This Week in Apps: Apple, Google, Amazon, and Twitter

The Ever-Evolving World of Mobile Apps

Welcome back to This Week in Apps, a TechCrunch series dedicated to recapping the latest developments in mobile operating systems, applications, and the broader app economy.

The app industry demonstrates continued expansion, achieving a record 218 billion downloads and $143 billion in global consumer expenditure in 2020. Android devices alone witnessed 3.5 trillion minutes of app usage last year. Currently, average daily mobile device usage in the U.S. stands at four hours, exceeding the 3.7 hours spent watching live television.

Apps as Big Business

Apps are not merely a source of entertainment; they represent a significant commercial opportunity. Companies prioritizing mobile platforms held a combined valuation of $544 billion in 2019, a figure 6.5 times greater than those without a mobile focus.

Investment in mobile companies reached $73 billion in 2020, marking a 27% year-over-year increase.

This Week in Apps provides a centralized resource for staying informed about this rapidly changing industry, offering news, updates, funding announcements, mergers and acquisitions, and recommendations for new apps and games.

Interested in receiving This Week in Apps directly in your inbox every Saturday? Sign up here: techcrunch.com/newsletters

Top Stories

Apple’s App and Game of the Year Awards

Apple recently unveiled its highly anticipated annual list of the best apps and games across its platforms: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.

Toca Boca’s “Toca Life World” was recognized as the iPhone App of the Year, while Riot Games’ “League of Legends: Wild Rift” earned the title of iPhone Game of the Year.

Additional winners included “LumaFusion” (iPad App of the Year), “MARVEL Future Revolution” (iPad Game of the Year), “Craft” (Mac App of the Year), “Myst” (Mac Game of the Year), “DAZN” (Apple TV App of the Year), “Space Marshals 3” (Apple TV Game of the Year), “Carrot Weather” (Apple Watch App of the Year), and “Fantasian” (Apple Arcade Game of the Year).

A Statement Through Editorial Choices

The selection of winners reflects a subtle message from Apple regarding its app ecosystem. The recognition of Toca Boca, a developer with a decade of experience and over 40 children’s apps, highlights the potential for long-term business success on the App Store.

Furthermore, the inclusion of apps that compete with Apple’s own offerings, such as Carrot Weather and Craft, is noteworthy.

These choices come amidst increased scrutiny of the App Store, new legislation, and ongoing legal challenges, including the dispute with Epic Games. Apple has responded by adjusting its policies and, in some cases, reducing commissions.

Despite these changes, the winning apps demonstrate a continued high standard of quality within the App Store.

Apple also published its year-end list of most-downloaded apps, with TikTok leading as the top free iPhone app, Procreate Pocket as the top paid iPhone app, and Among Us! as the top free game.

Google Play’s “Best of 2021” Awards

Google Play also announced its annual “Best of 2021” awards, expanding the categories to include apps and games for tablets, Wear OS, and Google TV.

Balance was named the app of the year in the U.S., while Pokémon UNITE received the top game award. Paramount+ and Garena Free Fire MAX were selected as the user’s choice winners.

Compared to 2020, when award winners reflected a world seeking relaxation during the pandemic, this year’s selections emphasize personal growth and creativity.

Apps like Balance, Moonly, Laughscape, Clementine, Sleep Cycle, Mentor Spaces, Rabit, and Empathy were recognized for their focus on well-being and self-improvement.

The full list of award winners is available here.

Amazon Appstore Issues on Android 12

The Amazon Appstore experienced compatibility issues with Android 12 devices over a month ago, with limited media coverage until recently. The marketplace stopped functioning correctly on Android 12, preventing app launches due to DRM handling problems.

Over 90 users reported the issue on Amazon’s forums, receiving only a generic response from moderators indicating an ongoing investigation.

Amazon acknowledged the problem, stating it affected a small number of users who upgraded to Android 12. The failure of the Amazon Appstore on the latest Android release raises questions about testing procedures and resource allocation within the company.

