Posts tagged with "apps"

Apple Announces the 2024 App Store Awards

iPhone App of the Year winner Kino. Source: Apple.

iPhone App of the Year winner Kino. Source: Apple.

Apple has revealed its annual App Store Awards winners, recognizing the standout apps and games of 2024. This year, the company picked a collection of apps and games from 17 developers across 12 categories, including new categories for the Vision Pro App and Game of the Year.

Apple CEO Tim Cook had this to say about this year’s winning developers:

We are thrilled to honor this impressive group of developers who are harnessing the power of Apple devices and technology to deliver experiences that enrich the lives of users and have a profound impact on their communities. The remarkable achievements of this year’s winners demonstrate the incredible ingenuity that can be unlocked through apps.

This year’s App Store Award winners are:

iPad App of the Year winner Moises. Source: Apple.

iPad App of the Year winner Moises. Source: Apple.

Apps

  • iPhone App of the Year: Kino, from Lux Optics, Inc. 
  • iPad App of the Year: Moises, from Moises Systems, Inc. 
  • Mac App of the Year: Adobe Lightroom, from Adobe, Inc. 
  • Apple Vision Pro App of the Year: What If…? An Immersive Story, from Disney
  • Apple Watch App of the Year: Lumy, from Raja V.
  • Apple TV App of the Year: F1 TV, from Formula One Digital Media Limited
Mac Game of the Year winner Thank Goodness You’re Here! Source: Apple

Mac Game of the Year winner Thank Goodness You’re Here! Source: Apple

Games

Cultural Impact winner Oko. Source: Apple.

Cultural Impact winner Oko. Source: Apple.

Apple also honored the following Cultural Impact winners:

I had a chance to meet with the developers of three winning apps: Thrasher, Oko, and Moises. I wasn’t familiar with any of these apps before my meetings, but every one of them struck a chord with me, and I can see why Apple included them in their awards.

Thrasher takes advantage of the Vision Pro’s many sensors to create a uniquely immersive visual and musical experience. Oko uses the iPhone’s cameras to help low-vision and blind users navigate busy cities safely and independently. Moises leverages AI to break down music in a way that helps musicians practice and improve their skills. They’re all very different apps, but each pushes Apple’s devices in its own way to elevate their users’ daily lives whether it’s improving their skills, helping them through their daily lives, or entertaining them during a moment of downtime.

Congratulations to all of this year’s App Store Award winners. It’s always great to see developers’ hard work and contributions to Apple’s platforms recognized.

MacStories Selects 2024: Recognizing the Best Apps of the Year

John: 2024 was a big year for apps, but it was also different from most. More often than not, app innovation is driven by new Apple APIs; that wasn’t the case this year. Instead, it was other trends that shaped the apps we love.

Artificial intelligence played a big role, with some apps adopting it in clever ways to reduce user friction while other developers reacted to it by adopting a more human-centric, creative approach. The rapidly evolving social media landscape played a part, too, with new ways to communicate and manage our timelines emerging.

However, the biggest driver of change in the world of apps this year was government regulation led by the European Commission. The full effects of the Digital Markets Act and the U.S. Department of Justice’s antitrust action against Apple have yet to play out, but nothing since the introduction of the App Store has shaken up the status quo like governments in the EU, U.S., and elsewhere did in 2024.

Not all regulatory effects were what developers wanted – or even positive – but as 2024 winds down, it’s undeniable that apps that weren’t possible before regulation are now available worldwide. Plus, developers in certain parts of the world have more options than before, which we at MacStories are happy to see as fans of apps and their makers. Let’s hope the opening up of the App Store continues and spreads geographically in 2025 and beyond.

Change lingers in the air, which makes me excited for the apps that 2025 will bring, but before we shut off the lights on 2024, it’s time to pause as we do each year to reflect on the many apps we tried in the year gone by and recognize the best among them.

Like last year, the MacStories team picked the best apps in seven categories:

  • Best New App
  • Best App Update
  • Best New Feature
  • Best Watch App
  • Best Mac App
  • Best Design
  • App of the Year

Club MacStories members were part of the selection process, too, picking the winner of the MacStories Selects Readers’ Choice Award. And as we’ve done the past few years, we named a Lifetime Achievement Award winner that has stood the test of time and had an outsized impact on the world of apps. This year’s winner, which joins past winners Pixelmator, PCalc, and Drafts, is the subject of a special story Niléane wrote for the occasion.

As usual, Federico and I also recorded a special episode of AppStories covering all the winners and runners-up. It’s a terrific way to learn more about this year’s apps. Plus, it’s on our YouTube channel this year, giving you a chance to actually see the awards as we cover them.

You can also listen to the episode below.

0:00
55:19

And with that, it’s my pleasure to unveil the 2024 MacStories Selects Awards.

Read more

The MacStories Selects 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award

Transit

Earlier this year, I took the time to step back from the tech news cycle and reflect on one of my favorite iPhone apps of all time, Transit. For the past decade and more — Transit first launched in 2012 — the app has been a powerful way to plan trips and look up waiting times when traveling around your hometown using public transportation. But the team behind Transit has never stopped enhancing and improving the app. Today, Transit remains one of the best transit apps on the iPhone, and it’s not even close; not only that, but the app has also slowly but surely cemented itself as a staple of UI design in this category.

I started relying on Transit in 2014, when I first arrived in France. At the time, I had never experienced a massive public transit network like the one in Paris, and I specifically remember how overwhelming it all felt. Finding Transit in the App Store truly felt like a godsend for 18-year-old me.

When it was first released, the app focused on one key feature: as soon as you tapped its icon on the Home Screen, it would immediately give you real-time waiting times for bus and train stops all around you, wherever you were in the city. Unlike with its competitors, you didn’t need to tap around the UI to find the stop or train line you were looking for; in all likelihood, the information you were looking for was already there, right on the app’s main screen. Instead of trying to play the retention game and keep you in the app as long as it could, Transit was designed to be launched and dismissed again just a few seconds later, as soon as you got a glance at the waiting times on its main screen.

This basic foundation immediately made Transit relevant at any time of the day. It also explains why, over the past ten years, I’ve never once removed the app’s icon from my Home Screen. In fact, it’s hard for me to imagine my Home Screen setup without Transit.

Transit lets you compare itineraries on a timeline and presents you with a detailed breakdown of each itinerary.

Transit lets you compare itineraries on a timeline and presents you with a detailed breakdown of each itinerary.

Today, in addition to checking waiting times, the app also lets you plan itineraries and compare trips, and it can track your vehicle to alert you when you’re about to reach your destination so you don’t miss your stop — all of this across 741 cities and regions in 23 countries. If this sounds like a lot, just know that at every step along the way, the app is always graced with a thoughtful design that never makes any part of it feel overwhelming. Every single data point has been carefully placed in the interface and is introduced with beautiful and subtle animations.

When I try to think of apps that started strong so many years ago and only evolved to become stronger, there are just a few names that come to mind. Transit is one of those names.

Transit's Live Activities are a perfect use case for the feature. They let you keep track of your trip and alert you when you're about to reach your destination.

Transit’s Live Activities are a perfect use case for the feature. They let you keep track of your trip and alert you when you’re about to reach your destination.

One of the reasons the app has been able to achieve this is its ability to gracefully adopt Apple’s new system APIs in iOS every year. This was especially true in iOS 16 with Live Activities, which allow you to track your trip and keep an eye on your next stop right from your iPhone’s Lock Screen. And just last month, the Transit team went beyond our expectations, revealing an impressive new way to track your train when it’s underground and you don’t have a GPS signal. The app now utilizes the iPhone’s built-in accelerometer and analyzes its patterns to identify when your vehicle is in motion and every time it reaches a new station. I’ve been able to try this new feature over the past month in the tunnels of the Paris Métro, and I’m happy to report that this wizardry actually works.

In November 2024, Transit added a prediction model that allows it to track your train underground without GPS, using only the iPhone's accelerometer.

In November 2024, Transit added a prediction model that allows it to track your train underground without GPS, using only the iPhone’s accelerometer.

The Transit team’s ability to innovate and expand to more regions around the world, all while keeping the app focused on the main feature set that it launched with 12 years ago, is remarkable. For that, and the app’s ever-beautiful design, Transit deserves to be recognized with this year’s MacStories Selects Lifetime Achievement Award.

Learn more about Transit:

Apple Announces 45 App Store Awards Finalists for 2024

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Today, Apple announced the finalists for its App Store Awards, a selection of apps picked by the App Store Editorial team each fall to recognize “exceptional user experience, design, and innovation from developers across the world.”

This year’s awards are a little different than in the past. 2023 was the first time finalists were announced, so that part isn’t new. But this year, Apple has expanded the number of categories from 10 to 12 and increased the finalist count from about 40 to 45 to include apps and games for Vision Pro. It’s also notable that the finalists were introduced in a press release last year by Phil Schiller, while this year’s awards are being introduced by Carson Oliver, Apple’s head of Worldwide App Store, who had this to say about the finalists:

We’re thrilled to celebrate this year’s App Store Award finalists, whose imagination and craftsmanship have produced amazing apps that users love. From games that transport players to fantastical new worlds, to apps that fuel creativity, these developers are delivering remarkable experiences that captivate and inspire.

