Apple News+ introduced Quartiles, a new original spelling game, and a new Offline Mode that automatically provides recent and personalized News content for subscribers when they’re not connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network. Both features are available with iOS 17.5 or later for News+ subscribers.
“We’re always working to improve the experience for our News+ subscribers,” said Lauren Kern, editor-in-chief of Apple News, in a statement. “Our new daily word game Quartiles is a fun addition to our popular crossword offerings. And Offline Mode makes it easy to access the hundreds of magazines, newspapers, narrated articles, and more included in a News+ subscription — no matter where you are.”
Quartiles challenges players to form words by selecting tiles containing two to four letters, and users collect points based on word length. New puzzles are available each day, and players can also choose to share a Quartiles puzzle with other News+ subscribers.
Quartiles is the latest addition to the Puzzles collection available to News+ subscribers. With iOS 17, Apple introduced a daily crossword and mini crossword puzzle for News+ subscribers in the U.S. and Canada. News+ subscribers can also access a new Puzzles Scoreboard to see personalized stats and streaks for each puzzle, including their solve rate and their longest streak.
Apple News+ subscribers can now enjoy Offline Mode on iPhone and iPad to automatically download Top Stories, Apple News Today audio briefings, full magazine issues and narrated articles from News+ publishers, and puzzles to access later, without Wi-Fi or a cellular connection. When the device is back online, downloaded content will automatically refresh, and downloads will be optimized to maximize space on the device.
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MacDailyNews Note: Apple News offers millions of people in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia access to quality journalism from a variety of top publications, curated by its team of editors, and is the most used news app in the countries where it is available. A subscription to Apple News+ is available for $12.99 per month and includes access to hundreds of top newspapers and magazines, including The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, The New Yorker, People, The Athletic, and more; a catalog of narrated audio articles from Apple News+ publishers, available to listen to in the Apple News and Apple Podcasts apps; and a daily crossword and mini crossword puzzle created in partnership with The Puzzle Society, and original spelling game Quartiles.
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Apple News+ has surprised me time and again since some years back when Apple included it in the Family Pack (or whatever it was called then). Now, it is part of the AppleOne Everything Premium pack.
The amount of newspapers, magazines, and things to read in every possible category is truly phenomenal.
Financial, Sports, Politics, Celebrity, Local, Regional, National, International, Hobbies, Apple news, Fashion, Diet, Fitness, Health, Science, Gardening, Consumer Reports, Mechanics, and the list goes on and on… There’s waaaay more than you could ever hope to read, and even if you only spend 10 minutes a day checking in with the world, your customized newsfeed can do that for you.
Sorry, I know that sounds a bit like shilling. I really don’t mean to. I’ve just been truly impressed with this product I’d not have purchased by itself. When you realize it’s part of the 6-item package deal that can be shared among 6 people (who don’t have to be an actual family or live in the same house), it’s a screaming deal.
I check it every morning after canceling my subscriptions to Barron’s, the Wall Street Journal, and Market Watch.
But the whole reason I wanted to post about it today is that they recently added crossword puzzles, and I’ve gotten totally addicted. The only bummer is that the app keeps crashing on my Mac, and I can’t figure out what’s causing that or find a workaround.
Anyone?
It’s not perfect. It’s impossible to forward a link that can be read by someone who doesn’t have Apple News+, and I wish they gave you a half dozen free forwards each month or something like that.
But truly, on the whole? This is an amazing deal and incredibly cheap if you can find 5 other people who want to chip in and share it. $6.33/person for AppleTV+, AppleMusic, Fitness, Arcade, iCloud Drive and AppleNews+ is a STEAL.