Weekly News

Platforms: Apple

• Apple released iOS 15.2 beta 4 for developers and public testers, and ceased signing iOS 15.1.
• Apple argued in a legal filing that it may collect commissions on in-app purchases made outside the App Store, seeking an extension in the Epic Games lawsuit.

Platforms: Google

Google announced new features for Android devices, including widgets for YouTube Music and Google Play Books, a Google Photos widget, and updates to Google Assistant and Gboard.

Google provided updates on Paging, Gradle, AndroidX, Media3, Emoji2, CameraX, App Startup, Accessibility, and Wear OS via its Android Developers YouTube channel.

E-commerce and Food Delivery

• Swiggy, an Indian food delivery startup, will invest $700 million in its Instamart express grocery delivery service.

Fintech & Crypto

Messenger introduced a Venmo-like feature for splitting payments.

NFT collectibles app VeVe Collectibles leads the mobile NFT trading space with over $100 million in consumer spending.

Square rebranded as Block to reflect its focus on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.

Crypto CEOs are scheduled to testify before a House committee on December 8.

Meta’s crypto executive, David Marcus, announced his departure from the company.

Social

• Jack Dorsey resigned as CEO of Twitter, with Parag Agrawal taking his place.
• Meta is refocusing its NPE team on global projects and seed-stage investments.
• TikTok added new creator monetization features, including Tips and Video Gifts.
• TikTok launched a Transparency Center to provide information about content moderation.
• LinkedIn added support for the Hindi language.
• Reddit added real-time features, such as typing and commenting indicators.

Messaging

• Messenger partnered with creators to expand its Group Effects.

Dating

Bumble surpassed $1 billion in consumer spending.

Match settled a lawsuit with Tinder co-founders for $441 million.

Streaming & Entertainment

• Spotify released its Wrapped 2021 year-end review.
• Twitch’s iOS app added support for Apple’s SharePlay.
• YouTube on Android is testing a Material Design 3-inspired look.
• WAW MUZIK partnered with Tuned Global to relaunch its music streaming app.

Gaming

MrBeast’s parody video boosted Brawl Stars downloads and revenue.

PUBG Mobile surpassed $7 billion in lifetime revenue.

Travel & Transportation

• Uber will test an audio recording safety feature in select U.S. markets.
• Uber added ride-booking via WhatsApp in India.
• Android Auto received several updates, including support for digital car keys.
• Spotify is retiring its “Car View” interface.

Government & Policy

• Chinese state-run companies restricted the use of Tencent’s Weixin app.
• Apple and Google were fined by Italy’s competition authority for insufficient data privacy information.
• U.K.’s antitrust watchdog ordered Facebook to sell Giphy.

Security & Privacy

• Android devices will automatically turn off runtime permissions for unused apps.
• Researchers discovered Android apps disguised as banking trojans.
• Twitter banned the posting of images and videos of private individuals without their consent.

Funding and M&A

Niantic acquired social gaming platform Lowkey.

Picsart acquired R&D company DeepDraft.

IRL acquired digital nutrition company AeBeZe Labs.

Glorify raised $40 million in Series A funding.

Grab went public on the Nasdaq.

Vinehealth raised $5.5 million in seed funding.

Gozem raised $7 million in Series A funding.

Goalsetter raised $15 million in Series A funding.

Plum raised $24 million in Series A funding.

Endowu raised $25.6 million in new funding.

Yassir raised $30 million in Series A funding.

Downloads

Indie App Santa

The Indie App Santa app offers a daily selection of discounted or free indie apps. The project originated as a Twitter account and has expanded to include a native iOS app with widgets and notifications.

The app features deals on apps like MrClockface, Structured Pro, and Blackbox.

Alms

Alms is a new social network focused on user well-being through creator-led challenges. The app encourages real-world engagement and positive impact.