Apple is bundling its News+ subscriptions with a new game that people will be able to access when they get iOS 26. MacRumors has reported that Apple is calling it the "Emoji Game," because, well, it's all about using emoji to fill blanked-out letters in incomplete words and phrases. For the word "Disappear," for instance, you can use the "pear" emoji to complete it if the puzzle only shows its first five letters. For the phrase "rubbing elbows," you can use the "pink bows" emoji if the blank spaces correspond to "bows." The same emoji could have several meanings, as well: "Pear" can also be used to correspond to "fruit" in the word "fruitful," as an example.
It's a neat little game that people can play to pass the time, but it can only be accessed by those paying $13 a month for Apple News+. The subscription will give you access to magazines and newspapers, audio stories and regional publications, along with daily puzzles like the Emoji Game. It's pretty pricey, though like Apple's other services, people can share their subscription with up to six family members.
At the moment, only developers who already have iOS 26 beta will be able to play the Emoji Game. Apple's new mobile OS, which the company revealed at WWDC, will be released to the public this fall. It will be compatible with all iPhones revealed in 2019 or later, which means iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max owners won't be able to install it anymore. In addition to adopting a new naming convention that's based on the year it's released, the upcoming version of iOS has undergone a major visual overhaul, with translucent user interfaces inspired by the look of visionOS.
Apple's annual Worldwide Developer Conference kicked off yesterday, June 9. Follow our WWDC keynote liveblog, see how to watch the WWDC keynote live and get a recap on everything Apple is announcing at WWDC 2025.
Subscribe to our newsletter:
- A twice-weekly dose of the news you need
Please enter a valid email address
Please select a newsletter
By subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy.