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2025 App Store Award Winners Revealed

From a pool of 45 finalists, Apple has named 17 App Store Award winners comprised of apps and games across all of its platforms. This year’s App Store Award honors were presented to:

Apps

iPhone App of the Year: Tiimo from tiimo. 

iPad App of the Year: Detail from Detail Technologies B.V. 

Mac App of the Year: Essayist from Essayist Software Inc. 

Apple Vision Pro App of the Year: Explore POV by James Hustler.

Apple Watch App of the Year: Strava from Strava, Inc. 

Apple TV App of the Year: HBO Max from WarnerMedia Global Digital Services, LLC.

Games

iPhone Game of the Year: Pokémon TCG Pocket from The Pokemon Company. 

iPad Game of the Year: DREDGE from Black Salt Games. 

Mac Game of the Year: Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition from CD PROJEKT S.A. 

Apple Vision Pro Game of the Year: Porta Nubi by Michael Temper.

Apple Arcade Game of the Year: WHAT THE CLASH? from Triband ApS.

Cultural Impact

Art of Fauna by Klemens Strasser

Chants of Sennaar from Playdigious

despelote from Panic, Inc.

Be My Eyes from Be My Eyes

Focus Friend by Hank Green from B-Tech Consulting Group LLC

StoryGraph from The StoryGraph

Tim Cook had this to say about the winners and their apps:

Every year, we’re inspired by the ways developers turn their best ideas into innovative experiences that enrich people’s lives. This year’s winners represent the creativity and excellence that define the App Store, and they demonstrate the meaningful impact that world-class apps and games have on people everywhere.

This year’s list of App Store winners is one of my favorites for a bunch of reasons. There are excellent games ranging from Art of Fauna by indie developer Klemens Strasser to Cyberpunk 2077 by CD PROJEKT S.A., as well as other great titles like despelote, which was published by our friends at Panic, Chants of Sennaar, and DREDGE, whose creators Federico and I interviewed at WWDC this year. There were other excellent apps, too, like Essayist, the academic-focused word processor.

Of course, my favorite app among the bunch is Detail, this year’s iPad App of the Year. Yes, I’m hopelessly biased because my son Finn is part of the team that built the app. But it’s also a great example of an app that lowers the barriers to creativity by leveraging Apple’s hardware in a unique way.

Congratulations to all of this year’s App Store Award winners. Of all the apps on the App Store, it’s quite an honor to be among the 17 apps recognized by Apple’s editorial team.

Finally, the year-end award season isn’t over. We’ll be presenting the 2025 MacStories Selects Awards later this month, so keep an eye out for more award-winning app coverage from us.

Coming Soon: What’s Next on Apple TV and Apple Arcade in December 2025

This month is a relatively quiet one for Apple TV, but there are a few gems coming soon, and Apple Arcade has a bunch of new games that are out tomorrow, so let’s dig into the highlights of both.

Apple Arcade Games (December 4)

SpongeBob Patty Pursuit 2

SpongeBob Patty Pursuit 2

Apple Arcade is kicking things off this month with four new games:

SpongeBob Patty Pursuit 2

This sequel to the popular platformer SpongeBob: Patty Pursuit is filled with the same colorful mayhem as its predecessor.

PowerWash Simulator

I was pretty excited to see PowerWash Simulator coming to Apple Arcade. I know a lot of people find these types of simulator games relaxing, but I’ve never tried one, so I think I’ll dip into PowerWash over the holidays.

Cult of the Lamb Arcade Edition

Cult of the Lamb is a great roguelite from Massive Monster that was originally published by Devolver Digital in 2022 and is coming to Apple Arcade. According to Apple’s press release:

This version includes exclusive content, including new follower forms, decorations, and outfits, along with all existing content updates and paid packs.

If you haven’t played it yet, be sure to check out Cult of the Lamb. It’s a game I have returned to several times since its initial release, and I expect it will do well on Apple platforms.

Subway Surfers+

Subway Surfers is an App Store classic that remains popular more than a decade after its original release. With the plus version on Arcade, subscribers can enjoy the game uninterrupted by ads or in-app purchases.

NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORM+

NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja STORM+ originally debuted on the Sony PS3 and was later ported to other platforms including mobile phones. On iOS, the 3D arena fighting game that’s based on a manga and anime series was available as a paid upfront game. With the plus version, there’s no upfront cost beyond a subscription to Apple Arcade, and the game adds new characters and a new stage.

The First Snow of Fraggle Rock (December 5)

The holiday season is upon us, and Apple TV is kicking things off on Friday with The First Snow of Fraggle Rock, featuring the characters from the Apple TV series.

Add to your Calendar:

F1: The Movie (December 12)

The biggest event of December for Apple TV is the streaming debut of F1: The Movie. The film has been available to buy or rent for a while after playing in theaters last summer, and now it will be available to stream as part of an Apple TV subscription, too. I haven’t seen F1 since WWDC in June, so I’m looking forward to rewatching it with my family over the holidays.

Add to your Calendar:

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Bloomberg Reports That Alan Dye Is Leaving Apple

Mark Gurman, writing for Bloomberg, reports that Alan Dye, Apple vice president of Human Interface Design, is leaving the company to head up Meta’s design team. Dye’s departure was confirmed by Apple to Bloomberg, with Apple CEO Tim Cook telling the publication that Steve Lemay will take over Dye’s role:

Steve Lemay has played a key role in the design of every major Apple interface since 1999. He has always set an extraordinarily high bar for excellence and embodies Apple’s culture of collaboration and creativity.

