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[ul]
[li]Apple has announced the finalists for its App Store Awards 2024[/li][li]It highlights the best new apps for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and more[/li][li]For the first time, it also includes apps for the Apple Vision Pro[/li][/ul]
Yes, itâs that time of year again â no, weâre not talking about the Black Friday sales, but the end-of-year highlights lists that arrive for everything from Spotify Wrapped to Google TV. Today, itâs Appleâs turn â with the tech giant revealing the finalists for its annual App Store Awards.
If youâre looking for a new app for your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, the App Store Awards is a handy breakdown of the new ones you may have missed. We now have shortlists for the potential winners across every Apple platform âincluding, for the first time, the Apple Vision Pro.
In this round-up, weâve focused on the non-gaming nominees across all of Appleâs categories. Weâve also rounded up the apps included in Appleâs more nebulous âCultural Impactâ award, which nevertheless highlights some interesting and more left-field apps.
[HEADING=2]iPhone apps of the year[/HEADING]
[HEADING=1]1. Kino[/HEADING]
[IMG alt=âApp Store Awards 2024â]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/27...p3TSmtb25U.jpg
(Image credit: Apple)
The team behind the Halide camera app is a mainstay of the App Store Awards, having won the iPhone App of the Year in 2019 with Spectre â and now itâs been nominated again for the video app Kino.
Kino landed earlier this year with support for the iPhone 15 Proâs Apple Log video format, which gives you much more flexibility when color-grading videos. But itâs not just for pros either, with handy features that help you pick the best settings to achieve a cinematic motion blur and more.
Apple praised the app for âturning everyday moments into cinematic masterpiecesâ, which is potentially going overboard. But Kino certainly has a strong shout for being one of the best video editing apps around for iPhone.
[ul]
[li]Download Kino for iPhone[/li][/ul]
[HEADING=1]2. Runna[/HEADING]
[IMG alt=âApp Store Awards 2024â]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Vn...V7zqJeLL6U.jpg
(Image credit: Apple)
Weâre happy to see Runna in Appleâs App Store Award finalists, because itâs a fine new option for planning and executing your running goals. Our Runna review praises its detailed stat breakdowns and also the audio prompts to help you understand your pacing.
The app first launched back in 2021, but the motivational tool has developed into a popular option for those who need a motivational coach for anything from a 5km to a marathon. Its layout is pretty, but thatâs something beginners will appreciate â particularly when hitting âthe wallâ after 200m.
[ul]
[li]Download Runna for iPhone[/li][/ul]
[HEADING=1]3. Tripsy[/HEADING]
[IMG alt=âApp Store Awards 2024â]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/K2...XP3c6e2y4U.jpg
(Image credit: Apple)
Tripsy is another app thatâs been around for a while (first launching in 2019), but itâs aging like a fine wine â particularly now that travelâs been back on the agenda for a couple of years.
The app is designed to lower your stress levels while traveling by rounding up your itinerary (including hotels, must-see spots, and more), giving you flight alerts, and storing your documents in one place.
More recently, Tripsyâs added support for weather conditions and a customizable dashboard â so if 2025 is going to be a big travel year for you, itâs worth checking out.
[ul]
[li]Download Tripsy for iPhone[/li][/ul]
[HEADING=2]iPad apps of the year[/HEADING]
[HEADING=1]4. Bluey: Letâs Play[/HEADING]
Not content with making our guide to the best Disney Plus shows, the Australian animated TV series Bluey is also in Appleâs App Store Awards finalists for its iPad app.
Bluey is about a family of Blue Heeler dogs who are exploring the realities of everyday day life and is naturally aimed at young kids (even pre-school or toddler age). The app lets you explore the family home, make up stories, and rebuild the house as you see fit.
Apple praised the app for âdelivering lovable characters and family-friendly funâ and it certainly seems to deliver on that.
[ul]
[li]Download Bluey: Letâs Play for iPad[/li][/ul]
[HEADING=1]5. Moises[/HEADING]
[IMG alt=âApp Store Awards 2024â]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YJ...yXjnAg5w4U.jpg
(Image credit: Apple)
We expected to see a lot of AI-powered tools in this yearâs App Store Awards â and this music app fits that bill. The idea is pretty simple: Moises lets you separate a song into its various elements (or âstemsâ) and remove those parts so you can practice along.
