Review Insights · App Store
NYT Games: Wordle & Crossword
The New York Times Company · 281,089 ratings · ★ 4.8
4.8
★★★★★
281,089 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 52 negative reviews
Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.
1
"play"
13 negative reviews mention this · 25% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Unfair. I love these games and pay a fee. Luckily I am able to play them on my phone but much like the others complaining, my iPad does not support the update. Come on NYT, please make this right" - DALinMD
2
"update"
13 negative reviews mention this · 25% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Unfair. I love these games and pay a fee. Luckily I am able to play them on my phone but much like the others complaining, my iPad does not support the update. Come on NYT, please make this right" - DALinMD
3
"games"
11 negative reviews mention this · 21% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Unfair. I love these games and pay a fee. Luckily I am able to play them on my phone but much like the others complaining, my iPad does not support the update. Come on NYT, please make this right" - DALinMD
4
"every"
9 negative reviews mention this · 17% of all complaints
★★★★★ "You asked for it. Was really enjoying the app until they started pestering me literally every day for a review. So here we are." - Seth Atlanta
5
"ipad"
9 negative reviews mention this · 17% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Unfair. I love these games and pay a fee. Luckily I am able to play them on my phone but much like the others complaining, my iPad does not support the update. Come on NYT, please make this right" - DALinMD
6
"game"
8 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Unfair. I love these games and pay a fee. Luckily I am able to play them on my phone but much like the others complaining, my iPad does not support the update. Come on NYT, please make this right" - DALinMD
7
"subscription"
8 negative reviews mention this · 15% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Can’t update older I pad. I can’t even play on line because this app keeps wanting me to update even though my older device can’t use the latest IOS. SO MY SUBSCRIPTION IS WORTHLESS. I’ll have to cancel unless you fix this!!" - GaryG613
8
"work"
7 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Unsupported on iOS 15. I wish I could give it 0 stars. Almost every other app still works on iOS versions. You can download it but you can’t play the game on iOS 15. Please fix so people can still play on old devices." - cooprmller
9
"these"
6 negative reviews mention this · 12% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Unfair. I love these games and pay a fee. Luckily I am able to play them on my phone but much like the others complaining, my iPad does not support the update. Come on NYT, please make this right" - DALinMD
10
"longer"
6 negative reviews mention this · 12% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Can no longer use b/c of update requirement. I too can no longer use this app that I paid for. That is unless I buy a whole new iPad. What the heck, New York Times? Necessary." - PaTar888
11
"other"
6 negative reviews mention this · 12% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Unfair. I love these games and pay a fee. Luckily I am able to play them on my phone but much like the others complaining, my iPad does not support the update. Come on NYT, please make this right" - DALinMD
📋 All 52 negative reviews
Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").
You asked for it
Was really enjoying the app until they started pestering me literally every day for a review. So here we are.
Unfair
I love these games and pay a fee. Luckily I am able to play them on my phone but much like the others complaining, my iPad does not support the update. Come on NYT, please make this right
Can no longer use b/c of update requirement
I too can no longer use this app that I paid for. That is unless I buy a whole new iPad. What the heck, New York Times? Necessary.
How to turn off "greetings"?
I find it tiresome and frankly, creepy, that this app has to "greet" me every time it is opened. I don't need some bot saying "good morning" or acknowledging another day part, and then making suggestions. The game and I both know what I am there to play. I wish there were a way to turn the "greetings" function OFF.
Increasingly Unusable
Over the last year, the app on iOS has been degrading in performance. I use an ad blocker at my home and it now takes 30-60 seconds for any game (except the crossword) to load, if they load at all. I had an email discussion about this with the NYT developers and they essentially threw up their hands and didn’t offer any solutions.
I encourage them to fix this issue!
I encourage them to fix this issue!
Unsupported on iOS 15
I wish I could give it 0 stars. Almost every other app still works on iOS versions. You can download it but you can’t play the game on iOS 15. Please fix so people can still play on old devices.
Can’t update older I pad
I can’t even play on line because this app keeps wanting me to update even though my older device can’t use the latest IOS. SO MY SUBSCRIPTION IS WORTHLESS. I’ll have to cancel unless you fix this!!
