Monday’s Worldwide Builders Convention (WWDC) keynote might have been much less eventful than others lately, however that doesn’t imply it wasn’t full of many new goodies for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and different Apple gadgets. It’s simply that Apple was extra centered this 12 months on unifying its working system model right into a extra tight-knit household.
Nevertheless, like most WWDC keynotes, there’s by no means sufficient time for Apple to cowl every little thing that’s new in every of its working system releases. Apple spent almost a 3rd of the keynote — 28 minutes — solely speaking about iOS 26, and it nonetheless ended with a 6×6 grid of options that it hadn’t touched on — and even these have been probably the tip of the iceberg.
One which flew fully beneath the radar till I opened Apple Information within the first iOS 26 developer beta is a brand new puzzle expertise built-in into the corporate’s information app.
Undoubtedly impressed by fashionable information websites like The New York Instances, which has had a wealthy puzzle part for years, Apple added crossword puzzles to the Information app two years in the past in iOS 17.
Nevertheless, it didn’t cease there. iOS 17.5 launched Quartiles within the spring of 2024 and day by day Sudoku puzzles in iOS 18.2 in December, with three ranges of issue.
Whereas crosswords (and mini crosswords) and Sudoku are well-known video games, Quartiles was one thing fully completely different. Now, Apple is getting much more artistic with one other enjoyable new recreation for Apple Information+ subscribers in iOS 26.
Welcome to The Emoji Sport
The premise of the Emoji Sport is simple, however it requires a brand new layer of artistic intelligence that goes past the standard phrase puzzles. Whereas crosswords require you to show concepts into phrases, and Quartiles has you placing phrase fragments collectively to kind full phrases, the Emoji Sport is about determining what phrase a gaggle of glyphs represents after which dragging them into clean areas to finish a phrase.
Every puzzle has three phrases and 6 teams of emoji — two per phrase. The aim is to position every of the six emoji within the right spots in as few strikes as doable, with six strikes representing an ideal rating.
The phrases present a simplified clue of 1 or two phrases. You’ll be able to develop every of those by tapping, however that counts as a transfer.
I’ve already performed a couple of rounds, and it’s tougher than it seems, because the meanings behind the emoji teams aren’t all the time clear on the outset, however they’re additionally apparent as soon as you place all of it collectively. It’s a intelligent puzzle as it’s important to have a look at it from each side to place all of it collectively, transferring forwards and backwards between determining what the phrases may say and what the emojis characterize.
It’s even trickier because the emoji phrases can cross over letters and areas. As an example, within the puzzle proven above, one group of emoji with two bows was very clearly BOWS, whereas one other group that included a wide-eyed face, a sofa, and three TVs represented the phrase BINGE which accomplished a clue for “Mingling…” for which the reply was “RUBBING ELBOWS.” I might have by no means give you “BINGE” had I not interpreted the clue to determine what probably slot in there, however “BOWS” was additionally the apparent one wanted to get me began.
As with the opposite puzzles in Apple Information, the Emoji Sport requires a Information+ subscription, integrates with the brand new Video games app (which is successfully the brand new Sport Heart), and maintains a scoreboard of streaks and prime and common scores. Regardless that the primary iOS 26 developer beta solely launched on Monday, there’s already a again catalog of Emoji Sport puzzles going again to Could 30, 2025.