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iPhone User Guide

Solve crossword and crossword mini puzzles in News on iPhone

Apple News+ subscribers get access to a new crossword and crossword mini puzzle every day. Crossword puzzles start out easy but get increasingly challenging as the week goes on. When you want a puzzle you can solve in next to no time, try an always-easy crossword mini puzzle.

You can navigate and solve crossword and crossword mini puzzles in multiple ways. For example, you can display puzzles in the traditional grid view, or instead choose to show clues and answers in a list. You can tap squares to select words, or hide the keyboard and choose clues from a list.

You don’t have to solve puzzles all at once. You can return at any time. The timer pauses while you’re away.

Note: Apple News, Apple News+, and puzzles aren’t available in all countries or regions. See the iOS and iPadOS Feature Availability website.

Solve in grid view

  1. Go to the News app 👁 Image
    on your iPhone.

  2. Open a crossword or crossword mini puzzle.

  3. Tap a square to show the clue below the puzzle, then use the keyboard to enter the answer. You move to other squares as you type. You can also tap < or > next to the clue to move to the previous or next clue.

    With the keyboard showing, switch from across to down, or vice versa, by tapping the selected square again or tapping the clue.

    To hide the keyboard and show a scrollable list of all the clues, tap 👁 the Hide Keyboard button
    .     Tap a clue to show the keyboard and select the corresponding answer in the grid.

👁 A partially filled crossword puzzle, with controls above it, and a keyboard open at the bottom.

Solve in list view

You can show clues and answers in a list rather than in the traditional grid.

  1. Go to the News app 👁 Image
    on your iPhone.

  2. Open a crossword or crossword mini puzzle.

  3. Tap 👁 the List View button
    .

  4. Tap Across or Down to switch to the crossing set of clues.

Tap 👁 the Grid View button
to return to grid view.

👁 A partially filled crossword puzzle in list view, and a keyboard open at the bottom.

Get hints and answers

If you’re unsure of an answer you entered, you can get a little help.

  1. Go to the News app 👁 Image
    on your iPhone.

  2. Open a crossword or crossword mini puzzle.

  3. Tap 👁 the Puzzles Options button
    ,     then do any of the following:

    • Mark incorrect answers: Tap Autocheck, Check Square, Check Word, or Check Puzzle.

    • Reveal answers: Tap Reveal, then tap Square, Word, or Puzzle to display the correct answer.

      Note: When you reveal all or a portion of a puzzle, it’s not counted toward stats in your Scoreboard or as part of a streak.

Some puzzles have clues that reference other clues. You can highlight these connections. Tap 👁 the More button
, then turn on Highlight Linked Clues.

Sometimes crossword grids include circles. The letters in the circles relate to that puzzle’s theme.

Always use Autocheck

When you turn on Autocheck inside a puzzle, it stays on for that puzzle only. If you want Autocheck to stay on all the time, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the News app 👁 Image
    on your iPhone.

  2. Open a crossword or crossword mini puzzle.

  3. Tap 👁 the More button
    ,     choose Settings, turn on Always Autocheck, then tap 👁 the Done button
    .

  4. Tap 👁 the Puzzles Options button
    ,     then choose Autocheck.

    Autocheck stays on for all puzzles of that type until you turn it off.

👁 A partially filled mini crossword puzzle, with clues open at the bottom.

Restart your puzzle

If you’d like a fresh start, you can clear a puzzle’s answers and reset the timer.

  1. Go to the News app 👁 Image
    on your iPhone.

  2. Open a crossword or crossword mini puzzle.

  3. Tap 👁 the Puzzles Options button
    ,     then tap Clear Puzzle.

Change how you move around the puzzle

  1. Go to the News app 👁 Image
    on your iPhone.

  2. Open a crossword or crossword mini puzzle.

  3. Tap 👁 the More button
    ,     tap Settings, then choose what happens as you enter a letter or an answer:

    • Go to the next empty square: Select Skip Filled Squares.

    • Go to the next square, whether or not it’s filled in: Deselect Skip Filled Squares.

    • Go to the next clue: Next to “At End of Word,” choose Advance If Complete or Always Advance.

    • Don’t go to the next clue: Next to “At End of Word,” choose Don’t Advance.

Show or hide the timer

You can show or hide the timer that appears above your puzzle.

  1. Go to the News app 👁 Image
    on your iPhone.

  2. Open a crossword or crossword mini puzzle.

  3. Do one of the following:

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