Apple News+ Adds Emoji Puzzle Game

Apple News+ Expands with New Emoji Game

A compelling incentive for subscription upgrades has been unveiled by Apple for its news platform, Apple News+: the addition of interactive games. The company announced on Thursday the launch of the Emoji Game, an original title designed to complement existing offerings. These include the Crossword puzzle, Crossword Mini, Sudoku, and the word game Quartiles, all available in both the U.S. and Canada for English-speaking users.

Strategic Game Integration

The integration of games into broader service bundles has demonstrated success in attracting and retaining users. Both The New York Times and LinkedIn have effectively utilized this strategy. While Apple does not disclose specific user statistics related to its Games section, the company reports a significant number of News+ subscriptions are driven by the availability of its puzzle games.

Released in conjunction with World Emoji Day, the Emoji Game blends logic and wordplay, mirroring the way emojis are used in modern communication. Players are presented with daily puzzles requiring them to decipher phrases using emojis, aiming for completion with the fewest possible moves.

Gameplay Mechanics and Features

Consider, for example, a puzzle containing the word “appear.” Players might encounter “ap” followed by empty spaces. The solution involves dragging the emoji representing a pear into the blanks to complete the word. However, the Emoji Game presents more challenging phrases.

Often, the necessary emojis are found in combinations or require abstract thought to determine the correct answer. Furthermore, the emoji’s corresponding word may be used to fill spaces interspersed with other letters.

Should players become stuck, a clue can be revealed below the phrase, though this action deducts one move from their total.

Scoring and Social Features

Each day features multiple phrases to solve, culminating in a complete puzzle. Achieving a perfect score requires completion within six moves. Leaderboards allow users to monitor their progress, track streaks, and compare scores with friends and fellow players. With the release of iOS 26, a new Games app will enable users to directly challenge friends to participate.

Leveraging Apple Intelligence with Genmoji

To enhance the game’s connection to the Apple ecosystem, the Emoji Game incorporates Genmoji. These are custom emojis generated through Apple Intelligence, the company’s artificial intelligence technology. This expands the available emoji library beyond the standard set of fewer than 2,000. An example might include a Genmoji depicting a blender alongside a tomato emoji to represent the word “purée.”

Development and Availability

The game’s development was undertaken by Apple, with puzzle design handled in collaboration with The Puzzle Society (now GoComics). Apple’s own puzzle editors also contribute to the game’s content. The Emoji Game is currently being rolled out to Apple News+ subscribers in the U.S. and Canada across iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices.

Users with iOS 18.4 or later will have immediate access without requiring an app update, while those on older iOS versions will need to update their software.

Apple News+ Comprehensive Offering

Beyond the new game, an Apple News+ subscription provides access to over 400 premium publishers, narrated audio content, local news sources, sports coverage, and the recently added recipe-saving feature, Apple News+ Food.