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Important points of ZDNET
- Apple has announced the winners of the 2025 App Store Awards.
- The 17 winners span a variety of categories.
- There were also six Cultural Impact Award winners.
December is here! That means as the end of the year approaches, companies are carefully curating experiences that look back fondly on the past year, with experiences like Spotify Wrapped and, in Apple's case, the release of the 2025 App Store Awards winners.
The awards aim to highlight the best apps and games available on the Apple App Store over the past year, with 17 apps selected by Apple's App Store editors from nearly 2 million apps across a variety of devices. These awards were presented across a variety of categories, including Best Apps for iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac, and iPad, as well as winners for Games and Cultural Impact.
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While some apps may be familiar to you in your daily life, many are lesser-known names or new apps that can bring a lot of value to your life. We had a chance to chat with some of the developers and learn more about some of the winners.
Keep reading below to find the complete list (and maybe your favorite app), as well as learn more about some of the winners.
2025 Apple App Store Award Winners
App:
- iPhone App of the Year: Timofrom Timo.
- iPad app of the year: detailfrom Detail Technologies BV
- Mac apps of the year: essayistfrom Essayist Software Inc.
- Apple Vision Pro App of the Year: Explore POVfrom James Hassler.
- Apple Watch app of the year: stravafrom Strava
- Apple TV App of the Year: HBO Maxfrom WarnerMedia Global Digital Services, LLC.
game:
Cultural Impact Award Winners:
A closer look at some of the winners
Timo
Winner of iPhone App of the Year, the Tiimo app is an AI-powered productivity and planning tool designed to help people with ADHD and other neurodiverse traits. Specifically, the app is designed to reduce the cognitive load of planning for users by breaking down large tasks into smaller ones, leveraging tools like live widgets and visual schedule planners, and incorporating AI-guided reflection.
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Founders Helen Lassen Norrem and Melissa Wurz-Azzari said they often receive reviews and feedback from users who say the app is more than just a planning tool and “changes the way they work, live and thrive.”
The app is free to download and has been downloaded over 3 million times worldwide. There is also a Tiimo Pro subscription that gives users access to all features on all platforms.
More information: AI video editor
Whether you're a professional video creator who edits videos every day or you're a beginner, you know that editing videos is a very time-consuming task. Awarded iPad App of the Year, the Detail app is designed to leverage AI to automate editing and streamline the process. Users can simply upload their videos and receive cuts suitable for TikTok Shorts, Reels, Instagram Stories, and more.
“Most video editors look the same as they did 30 years ago, with complex timelines, disparate steps, and lots of friction. Video has become the defining medium of this decade, but recording and editing workflows haven't really adapted to the powerful combination of computing power and world-class cameras in your pocket, or the speed at which video content is shared today,” said founder Paul Veugen.
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Vigen added that the process is easy, as all you have to do is put down your phone, press the record button, and the edit is automatically created. Podcasts have the added benefit of containing both long-form clips and multiple short clips with added transitions, captions, and background music. The app is also free to download, with a basic plan offering most features and an optional pro plan offering additional features.
Essayist: Academic writing app
The Essayist app was named Mac App of the Year. The concept is simple. A word processor tailored to your academic needs, it handles the most difficult and complex tasks involved in composing an essay. For example, it makes it easier to add references and insert citations, which can be a tedious process. It also handles page settings and footnotes.
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“Instead of a word processor with an endless number of features and tools that are completely irrelevant to academic writing, we strip them all away and build something focused and sophisticated: a word processor designed for academic writing.
Unlike other apps, Essayist comes at a cost. Subscription options are $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year. However, if you want to try it out, the monthly subscription comes with a 3-day free trial and the annual subscription comes with a 7-day free trial.
