Apple News is testing a new game for iOS 17.5 called Quartiles, which requires players to organize a grid of 20 syllables into 5 four-syllable words. Spotted by Gadget Hacks, the interface for Quartiles is very similar to the latest New York Times hit, Connections. Is Apple News Sherlocking the New York Times?
Okay, Quartiles isn’t exactly like Connections, where you organize 16 words into four coherent categories of four. It’s probably closer to something like Boggle, since you’re tested on your ability to put words together from their components. But there’s something about finding teams of four that we seem to find really enticing these days — Connections is now the Times’ second most popular game, after Wordle.
Image Credits: Gadget Hacks (opens in new window)
Last year, Apple added crosswords and mini crosswords for Apple News+ subscribers. While it may seem odd for a news aggregator to keep investing in games, that’s exactly what has worked for the New York Times. When the newspaper bought the game Wordle in 2022 for an undisclosed seven-figure sum, the purchase brought in “tens of millions” of new users in just one quarter. In recent months, Times data shows that users have spent more time playing their games than reading news.
Apple is just testing beta quadrants, which doesn’t mean it will definitely appear in iOS 17.5. But since the New York Times is now low-key running a gaming studio, it’s not a bad idea for Apple to create some new games, preferably square-shaped.
