App Store Best of 2020: here are Apple's winners

It's December, which means it's also time for a review of the past year across the internet. Apple is no different, and this year they released 15 outstanding apps and games which, according to the company, "proved to be essential".

The chosen winners of the year 2020 are "notable for their high quality, creative design, usability, and innovative technology". One could observe the remarkable efforts of many developers in the past months. Apples Phil Schiller described the winners of the year 2020 as "15 outstanding examples of that innovation".

iPhone and iPad app of the year: Wakeout! and Zoom

This year, the iPhone app of the year was Wakeout! by Andres Canella. The health and fitness app helps users stay in motion. Especially during the past few months of 2020, when many of us had to work from home due to the coronavirus and movement may have suffered as a result, the developer was able to help its users stay active thanks to simple exercises.

Apple chose Zoom for the iPad app of the year. Here, too, the pandemic may have been a decisive reason for the choice. The meeting app is not only a part of everyday business life, but is also an integral part of the day for many students, as they have to visit their schools in virtual form.

This year there was also an app of the year for the Apple Watch. Endel is supposed to help the user to relax and thus reduce stress and improve concentration. The app also offers versions for iPhone and iPad.

The open-world RPG Genshin Impact was voted game of the year for the iPhone. Legends of Runeterra won the iPad game of the year.

Apple also selected a game of the year from its own subscription service Apple Arcade. Sneaky Sasquatch is "a welcome (and reliably hilarious) escape for the whole family".

Of course, the Mac isn't missing either. The app of the year here was the calendar app Fantastical, while the roleplaying game Disco Elysium was voted game of the year for Mac.

Apple TV: Streaming service as app of the year

Besides the portable devices in the form of iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch, there is of course also the Apple TV. Here Apple named the app of the streaming service Disney+ the app of the year. For game of the year on Apple TV, Dandara Trials of Fear was chosen.

Independent of specific devices, the company also presented three apps in the category "App Trends of 2020". Explain Everything Whiteboard is an interactive digital whiteboard designed to help teachers and students learn.

The developers of Pokémon GO were praised for "reinventing play" and for allowing users to experience the game world without having to "venture out to do it".

The United Nations ShareTheMeal app allows users to donate meals for children using their smartphone or tablet. To date, more than 87 million meals have been shared.

Source: Apple 1, Apple 2