Dye, who led the rollout of Apple’s Liquid Glass design language across all of its OSes, will be in charge of hardware, software, and AI across Meta’s product lines. Billy Sorrentino, who worked with Dye, is also leaving Apple’s design group for Meta.

Dye’s departure comes at an interesting moment for Apple and Meta. Meta, which has seen some success with its Ray-Ban smart glasses, has struggled with other consumer product projects but clearly wants to do more with AI-infused hardware. Meanwhile, Apple has had trouble infusing its software and hardware lineup with AI and has experienced a rash of departures among its AI team and retirements within its executive ranks. 2026 is shaping up to be a year of change across much of Apple.

Podcast Rewind: Apps with Liquid Glass and SteamOS Plans

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John dig into some of their favorite apps that have adopted Apple’s Liquid Glass design language.

On AppStories+, it’s John’s 10th anniversary at MacStories, so he and Federico look back at the last decade.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, the Retroid G2 and Anbernic DS look like duds, the Xbox full-screen experience for PCs is out to more users, and John flirts with the idea of a mini PC for SteamOS.

On NPC XL, Federico rearranges his living room and plans a SteamOS-ready living room gaming setup.

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John Giannandrea’s Retirement From Apple Announced

Today Apple announced the retirement of John Giannandrea, the company’s senior vice president for Machine Learning and AI Strategy. Giannandrea will remain at Apple as an advisor until next spring.

News of Giannandrea’s retirement was paired with an announcement that Apple has hired Amar Subramanya as vice president of AI. Subramanya, who worked at Microsoft since this past summer, previously worked at Google for 16 years on projects including the company’s Gemini Assistant. Subramanya will take the lead on Apple Foundation Models, ML research, and AI Safety and Evaluation, while other areas of Giannandrea’s work will be inherited by Sabih Khan and Eddy Cue.

Apple CEO Tim Cook thanked Giannandrea for his tenure at the company:

We are thankful for the role John played in building and advancing our AI work, helping Apple continue to innovate and enrich the lives of our users. AI has long been central to Apple’s strategy, and we are pleased to welcome Amar to Craig’s leadership team and to bring his extraordinary AI expertise to Apple. In addition to growing his leadership team and AI responsibilities with Amar’s joining, Craig has been instrumental in driving our AI efforts, including overseeing our work to bring a more personalized Siri to users next year.

Given the troubled history of Apple’s AI efforts, the retirement of Giannandrea isn’t surprising. It will be interesting to see if Subramanya settles into his new role given the frequency with which top AI talent tends to turn over in the tech industry.

Podcast Rewind: App Evolution, Odin 3 Emulation, Window Management, and TV Affiliates

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John explore current changes to the world of apps through the lens of its past evolution.

On AppStories+, we build “money’s no object” holiday wish lists for ourselves.

NPC: Next Portable Console

This week, Brendon, Federico, and John catch up on a grab bag of news before diving deeper into the Ayn Odin 3’s emulation and streaming potential, the possibility that the rumored TrimUI Smart Pro S could become the default budget recommendation for horizontal handhelds, and the 11” 3D Abxylute 3D One.

Then on NPC XL, John and Federico are tempted to build their own Steam Machines, while Brendon went ahead and did it already by converting his Windows Mini PC.

Comfort Zone

It’s the window management episode! Chris has even more iPad news, and AeroSpace nearly tears the gang apart.

This week’s Cozy Zone is an Apple accessory tier list, and dear listener, the knives come out.

MacStories Unwind

This week, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, Federico is curious about American TV and has a TV pick, while John follows up on a couple of TV shows and other media he’s looking forward to in the coming weeks.

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Black Friday 2025 App Deals

There’s more than just gadgets on sale this Black Friday. There are also hundreds of excellent app deals from collections and bundles to one-off sales. We’ve gathered some of our favorites for you here, which are generally available through Monday, December 1, but check for details on the websites linked below:

The biggest collection I’ve seen is from Indie App Sales with ouver 475 app deals. Indie App Sales has been curating a list of apps from indie developers for years now, and there are always a bunch of gems on this list. Be sure to check it out for deals on apps like:

There are hundreds more deals in the Indie App Sale, so be sure to visit the site to browse through them all.

There are other great sales happening elsewhere too, including the following:

Happy deal hunting!

Podcast Rewind: Experiment Season, A Plain Text Challenge, Tech Nostalgia, and Audiobooks

Enjoy the latest episodes from MacStories’ family of podcasts:

AppStories

This week, Federico and John kick off their holiday app and automation experimentation season a little earlier than usual with a mix of apps, automations, and services.

On AppStories+, they look ahead, considering the future of Shortcuts and automation.

Comfort Zone

Niléane is getting bold with laptop appendages, Chris is nostalgic about the iPad Pro, and everyone gets weird with text files.

This week’s Cozy Zone is a deep dive into 2012’s Les Misérables film.

MacStories Unwind

This week, Federico and John explore tech nostalgia and the importance of tech history before picking a new TV series and music artist.

Magic Rays of Light

Sigmund and Devon discuss Devon’s new audiobook listening habit and what it’s taught him about adaptations. Then, they share gift ideas for the Apple TV fan in your life.

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Apple Announces 45 App Store Awards Finalists for 2025

Source: Apple.

Source: Apple.

Today, Apple announced the finalists for the 2025 App Store Awards. The App Store Awards are Apple’s annual celebration of exceptional apps and games across 12 categories spanning the company’s platforms. It’s an excellent collection that includes solo developers, small indie teams, big companies, and many MacStories favorites.

Here’s the complete list of finalists.

iPhone App of the Year Finalists:

iPhone Game of the Year Finalists:

iPad App of the Year Finalists:

iPad Game of the Year Finalists:

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