Move over Myers-Briggs, star signs, and online quizzes – Spotify Wrapped 2022 is here to reveal your true personality.
A summary of what you’ve listened to throughout the year, Spotify Wrapped 2022 shows your most-played tracks, favourite artists, and how you compare to the other 456 million users around the world. Around this time of year, everyone’s social media feeds fill up with results from arguably the world’s biggest subconscious personality test. To join in, you need to know where to go.
How to find your Spotify Wrapped 2022
Aside from the pre-requisite that you’re a Spotify user, you need to use the mobile app. Slightly annoying for desktop listeners perhaps, but we don’t make the rules. Once you log in on either iOS or Android, all you need to do is tap on the Wrapped section on the app’s homepage. Here, you’ll find all sorts of revealing information about what music soundtracked your year and what it says about you. It goes without saying, it’s all presented in a highly shareable aesthetic so you can try and convince everyone you’re cool.
New for Spotify Wrapped 2022 is your “listening personality”. As a fun way of personalising your results, Spotify generated eight traits to prescribe your listening habits to: Familiarity, Exploration, Loyalty, Variety, Timelessness, Newness, Commonality, and Uniqueness. These traits form the basis of up to 16 personality types such as The Early Adopter or The Top Charter, each of which summarises your musical tastes.
Spotify’s most-streamed artists in 2022
Pop sensation Taylor Swift was the most-streamed artist in Australia, while Harry Styles’ “As It Was” racked up the most listens for an individual track. First Nations artist The Kid Laroi took out the most-streamed Australian artist off the back of Justin Bieber collab “Stay”, and “Thousand Miles”. Swift couldn’t quite take out the global artist crown, with Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny the most-streamed artist globally.
On the podcast front, The Joe Rogan Experience accumulated the most listens both in Australia and internationally. Rounding out the top five podcasts in Australia were ABC News Briefing, Casefile True Crime, The Inspired Unemployed, and Call Her Daddy.
Meanwhile, if you’re an Apple Music user (like me), you have the comparatively less exciting Replay to show your top tunes. At least we can join in on the Instafest fun, which creates a fictional music festival lineup based on your most-listened-to artists.
A small phone packing a big punch, the Asus Zenfone 9 is an Android powerhouse that still fits comfortably in your hand.
If you’re in the market for a flagship Android handset, you typically pay a hefty price – not just in dollars but also in bulk, with large and unwieldy high-end smartphones. With folding phones still sporting eye-watering price tags, it’s tough to find a top-shelf phone which isn’t difficult to hold in your hand and fits in your pocket.
The Asus Zenfone 9 bucks the trend, keeping the price tag down while squeezing a generous 5.9-inch display into a frame only 68 mm wide (that was once considered gigantic, but these days it’s on the petite side). You might expect sacrifices in other areas, but the phone also packs the latest Snapdragon power plant and plenty of other impressive features to make it a worthy contender.
The Asus Zenfone 9 isn’t quite as sleek and elegant as some handsets, with a slightly boxy design many smartphones have moved beyond in favour of more rounded edges. The exterior frame is aluminium but the back is a composite polymer with a textured, soft finish – which feels comfortable to hold but isn’t quite as pristine as the glass and aluminium back of many premium handsets.
On the back, you’ll also find a large dual camera housing and accompanying text, which again lacks a certain elegance.
The handset may not be a fashion piece, but that’s easy to forgive when it feels so snug, comfortable and easy to grip in your hand. Along the right edge, you’ll find a volume rocker and power button which doubles as a fingerprint reader (although using your thumb is more practical). The reader is so fast that you won’t even notice it working as you press the power button to wake the phone.
Across the top of the handset is an old-school 3.5mm audio jack, which is a welcome sight for people who have invested in decent headphones and don’t want to upgrade just for USB connectivity. Across the bottom of the phone, you’ll find a USB-C port along with a nano-SIM slot, but there’s no microSD slot for expanding the storage.
Power up the phone and you’re presented with a bright, crisp AMOLED display, with a few optimisations to improve the colour accuracy and support HDR10+. It also supports refresh rates up to 120Hz, automatically switching between 60, 90 and 120Hz modes depending on what’s happening on the screen.
Accompanying the screen are Dirac-tuned twin speakers which deliver balanced stereo sound, even though only the top speaker is front-facing, for listening to calls.
Getting back to the power button, it’s capable of much more thanks to Asus’ Smart Key feature, which lets you specify actions for when you long press, double-tap or swipe the button. For example, you can use it to pull down the quick settings and notification shade, making it even easier to use the phone with one hand.
It’s one example of ZenUI, Asus’ clean and lightweight Android 12 skin, which aims to be useful without getting in the way too much. Unfortunately, Android only gets two years of OS and security updates on the Zenphone 9, which seems quite stingy when many vendors push this out to three or even five.
The smaller screen also makes it easier to reach the extremities of the screen with your thumb, without over-balancing the phone, losing your grip and sending it tumbling to the ground. If it does hit the deck, you have the advantage of tough Gorilla Glass Victus to reduce the likelihood of a cracked screen.
While it’s not the most elegant of designs, the Asus Zenfone 9 is slim, sturdy and practical.
Starry Blue, Moonlight White, Sunset Red, Midnight Black
Asus Zenfone 9 features
It’s hard to pick a headline feature because so much stands out with this phone. For starters, it packs the new Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Mobile Platform which delivers a mountain of grunt and also offers some future-proofing, such as support for Qualcomm’s aptX Lossless Bluetooth format – should you get your hands on a pair of compatible earbuds like the NuraTrue Pro.
Speaking of such, high-end audio fans will also appreciate that the phone delivers Hi-Res 192k Hz / 24-bit audio via the 3.5mm output so you can put your high-end headphones to good use.
With the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Mobile Platform, Qualcomm cites 15 per cent faster performance and 50 per cent faster graphics rendering compared to the Snapdragon 888. Of course, the downside of power is heat, with the design featuring a vapour chamber cooling system.
When it comes to charging, you’ve got 30W wired charging via USB Power Delivery PPS or Quick Charge 4.0, but surprisingly no support for wireless charging. This being said, a full charge should be enough to get you through your typical day.
The camera array is another standout feature, not just due to the 50 MP wide angle / 12 MP ultra-wide camera combo but also the 6-Axis Hybrid Gimbal Stabiliser designed to take the shake out of your photos and videos. In return, you miss out on features like a dedicated micro and telephoto lens – some it comes down to which camera feature you value the most.
It’s worth noting that gimbal stabilisation is also only available when recording in 1080p, not 4K or 8K.
The gimbal stabilisation built into the rear cameras helps smooth out a bumpy ride when shooting video.
Performance
GeekBench 5 tests, with the phone running in High Performance mode, tells an impressive story. The Asus Zenfone 9 returns a CPU score of 1325 single-core and 4358 multi-core, along with a Compute OpenCL score of 6444. That makes it perhaps the most powerful Android handset currently on market, alongside the Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro which packs the same Snapdragon power plant.
As you’d expect, the Zenfone 9 makes light work of multitasking and happily runs high-performance games at high frame rates, although some gamers might pine for a little more screen real estate. The trade-off is that the handset gets quite toasty when pushed to the limit.
When it comes to the camera, that 6-axis gimbal image stabilisation does an impressive job which will excite would-be cinematographers. Dealing with shaking hands also helps improve low-light performance, where you need to hold the phone still for a few seconds to get a decent photo. It also helps that the Sony IMX766 primary sensor is larger than on the previous Zenfone.
That said, the overall picture quality is middle-of-the-road and not on par with what you tend to get with premium handsets.
GadgetGuy’s take
If you’re after a compact Android phone with high-end features and tons of grunt then it’s hard to go past the Asus Zenfone 9. It’s not quite a great all-rounder, but it ticks a lot of boxes, such as image stabilisation, a headphone jack and the support for high-quality wired and wireless audio.
That said, if you’re willing to accept a handset that’s a fraction wider and heavier than your options at this price point open right up – including the slick Google Pixel 7 and the Samsung Galaxy S22 standard model. They might not be quite as compact, or quite as powerful, but they’re impressive all-rounders which impress in other ways.
Would I buy it?
Maybe, if small size and grunt were my highest priorities.
Asus Zenfone 9: one in the hand (review)
Proof that bigger isn't always better, the compact Asus Zenfone 9 packs quite a punch.
Offering active noise cancellation and CD-quality lossless audio, the NuraTrue Pro earbuds ensure your favourite tracks sound their very best.
There was a time when only bulky over-the-ear headphones offered decent noise cancellation, but that’s changed over the last few years. These days you’ll find plenty of great wireless earbuds designed to create your own personal cone of silence, yet still small enough to fit into your pocket when you’re not wearing them.
The competition is tough, especially with tech giants like Apple and Google getting in on the action alongside traditional audio giants like Sony, Bose and Sennheiser. Amongst them, Australia’s Nura has been punching above its weight for a while.
What helps the NuraTrue Pro earbuds stand out from the crowd is support for CD-quality lossless audio to ensure your music sounds its very best when you’re on the move. If you’ve got golden ears and deep pockets, you might appreciate the difference.
Like most wireless earbuds, the NuraTrue Pro comes in a carry case with a built-in battery for recharging when you’re not wearing them. A charge lasts for around eight hours and the case has a USB-C port, along with wireless charging. It holds enough juice for around three recharges.
While the charge case is a bit bulkier than some, it’s still small enough to slip comfortably into your jeans pocket. Open the case and you discover that the earbuds are also a little on the bulky side, with large discs on the back. This ensures they’re a little more noticeable in your ears than some wireless earbuds. That said, the elegant black design ensures they don’t look too ostentatious.
Thankfully, they fit comfortably and securely, twisting backwards so the wing can slide into the grooves of your ears. Nura includes a choice of five tips (four silicone and one foam) along with two wings to help you find the perfect fit, which is important when it comes to securing them in your ears and getting the best audio.
This is where the Nura app, available for Apple and Android, comes into play. It helps you check the fit of the earbuds and then runs a few tests to create a personal profile tailored to your hearing. Afterwards, it plays View2 by Sasha as a demo track, letting you switch between neutral and personalised so you can hear the difference.
Personalised audio delivers more bass and depth to offer fuller and more engaging sound, plus there’s the option to adjust “immersion” mode which adds a bass boost to simulate live performance.
To make life easier, the earbuds store your hearing profile, applying it to whatever you’re listening to, on any device.
While they look a little bulky, the NuraTrue Pro earbuds are comfortable to wear for extended periods.
CD-quality 16-bit 44.1kHz lossless audio and 24-bit 96kHz lossy audio
Ruggedness
IPX4 sweat resistance
Charging
USB-C and wireless
Battery life
earbuds 8 hours
charge case 24 hours
Dimensions earbuds
8.6 gm each
Dimensions charge case
72.4 x 30.2 x 35 mm, 51.2 gm
NuraTrue Pro Features
Along with active noise cancellation, the earbuds’ headline feature is world-first support for CD-quality lossless audio via Bluetooth. While that sounds tempting, chances are you won’t be able to take advantage of it.
The challenge with lossless audio is that it demands more bandwidth than you can typically squeeze out of a Bluetooth connection. So even if your music source and playback device both support lossless audio, Bluetooth wireless earbuds generally only support lossy audio formats like MP3 and AAC.
These lossy formats compress the sound to save on bandwidth, which is really noticeable at a low bit rate like 96 kbps. To be fair, a high-quality 320 kbps MP3 or 256 kbps AAC still sounds pretty good and you really need an ear for detail to appreciate the improvement that lossless audio brings.
The NuraTrue Pro earbuds get around the bandwidth limitations of Bluetooth by taking advantage of the new Qualcomm aptX Lossless Bluetooth format. The trouble is that, right now, only a few Android handsets support it, including the Asus Zenfone 9 (supplied with the review unit), Asus ROG6 and Motorola Edge 30 Pro.
