Tech
Nano Banana can now make personalized AI Images based on your Photos library

Google announced today that the Gemini Personal Intelligence feature is now available in Nano Banana 2, the company's popular AI image model.
Now, instead of uploading a photo, users can give Nano Banana access to their Google Photos library, which will allow Nano Banana to generate personalized images for users.
Don’t miss out on our latest stories: Add Mashable as a trusted news source in Google.
"One of the biggest hurdles in AI image generation is finding the right prompt," reads a Google blog post. "Previously, to get a result that felt truly personal, you had to write long, detailed descriptions and manually upload a reference photo just to give Gemini the right context. Now, Personal Intelligence gives Gemini an inherent understanding of your preferences from the start."
Nano Banana is one of the web's leading AI image generators, and it's particularly good at editing photos. With Personal Intelligence, Nano Banana can reference your images and Labels to make photos based on you, your pets, or anything else in your library.
Google gives several examples of how this could be useful. For instance, instead of uploading an image of your family and writing a detailed prompt, you can simply tell Gemini to "Make a claymation image of my family." Google also suggests prompts such as "Design my dream house" and "Create a picture of my desert island essentials."
Credit: Google
Credit: Google
Users will need to organize and label their photos for the feature to work as intended, however.
Of course, before granting an AI tool like Gemini or Nano Banana access to your entire photo library, it's important to understand how your images will be used.
Google says that Gemini will not "directly" train its models on your photos; however, it will be able to train its models with the photos, prompts, and AI-generated images that appear in the Gemini app.
"The Gemini app does not directly train its models on your private Google Photos library," the blog post states. "We train on limited info, like specific prompts in Gemini and the model’s responses, to improve functionality over time. And connecting your Google apps to Gemini remains an opt-in experience that you can adjust in your settings at any time."
As ever, it's important to check the fine print before using a new feature like this. You can read more about training and privacy at the Google Gemini Privacy Hub.
Want to learn more about getting the best out of your tech? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories and Deals newsletters today.
Tech
NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for April 19, 2026

Today's Connections: Sports Edition will be a little easier if you love baseball.
As we've shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.
Like the original Connections, 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 the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.
What is Connections: Sports Edition?
The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Each puzzle features 16 words, and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise 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 before the game ends.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
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: Sports Edition categories
Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:
-
Yellow: East Coast
-
Green: Back end
-
Blue: They don't call it soccer
-
Purple: Past and present names
Here are today's Connections: Sports Edition categories
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
-
Yellow: AL East Teams
-
Green: First Words of Football Positions
-
Blue: Premier League Managers
-
Purple: Nicknames for the Dodgers Franchise, Over Time
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: Sports Edition #573 is…
What is the answer to Connections: Sports Edition today?
-
AL East Teams — BLUE JAYS, ORIOLES, RAYS, YANKEES
-
First Words of Football Positions — DEFENSIVE, RUNNING, TIGHT, WIDE
-
Premier League Managers — EMERY, GUARDIOLA, MOYES, SLOT
-
Nicknames for the Dodgers Franchise, Over Time — BRIDEGROOMS, DODGERS, ROBINS, SUPERBAS
Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new sports 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? See hints and answers for today's Strands.
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.
Tech
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 19, 2026

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you have a sweet tooth.
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.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
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.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
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.
Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today
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: Lippy
-
Green: Gowns
-
Blue: Played in Vegas
-
Purple: Sweet treats
Here are today's Connections categories
Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:
-
Yellow: Cheeky
-
Green: Dress measurements
-
Blue: Cards in Texas Hold 'Em
-
Purple: Last words of candy brands in the singular
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 #1043 is…
What is the answer to Connections today
-
Cheeky: ARCH, FRESH, SASSY, WISE
-
Dress measurements: BUST, HIPS, LENGTH, WAIST
-
Cards in Texas Hold 'Em: FLOP, HOLE, RIVER, TURN
-
Last words of candy brands in the singular: CAP, DUD, KID, MINT
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.
Tech
NYT Strands hints, answers for April 19, 2026

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're constantly changing.
Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.
If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.
NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Small change
The words are related to changes.
Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained
These words describe fine-tuning.
NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?
Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.
NYT Strands spangram answer today
Today's spangram is There I Fixed It.
Mashable 101 Fan Fave: Nominate your favorite creators today
NYT Strands word list for April 19
-
There I Fixed It
-
Adjust
-
Modify
-
Alter
-
Improve
-
Tweak
-
Refine
Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and 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 Strands.
-
Politics7 months agoSEND IN THE TROOPS! At Least 5 Dead, 10 Wounded So Far in Chicago Weekend Shootings
-
Business7 months ago
How I Paid Off My Mortgage 10 Years Early On A Teacher’s Salary
-
Politics7 months agoBlack Lives Matter Activist in Boston Pleads Guilty to Federal Fraud Charges – Scammed Donors to Fund Her Lifestyle
-
Tech8 months agoGet a lifetime subscription to the “ChatGPT for investors” for under $60
-
Tech7 months agoReview: The Dreame H15 Pro CarpetFlex is the first wet/dry vacuum I liked
-
Business8 months ago
25 Low-Effort Side Hustles You Can Start This Weekend
-
Tech8 months agoHow much does the Roborock Saros Z70 cost? And does it ever go on sale?
-
Business8 months ago
9 Ways to Command a Six-Figure Salary Without a Bachelor’s