Let’s take a look at the categories and finalists as they’re described in Apple’s press release.

iPhone App of the Year Finalists

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Finalists in the iPhone App of the Year category empowered users to enhance real-life experiences through personalized tools and easy-to-use features:

Kino, for turning everyday moments into cinematic masterpieces. 

Runna, for offering tailored training plans to runners of all experience levels. 

Tripsy, for keeping travelers organized and stress-free.

iPhone Game of the Year Finalists

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Finalists in the iPhone Game of the Year category brought players captivating narratives with rich visuals and compelling characters:

AFK Journey, for building enchanting fantasy worlds with striking battles. 

The WereCleaner, for delivering comical and creative gameplay. 

Zenless Zone Zero, for immersing players in action-packed storylines.

iPad App of the Year Finalists

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Finalists in the iPad App of the Year category inspired imaginative play and creativity:

Bluey: Let’s Play, for delivering lovable characters and family-friendly fun.

Moises, for elevating music practice with AI-powered tools.

Procreate Dreams, for bringing animated stories to life.

iPad Game of the Year Finalists

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Finalists in the iPad Game of the Year category featured dynamic storytelling and beautifully crafted worlds:

Assassin’s Creed Mirage, for transporting players into a world of narrative-driven adventure. 

Disney Speedstorm, for bringing exciting, high-speed racing experiences. 

Squad Busters, for combining the thrill of competition with welcoming, playful gameplay.

Apple Arcade Game of the Year

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Finalists in the Apple Arcade Game of the Year category offered epic stories and a refresh of the classics:

Balatro+, for inventing a thrilling card game that’s like no other.

Outlanders 2, for captivating players with revamped graphics and imaginative levels.

Sonic Dream Team, for introducing new adventures to the characters players know and love.

Mac App of the Year Finalists

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Finalists in the Mac App of the Year category delivered powerful tools, helping users tackle projects with ease:

Adobe Lightroom, for enhancing the photo editing process with AI-powered features. 

OmniFocus 4, for fostering focus with simplified task management.

Shapr3D, for transforming the 3D design workflow.

Mac Game of the Year Finalists

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Finalists in the Mac Game of the Year category brought gamers unique protagonists, visual style, and endless fun:

Frostpunk 2, for expanding on the city-building genre.

Stray, for capturing both mystery and playfulness in its dark world. 

Thank Goodness You’re Here!, for amusing players with nonstop humor and absurdity.

Apple Watch App of the Year Finalists

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Finalists in the Apple Watch App of the Year category provided convenient access to helpful tools and information, right on their wrist:

LookUp, for improving vocabularies with daily definitions.

Lumy, for connecting users to the rhythms of the sun and moon.

Watch to 5K, for giving runners a boost, all the way to the finish line.

Apple Vision Pro App of the Year Finalists

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Finalists in the Apple Vision Pro App of the Year category pushed the boundaries of spatial computing:

JigSpace, for empowering users to view 3D and augmented reality models with ease. 

NBA, for redefining the future of how users watch the sports they love.

What If…? An Immersive Story, for inviting players into a new kind of Marvel experience.

Apple Vision Pro Game of the Year Finalists

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Finalists in the Apple Vision Pro Game of the Year category stunned players with vibrant scenes and intuitive gameplay:

Loóna, for crafting relaxing puzzles to unwind with.

THRASHER, for introducing smooth, trailblazing controls and a mesmerizing alien world.

Vacation Simulator, for taking players to destinations filled with funny characters and even funnier activities.

Apple TV App of the Year Finalists

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Finalists in the Apple TV App of the Year category brought stunning experiences to the biggest screen in the home:

DROPOUT, for providing endless laughter and fun.

F1 TV, for transporting fans straight into the cockpit of a race car. 

Zoom, for keeping groups connected in innovative ways.

Cultural Impact Finalists

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Finalists in the Cultural Impact category brought users powerful stories and helped them bring out their best selves to create a lasting impact:

Arco, for letting players shape their own story. 

The Bear, for turning bedtime into a calming, interactive experience. 

BetterSleep, for helping users sleep — and feel — better. 

Brawl Stars, for delivering quick bites of action-packed gameplay. 

DailyArt, for inspiring curiosity about artistic masterpieces. 

Do You Really Want to Know 2, for addressing misconceptions about HIV through an endearing interactive story.

EF Hello, for empowering language learners with AI-enhanced tools.

NYT Games, for uniting puzzle lovers across generations with a daily dose of fun.

Oko, for making street-crossing safer and more accessible to all.

Partiful, for simplifying social gatherings to foster connection and community.

Pinterest, for inspiring new ideas and endless possibilities. 

The Wreck, for telling an intimate and impactful story via cinematic gameplay.

