As the end of the year approaches, it’s time to look back and reflect on what marked the year. Today, Apple pays tribute to 16 applications, among the 3.59 billion in its App Store, which have marked its ecosystem.
And, like Apple’s mission, it looks like the 2022 winners are looking to redefine everyday practices. “This year’s App Store award winners are reimagining our experiences with apps that offer new, thoughtful, and authentic insights,” said Tim Cook, Apple CEO.
The 16 featured apps range from French app BeReal, which invites people to be spontaneous in a highly algorithmically driven world of social media, to Gentle Streak, the health app that reminds us that recovery is part of the fitness journey.
Highlighting the creators’ intentions, Tim Cook praises them, saying they “have a meaningful impact and represent how apps and games influence our communities and our lives.”
So here is the full list of App Store Awards 2022 winners.
iPhone App of the Year: BeReal
Picture: Apple.
With over 56 million downloads, BeReal has taken the social media world by storm this year. This social media app encourages people to ditch calculated poses and captions.
BeReal notifies you at a different time each time of the day, to encourage you to post what you are doing at that time. The app is simple in its mission and interface. It only allows two images: one with the front camera, the other with the rear camera. There is no room for frills.
The app was launched in 2020, but it took until this year for it to not only become a new social media platform, but also a phenomenon for smartphone users. So it’s no surprise that BeReal won the title of best iPhone app in 2022.
Accessible from a free mobile application for Android and iOS, BeReal is a social network that is very successful in the United States and France. Its principle is simple: everyone posts a photo at a specific time of the day.
- Downloads: 2
- Release date : 23/11/2022
- Author : BeReal
- Licence : Free license
- Categories:
Communication - Operating system : Android – iOS iPhone / iPad
iPad App of the Year: GoodNotes 5
By partnering with iCloud, GoodNotes 5 syncs your digital notes across all your Apple devices. You can draw a complex heart diagram using your iPad and Apple Pencil, then access the drawing on your Mac if you want to make a text guide.
GoodNotes 5 builds on Apple’s ecosystem and makes it easy to switch between devices, without leaving any thoughts behind or unfinished.
GoodNotes is a whiteboard note-taking app, available only for Apple devices, to jot down all your ideas to better organize them and increase your productivity.
- Downloads: 178
- Release date : 29/11/2022
- Author : GoodNotes
- Licence : Free license
- Categories:
Productivity - Operating system : iOS iPhone / iPad – macOS
Mac App of the Year: MacFamily Tree 10
Designed specifically for Mac, MacFamily Tree aims to be the ultimate genealogy tool.
Unlike other ancestry platforms, MacFamily Tree is a comprehensive library where you can scan family records, search for entries, and even post your own. Featuring a user-friendly interface, the interactive tree allows for easy navigation and collaboration, so multiple people can participate. New features also include customizable editing, easy source management, and intentional grouping of people.
Plus, it can use machine learning to colorize your old photos.
MacFamilyTree is an application for macOS that will allow you to manage your family tree. Very complete, it allows you to enter all the information related to your family and to do genealogical research.
- Release date : 21/11/2022
- Author : Synium Software Germany
- Licence : Demonstration
- Categories:
Hobbies - Operating system : iOS iPhone / iPad – macOS
Apple Watch App of the Year: Gentler Streak
Redefining what a fitness routine can look like – especially on a smartwatch – Gentler Streak is an exercise and fitness tracker designed to make you more forgiving of yourself. The app strives to help you find balance in your fitness journey, recognizing that rest days are part of the cycle.
Featuring customizable metrics, metric graphs, and actionable insights, Gentler Streak can prevent overtraining while keeping you at peak activity. With a user-friendly interface, the app makes it easy to choose a program that fits your lifestyle, not the other way around.
Gentler Streak Workout Tracker is a fitness and wellness tracking app. Free, it is only available on the AppStore, and compatible with the Apple Watch to help you achieve your physical goals.
- Release date : 22/11/2022
- Author : Gentler Stories LLC
- Licence : Demonstration
- Categories:
Sport – Health - Operating system : iOS iPhone / iPad / Apple Watch
iPhone Game of the Year: Apex Legends Mobile
Designed to immerse users in the universe of Apex Legends, the strategic combat mobile game invites you to participate in fast-paced battles with your favorite characters. Along with amazing graphics, the app enables and encourages communication. People can connect, collaborate and compete on their similar interest in this game.
iPad Game of the Year: Mounting
Picture: Apple.
With this game, you literally have to think outside the box. Moncage, the ultimate visual puzzle, unfolds from a simple cube. Each face of the cube contains seemingly unrelated worlds that you must somehow put together. With Moncage you can unlock your imagination and medals to prove your puzzle solving skills.
Mac Game of the Year: Registration
Incorporating a card game and an escape room, Registration is a one-of-a-kind game. With maps containing dark secrets for players to solve, this game promises to keep your puzzle-solving skills and your mind sharp. Rethinking how an escape game works, this Mac game has players hooked.
Apple TV Game of the Year: El Hijo
It makes sense that TV Game of the Year revolves around a character. In this case, players follow a six-year-old child, “El Hijo”. The latter overcomes obstacles, develops strategies to face his enemies and gains self-confidence. El Hijo invites players to explore the Wild West with the young boy as they solve puzzles, explore abandoned towns and use other playful tactics to advance the journey. Overall, this non-violent game promotes growth and the importance of determination.
Apple Arcade Game of the Year: Wylde Flowers
Wylde flowers is a storytelling simulation that combines creation, storytelling, and exploration. As Tara, players can transform the Wylde family farm into a flourishing garden, and even turn what they grow into ‘food’ with hundreds of recipes available.
Cultural impact category
In addition to the above, Apple also recognized five apps that it says “have had a lasting impact on people’s lives and influenced culture.” Along the same lines, the following apps invite users to reimagine the connections they have with themselves and with others.
how we feel
A diary of emotions and feelings, How We Feel encourages users to take a moment to write down what they are feeling rather than act on it. Whether it’s finding the right word to describe how they feel, tracking the progress of a good day, or simply clearing their minds, How We Feel was designed so users can observe trends over time and make changes for the better.
Dot’s Home
Marrying interactive storytelling, history, and diversity education, Dot’s Home is a video game that offers the perspective of a young black woman as players travel with her through time. This game offers players the opportunity to learn about systemic housing issues and communities of color in a truly empathetic way.
Locket Widget
The Locket widget creates a new space for photos right on your home screen. Now every time you unlock your phone, you can see a friendly face that isn’t frozen in time. If BeReal is too restrictive for you, this solution can be a good alternative to stay present with your friends without needing a notification.
waterllama drinking water
Picture: Apple.
This app not only requires you to drink water, but it does so in a very cute way. By using adorable characters, like her signature llama, to remind you to drink, you’ll be more hydrated and more motivated to stay that way. In addition to logging your water intake, Waterllama offers fun and healthy challenges for you to complete throughout the day.
Inua – A story in Ice and Time
Inua – A story in Ice and Time draws on the power of storytelling to navigate the Arctic in the 19e century. By following a young reporter, players will experience a historically fictional journey that is both educational and thrilling. And yes, the publisher is called ARTE Experience, so it’s French. Cock-a-doodle Doo !
Source: ZDNet.com