Apple on Wednesday released the list of App Store’s best apps and games of 2020. Continuing its annual trend, the Cupertino company named 15 apps and games that its App Store editors have found to be the best — on the basis of quality, design, usability, and the technology they use. The “Best of 2020” winners include home workout app Wakeout!, action role-playing game Genshin Impact, and video conferencing app Zoom, among others. Apple also separately announced the list of the most popular books and audiobooks on Apple Books and the shows of the year 2020 on Apple Podcasts.
Best App Store apps of 2020
From an independent developer Andres Canella, Wakeout! emerged as the iPhone App of the Year, while Zoom won the iPad App of the Year. Calendar and reminders app for Mac, Fantastical by Flexibits debuted as the Mac App of the Year. Similarly, video streaming app Disney+/ Disney+ Hotstar that has tons of originals for kids and young audiences won the Apple TV of the Year. Sound environment app Endel received the title of Apple Watch App of the Year.
Best App Store games of 2020
In terms of gaming, Apple called the Genshin Impact from miHoYo as the iPhone Game of the Year and strategy card game Legends of Runeterra from Riot Games as the iPad Game of the Year. Role playing game Disco Elysium from ZA/UM received the title of Mac Game of the Year. Further, metroidvania game Dandara Trials of Fear from Raw Fury became the Apple TV Game of the Year. Apple also gave adventure game Sneaky Sasquatch from RAC7 the title of Apple Arcade Game of the Year.
Alongside following its regular trend of calling out the best apps and games of 2020, Apple listed a few apps that it considered among the “app trends” of the year. These include self-care app Shine, kids video call solution Caribu, highly popular mobile game Pokemon Go that received an update to enable an indoor gaming experience, and whiteboard app Explain Everything Whiteboard.
Charitable giving app SharetheMeal also won the App Trend of the Year title by Apple for helping individuals making a difference during these tough times.
Apple has also designed its first-ever physical App Store Best of 2020 award that it will send to the 15 winners. The award features the signature blue App Store icon, along with the name of the winner engraved on the other side. It is created using 100 percent recycled aluminium to reflect the company’s environmental-friendly approach.
Apple has designed a physical award for the winners of Best of 2020
“Around the world, we saw remarkable efforts from so many developers, and these Best of 2020 winners are 15 outstanding examples of that innovation,” said Phil Schiller, Apple Fellow, in a statement. “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.”
In addition to the Best of 2020 that reflects the selection of its App Store editors, Apple revealed the most downloaded free and paid apps and games of this year. Amazon India – Shop and Pay, AarogyaSetu, Zoom, WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, and Google were amongst the top free apps in India. The top paid apps listed by Apple in India on the App Store include Sticker Babai, DSLR Camera, Forest – Stay focused, Voice Recorder – Audio Record, AutoSleep Track Sleep on Watch, Spectre Camera, and Procreate Pocket, among others.
Top 10 free iPhone apps in India
- Amazon India – Shop and Pay
- AarogyaSetu
- Zoom
- WhatsApp Messenger
- YouTube
- Google Pay
- MX Player
- Messenger
Top 10 paid iPhone apps in India
- Sticker Babai: Telugu Stickers
- DSLR Camera
- Forest – Stay focused
- Voice Recorder – Audio Record
- AutoSleep Track Sleep on Watch
- Spectre Camera
- Procreate Pocket
- TouchRetouch
- Vehicle Registration Info
On the part of top free games on the App Store in India, Ludo King led the charts, followed by Call of Duty: Mobile, Among Us!, Garena Free Fire: BOOYAH Day, Subway Surfers, Save The Girl!, and Asphalt 9: Legends. Top paid games in the country were Monopoly, Hitman Sniper, Minecraft, Plague Inc., RFS – Real Flight Simulator, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, among others.
Top 10 free iPhone games in India
- Ludo King
- Call of Duty: Mobile
- Among Us!
- Garena Free Fire: BOOYAH Day
- Subway Surfers
- Save the Girl!
- Asphalt 9: Legends
- Brain Out
- My Talking Tom Friends
- Magic Tiles 3: Piano Game
Top 10 paid iPhone games in India
- Monopoly
- Hitman Sniper
- Minecraft
- Plague Inc.
