In May, Apple updated iOS 17.5, which included several new capabilities to some iPhones, such as the capacity to identify third-party trackers. However, the upgrade also included Quartiles, a fun new word game, to Apple News Plus ($13 a month) users, and I’ve been playing it often.
You must utilize lettered tiles to form words in this game; a Quartile is created when four of these tiles are used to form a word. The good news is that, unlike Wordle, you are not restricted to a certain amount of guesses each puzzle, even if untangling the words might be challenging. My brain gets as much satisfaction from finding Quartiles in the tangled mass of letters as it does from removing the plastic from the screen of a new gadget.
“Our new daily word game Quartiles is a fun addition to our popular crossword offerings,” Apple News editor-in-chief Lauren Kern said in a blog post.
Here is all you need to know about the game, including how to access Quartiles.
See also: The Importance of Installing iOS 17.5.1 Immediately
How can I get into Quartiles?
Quartiles is available to Apple News Plus members here.
1. Launch the Apple News application.
2. In the menu at the bottom of your screen, choose Following.
3. Press the Puzzle button.
The Quartiles for today are located under Today’s Puzzles on the Puzzles website. Additionally, by pressing Quartiles at the top of the Puzzles page, next to the Crossword and Crossword Mini choices, you may access all of the most recent Quartiles.
When you buy a new iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you may get a free three-month trial of Apple News Plus, even though you must subscribe to the program, which costs $13 per month.
See also: How to Use iOS 17 to Complete Your Daily Crossword Puzzle
How is Quartiles played?
Two Quartiles puzzles next to one other
Words are shown in a menu over the top of your screen as you locate them.
Apple/CNET Screenshot
In the word game Quartiles, you must form various words out of tiles in order to get points. Each of the 20 tiles, which are placed in a 4×5 grid, contains two to four letters on it. Typically, you may use these tiles to make 25–30 words.
Five words, known as Quartiles, are always created using four tiles each. The five Quartiles will flawlessly use all 20 tiles since no two Quartiles employ the identical lettered tiles. The letters “ion” will thus not be present in any of the other Quartiles if they are used to form the word “jurisdiction.” You may still make shorter words using those lettered tiles.
To see the letters from a different angle, you may also rearrange the tiles anytime you’d like. While the other tiles move across the screen, those letters remain in place when you solve a Quartile.
How are Quartiles won?
Quartiles problem using every Quartile discovered
You may not become an Expert even if you have located every Quartile.
Apple/CNET Screenshot
The objective is to use your 20 tiles to form as many words as you can. The length of each word you come up with determines how many points you get. Quartiles, such as “pterodactyl,” will get you eight points each, whereas single tile words, such as “mat” or “car,” will earn you one point each. You get an additional 40 points if you locate every Quartile.
Additionally, the game ranks your point total. These are Novice, Apprentice, Builder, Artisan, Wordsmith, and Expert, in order of lowest to highest rank. You need to earn more than 100 points to become an Expert, and even then, there are often more words to locate.
What happens if I run out of words?
If you are unable to locate further words, you may choose Reveal All Words by tapping the three dots (…) in the upper right corner of your screen. Since revealing the words would stop the game for the day, make sure you really want to do so.
Can other people play Quartiles with you?
By sharing your Quartiles score in the Game Center, you may compete with friends and other players. Here’s how.
1. Go to Settings.
2. Select News.
3. Press the Game Center toggle.
Additionally, you may play with other players on the same screen. My wife and I sometimes play Quartiles together, and when I attempt to form a word out of random letters, she gently takes my phone away from me while letting out a disappointed sigh. Yes, I am aware that “electal” is probably not a word, but it may be, and I have never seen or heard of it before. It’s not, spoiler alert.
You may learn more about Apple by seeing the features that will be included in iOS 18 as well as everything the firm revealed at WWDC 2024. You may also read about why you might want to wait and how to get the iOS 18 developer beta.