Apple announced its annual App Store Award winners on Thursday, highlighting top applications and games for the past year.
Artificial intelligence features appeared in several winning applications, demonstrating AI’s integration into mainstream app development. While Apple did not name a dedicated AI application or chatbot as an overall winner, AI has significantly influenced the functionalities of recognized apps.
For instance, Tiimo, which earned iPhone App of the Year, functions as a visual AI planner. It uses AI to convert tasks into visual timelines and to organize activities into a realistic schedule by estimating duration for each step. Detail, the iPad App of the Year, utilizes an “Auto Edit” AI feature to streamline video editing, automating tasks such as silence removal, zoom cuts, and the addition of titles and captions. StoryGraph, a Cultural Impact winner, employs machine learning AI to provide book recommendations based on user reading data. Be My Eyes, another Cultural Impact award recipient, offers an AI assistant that delivers visual descriptions of real-world images for blind and low-vision individuals. Additionally, Strava, the Apple Watch App of the Year, integrates an AI assistant to analyze workout data and generate insights.
Apple also recognized winners across other platforms, including Mac, Vision Pro, Apple TV, and its Apple Arcade subscription service. The company presented “Cultural Impact” awards to applications for their utility, promotion of understanding, or contributions to an inclusive world.
Apple initially named 45 finalists in November, subsequently narrowing the selection to 17 winning applications and games. The winners include:
- iPhone App of the Year: Tiimo
- iPhone Game of the Year: Pokémon TCG Pocket
- iPad App of the Year: Detail
- iPad Game of the Year: DREDGE
- Mac App of the Year: Essayist
- Mac Game of the Year: Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition
- Apple Arcade Game of the Year: WHAT THE CLASH?
- Apple Vision Pro App of the Year: Explore POV
- Apple Vision Pro Game of the Year: Porta Nubi
- Apple Watch App of the Year: Strava
- Apple TV App of the Year: HBO Max
- Cultural Impact Winners: Chants of Sennaar; Be My Eyes; Focus Friend; Art of Fauna; despelote; StoryGraph
