Undoubtedly, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is the most hype that the franchise has enjoyed in a while now. A lot of gamers are excited to replay one of the most prolific entries in the vast history-hopping series. But Black Flag isn’t the only entry getting some eyeballs. The mysterious Codename Hexe is also getting some love, and we might finally have some more information about the game, thanks to a new leak.

In 2022, Ubisoft teased Codename Hexe as a darker entry in the franchise. Four years later, the game is still shrouded in mystery. Today, a leaker (@xj0nathan on X) has shared some interesting details about the game.

For one, the game will reportedly be set during the Wurzburg Witch Trials in the 17^th century, confirming earlier rumors that the setting would be dark one. Adding to that, Codename Hexe might have most of its gameplay in forest biomes, using a lot of trees to parkour around.

The return of an icon

Confirming rumors is just a tiny part of the leak. The more interesting bit is the alleged return of the franchise’s most beloved character: Ezio Auditore da Firenze.

Ezio has not been seen in an Assassin’s Creed game in over a decade. His story concluded in Revelations (with a neat epilogue in a short film called Assassin’s Creed: Embers).

In Codename Hexe, the iconic assassin will reportedly return to mentor the game’s protagonist named Anika. Currently, it’s unclear how he appears in the game’s setting. Some rumors hint that Isu technology might be involved.

Finally, the leak concludes with a blurry photo. Unfortunately, Ubisoft has been taking down reposts of the photo, so we won’t include it here. The original leaker himself took it down as well. It can, however, be described as a female assassin trudging through a dark forest with creepy lights in the background. It doesn’t reveal a lot of details, but it’s substantial enough to warrant takedowns.

SEE ALSO: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced launches on July 9

The popularity of Snapchat’s competitors is as fleeting as their disappearing messages. However, despite how volatile the market is, Instagram wants to try again with a new feature (and app) called Instants.

Pardon me if you’ve heard this premise before. Instants is a feature that lets users share disappearing photos. However, unlike the 24 hours allotted for Stories, Instants will disappear right after a friend views them, but they can still react and reply to them.

The idea of Instants is to trim the excess fat from what Instagram is these days. Instagram’s Adam Mosseri admits as much when he said users want as easier way to shoot content.

As such, users won’t have access to Instagram’s editing tools. They also can’t upload pre-shot content from their camera roll. Like its contemporaries like BeReal, the new Instants feature is about living in the moment and sharing exactly what users see.

Despite disappearing after a single view, Instants will be automatically archived, so they can be reuploaded as normal Stories later on.

It isn’t the Wild West, though. Even if it pares down all the extra features, Instants will still use the safety features available to all of Instagram. Users, especially young ones, can mute and block others’ Instants. Likewise, parents will have control over when and how their young children interact with the feature.

SEE ALSO: Instagram wants a feature that works like Discord

As ever, the buzzword for Android 17 is “Gemini.” Like previous years, Google is delving further into the world of AI. Now, if you don’t really care about Gemini, you might be wondering why it might be worth the time to jump over to Android 17 when it launches. Here are a few reasons:

Pause Point: A more effective anti-distraction tool

You’ve heard of this before. There are apps today designed to prevent you from getting too distracted by other apps while working. However, it’s likely that they don’t work because they’re too lax or too restrictive. There’s no in-between.

Pause Point presents an interesting take on the anti-distraction tool. With the tool, opening a potentially distracting app will come with a prompt for you to set a timer or focus on a more productive app.

Since you can open the app (or other apps), it’s not a very restrictive option. At the same time, it’s not easy to wave away, either. You’ll need a restart to completely turn the feature off.

More sharing options with iOS

Last year, Android and iOS destroyed their file-sharing woes when the former started supporting AirDrop. Because it’s not a perfect solution, there are still some pain points. However, Android 17 is adding a new trick to ease file transfers to and from iOS 26.5.

With the new update, users can generate a QR code which allows for easy file transfers between the platforms.

Android also shared that it is continuing work on Quick Share. The feature is expected to arrive on other apps, including WhatsApp, soon.

Screen reactions

Reaction videos are the new meta on social media. Creators love posting shortform videos of them just reaction to other content online.

If you’re that type of creator (or you just love sending your reactions to your friends), Android 17 is making it easier to make this format. Besides social media apps that already have that function, Android will be able to natively make those videos without a third-party app.

It’s perfect if you want to post the same video on multiple platforms, or if you just want to share your reaction with friends and family.

3D emojis!

Welcome to 2026, Android!

After an age in flat design, Google is finally adding a third dimension to its designs. It started with a set of updated app icons that added gradients to the formerly flat Material Design. Now, Android’s emojis are going 3D.

Honestly, this is the most subtle change of the four, and you might not care if you don’t use emojis anyway. But it’s still huge for Android’s future.

Though the new set of emojis are still visually distinct from Apple’s set, the splash of lighting and shadows makes this set more cohesive with Apple’s language. It feels exciting to use emojis again as an Android user.