As always, it’s great to see MacStories favorites like Kino, Tripsy, Procreate Dreams, Balatro, OmniFocus, LookUp, Arco, and others among the finalists. Apple says the winners will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Creating Gradients with Your iPhone and an App Clip→

Recently on AppStories, I asked listeners to suggest apps for creating gradients. I’ve tried a few, but none have grabbed me yet, so I’d sort of given up for the time being. But then a listener suggested something totally different and amazing: a prototype App Clip that uses your iPhone’s camera to create gradients.

It isn’t a complete app. For instance, you can’t save a captured gradient to your photo library; instead, you have to take a screenshot of the gradient. That isn’t ideal, but the lack of functionality doesn’t take away from the concept, which I love.

A wallpaper made with Kandravy's App Clip.

A wallpaper made with Kandravy’s App Clip.

When the App Clip launches, it presents you with just three adjustable sliders that control things like the diffusion of the image your camera is recording and its saturation. Once you’ve framed a gradient you like, tapping the screen freezes the image so you can take a screenshot and start using the gradient as a wallpaper. Another option is to use an image from your photo library to create a gradient. Adobe has something similar baked into its Capture app for the iPhone and iPad, but it’s more complicated and only generates 640x640-pixel images that aren’t suitable to be used as wallpapers without doing additional work in another app.

The App Clip was created by Dominik Kandravy, a designer who is looking for a developer to turn the prototype into a full-blown app. I’m hoping Dominik can find someone to help because the simple elegance of the prototype is compelling.

Permalink

Control Center and Lock Screen Controls for iOS 18: A Roundup of My Favorite Indie Apps

This week, Apple released iOS and iPadOS 18 to the world. One of the main new features this year is the ability to fully customize Control Center. And not only is Control Center customizable, but it now also supports controls from third-party applications. If you open the new Controls Gallery in iOS and iPadOS 18, you will find controls and toggles from some of your favorite indie apps that have been updated to support the new release.

In addition to being available in Control Center, every one of these third-party controls can be mapped to the Action button on the iPhone 15 Pro or newer, and they can used to replace the two default controls at the bottom of Lock Screen – Flashlight and Camera – which have been there since the introduction of the iPhone X in 2017.

While you may think at first that there’s only so much you can do with a simple toggle in Control Center, the range of possibilities that this enables is actually pretty wide. That is why, today, I’m taking a look at a selection of apps that have been updated to offer their own controls for Control Center and the Lock Screen. They’re all unique, and some of them are unexpectedly powerful.

Let’s jump in.

Read more

The Latest from NPC: Next Portable Console and AppStories

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

This week, Federico and I celebrate episode 400 by considering what the future will hold for apps 400 more episodes from now.

On AppStories+, Federico reveals why he’s using the third generation AirPods.

This episode is sponsored by:

  • Balance – A thoughtfully designed personal finance and budgeting app from one of our own Club MacStories members.

On NPC, Brendon, Federico, and I cover newly announced handhelds, a gaming pillow, and other news before covering how Federico is dual booting Windows and SteamOS on his ASUS ROG Ally X and an update on retro handhelds from Brendon and me.

Read more

Designing for Today’s App Interactions→

Yesterday, Vidit Bhargava, the developer of LookUp, Word of the Day, and other apps, published an excellent story on Pixel Posts about designing for today’s app interactions. Vidit makes the excellent point that the way we use apps is changing. They’re no longer iPhone-only islands that are siloed off from other apps and devices. As Vidit explains:

Not only is the iPhone app not the center of a user’s interaction on the phone. It’s increasingly becoming one of the many parts of an ecosystem where apps are expected to scale both in terms of interface and functionality starting from something as small as an Apple Watch and going all the way up to an unbounded experience like Vision Pro.

Not only do apps exist in the larger ecosystem of products, they are constantly interacting and communicating between them.

I couldn’t agree more. Today, I expect apps to be available on every device I use and to let me move my data between apps.

Vidit also explores the practical effect of the evolution of apps, arguing that it no longer makes sense to start by designing for the iPhone. Instead, Vidit suggests that we:

…think of “apps” as clusters of actions that help us reach or present information, and carry out processes (i.e. other actions).

The post is full of practical examples that are worth browsing through and an exploration of how to effectively design for actions. Vidit’s apps are among the best-designed apps I use, so I consider this post is a must-read for developers, designers, and anyone who is interested in where app design is heading.

Permalink

Over 300 Apps from Indie Developers Are On Sale Now

Indie App Sales is back with excellent deals on apps from many of your favorite developers. With over 300 apps to choose from, the complete list is full of gems like:

The sale periods vary by app, but most are offering discounts today and tomorrow, so check it out to grab a great deal on these excellent apps and support indie development.