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If the Strands hint control is missing in the New York Times Games app, work through an app, device, loading, and account reset sequence: update the Games app and your operating system, force-quit and reopen the app, sign out and back in, clear the cache where that option exists, then reinstall or use NYT Games in a browser. The New York Times does not identify one universal Strands-only cause, so the right fix depends on whether the failure is limited to the app, the login session, or the service.
What a missing Strands hint control usually means
A missing hint button is normally treated as a mobile-app or account-session problem rather than proof that your puzzle has no hint available. The official New York Times mobile-app troubleshooting guidance covers NYT Games as a whole and recommends a sequence of updates, restarts, login resets, cache clearing, and reinstalling. It does not name one universal cause that applies only to Strands.
That distinction matters when you test the problem. If Strands works in a browser but the hint control is absent in the app, concentrate on the app installation, its cached data, or its login session. If the same behavior appears in both the app and the browser, check your account session and then report the behavior to NYT Games. A temporary loading failure can also leave part of a game interface unrendered; reopening the app gives it a fresh load rather than changing the puzzle itself.
Do these fixes in order
- Update the NYT Games app. Install the latest version offered by the Apple App Store or Google Play.
- Update the device operating system. The NYT guide recommends updating the operating system as well as the app, because an older system can prevent a current app build from working correctly.
- Force-quit Games and reopen it. Remove the app from the device’s recent-apps or app-switching view, then launch it again and open Strands.
- Start a new login session. Sign out of the Games app, close it, reopen it, and sign back in with the same account. This replaces a possibly stale authentication session.
- Clear the app cache where your platform provides that control. NYT says clearing cached data can remove outdated or conflicting data and does not erase saved Games streaks or statistics.
- Uninstall and reinstall the Games app. Use this only after the less disruptive steps fail. Install the dedicated, currently supported NYT Games app from the official store.
- Test the web version. Open NYT Games in a supported web browser. Games are available on the web as well as in the iOS and Android Games app, so the browser is both a workaround and a diagnostic test.
- Report the failure. Use the platform-specific feedback control described below and include what you observed after each step.
Detailed fixes for iPhone and iPad
Update both software layers
Open the Apple App Store and check for an update to the dedicated NYT Games app. Then check the device’s system software for an available update and install it when practical. The New York Times says it regularly releases new mobile-app versions with enhanced functionality and issue fixes, so running an old build can leave you without a current fix.
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Force-quit, then launch a clean session
Use the iPhone or iPad app switcher to remove Games from the list of running apps. Open it again rather than tapping back into an already suspended copy. If the hint control is still absent, sign out inside Games, close the app, relaunch it, and sign back in. Open Strands only after the login has completed.
Clear cached data when the option is available
Use the Games app’s own cache-clearing control if your iOS version and app build expose one. NYT’s guidance says this removes outdated or conflicting cached data without erasing Games streaks or statistics. If no cache command is shown, do not substitute a random system setting; proceed to the browser test or reinstall step.
Reinstall only after the reset sequence
Delete the Games app, download the supported version again from the Apple App Store, and sign in. Reinstalling replaces the local app package and its local files; it is most useful when updating, force-quitting, and clearing supported cache data have not restored the interface.
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Detailed fixes for Android phones and tablets
Check app and system support
Update NYT Games through Google Play and update Android through the device’s system-update screen. NYT states that apps removed from Google Play or the Apple App Store are no longer supported, and unsupported versions do not receive technical support. Make sure you are using the dedicated Games app rather than an old or unofficial installation.
Restart the app and login session
Force-stop or otherwise remove Games from Android’s recent-apps view, then open it again. If Strands still has no hint control, sign out, close the app, reopen it, and sign in. A new session can correct a stale or incomplete account state without changing your saved Games history.
Clear cache, not saved data
Android devices commonly expose a separate cache command in the app’s storage settings. Use the cache option only; do not choose a command that deletes all app data unless you are prepared to configure the app again. NYT specifically says clearing the app cache does not erase Games streaks or statistics. The exact menu wording varies by Android version and device manufacturer.