For example, you can split a song into vocals, drums, bass, guitar, and more, and also adjust their speed or pitch to suit. Naturally, you need to pay for its more powerful features (subscriptions start at $5.99 / ÂŁ4.99 / AU$9.99 a month), but thereâs a free starter plan to give you a taste of its handy talents.
[ul]
[li]Download Moises for iPad[/li][/ul]
[HEADING=1]6. Procreate Dreams[/HEADING]
[IMG alt=âApp Store Awards 2024â]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wJ...sb46Y6RG6U.jpg
(Image credit: Apple)
Procreate has long been one of our favorite drawing apps, so we were very excited to try out its animation-themed Dreams sibling earlier this year â and itâs impressed Apple enough to make its shortlist for iPad app of the year.
We certainly fell for some of its charms, particularly the fact that itâs completely subscription-free and supports older iPads (running iPadOS 16.3 or later). We found it to be very intuitive for first-time animators too, particularly the Performance Mode which lets you animate your assets and effects in real-time.
That said, there were a few niggles and missing features when we first tried Procreate Dreams, so weâre looking forward to giving it another spin following its App Store Awards nomination.
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[li]Download Procreate Dreams for iPad[/li][/ul]
[HEADING=2]Apple Watch apps of the year[/HEADING]
[HEADING=1]7. LookUp[/HEADING]
[IMG alt=âApp Store Awards 2024â]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aG...p2JULagt4U.jpg
(Image credit: Apple)
Not to be confused with the Visual Look Up feature on iPhones, which works a bit like Google Lens, this handy Apple Watch app is instead designed to improve your English vocabulary.
Powered by the Oxford English Dictionary, it includes âWord of the Dayâ cards complete with illustrations. You can also tap cards to confirm pronunciations, etymology, and synonyms â which sounds ideal whether youâre an English learner or an improver.
[ul]
[li]Download LookUp for Apple Watch[/li][/ul]
[HEADING=1]8. Lumy[/HEADING]
[IMG alt=âApp Store Awards 2024â]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Gt...ajHNFKGK6U.jpg
(Image credit: Apple)
Lumy has been around for over a decade now, but it remains one of the best ways to track the location of the sun and moon on any date â making it ideal for planning a âgolden hourâ photo shoot.
It isnât just for photographers, with the seven-day weather info making it a useful ally for hikers and walkers. And Lumyâs clean design and Apple Watch complications make it particularly good on a smartwatch. If Photopills is a bit too much for you, Lumy looks like a fine alternative, particularly for Apple Watch fans.
[ul]
[li]Download Lumy for Apple Watch[/li][/ul]
[HEADING=1]9. Watch to 5K[/HEADING]
[IMG alt=âAn Apple Watch on a blue background showing the Watch to 5K appâ]https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bg...mDG8jvNzhA.jpg
(Image credit: Watch to 5K)
This app has been a mainstay on our guide to the best Apple Watch apps, so weâre glad to see it given a nod in the App Store Awards 2024 â even if itâs far from new.
The appeal of Watch to 5K remains its simplicity â if youâre not quite ready to tackle an ultra-marathon, itâll guide you through making a training plan thatâll push you towards finishing a 5km run in under 30 minutes.
You get all the usual metrics like pacing, calories burnt, and heart rate â and it integrates nicely with Apple Fitness, too.
[ul]
[li]Download Watch to 5K for Apple Watch[/li][/ul]
[HEADING=2]App Store Awards â Best of the rest[/HEADING]
An interesting inclusion in this yearâs App Store Awards is a category for the Apple Vision Pro â and even though most of us wonât get to try those apps, itâs fascinating to see what Apple thinks is the current gold standard for its pricey headset.
Apple has praised the NBA app for âredefining the future of how users watch the sports they loveâ. If that future is to go fully mainstream then everyone will need to be wearing a mixed-reality headset, which seems quite far off â but the appâs courtside seats are certainly a novel experience.
