After the announcements made during yesterday’s WWDC25 keynote, Apple has revealed its ongoing commitment to the daily puzzle trend with the introduction of the Emoji Game: a fun challenge where players need to complete three phrases using emojis. Here’s how it functions.
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Emoji Game marks the newest addition to Apple’s expanding collection of News+ Puzzles, which currently features Crossword, Mini Crossword, Quartiles, and Sudoku.
Accessible via the Following tab in the News app, the game will refresh daily and will feature integration with Game Center for tracking stats, streaks, and leaderboards. It will be available in the U.S. and for English-speaking users in Canada.
Emoji Game brings one of the preferred methods of communication among users to life in a playful and engaging manner, challenging players to use emojis to complete three phrases while aiming to solve the puzzle in the least number of moves.
This isn’t Apple’s first foray into puzzles. The company introduced daily crosswords and additional games to Apple News+ in 2023, paving the way for other bite-sized, brainy content. With Emoji Game, Apple demonstrates its commitment to broadening this initiative and encouraging users to engage daily.
This strategy aligns with a larger trend that gained momentum when The New York Times acquired Wordle in early 2022. That straightforward daily word game inspired a surge of puzzle-focused engagement strategies, ultimately leading to the creation of a dedicated NYT Games app, featuring hits like Connections and Strands. Even LinkedIn has entered the game, introducing daily puzzles to enhance user visits.
While Apple isn’t aiming to become the next NYT Games, the successful formula is hard to overlook: daily puzzles foster engagement habits. In an environment where competing for app usage is critical, a brief five-minute emoji challenge could be just the incentive needed to keep users returning.
