Apple announced its apps of the year for 2020 on Wednesday. No surprise, the list heavily focuses on wellbeing, streaming…. and Zoom. Indeed, Apple said that “developers overwhelmingly led a trend towards helpfulness” during the year.
Helpfulness in 2020
One of its examples of helpfulness was Shine, which launched a section dedicated to the intersectionality of mental health and Black lives. Furthermore, the United Nations World Food Programme’s ShareTheMeal app hasd helped users share over 87 million meals at the time of this writing. Elsewhere, Explain Everything Whiteboard offered a cloud-based collaboration tool for students and teachers, Caribu made interactives games through which people could connect with friends and family available, while Pokémon Go adapted to users being indoors.
“This year, more than ever before, some of our most creative and connected moments happened in apps. This was thanks to the amazing work of developers who introduced fresh, helpful app experiences throughout the year,” said Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow. “Around the world, we saw remarkable efforts from so many developers, and these Best of 2020 winners are 15 outstanding examples of that innovation. From helping us stay fit and mindful, to keeping our children’s education on track, to helping fight hunger, their impact was meaningful to so many of us,” he said.
Apps of the Year:
- iPhone: Wakeout! (Andres Canella)
- iPad: Zoom
- Mac: Fantastical (Flexibits)
- Apple TV: Disney+
- Apple Watch: Endel
Games of the Year
- iPhone: Genshin Impact (miHoYo)
- iPad: Legends of Runeterra (Riot Games)
- Mac: Disco Elysium (ZA/UM)
- Apple TV: Dandara Trials of Fear (Raw Fury)
- Apple Arcade: Sneaky Sasquatch (RAC7)
For the first time, the 15 winners will receive a physical award (pictured above).