There’s a new game available for Apple News Plus subscribers, and it’s a rival to popular word game Wordle. Dubbed Quartiles, Apple’s new game is a daily word puzzle you can play on the best iPhones.
It comes as part of the recently released iOS 17.5 beta. The latest iPhone beta software doesn’t offer many big new features, beyond the ability to install apps from websites in the EU. But this new game is a fun titbit in the latest version of iOS that’ll be heading to all iPhone users soon.
Even if you want to get your hands on Apple’s new word game, you should only install and use new iOS developer betas with caution. Avoid using beta software on your main device where possible.
Quartiles is a daily word game
Quartiles is like Wordle went to university, got a degree in linguistics, and then decided to flex on us all. This game dares you to combine tiles to form words and rack up points like some kind of vocabulary wizard.
You start off with a grid of 20 tiles, and your goal is to form words ranging from one to four tiles. A “quartile” is a four-tile word that, if you manage to find all five hidden in each puzzle, nets you a cheeky 40-point bonus. It’s like finding the golden snitch in word form.
Quartiles joins a slate of puzzle games offered with an Apple News+ subscription, alongside Crossword and Crossword Mini. And for those who live for a bit of competition, there’s Game Center for these games, so you can show off your word-smithery on the leaderboards.
While Apple News Plus is available in the US, Australia, Canada, and the UK, it seems this puzzle paradise is currently only open to those in the US and Canada. So, if you’re outside these regions, you’ll just have to sharpen your word skills the old-fashioned way for now. Apple’s news subscription will set you back $9.99/£12.99 a month, and is also available in Apple One bundles.
More from iMore