Elsewhere on Vision Pro, Apple has highlighted the What IfâŚ? An Immersive Story âfor inviting players into a new kind of Marvel experienceâ. We described the âpart film, part gameâ app as âthe most funâ weâve had on the Vision Pro, so it certainly justifies its place â even if the competition is relatively thin.
The final non-gaming app that Apple has praised for the Vision Pro is JigSpace, which has been included for âempowering users to view 3D and augmented reality models with easeâ. Thatâs a pretty niche one right there, so weâll take Appleâs word for it.
And what about those Cultural Impact finalists? It seems sleep (or lack of it) has been a big theme of 2024, with two apps receiving mentions in that category. The Bear was praised âfor turning bedtime into a calming, interactive experienceâ, while Apple gave BetterSleepthe nod for âhelping users sleep â and feel â betterâ.
Outside of games, Apple has included DailyArtfor âinspiring curiosity about artistic masterpiecesâ and, slightly strangely, Pinterest for âinspiring new ideas and endless possibilitiesâ. A suitable choice for this time of year is also Partiful, which Apple says has helped to simplify âsocial gatherings to foster connection and communityâ.
Lastly, Apple has included three apps that genuinely go beyond the usual remit of apps, including Do You Really Want to Know 2for âaddressing misconceptions about HIV through an endearing interactive storyâ, Okofor âfor making street-crossing safer and more accessible to allâ and EF Hellofor âempowering language learners with AI-enhanced toolsâ.
Despite many apps in the list existing well before this year, we think itâs a pretty strong App Store Awards lineup. Hereâs the full list of finalists, with Apple likely picking each categoryâs winner very soon.
[HEADING=2]App Store Awards â the full list of 45 apps and games[/HEADING]
iPhone App of the Year
[ul]
[li]Kino[/li][li]Runna[/li][li]Tripsy[/li][/ul]
iPhone Game of the Year
[ul]
[li]AFK Journey[/li][li]The WereCleaner[/li][li]Zenless Zone Zero[/li][/ul]
iPad App of the Year
[ul]
[li]Bluey: Letâs Play[/li][li]Moises[/li][li]Procreate Dreams[/li][/ul]
iPad Game of the Year
[ul]
[li]Assassinâs Creed Mirage[/li][li]Disney Speedstorm[/li][li]Squad Busters[/li][/ul]
Apple Arcade Game of the Year
[ul]
[li]Balatro+[/li][li]Outlanders 2[/li][li]Sonic Dream Team[/li][/ul]
Mac App of the Year
[ul]
[li]Adobe Lightroom[/li][li]OmniFocus 4[/li][li]Shapr3D[/li][/ul]
Mac Game of the Year
[ul]
[li]Frostpunk 2[/li][li]Stray [/li][li]Thank Goodness Youâre Here![/li][/ul]
Apple Watch App of the Year
[ul]
[li]LookUp[/li][li]Lumy[/li][li]Watch to 5K[/li][/ul]
Apple Vision Pro App of the Year
[ul]
[li]JigSpace[/li][li]NBA[/li][li]What If� An Immersive Story[/li][/ul]
Apple Vision Pro Game of the Year
[ul]
[li]LoĂłna[/li][li]THRASHER[/li][li]Vacation Simulator[/li][/ul]
Apple TV App of the Year
[ul]
[li]DROPOUT[/li][li]F1 TV[/li][li]Zoom[/li][/ul]
Cultural Impact Finalists
[ul]
[li]Arco[/li][li]The Bear[/li][li]BetterSleep[/li][li]Brawl Stars [/li][li]DailyArt[/li][li]Do You Really Want to Know 2[/li][li]EF Hello[/li][li]NYT Games[/li][li]Oko[/li][li]Partiful, [/li][li]Pinterest[/li][li]The Wreck[/li][/ul]
[HEADING=2]You might also like[/HEADING]
[ul]
[li]These are the 10 best Android apps of 2024 â according to Google[/li][li]This app means Iâll never get caught in the rain again, hopefully[/li][li]Want to launch a super app? Hereâs what you need to know[/li][/ul]
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