senior Health Editor Beth Skwarecki for a recommendation for a good lifting app, and from the few suggestions she sent, I settled on the Hevy app, where I was able to find a couple more lifts I liked to add into the routine (incline bench presses and a hex press, if you’re curious).

Now, nearly four months later, and for the first time since before that 15-year-old was born, I have consistently stuck with a regular lifting routine. Pre-kids, sticking to such a thing felt a lot easier—I’d simply hit the gym on the way home from work to put in some cardio time and make my way around the weight machines. But now, I work from home, and my kids constantly need rides from this school to that activity, from this practice to that friend’s house. Finding the time necessary for a workout and for the time and energy it takes to pack myself up and actually go to a second location just isn’t something I’ve managed to do. But the commute to my basement is undeniably doable. I even take my laptop with me to edit articles between reps; one can’t be much more productive than that.

(Go Birds.)
Credit: Meghan Walbert

These days, I actually use the dumbbells more than my son, who prefers to lift at our local YMCA with his friends whenever possible. Although, as this photo reveals, he used them yesterday and I’ve yet to use them today; mama is getting stronger, but not 35-pounds per arm stronger. Yet.

Cubs stay hot for Dodgers duel, Braves return to World Series contender form and Yankees ready for new uniforms

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When the Chicago Cubs made some big moves this past offseason, the hope was to get the club back to its winning ways after a few disappointing seasons. Bringing in veteran Alex Bregman and star pitcher Edward Cabrera were just a few signs of that commitment, and so far this season, it’s paying off for fans in the Windy City.

On this episode of the Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about what the Cubs are doing so well during their nine-game winning streak, which has them sitting atop the NL Central and ready for a big matchup against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Even though their pitching staff has been depleted due to injuries, the Cubbies are ready to make some noise in the National League and make a statement in Los Angeles this weekend.

Later, Jake and Jordan discuss the Atlanta Braves impressing this season in all facets of the game with their MLB-best 18–8 record, and how manager Walter Weiss set the tone early for this team to fight until the end of every game. They then get into the San Diego Padres signing Lucas Giolito, the New York Mets finally snapping their 12-game losing streak and make their picks for this week’s edition of The Good, The Bad & The Uggla.

1:11 – The Opener: Cubs stay hot

19:00 – Field Report: Braves success in 2026

29:30 – Around the League: Padres sign Giolito

37:36 – Mets snap losing streak

44:35 – The Good

51:50 – The Bad

58:22 – The Uggla

Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

🖥️ Watch this full episode on YouTube

Check out all episodes of Baseball Bar-B-Cast and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

These Sony Noise-Canceling Headphones Are Nearly Half Off Right Now

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There’s nothing quite like a reliable pair of over-ear noise-canceling headphones to block out distractions, but with options ranging from budget buys to $500+ premium models, finding the right pair can feel like a challenge. The Sony WH-CH720N, an entry-level over-ear option, hit the sweet spot, offering comfort, long-lasting battery life, and good automatic noise canceling (ANC)—and right now, they’re nearly half off. You can pick them up for $92.95 (down from $179.99) from Amazon.

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The lower price doesn’t mean compromised quality. Corners have mostly been cut in the design and build; they’re smaller and lighter than premium models from brands like Bose, or even the Sony WH-1000XM5s. As a result, some reviewers say they can feel a bit plasticky, but the fact that these are Sony’s lightest over-ear ANC headphones (just 192 grams) is actually a perk if you want something more compact and travel-friendly, especially since they still have plush, comfortable earcups. The ANC uses Sony’s V1 processor, the same tech used in higher-end Sony models (just a bit less powerful here), and they have the same 30mm drivers as the WH-1000XM5, delivering crisp, vibrant sound. 

Battery life is a major win. According to CNET, these headphones will last up to 35 hours, which is longer than many premium models, and give you an hour of playback with just a few minutes of fast charging. You can also set them to shut down automatically after 15 minutes when they’re not in use, further preserving battery life. It’s worth noting that there’s no carrying case or pouch included, and no IPX rating. That said, they do have a transparency mode, multipoint Bluetooth pairing, and adjustable EQ through the companion app. 

Ultimately, if you’re looking for comfortable over-ear headphones for everyday use, the Sony WH-CH720N headphones are a smart choice, and a steal at 48% off.

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