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Reinstall if the app remains broken
Uninstall Games, install the current supported release from Google Play, and sign in again. If the browser version works immediately afterward while the app still fails, keep using the web version and report the app behavior rather than repeatedly reinstalling it.
Use the browser to separate an app problem from an account problem
NYT Games is available in a web browser as well as the iOS and Android apps. Open the web version, sign in, and check the same Strands puzzle.
- Hints appear on the web but not in the app: the app installation, cached files, device compatibility, or app session is the likely area to troubleshoot. Complete the update, force-quit, cache, and reinstall sequence for your platform.
- Hints are missing on both web and app: verify that you are signed into the intended NYT account and that the login method matches the subscription route. Then submit a report with both test results.
- The web version works only after signing in again: treat the original issue as a session or authentication problem and use the fresh-login step in the app.
The web route is not merely a fallback for finishing a puzzle. It gives you a controlled comparison without changing the mobile installation, which makes your eventual bug report more useful.
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Check the account and sign-in method
If you subscribed through Apple or Google, the Games sign-in guidance says to select the matching Continue with Apple or Continue with Google option when logging in. Entering a different email address or choosing a different sign-in method can open another account, making saved access or game features appear to be missing.
Before reporting, confirm the email address shown in the account area and record whether you used Apple, Google, or another available method. Do not create a second account just to test the hint button; that can make it harder to identify which account is affected.
Fixes compared by platform and risk
| Platform or action | Intervention cost | Account or saved-state effect | Best use | Escalation route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iOS or Android app update | None beyond download time and data | Updates the app; no Games streak or statistics loss is identified | First step for an outdated build | Platform-specific in-app report if the current build still fails |
| Force-quit and reopen | None | Closes the current app process | App loaded incompletely or is stuck | Continue to login reset if unchanged |
| Sign out and back in | Time to authenticate again | Replaces the current login session; use the correct subscription sign-in method | Stale, incomplete, or wrong-account session | Report with the account method and result |
| Clear cache where supported | None | NYT says Games streaks and statistics are not erased | Outdated or conflicting cached data | Reinstall if the interface remains incomplete |
| Uninstall and reinstall | Download time and app setup | Replaces local app files; sign in after installation | Persistent local installation failure | In-app bug or feedback report |
| NYT Games in a browser | None beyond browser access | Leaves the mobile installation unchanged | Workaround and app-versus-account comparison | Report whether web and app differ |
How to report a missing hint button
iOS
Open the Games app, open its settings, and choose Report a Bug. Describe that the Strands hint control is missing or does not render, identify the device and iOS version, and state whether updating, force-quitting, signing out, clearing supported cache, reinstalling, and testing the web version changed the result.
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Open the person or settings control in Games and choose Send App Feedback. Select an email provider, describe the missing-hint behavior, and submit the report. NYT says app reports include diagnostic information that helps troubleshooting, so allow that information to accompany a clear description of the failure.
In-game support entry
The Bonus Puzzles support guidance also identifies an in-game question-mark icon as a support entry point. If that icon is visible in your Games build, use it to reach support and include the same platform, app-version, account-method, and web-test details.
What to include so support can reproduce it
- The platform: iOS, Android, or browser.
- The device model and operating-system version.
- The NYT Games app version, if the app opens far enough to show it.
- Whether the hint control is absent, visible but inactive, or appears only after reopening.
- Whether other NYT Games features load normally.
- The sign-in method used, especially whether the subscription was purchased through Apple or Google.
- Which recovery steps you completed and the result of each.
- Whether the same Strands puzzle shows the hint control in the web version.
A precise comparison is more useful than a report that simply says “Strands is broken.” Do not include your password or any payment details in the description.
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After the app and operating system are current, the app has been force-quit, the login session has been renewed, supported cache data has been cleared, and a reinstall has failed, repeating the same steps is unlikely to add information. Use the browser version to keep playing if it works, then submit the in-app report or feedback message with your comparison results.
“The New York Times regularly releases new versions of the mobile apps that provide enhanced functionality and issue fixes.” — The New York Times Help Center, Mobile app troubleshooting.
That guidance is why version checks come first, while the browser test and platform-specific report determine whether the remaining problem is local to the app or needs NYT’s support team.
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