Frustrating iOS upgrade requirement
Really frustrating that you upgraded your app so it can no longer be used on many devices. I have a nice large ten year old iPad which is perfect for reading and doing crossword puzzles. I think lots of people are in a similar situation- no need for a newer, “faster” device for simple tasks like these. It is poor customer service that you have needlessly upgraded your app and eliminated many of your subscribers ability to use your product. I can still read the NYT just fine on my tablet, please explain why you have chosen to make the NYT puzzles not work on devices which still support reading the newspaper…..?
Paid subscription required.
Can’t even use the app without a paid subscription.
WTH
As I’ve seen from other reviews, I am not the only person upset that by your updating of the app that I can no longer use it on my iPad. I paid to play Wordle and other games, and I can no longer and that is the only reason I subscribed. You are falling into step with those that only care about money. Disappointed and disgusted!
Typical
Typical, their update is just like their news, very myopic!
Over sexualized words
Had an 11 year old ask me what sexual, dating websites, and even sex was amongst other words that would get this review banned.... so now we don't play them anymore in our family.
Yyyyy
It doesn’t let you update it
Booo
I want to stop seeing this survey.
Not supporting
Same as the other messages shown here. My device cannot upgrade to the new OS. What can you do to help?
Desperately needs a decent UX designer
A few of the puzzles are okay. Most are pretty lame. User experience is practically nonexistent and clearly not a priority. Several games lead to dead end screens where it’s easier to just relaunch the app rather than deal with the lack of navigation. Also, today I was greeted with an incorrectly implemented popup ad that was deliberately created to not work properly and to decrease user experience. I really hate that companies ignore the mobile experience as often as they do these days but it’s especially frustrating when it’s an app and not just an artifact of a browser build. Get with the modern times people.
Annoying
Stop asking me to rate your app after every crossword puzzle that I do.
Close button doesn’t work on congrats screen
In the most recent update, the congratulations screen that pops up after you solve a crossword can’t be closed if you have iPhone display zoom on. Appears to be a regression since this used to work. Poorly tested.
Will not open or update
Your app keeps telling me to update, but when I try, it goes nowhere. An endless do-loop for us old-timers…🤬
Latest updates causing shut down
The latest update to this app is causing shutdowns where you’re not able to play more than five seconds or so in one particular game.
No longer stable on iPad
Can no longer play any games taking more than 30 seconds, as the app then crashes on my iPad. Both iPad software and app are up-to-date and have been restarted to try to resolve the issue. I do not have a subscription, so maybe the ads are somehow causing the app to crash?
Actually ridiculous
I haven’t used this app in months and there’s no way for me to cancel my subscription from the app, and I just got double charged for the game this month. It’s insane. I wish I could have my money back.
IOS requirement just wrong!
I would like to reiterate the point that I’m sure thousands of people have made concerning the OS requirements for the new app. Your app does not cure cancer or enforce civil rights laws. It is for playing games of a technological nature that should be accessible on a 1995 flip phone, much less a seven year old Ipad. Get over yourselves (whomever yourselves are) and redesign the app to function on the devices that I suspect most of your customers own.
Required update of iOS is ridiculous
As another reviewer pointed out, this app now requires a later app that is not available for my iPhone. I too have recently resubscribed, and I’m getting nothing for my money. The NYT should be ashamed of this swindle.
Stop asking me to rate
Every. Single. Day
Almost nothing is free
Everything is a subscription nowadays. Plus look at all the data they collect on you. No thanks
updated app.
I agree with both these comments regarding the required updated version as i am in same situation. Such greed!
Crash fix
If you app is crashing, delete and remove from your device then reinstall.
Too many reviews.
Too many reviews. Annoying.
great except for the unwanted annoyances
overall great except for manipulative unwanted references to daily streaks and timers and incessant requests to rate the app
Give it a rest with the ads…
Even though I pay a monthly subscription for the app, I can’t play without an annoying “upgrade to our family plan!” banner that will not go away
“Time is running out” ad
I have a subscription to your app. I do not want the family plan. Your intrusive and irritating banner ad is disappointing beyond words. I look forward to relaxing with a quiet puzzle after a long work day, and this cheap-looking ad that will not go away is obnoxious and entirely unwanted.
