Apple News+ Launches Emoji Puzzle Game in US, Canada

Apple has introduced the Emoji Game, a new original puzzle game available exclusively to Apple News+ subscribers in the U.S. and Canada, designed to enhance the subscription service with engaging word and logic challenges involving emojis. The game challenges players to complete short phrases by dragging emojis, including unique Genmoji created with Apple Intelligence, into blank spaces using as few moves as possible, with clues available at a cost to the move count. Emoji Game integrates with Apple's Game Center leaderboards for score tracking and social sharing, and will be accessible through the upcoming Apple Games app on iOS 26, allowing users to challenge friends. This game complements other puzzles offered in Apple News+, such as Crossword, Crossword Mini, Sudoku, and Quartiles, and Apple highlights that many subscribers join primarily for the puzzle content. Released to coincide with World Emoji Day, the Emoji Game reflects Apple's strategy to bundle games with other services to attract and retain users, similar to the approaches of The New York Times and LinkedIn. New puzzles are released daily, providing ongoing engagement for subscribers.