Following yesterday’s WWDC25 keynote announcements, Apple confirmed that it will continue to lean into the daily puzzle trend with the launch of Emoji Game: a lighthearted challenge that tasks players with completing three phrases using emoji. Here’s how it’ll work.
Come for the fun, stay for that sweet, sweet subscription revenue
Emoji Game is the latest addition to Apple’s growing catalog of News+ Puzzles, which already includes Crossword, Mini Crossword, Quartiles, and Sudoku.
Available from the Following tab in the News app, the game will be updated daily and will integrate with Game Center for stats, streaks, and leaderboards. It will be available in the U.S. and for English-speaking users in Canada.
Emoji Game brings to life one of users’ favorite ways to communicate in a fun and engaging way, with players challenged to use emoji to complete three phrases, with the goal of solving the puzzle in as few moves as possible.
This isn’t Apple’s first move into puzzles. The company introduced daily crosswords and other games to Apple News+ in 2023, making way for other daily bite-sized, brainy content. With Emoji Game, Apple is signaling that it’s serious about expanding that effort and giving users more reasons to check in every day.
It’s all part of a broader trend that gained traction when The New York Times acquired Wordle in early 2022. That simple daily word game helped spark a wave of puzzle-driven engagement strategies, eventually leading to a dedicated NYT Games app with hits like Connections and Strands. Even LinkedIn has gotten into the… game, adding daily puzzles to boost repeat visits.
Apple isn’t trying to become the next NYT Games, but the formula is hard to ignore: daily puzzles build habits. And in a world where app usage is a battle for attention, a five-minute emoji challenge might just be one more way to keep people coming back.
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