In 2020, Google’s award winners had reflected a world undergoing a pandemic, where stressed users had turned to apps and soothing games to relax - like top sleep app Loóna, which was last year’s “Best App,” or escapist games like winner Genshin Impact.īut with the early days of the pandemic now behind us, some of this year’s award winners were apps that focus on personal growth and creativity, instead of just relaxing or escaping.

Meanwhile, Paramount+ and Garena Free Fire MAX won the user’s choice awards. winners included meditation app Balance as its app of the year and top game Pokémon UNITE. This year, Google expanded its awards lineup to include apps and games on tablets, Wear OS and Google TV. Google Play also this week announced its own year-end list of the best apps and games on Google Play.

Google Play introduced its “Best of 2021” app awards, too But despite all these changes, the winning lineup reminds us that the quality of the apps on the App Store remains high.Īpple also released its year-end list of the most-downloaded apps, led by TikTok (iPhone’s top free app), Procreate Pocket (iPhone and iPad’s top paid app), Among Us! (iPhone and iPad’s top free game), Minecraft (iPhone and iPad’s top paid game), YouTube (iPad’s top free app) and The Oregon Trail (top Apple Arcade app.) The full lineup is here. As a result, Apple has adjusted and clarified its policies and even reduced its commissions in some cases, as dictated by the market demands and settlement agreements. 2021 was a year that’s seen much backlash and upheaval for the App Store, which has faced increased regulatory scrutiny, new legislation in global markets and various lawsuits over the App Store’s commission-based business model - including the ongoing one with Epic Games, now under appeal. Other winners are those that compete with Apple’s own first-party apps, including Carrot Weather (which also uses weather data from Apple-owned Dark Sky), Pages rival Craft and iMovie competitor LumaFusion. For instance, Toca Boca - which has produced more than 40 kids’ apps to date and celebrated its 10-year anniversary this year - is a reminder that developers are building long-term businesses on the App Store and Apple helped play a role in supporting that success. What’s interesting about this year’s group of winners is the subtle statement Apple is making with its editorial picks.

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