Both Apple and Google today announced the best apps and games of the year, with hiking and biking companion AllTrails winning as Apple’s 2023 iPhone App of the Year, while educational app Footprint: Learn visually won as the best app of Google Play. Meanwhile, Apple and Google tied for game of the year, as they both chose Honkai: Star Rail as their winner.
These year-end “best of” lists aren’t just a way to drum up interest in new apps and games, they serve as a way to gauge the state of the app markets, what the platforms themselves wanted to celebrate, and what attracted consumer attention in the year.
Surprisingly, however, Apple this year bucked the trend of highlighting apps that were new to the store or that took advantage of a newly released technology in an innovative way. Instead, its finalists for iPhone app of the year included apps that have long deserved accolades as well-built and well-designed mobile companions, including language learning app Duolingo and travel app Flighty, in addition to winner AllTrails.
Image Credits: apple
However, it’s worth noting that this is a different type of selection than in previous years, when App Store winners included social hit BeReal in 2022 and well-received children’s app Toca Life World the previous year.
It’s also worth noting that neither Apple nor Google chose an AI app as their app of the year, despite the incredible success of ChatGPT’s mobile app and others. This is especially strange given that ChatGPT was made the fastest growing consumer app in history earlier this year when it reached 100 million users shortly after its launch. This record was later broken by Instagram Threads, which reached 100 million users in just five days, and as of October still had an active user base of just under 100 million.
Either of these choices would represent a mobile app success story, but both app store platforms were seen by others as the top winners this year. Additionally, apart from ChatGPT, many other AI apps also have revenues in the millions, so the decision to avoid the AI category seems like a deliberate choice on Apple’s part.
Other App Store winners include iPad App of the Year; Makeup PreparationMac App of the Year PhotographerApple TV App of the Year MUBIApple Watch App of the Year SmartGymiPhone Game of the Year Honkai: Star RailiPad Game of the Year Lost in PlayMac Game of the Year Lies of Pand Apple Arcade Game of the Year Hello Kitty Island Adventure.
“It’s inspiring to see the ways developers continue to build incredible apps and games that are redefining the world around us,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement about the 2023 winners. winners represent the limitless potential of developers to bring their visions to life, creating apps and games of remarkable ingenuity, exceptional quality and purposeful missions,” he added.
Apple also avoided naming an AI app among its Cultural Impact winners, despite the very real impact AI is having on culture, both online and Offline. In 2023, artificial intelligence has infiltrated everyday technology, has been used to create art and music, and has disrupted jobs while also creating new ones. In contrast, Apple’s cultural winners included its children’s games app Poke Pokean accessibility app Proloquothe food waste minimizer Too good to gothe puzzle app Unpackingand the hidden object game Finding Hannah.
Still, the company couldn’t avoid the topic of AI entirely, so it gave a nod to the technology by naming genetic AI as its “Trend of the Year” and put together a collection of productive AI applications that showcased the trend. She did not name them in her press release, however, instead referring only to their App Store bundling.
Image Credits: Google
Except overall winners, Google took a different approach to its “best” apps this year, highlighting “multi-device” apps that mirror its Play Store efforts designed to make non-smartphone apps easier to find. It called Spotify its best multi-device app — an interesting choice given that it was just revealed via its antitrust case with Epic Games that Spotify has a sweet deal with Google that allows it to bypass Play Store fees. The best multi-device game was the turn-based strategy game OUTERPLANE – Strategy Anime.
Google also allows users to vote for their favorite apps, and unsurprisingly, ChatGPT won the race here as User Choice App of the Year. The User’s Choice Game of the Year was Monopoly Go!
The company also rounded up other apps it wanted to highlight by giving them individual accolades, including Best App for Entertainment Bumble for Friends: Meet IRLThe best for personal development Voidpet Garden: Mental HealthBest Everyday Essentials Artifact: Feed your curiosityBest Hidden Gem Aware: Mindfulness & WellbeingThe best with AI Character AI: AI-Powered ChatBest for families Paw Patrol AcademyBetter app for good AWorld for supporting ActNowThe best for watches WhatsApp MessengerBest for tablets Concepts: Sketch, Note, PlanBest for Chromebooks FlipaClip: Create 2D AnimationThe best for Google TV Max: Stream HBO, TV and MoviesThe best for cars Amazon Prime Video
Unlike Apple, which has been at odds with Meta since changes to App Tracking Transparency affected Meta’s ads, leading to a rocky relationship between the two tech giants, Google didn’t mind highlighting Meta’s WhatsApp on the list of its winners. It also gave a nod to the AI-powered smart app Artifact, which was built by the co-founders of Instagram. And while it also didn’t anoint an AI app as the overall winner, ChatGPT won the user choice race and created an AI category, which was won by Character AI – an app built by ex-Google researchers.
It also compiled the honorable mentions for those who didn’t win their app category, including Reelsy Reel Maker video editor, Footprint: Learn visually (which won overall but was an honorable mention in personal development), ReciMe: Easy & Delicious Recipes, Stippl: Explore, plan and share, ChatGPT (which won a User’s Choice, but was an honorable mention in Best with AI), LEGO DUPLO DISNEY, AllTrails: Hiking, Biking & Running (also Apple’s iPhone App of the Year), Headphone: Audio entertainment, Canva: Design, Photo & Video, Everand: Ebook and Audiobooks, Evernote – Note organizer, Wideo, Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll, Disney+, Tubi: Movies and Live TV, Beach Buggy Racingand Spotify (which won Best Multi-Device App, but was an honorable mention for Best for Cars.)
Best games included Best multiplayer game Farlight 84Best Pick Up & Play: MONOPOLY GO!Best Indie Vampire SurvivorsBetter story Honkai: Star RailBetter sequel Over here guysBest Games for Good: Pokémon SleepThe best in Play Pass Magic RampageBest for tablets Honkai: Star RailBest for Chromebooks Minecraftand Best for Google Play Games on PC Arknights. Game honors were also included (see here on the Google blog next to the books of the year.)
