Apple just found a new way to make one of its apps a bit more tempting

The company just dropped a brand-new title called Emoji Game. It joins the growing lineup of word and number puzzles that already includes Crossword, Sudoku and Quartiles, giving subscribers another fun way to kill time and challenge their brains.

Launching just in time for World Emoji Day (yes, it’s a thing celebrated on July 17), the new game is available now for Apple News+ subscribers in the US and Canada, in English.

 

Emoji Game is a mix of wordplay and logic. Each day, players are given three short phrases with missing parts – and the challenge is to complete them using emojis. You get a limited set to work with and the fewer moves you make, the better. If you are stuck, you can reveal a clue for each phrase – but that also adds to your move count.

One of the unique touches here is the use of Genmoji, or custom emojis created with Apple Intelligence, which gives Apple a bit more flexibility than the standard emoji set. In other words, you’re not limited to the emojis on your keyboard – Apple’s throwing in AI-powered ones, too.

Scores are tracked through Game Center, and of course, you can share results with friends through Messages, Mail, or social media. You’ll find the game in the Puzzles section of the Apple News app, and later this fall, Emoji Game will also be available through the Apple Games app, a new hub for casual gaming and puzzle lovers.

Apple isn’t the only one using puzzles to boost engagement – The New York Times, for example, has seen major success with its own games. Apple doesn’t reveal how many people play its games, but it does say that a lot of users subscribe to News+ just for the puzzles.