The New York Times Crossword

First Impression

I saw some people talking about this app online, and I’ve always kind of liked crosswords, so I figured why not try it. I opened it up on my iPhone 14 on a Tuesday afternoon. First thing I noticed was how clean the interface looks. It’s not cluttered with a bunch of ads or weird pop-ups, which I appreciated right away. The daily puzzle was right there, and I could start solving in like two taps. But then I started reading the permissions request, and I got that little knot in my stomach. It asked for things like access to my device ID and other tracking stuff. I hate that. I almost deleted it then and there, but I wanted to give it a fair shot because I’ve heard such good things about the puzzles themselves. So I clicked “Ask App Not to Track” and kept going. Honestly, the puzzle itself was really well-made. I’m no expert, but I finished the Tuesday one in about 12 minutes, which felt good. The font was easy to read, and I liked that I could tap a clue and it highlighted the right squares automatically. No lag, no crashes. So my first impression was a weird mix of “this is fun” and “I don’t trust you.”

What It Does Well

The crossword puzzles themselves are top-notch. I can see why people pay for these. Each puzzle feels like it has a real theme, with clever clues that aren’t just pointless trivia. On Wednesday I tried the mini puzzle while waiting for my coffee at a Dunkin’ Donuts, and it only took about two minutes. That was satisfying. The way the app handles the solving experience is also very smooth. You tap a clue, and it highlights the correct row or column. You can toggle between light and dark mode easily. I switched to dark mode while in bed at 11 PM, and it was easy on my eyes. The timer is there but easy to ignore if you don’t care about speed. There’s also a “reveal” and “check” feature for when you get stuck. I used “check letter” once, and it helped without giving away the whole answer. The archive is huge. You can go back years and solve old puzzles. That’s pretty impressive. If you’re someone who does crosswords regularly, this app has everything you need in terms of puzzle quality and usability. The interface is also genuinely fast, no waiting for things to load. For a free app, the daily puzzle and mini are a solid experience. I can totally see how someone gets hooked on this.

Where It Falls Short

Okay, here’s the stuff that bugs me. First off, the subscription thing is annoying. Yes, you get the daily puzzle for free, but the archive is locked behind a paywall. I understand they have to make money, but the prompts to subscribe show up pretty quickly. I’d been using the app for maybe an hour before I got a full-screen ad for a subscription. That’s pushy. Also, the app keeps asking me to create an account even after I skipped it. I don’t want to link my email or sign up with Google just to solve a crossword. That feels like unnecessary data collection. Another thing: the stats and progress tracking are only really useful if you log in. I don’t want them tracking my every solve and comparing it to others. I just want to do a puzzle and move on. Also, the app doesn’t have a great way to just browse puzzles without an account. You can see the list, but then when you tap one, it prompts you to subscribe or log in. That’s frustrating. And the offline mode works okay, but you have to download puzzles ahead of time, which is another step. I also noticed the app is pretty big for what it is — over 200 MB. That feels like a lot for a puzzle app. Maybe they’re storing a bunch of tracking scripts or something. I don’t know. It just gives me that uneasy feeling. The font customization is limited too. You can only choose between three sizes, and the smallest is still pretty large. I wish I could make it smaller.

Is It Worth the Price?

If you’re a crossword fanatic, maybe. But for a casual user like me, I’m not convinced. The free version gives you one daily puzzle and one mini puzzle. That’s fun for a few minutes a day, but the subscription is $40 a year or $6.99 a month. That’s not cheap. For that price, you get the full archive and some bonus puzzles, plus the ability to compete with friends. But honestly, I don’t need all that. I just want to do a puzzle when I’m bored without feeling like I’m being nickel-and-dimed. There are other crossword apps with similar quality for less money or even free with no tracking. I haven’t paid yet, and after three days, I’m leaning toward not subscribing. The puzzles are great, but the value for me personally isn’t there. I’d rather do the free ones on a website that doesn’t ask for my email. I know some people love the daily routine and the sense of community, but for a privacy-conscious person, the constant push to subscribe and log in feels like a trap. If you’re already a NYT subscriber for the news, maybe it’s a nice add-on. But for a standalone purchase, I’d think twice.

Developer & Support

I actually had a small issue on the first day. The timer kept running even after I closed the app and reopened it. I thought maybe it was a bug. So I contacted support through their website form. I heard back after about three days, which felt like forever. The person who responded was polite and helpful. They explained that the timer syncs across devices if you’re logged in, and that might have caused it. They gave me steps to clear the cache and reset the puzzle. It worked, but I still don’t like that my solving time is being saved somewhere. The support email was signed by someone named “Alex,” and they didn’t try to upsell me or anything, which I appreciated. However, the delay was frustrating. If I had a time-sensitive problem, three days is way too long. I’m used to getting help within hours from other apps. So it’s mixed. The team seems competent, but understaffed or slow. Also, support is only through email or a web form. No live chat or phone number. That feels outdated. For an app from a big company like The New York Times, I expected better.

Privacy & Safety

This is the section where my concerns really kick in. I read their privacy policy, and it’s long. The gist is that they collect a lot of data: your device ID, IP address, what puzzles you solve, how long you take, your location (based on IP), and they share it with third-party analytics services. I saw names like Adobe Analytics and some others I didn’t recognize. They also use tracking cookies and other technologies for advertising. Even though I told the app not to track me, I’m not convinced it’s fully off. The app also encourages you to create an account, which links your email and possibly your payment info to all your puzzle activity. If you log in with Google or Apple, they get even more data. For a crossword app, this feels like overreach. I don’t need my solving habits being sold to advertisers. It’s especially concerning because this is a product from a major news outlet that often writes about privacy issues. It seems hypocritical. The app is also missing basic things like a clear “delete my data” option in the settings. You have to go through their website to request that. I’m not comfortable with that level of data collection for something as simple as a puzzle. If you care about privacy, this app might make you uneasy too. I’ll probably keep using the free version for now, but I won’t be logging in or subscribing.