iOS 17.5 Adds New 'Quartiles' Word Game for Apple News+ Subscribers

[MacRumors]

While the first iOS 17.5 beta is slim on new features, there is one fun addition for Apple News+ subscribers: a daily word game called Quartiles.

Quartiles tasks you with combining tiles to form words and earn points. Each puzzle starts with a grid of 20 tiles, and words can be formed with one to four tiles. A quartile is a four-tile word, and if you find all five in each puzzle, you earn a 40-point bonus. The website Gadget Hacks shared a walkthrough of the game with more details.

Quartiles is the third puzzle game included with an Apple News+ subscription, alongside Crossword and Crossword Mini. Starting with the iOS 17.5 beta, all three games integrate with Game Center to display leaderboards.

On an iPhone updated to the iOS 17.5 beta, Quartiles can be found in the Apple News app under the Following tab → Puzzles. The game is also available on the iPad and Mac starting with the iPadOS 17.5 and macOS 14.5 betas.

Apple News+ is available in the U.S., Australia, Canada, and the U.K., but the puzzle games seem to be limited to the U.S. and Canada for now.

iOS 17.5 will likely be released in May.

Article Link: iOS 17.5 Adds New 'Quartiles' Word Game for Apple News+ Subscribers

 

[dannyyankou]

Oh cool, I imagine they'll add more in the future to try to compete with NYT Games.

 

[PlayUltimate]

Seems to come out twice a week. (Sun/Wed) Having fun with it so far.

 

[pappl]

Apple News+ is available in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Seems a non-important app.

 

[Unity451]

This looks like a game for people who find scrabble to be too easy.

 

[Mamherst]

I have AppleNews+ and am based in the UK but don't have a Puzzles tab and haven't been able to find the crosswords in the past. I know Quartiles comes with 17.5 but not found crosswords before either. Is this a US only feature?

 

[jz0309]

I have a free trial thru eo June, so I might give this a try… but the actual “news”, meh, will definitely cancel before I get charged

 

[Account25476]

I'm honestly baffled.
There are many boring and age-old bugs throughout the ecosystem and the development team spend their time playing "games" which among other things are already available for free with third party apps that are even better.

I don't get it.

 

[McWetty]

Too bad it’s not roped into Apple Arcade too.

 

[vegetassj4]

Similar to the original Wordle Code, a months worth of words is stored in an iCloud text file:

Here is tomorrow's puzzle

 

[EightyEight]

Courage and innovation. Awesome!

 

[Realityck]

So Apple now gaming for more Apple News+ subscribers.

 

[Camerondonal]

This story sent me tumbling down a ten minute internet rabbit hole because, despite being a long-standing News+ subscribers, I had no idea it included crossword puzzles. And you know what: in my case, it doesn't, because I am in the UK and, like Live Voicemail, it turns out that News+ Puzzles are one of those US-only-for-no-discernible-reason features

 

[DougieS]

I have AppleNews+ and am based in the UK but don't have a Puzzles tab and haven't been able to find the crosswords in the past. I know Quartiles comes with 17.5 but not found crosswords before either. Is this a US only feature?

Seems likely it’s another USA only feature.
Never had Puzzles either in UK.

 

[gco212]

I love crosswords, but this game feels a bit lame. Seems like Apple is trying to be add something similar to the NYT's Connections, but this seems far easier and less entertaining. It's basically a word search.

 

[Camerondonal]

Seems likely it’s another USA only feature.
Never had Puzzles either in UK.

Yes, it's definitely US-only

 

[DanteHicks79]

I'm honestly baffled.
There are many boring and age-old bugs throughout the ecosystem and the development team spend their time playing "games" which among other things are already available for free with third party apps that are even better.

I don'g get it.

That's always been the predominate spirit at Apple. Work on something fun! ...not something that actually matters.

 

[Camerondonal]

Yes, it's definitely US-only

Audio stories are another US-only Apple News feature, despite the fact that Apple News Today is freely available as a podcast outside the US

 

[coolfactor]

Apple News+ is available in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Seems a non-important app.

CNN still gets my direct eyeballs. Must be something about the design of their content, much like McDonald's branding is designed to keep people coming back. 🤣 I do visit FoxNews when I need a good laugh at the twisted nonsense that they spew out.

It's a funny thing... I just can't "trust" the content coming through aggregators. Need to go to the source.

 

[coolfactor]

Seems likely it’s another USA only feature.
Never had Puzzles either in UK.

Yah, this is the first I've heard of games in the News+ app. Never seen any in the Canadian version. Can't be a licensing thing. It's gotta be a pro-America favouritism thing?

EDIT: I just opened up the News app and it prompted me with the trial, offering up "Daily puzzles". Honestly, I thought I was already a subscriber with access to News+, but I guess not.

 

[JohnRckr]

Apple News Arcade +
(9.99$ per month and we think you gonna love it!)

 

[Rychiar]

People subscribe to news?😬

 

[LeeW]

Apple News needs something to make people subscribe I guess.

 

[75Batt]

I'm honestly baffled.
There are many boring and age-old bugs throughout the ecosystem and the development team spend their time playing "games" which among other things are already available for free with third party apps that are even better.

I don'g get it.

Ok and the team/people responsible for developing this are not responsible for the whole ecosystem. Do you know how companies work?

 

[Juggernaut99]

I do the crosswords daily, it now ties in with Game Center and keeps streaks and "fastest" records, also.