Technologies

How to Watch His Dark Materials Season 3

Lyra and Will are back to close out with a bang.

His Dark Materials season three — the conclusion to the HBO adaptation of Philip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy — debuts Dec. 5 at 9 p.m. ET. There are several places online where you can stream the excitement, depending on which country you’re watching from — and whether you’ve got a reliable virtual private network.

Here are the most up-to-date streaming services where you can watch the final season of Lyra and Will’s adventures, along with ways to get around geo-blocks and streaming glitches by using a VPN.

Where to watch His Dark Materials season 3

If you want to stream His Dark Materials online from inside the US, you’ll find it exclusively on HBO Max. The season’s eight episodes will arrive weekly at 9 p.m. EST, starting Dec. 5.

HBO Max also offers a free, 7-day trial if you’re interested in test-driving the service before committing to a monthly cost.

How to watch His Dark Materials, season 3, for free

US viewers who would like to take HBO Max up on its free, 7-day trial offer will be able to stream His Dark Material, season 3, for free as part of that trial. But that only helps you watch the first two episodes of the show’s eight-episode final season, unless you wait for all eight episodes to be released before starting your trial.

Viewers in the UK, Canada and Australia have similar options to get started — but only Canadian viewers will be able to watch the premiere on Dec. 5. Viewers in Canada can watch the debut on Crave’s on-demand streaming platform. The service costs CA$20 monthly but it offers a free, 7-day trial if you’re a new subscriber.

Viewers in Australia will be able to watch the season 3 debut on Tuesday, Dec. 6 on Binge. The streaming platform costs just AU$10 monthly. Its free trial period is more generous, with a full 14 days available to new subscribers.

Finally, UK viewers won’t get to watch the season 3 premiere until Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m. GMT, when it finally arrives on BBC iPlayer. However, the iPlayer is free to use with a valid UK television license.

We don’t recommend seeking out the TV series on fly-by-night illegal streaming or torrenting sites, but if you’re determined to do so, we strongly advise you to make sure your antivirus is up to date and your VPN is installed before you navigate to them. And remember: Never give those kinds of sites your credit card information.

Read more: Best VPN for Your Smart TV

How to watch His Dark Materials with a VPN

A well-tested, high-performing VPN can make viewing your favorite streaming platforms much easier. Even if you subscribe to a video streaming service where His Dark Materials is available, you may have problems accessing it in the catalog of movies available to you. If you’re internet service provider has issued you an IP address that’s wrong for the video library, or if you’re traveling while trying to watch your home country’s catalog, you may end up only being able to access movies and TV shows outside your normal viewing area.

Here’s how to quickly use a VPN to get access to the correct media libraries, to stream His Dark Materials when it premiers.

Read more: How We Test VPNs

1. Choose the right VPN for your needs.

If you’re choosing a VPN to stream video, you’ll want one with a few key criteria: top-notch speed test performance, a strong ability to disguise its traffic as normal traffic (a feature called obfuscation) and a network of servers that are optimized for media experiences so that your streams aren’t dropping in and out.

If you’re in a country where streaming certain content may be illegal according to local censorship laws, you’ll want to make sure your VPN provider offers well-tested security, and that you are only using the VPN on your laptop or home router — not your mobile phone. You’ll also want to make sure you’ve carefully followed any additional instructions from your VPN provider on configuring your VPN set-up for maximum privacy.

However, if you’re looking for an option that’s friendlier on your budget, we recommend a range of affordable VPNs, like Surfshark, that have also passed our security tests with flying colors.

Looking for other options? Be sure to check out some of the other great VPN deals taking place right now.

2. Connect to the correct country in your VPN.

Once you’ve installed your VPN, you’ll want to open the VPN app up and select the country where His Dark Materials is currently available for streaming on your platform of choice when season 3 premiers. In this case, HBO Max users would select and connect to a US server in your VPN’s list. Crave users would connect to Canadian servers.

After Dec. 6, Binge users would connect to Australian servers to watch the series. And, after Dec. 18, BBC iPlayer watchers would select a UK-based server when connecting.

Remember: It’s important to connect to your VPN before you log into — or create a new account for — your streaming subscription service.

3. Log into your streaming service.

You’ve installed your VPN, powered it on, and connected to the correct country. You’re nearly done!

Now all you have to do is log into your streaming media provider as normal. So navigate to HBO Max, BBC iPlayer, Crave or Binge — and then log in as you typically would. Once you’re in, you can use the platforms search bar to find His Dark Materials.

You’re ready to stream!

If you find that your streaming service still doesn’t work with your VPN running, make sure you’ve followed your VPN providers instructions and installed any browser-based plug-ins your VPN may need. If you’ve followed the directions and your settings are correct — then try closing all windows, restarting your machine, and first connecting to your VPN before doing anything else. That will ensure that your device is securely connected to your VPN and reduce the chances that your non-VPN IP address is interfering with your connection process.

Technologies

iPhone 17 Preorders Spike and Overall Phone Sales Aren’t Slowing Down Despite Tariffs

Global smartphone shipments saw a notable increase in the third quarter of 2025. Plus, preorders for Apple’s new iPhone 17 beat out the iPhone 16.

Despite tariffs and market uncertainty, global smartphone shipments increased 2.6% in the third quarter of 2025, compared to the same time last year, according to the International Data Corporation. Additionally, preorders for the iPhone 17, which launched last month, outpaced last year’s iPhone 16.

These increased sales include premium phones like the latest iPhones and Samsung foldables, suggesting yet again that pricier phones still sell in periods of economic strain. It’s a remarkable achievement, says IDC senior research director Nabila Popal, citing shrewd financing options as the reason people keep buying these high-end phones, which cost anywhere from $800 to nearly $2,000.

«[Phone makers] have mastered the art of innovation not only in hardware and software to entice upgrades but also in removing purchase friction. They have flawlessly combined cutting-edge devices with innovative financing models and aggressive trade-in programs that make the upgrading decision a ‘no-brainer’ for consumers,» Popal said in an IDC press release.

Apple sold 58.6 million iPhones this quarter, an increase of 2.9% over the same period in 2024, with more preorders for the iPhone 17 series than its predecessor. But Samsung wasn’t far behind, with its Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 selling better than all of the company’s prior foldables. The company still reigns atop the phone market with 61.4 million phones sold, representing 19% of the market in the third quarter of this year — an increase of 6.3% from the same period last year. Meanwhile, Apple lands slightly behind Samsung with 18.2% market share this quarter.

The other phone makers trailing Apple and Samsung are, in order: Xiaomi, with 13.5% of the market; Transsion, with 9%; and Vivo with 8.9%. The remaining companies in the phones industry, from Chinese stalwarts like Oppo and Honor to Motorola and Google, make up the remaining 31.4% of the market for the quarter. All told, 322.7 million phones were sold, up from 314.6 million in the third quarter of 2024, according to IDC.

IDC’s findings for the third quarter continue the small but steady growth of phone sales over the year, including a modest 1% increase in the preceding three months — which includes the April deadline when President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs. In the second quarter, IDC cited midrange devices like Samsung’s Galaxy A36 and other phones that started incorporating AI. But even persistent tariffs haven’t slowed down people’s appetites for pricier phones in the third quarter.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Oct. 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 14.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s Mini Crossword has an odd vertical shape, with an extra Across clue, and only four Down clues. The clues are not terribly difficult, but one or two could be tricky. Read on if you need the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.