Apple summed up the results of 2022 in its App Store, choosing the best apps and games in its opinion. Overall, Apple recognized 15 projects as the 2022 App Store Award recipients, including apps for all of the company’s platforms, including iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and Apple TV.
App Store Award Winners 2022
Applications
iPhone App of the Year – BeReal Social Network
iPad App of the Year – GoodNotes 5 note-taking app
Mac App – MacFamilyTree Visual Family Tree Exploration Software by Synium Software
Apple TV App of the Year – Vix Streaming Service by TelevisaUnivision Interactive
Apple Watch App of the Year – Gentler Streak Exercise & Fitness Tracker by Gentler Stories
Best games
Best iPad Game – XD Moncage by Network Inc
Best Mac Game – Inscryption by Devolver
Best Apple TV Game – El Hijo by HandyGames
Best Apple Arcade Game – Wylde Flowers by Studio Drydock
Nomination “Influence on culture”
This year, Apple is adding a bonus section to celebrate some of the apps that have had “a lasting impact on people’s lives and culture.”
How We Feel – an application for controlling emotions;
Dot’s Home is a game about racial injustice;
Inua: A Story in Ice and Time – a mystical game with the ability to study historical events;
Locket Widget – a widget that shows photos of your friends right on the home screen;
Waterllama is a tracker that allows the user to control the water balance.
Overall, the App Store had a challenging 2022 that impacted its revenue. Regulatory battles continued to force the store to allow developers to use third-party systems for in-app purchases in South Korea and the Netherlands. The US and EU are also looking for ways to control the App Store – their new demands could force Apple to relax some of the rules for distributing software and making payments in the App Store.
In October, the App Store restricted NFT functionality in apps, preventing developers from using digital collectibles to unlock new features. In addition, it also requires any NFT purchase system to use Apple’s in-app purchase mechanism and pay a company fee. The store has also updated its policies to indicate that there will be a charge for the purchase of social media post promotions.
According to industry data, the App Store’s net revenue fell 5% due to the global economic downturn. In addition, fluctuations in the price of the currency against the dollar caused Apple to raise prices in the App Store in many countries in Asia and Europe. In addition, new Twitter owner Elon Musk also started a “fight” with the tech giant, claiming that the iPhone maker “threatened that Twitter would not be available on the App Store.”
