Apple and Google reveal their 'Best of 2018' apps: Do you agree with their picks?
Apple and Google have released their 'Best of 2018' picks, showing off the breadth of content available in their respective app stores.
Smartphones
Apple's Best of 2018 covers apps, music, podcasts, books, TV and movies in the App Store and iTunes. The Best of 2018 selection consists of paid and free apps and games on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. They include Apple's editorial selections and apps that topped App Store charts.
The Apple-picked iPhone app of the year is Procreate Pocket from Savage Interactive, which Apple liked for the "ingenious ability to use your Apple Watch as a color palette picker".
The iPhone game of the year goes to Donut County, a puzzle game that lets the player see the world as a trash-stealing hole.
Froggipedia, an education app that uses augmented reality to enhance the exploration of frog's anatomy, is the iPad app of the year. Meanwhile iPad game of the year goes to a quirky puzzle game, Gorogoa, which has won over fans for its clever and rich illustrations.
The top 10 free iPhone apps in Apple's charts have a big social-media presence. They are led by YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook Messenger, Facebook, BitMoji, Netflix, Google Maps, Gmail, and Spotify.
The top-charting paid iPhone apps include Facetune, kirakira+, Dark Sky Weather, HotSchedules, PlantSnap Plant Identification, AutoSleep Tracker for Watch, Sky Guide, 1 Second Everyday: Video Diary, The Wonder Weeks, and Afterlight 2.
SEE: Apple iOS 12: An insider's guide (free PDF)
The top free iPhone games of the year, not surprisingly, is Fortnite, which is also the top iPad app. It's followed by Helix Jump, Rise Up, PUBG MOBILE, hole.io, Love Balls, Snake vs Block, Rules of Survival, ROBLOX, and Dune.
The top paid iPhone games included Heads Up, Minecraft, Plague Inc, Bloons TD 6, Pocket Build, Bloons TD 5, Geometry Dash, The Game of Life, Papa's Freezer to Go, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Apple selected Drake as artist of the year and awarded song of the year to Cardi B's I Like It.
ZDNet's sister site has CNET has compiled a larger list of 2018's best apps and games.
In its selection, Google awarded the best app of 2018 to language-learning app Drops, while the best game of the year went to PUBG MOBILE.
Previous and related coverage
Apple crowns its best apps of 2018 CNET
Fortnite reigns as the top free mobile game. Drake is chosen as best artist.
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