- RFS – Real Flight Simulator
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
- Heads Up! Best Charades game
- Assassin’s Creed Identity
- Getting Over It
In the US, the top free apps include apps like Zoom, TikTok, Disney+, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, while top paid apps included TouchRetouch, Procreate Pocket, Facetune, HotSchedules, AutoSleep Track Sleep on Watch, The Wonder Weeks, and SkyView. The list of the most-downloaded free apps in the US included Among Us!, Call of Duty: Mobile, Roblox, Subway Surfers, and Ink Inc. However, Minecraft, Plague Inc., Heads Up!, Monopoly, Bloons TD 6 ,and Geometry Dash were amongst the top paid games.
Alongside sharing the list of top apps and games, Apple announced on Twitter that NPR’s Code Sw!tch became the Show of the Year on Apple Podcasts. The company also revealed the list of best books of the year in the US, as reported by 9to5Mac, that includes The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand, and Long Bright River by Liz Moore. Best audiobooks of the year in the US include Open Book by Jessica Simpson, Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey, and Upstream by Dan Heath. The lists of the most-popular books and audiobooks of 2020 are also out. Apple also revealed the biggest shows and its favourites on Apple Podcast.
Best books of the Year on Apple Books in the US
- The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett
- 28 Summers, Elin Hilderbrand
- Long Bright River, Liz Moore
- Deep State, Chris Hauty
- The Last Flight, Julie Clark
- Reborn Yesterday, Tessa Bailey
- The Roommate, Rosie Danan
- The City We Became, N. K. Jemisin
- Piranesi, Susanna Clarke
- We Are Not Free, Traci Chee
- Silver Arrow, Lev Grossman
- The Velvet Rope Economy, Nelson D. Schwartz
- Caste, Isabel Wilkerson
- The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, Philippa Perry
- My Autobiography of Carson McCullers, Jenn Shapland
Best audiobooks of the Year on Apple Books in the US
- Open Book, Jessica Simpson
- Memorial Drive, Natasha Trethewey
- Upstream, Dan Heath
- The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett
- Interior Chinatown, Charles Yu
- Caste, Isabel Wilkerson
- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Suzanne Collins
- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, Ibram X.Kendi
- Fair Warning, Michael Connelly
- The Guest List, Lucy Foley
- Take a Hint, Dani Brown, Talia Hibbert
- Untamed, Glennon Doyle
- Think Like a Monk, Jay Shetty
- Devolution, Max Brooks
- The City We Became, N. K. Jemisin
Biggest shows of the Year on Apple Podcasts in the US
- Stuff You Should Know by iHeartRadio
- This American Life
- The Daily by New York Times
- Crime Junkie by audiochuck
- My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
- The Ben Shapiro Show by The Daily Wire
- Up First by NPR
- Call Her Daddy by Barstool Sports
- Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
- Unlocking Us with Brené Brown
Biggest new shows of the Year on Apple Podcasts in the US
- Unlocking Us with Brené Brown
- Nice White Parents by New York Times & Serial
- CounterClock by audiochuck
- Red Ball by audiochuck
- SmartLess with Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes
- Blood Ties by Wondery
- Supernatural with Ashley Flowers
- Down The Hill: The Delphi Murders by WarnerMedia
- Park Predators by audiochuck
- Coronavirus: Fact vs Fiction with Dr. Sanjay Gupta by CNN
Apple’s favourite podcasts of the year on Apple Podcasts in the US
- California Love by LAist and KPCC
- Canary by The Washington Post
- Dying for Sex by Wondery
- FANTI by Maximum Fun
- Floodlines by The Atlantic
- Ghost Tape by QCODE
- How to Citizen with Baratunde Thurston by iHeartRadio
- In The Bubble with Andy Slavitt by Lemonada Media
- Louder Than a Riot by NPR
- Nice White Parents by New York Times
- Rabbit Hole by New York Times
- You’re Wrong About with Michael Hobbes & Sarah Marshall
Earlier this week, Google announced the best Android apps and games of 2020 in India. The search giant also announced the winners of the Users’ Choice Awards 2020 that went to cricket game World Cricket Championship 3 – WCC3.
iPhone 12 Pro Series Is Amazing, but Why Is It So Expensive in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.