The annual App Store Awards showcase the must-have downloads for your iPhone, iPad and more.
1
Apple’s in-house experts hand-picked the winners, and the top iPhone app is perfect if you like the outdoors.
iPhone App of the Year is AllTrails, which serves up trail guides to help you explore nature.
And iPhone Game of the Year was Honkai: Star Rail, a role-playing game from China packed with rich combat and a thrilling story in a journey across magical worlds.
“It’s inspiring to see the ways developers continue to build incredible apps and games that are redefining the world around us,” said Apple chief Tim Cook.
“This year’s winners represent the limitless potential of developers to bring their visions to life, creating apps and games with remarkable ingenuity, exceptional quality, and purpose-driven missions.”
Apple also revealed its Trend of the Year: Generative AI.
“Apps are a reflection of culture, and in 2023, generative AI captured users’ collective imagination with its evolution unfolding in real time,” Apple explained.
“Apps started integrating AI throughout the year in a variety of ways.
“Although many features are still in their infancy, they gave users a chance to see, firsthand, the technology in action and come to their own conclusions about the benefits and risks.”
It’s no surprise, given how AI apps like ChatGPT and Microsoft Bing soared in popularity.
And it’s looking likely that we’ll see even more AI apps landing in 2024.
App Store Awards Winners 2023 – full list revealed
A total of 14 apps and games were recognized as part of the awards.
Here is the full list of Apple App Store winners:
- iPhone App of the Year: AllTrails
- iPad App of the Year: Prêt-à-Makeup
- Mac App of the Year: Photomator
- Apple TV App of the Year: MUBI
- Apple Watch App of the Year: SmartGym
And here’s the list of games that won awards:
- iPhone Game of the Year: Honkai: Star Rail
- iPad Game of the Year: Lost in Play
- Mac Game of the Year: Lies of P
- Apple Arcade Game of the Year: Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Apple also recognized several apps for special awards as part of its Cultural Impact category.
Pok Pok is a digital toy room for kids to play and explore, while Proloquo is an accessibility app that helps people who struggle to communicate.
Hungry iPhone owners will definitely want to download Too Good To Go, which lets you find nearby restaurants offering unsold food at rock-bottom prices.
It’s designed to minimize food waste, but it’ll also see you fed with heavy discounts.
So you can feel good and save money at the same time.
Fourth on the list was Unpacking, which is a meditative puzzle app.
And fifth was Finding Hannah, a hidden object game “that explores the power of healing and self-discovery”.