NYT readers aren't the only ones who love coming back to play Wordle every day. Apple is also following closely.

Apple is slowly filling its News+ app with word and puzzle games, presumably in an effort to make it more popular. First it was Crosswords, and then it was Quartiles in iOS 17.5. The News+ app is something of a lame duck, though at least it’s one that Apple continues to work on, such as when it added more sports content in late 2023. The latest attempt to attract and retain users is puzzle games.

"As a behavior analyst, I understand the power of reinforcement and user motivation," Devora Fromowitz, VP of operations at Achievements ABA Therapy, told Lifewire via email. "Games like Wordle tap into our need for daily challenge and mental stimulation. This, combined with the ease of access in the existing News+ app, could create a 'sticky' feature that keeps users coming back."

Apple launched News+ in 2019 as a digital newsstand for magazine and newspaper publishers to sell on Apple platforms. The problems, as with recent Apple services, were greed, confusion, and a lack of respect for the user. There is a free version and a paid version ($9.99 per month), with access to various subscription plans and other options to pay for additional subscriptions within the app.