It’s World Emoji Day, right? And guess what, Apple goes all out with this funky little puzzle game on their Apple News+ app. Only in the U.S. and Canada though. Yep, Emoji Game. Weird name but hey, you drag little emoji into blank spots to complete phrases. Sounds kind of fun, maybe?
Anyway, Apple cooked this up themselves, adding it to their lineup of brain ticklers like the daily Crossword, Mini Crossword, Sudoku, and that thing called Quartiles they introduced last year. Emoji Game stands out because, I dunno, it’s like specifically built with iOS quirks.
So here’s the deal: Every day, try solving six words or phrases, using emoji at the bottom of the screen. Like, you might see Disap_ _ _ _ and think “Pear emoji? Disappear!” — if you somehow make that connection. Multiple meanings keep you on your toes, too. That pear? It’s a fruit in another context, apparently.
Now for some brain gymnastics. Multi-word phrases need some decoding. Imagine a puzzle where you get _ _ _ _ _ _ Year _ _ _ k. If you figure using a ghost emoji gives you Yearbook because “boo” — genius! And the fish emoji? Think schooling, like a fish school. “School yearbook” pops out. Head spinning yet? If you get stuck, there’s a hint to nudge you on.
Oh, and they have these emoji bundles. Decoding time again! Plus, iOS 18’s Genmoji adds flavor. Saw one where an eaten apple emoji helped complete “core.” Apple-core, get it? No? Me neither, at first.
Apple’s clearly eyeballing that Wordle craze, right? Daily play, archives going back to July 1, stats, social features — compete with 16 folks for high scores. Solving puzzles in six steps, very Wordle-ish. Is this a must-have app? Probably not. But if Apple News+ is already on your phone, here’s another daily snack for your brain.
Start solving Emoji Game puzzles today, only on iOS via Apple News+.
