Apple and Google are avoiding naming ChatGPT as their “App of the Year,” opting for AllTrails and Imprint instead.

Image credits: apple

Apple and Google today announced their best apps and games of the year, with hiking and cycling app AllTrails winning Apple’s iPhone App of the Year for 2023, while education app Winner Imprint: Learn visually It won as the best app on Google Play. Meanwhile, Apple and Google have agreed on Game of the Year, where they were chosen Honkai: Star Rail As the winner.

Year-end “best of” lists aren’t just a way to drum up interest in new apps and games, but they serve as a way to gauge the state of app markets, what the platforms themselves wanted to celebrate, and what consumers paid attention to in the year.

But surprisingly, this year Apple bucked the trend of highlighting apps that were new to the Store or that took advantage of recently released technology in an innovative way. Instead, the iPhone App of the Year finalists included apps that have long earned accolades as well-designed and built mobile companions, including language learning app Duolingo and travel app Flighty, as well as winner AllTrails.

Image credits: apple

However, it’s worth noting that this kind of selection is different than in previous years, when App Store winners included the hit social app BeReal in 2022 and the well-received children’s app Toca Life World the year before.

It’s also worth noting that neither Apple nor Google chose the AI ​​app as App of the Year, despite the incredible success of the ChatGPT mobile app and others. This is especially strange considering that ChatGPT has become The fastest growing consumer app in history Earlier this year when it reached 100 million users shortly after its launch. This record was later broken by Instagram Threads, which reached 100 million users in just five days, and as of October still maintained an active user base of just under 100 million.

Any of these picks would represent a mobile app success story, but both App Store platforms looked to others as early winners this year. Additionally, outside of ChatGPT, many other AI applications generate revenue in the millions as well, so the decision to avoid the AI ​​category seems like a deliberate choice on Apple’s part.

Other App Store winners include iPad App of the Year Pre-makeupthe Mac app of the year Photomatorthe Apple TV app of the year Mobythe Apple Watch app of the year Smart GymiPhone game of the year Honkai: Star Railthe iPad game of the year Lost in playMAC Game of the Year P liesand the best Apple Arcade game of the year Hello Kitty Island Adventure.

“It’s inspiring to see the ways developers continue to create amazing apps and games that redefine the world around us,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement about the 2023 winners. He added: “This year’s winners represent the limitless potential of developers to bring their vision to reality, creating apps and games with remarkable ingenuity, exceptional quality, and goal-oriented missions.”

Apple also avoided naming an AI application among its Cultural Impact winners, despite the very real impact AI is having on culture, both online and offline. Offline online. In 2023, artificial intelligence has been integrated into everyday technology, used to create art and music, and has become… Disabled jobs While also Create new ones. Instead, one of Apple’s cultural winners was its gaming app for kids Book BookAccessibility application introductionReducing food waste Too good to go-Puzzle application unloadingAnd a hidden object game Find Hannah.

However, the company couldn’t avoid the topic of AI completely, so it gave a nod to the technology by naming generative AI as the “trend of the year”, and compiled a collection of generative AI applications that showcased the trend. She did not mention these names in her press release, but instead referred only to Their App Store collection.

Image credits: Google

in addition to Overall winners, Google took a different approach to its “best” apps this year, highlighting “multi-device” apps that mirrored its efforts on the Play Store, and are designed to make it easier to find non-smartphone apps. It ranked Spotify as the best multi-device app – an interesting choice given that it was just revealed through an antitrust case with Epic Games that Spotify has a good deal with Google that allows it to bypass Play Store fees. The best cross-platform game was the turn-based strategy game OUTERPLANE – Strategy anime.

Google also allows users to vote for their favorite apps, and not surprisingly, ChatGPT It won the race here as User’s Choice App of the Year. The User’s Choice Game of the Year was Monopoly go!

The company also rounded up other apps it wanted to highlight by giving them individual awards, including Best App for Fun Bumble for Friends: Get to know IRLbest for personal growth Voidpet Garden: Mental Healththe best daily necessities Artifact: Feed your curiosityBest hidden gem aware of: Mindfulness and well-being,Best with Artificial Intelligence AI Personality: AI-powered chatBest for families Paw Patrol AcademyBest app for good AWorld to support ActNowBest for watches WhatsApp Messenger-Best for tablets Concepts: drawing, observing, sketchingBest for Chromebooks FlipaClip: Create 2D animation,Best for Google TV Maximum: Streaming HBO, TV, and moviesBest for cars Amazon Prime Video

Unlike Apple, which has been feuding with Meta ever since changes to app tracking transparency affected Meta’s advertising business, straining the relationship between the two tech giants, Google didn’t mind highlighting Meta’s WhatsApp in the winners’ list. It also gave a nod to the AI-powered smart app Artifact, which was created by the founders of Instagram. Although it also did not select an AI app as the overall winner, ChatGPT won the user choice race and created the AI ​​category, which was won by Character AI – an app created by former Google researchers.

It also compiled honorable mentions for those who did not win in their app category, including Really Real Maker is a video editor, Imprint: Learn visually (which won overall but was an honorable mention in personal growth), ReciMe: Easy and delicious recipes, Stippl: Explore, Plan, and Share, ChatGPT (which won User’s Choice but received an honorable mention in the Best with AI category), Lego Duplo Disney, AllTrails: Hike, bike, run (Also Apple’s iPhone App of the Year), Audible: audio entertainment, Canva: design, images and video, Everand: e-books and audiobooks, Evernote – notes organizer, And video, Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll, Disney+, Tubi: Movies and Live TV, Beach buggy racingAnd Spotify (Which won Best Multi-Device App but received an honorable mention for Best Automotive App.)

Best Games Included Best Multiplayer Game Farlight 84Best pick and play: Monopoly Go!Best indie music Vampire survivorsbest story Honkai: Star Railbest continuing The men stumbledBest games for good: Sleeping Pokemonbest on Play Pass Magical frenzy-Best for tablets Honkai: Star RailBest for Chromebooks Maine CraftBest for Google Play Games on PC Knights. Honorable mentions for games are also included (see Here on Google’s blog In addition to the Sunnah books.)