Was great until
Was great until the app started closing every 30 seconds or so. Have sent two separate emails and still no update to fix the problem
Only 1 Star For Pips
Taking away the mini, then rubbing it in our faces with the new midi we also can’t play and the pop ups we have to click through for it, that finally made me write a review. They ruined this whole app and made it fun for the 2 whole minutes it takes to finish Pips(dominoes) but that’s it. Don’t worry about this app. There are plenty of others you can actually play their games for free on. This one is just a money grab with zero user experience for free.
Removing Access
When it came out, they use to give you the Mini along with other miscellaneous games like tiles for free. They’ve now taken all of those away and have shoved the free app full of ads. Me and my mom no longer play on the app, the leaderboard used to be fun when we could compete.
Too bad I can’t use any more.
I loved this app 5 stars. Now I can’t use it on my perfectly functioning iPad. Fix this please.
Pop up request are terrible
I get harassed every time I finish a game to rate this app so here it is, hope you are happy
Put it back
Put the games tab back in the main app. I shouldn’t need two apps for one service I am paying for. Probably won’t ever play the games again because I only played them in between articles IN THE MAIN APP. 🙄
Ads and popups
Constant annoying blocking popups and ads for paid accounts. This is ridiculous I Will not renew.
Update pop up sucks
Forced update, impossible on older phones, all just to put the mini behind a paywall. Really petty corporate behavior.
Love the app, not the…
NYT Games and a coffee is how I start every day. App has only gotten better over time, and it wasn’t bad to begin with. Unfortunately it has nagged me for a review every day for the last week or so. My first review was 5 stars, then 3 stars, and now I’m down to 1 star.
Does not run on iPad Pro
Perfectly good iPad, but the developers of this app choose to prevent me from running it. No point in renewing my subscription.
Stop Asking
Gave 5 stars a week ago. Don’t ask again every day after that
Crash
After the last two updates the app crashes constantly. Today, crashed three times trying to enter on Wordle guess. Checked the App Store and another update. Updated, and reopened to try again. Immediately crashed.
Slow
Why this app has any latency to load content is beyond me - these should be tiny text files that load in a second. Instead this app takes forever to load content, fetches each game individually, and is generally a pain to use on the go. Just load everything each day! Shrink the payload!
Can’t close the mini
Love the app but they broke something now in the mini the ‘x’ in the upper right corner doesn’t work so I can’t see the puzzle after I finish it. Very annoying, please fix!
No longer stable
I have enjoyed this app for several months but in the past 3-4 weeks it has become increasingly unstable. It now crashes in under a minute. I hope they can fix this game, as it used to be very enjoyable.
Unable to update!
ATTN DEVELOPERS!
I echo many other people who are frustrated with the requirement to update the app, when those of us with a slightly older device are unable to do so! Paying for these games while being unable to play them in the App, confounding to say the least. Help us out NYT! And yes you can play in the news App but that does not allow one access to the archives, which I previously used a lot!
I echo many other people who are frustrated with the requirement to update the app, when those of us with a slightly older device are unable to do so! Paying for these games while being unable to play them in the App, confounding to say the least. Help us out NYT! And yes you can play in the news App but that does not allow one access to the archives, which I previously used a lot!
Double charging and bad customer service
I love the NYT games. I really do. But when I upgraded to an all access account, they kept charging me for the games as well, even though they are included in all access and were under the same email. When I reached out to customer service, they said to cancel all my accounts, which was very unhelpful since I want NYT but only want to pay once. In the end, I’m going to cancel all my NYT since they weren’t going to help fix the problem, but beware of them double charging you if you sign up for NYT Games because their customer service dgaf.
Meh
It wasn’t that fun at all and no crosswords unless you pay
+ 2 more in the clipboard copy
Sentiment summary
96%
Positive (4-5★)
1%
Neutral (3★)
3%
Negative (1-2★)