ChatGPT may be currently reigning as the top app on the iPhone App Store in the U.S., but it’s not the winner of Apple’s iPhone app of the year. That honor goes to a newer app called Kino, launched this spring from Lux, the company behind the professional photography app Halide.
What is Kino?
Kino advances mobile video recording with in-app lessons and features that help iPhone owners get more out of their cameras. The app was one of three finalists for the top App Store award, alongside Runna, an app for tailoring your running plans, and Tripsy, an app for organizing your travels.
AI-Powered Apps Not a Priority
While AI-powered apps didn’t make the cut for this list of iPhone app finalists, it’s not surprising given Apple’s continued downplaying of AI technology. However, AI couldn’t be entirely avoided, as it turns out. Apps integrating with AI technology did win in other categories, including Mac App of the Year Adobe Lightroom, which has several AI features, and iPad App of the Year Moises, which offers AI tools for musicians.
Why Apple’s Focus on Human-Centric Apps?
Still, these apps focus more on artistic endeavors that are arguably more human-centric than those powered fully by AI, the way that AI chatbots are. That’s more in line with Apple’s goal of showcasing how its devices are used by creative professionals.
Other Winning Apps
Other winning apps included:
- Apple Watch App of the Year: Lumy
- Apple TV App of the Year: F1 TV
- Apple Vision Pro App of the Year: Disney’s What If…? An Immersive Story
Winning Games
The winning games were:
- AFK Journey as iPhone Game of the Year
- Supercell’s Squad Busters as iPad Game of the Year
- Panic’s Thank Goodness You’re Here! as Mac Game of the Year
- Puddle’s THRASHER: Arcade Odyssey as Apple Vision Pro Game of the Year
Apple Arcade Game of the Year
The **Apple Arcade Game of the Year was Balatro+ from Playstack Ltd.
Cultural Impact Winners
App Store editors also picked six cultural impact winners, which represent other standout apps Apple wanted to honor. These include:
- Oko, which helps blind and low-vision users navigate
- EF Hello, a language learning app
- DailyArt, an art exploration app
- NYT Games, the ever-popular games section of The New York Times
- The Wreck, a cinematic and narrative game
- Do You Really Want to Know 2, an educational app for people living with HIV