Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: NASDAQ:AAPL) announced the launch of two new features for its News+ subscribers: a spelling game called Quartiles and an Offline Mode for uninterrupted access to content. These updates are available for devices running iOS 17.5 or later.
The tech giant's latest addition, Quartiles, is a daily word game that challenges players to create words from tiles of two to four letters, with points awarded based on word length. The game enriches the Puzzles section of News+, which already includes a daily crossword and mini crossword puzzle for subscribers in the United States and Canada.
Lauren Kern, editor-in-chief of Apple News, stated, "We’re always working to improve the experience for our News+ subscribers. 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."
Offline Mode is designed to enhance the reading experience for users on the go. It allows the automatic download of Top Stories, Apple News Today audio briefings, full magazine issues, narrated articles from News+ publishers, and puzzles. These can be accessed later without the need for Wi-Fi or cellular data. Once the device reconnects to the internet, the downloaded content refreshes automatically, and the downloads are optimized to conserve space on users' devices.
In addition to these features, News+ subscribers can track their progress with a new Puzzles Scoreboard, which provides personalized statistics and streaks for each puzzle, including solve rates and longest streaks.
This information is based on a recent SEC filing and reflects Apple's continuous efforts to enhance its subscription-based news service. The introduction of Quartiles and Offline Mode is part of the company's broader strategy to provide value-added services to its users.
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