Nura says devices featuring Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Mobile Platform should support aptX Lossless, so it should become more common in the next few years. Even so, iGadget owners are unlikely to get access to aptX Lossless, meaning they’ll need to rely on wired headphones for enjoying lossless audio until Apple gets onboard with its own wireless lossless audio format.
The good news is that aptX Lossless Bluetooth is backwards compatible, so if you connect to a non-compatible device then you fall back onto a high-end lossy wireless format such as aptX Adaptive.
The final piece of the puzzle is that you also need access to a lossless audio music source, such as Tidal or Amazon Music HD. These tend to be more expensive than the lossy alternatives like Spotify.
Another selling point of the NuraTrue Pro earbuds is support for spatial audio, which delivers a wider soundstage with more detail seemingly spread around the room. Unlike Apple’s AirPods, unfortunately, the NuraTrue Pro earbuds don’t support head tracking. The benefit of head tracking is the audio constantly adjusts as you turn your head, to ensure that certain sounds always seem to be coming from the same direction – which makes it feel more immersive and life-like.
The charging carry case ensures you won’t run out of juice on the longest of days.
Quality
When it comes to active noise cancellation, the NuraTrue Pro earbuds certainly help take the edge off background noise but they’re far from the best in class – whether you’re dealing with roaring sounds or more subtle noises.
Standing in the kitchen, the NuraTrue Pro tones down the buzz of the fridge while the Apple AirPods Pro 2 renders the fridge completely silent. The same with traffic noises in the distance.
Standing next to the rangehood exhaust fan to its lowest setting, the NuraTrue Pro curbs the noise to a less annoying hum, whereas the Apple AirPods Pro 2 make it barely audible. As you turn up the fan speed, the performance gap becomes more and more noticeable.
The NuraTrue Pro earbuds also feature a “social mode” which lets you hear what’s happening around you. Once again, it falls short of Apple’s offering when it comes to producing natural sound.
Thankfully, it’s a better story for NuraTrue Pro earbuds when it comes to lossless audio. Using the Asus Zenfone 9 to listen to lossless Master tracks, via a Tidal HiFi Plus subscription, the improvement over Spotify is clear if you know what you’re listening for.
Norah Jones’ “Come Away With Me” is a favourite of lossless audio fans and the track really helps the strengths of lossless audio and the NuraTrue Pro earbuds shine through. The same track on Spotify, using the same handset and earbuds, sounds murky and overblown in comparison – losing some of the sweet richness in the bass lines.
Touring Tidal, the subtlety of the layering in David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” and the nuances of each instrument in Miles Davis’ “So What” are also revealed by the NuraTrue Pro taking advantage of Tidal’s Master tracks. On Spotify, those intricate layers of sound are more flattened out. Pick up the tempo and every instrument still gets its due respect, with less overall murkiness in Iggy Pop’s “Lust for Life” and Soundgarden’s “Spoonman”.
GadgetGuy’s take
The NuraTrue Pro earbuds are certainly an impressive engineering feature but, considering their high $499 price tag, you really need to be really keen on lossless audio – and have an ear for detail – to justify investing in them. If they were more affordable, and/or had better noise cancellation, they’d be a much more attractive proposition.
If you’re in a noisy environment, relying on the NuraTrue Pro’s mediocre active noise cancellation, the benefits of Tidal HiFi Plus over Spotify are mostly lost. You might be better off putting your money towards a pair of high-end wired lossless headphones which will make it easier to hear the benefits of lossless audio, even if you lose the convenience of wire-free listening.
If you’re not worried about lossless audio, your money would be better spent elsewhere. If you’re primarily after noise cancellation, perhaps for air travel or just creating yourself a more tolerable work environment, there are better alternatives for Apple and Android users. Likewise, there are better options if you’re excited about Spatial Audio but want the extra benefit of head tracking.
Would I buy it?
Not at this price, unless I demanded lossless audio at all costs.
NuraTrue Pro earbuds: attention to detail (review)
Delivering lossless audio via Bluetooth, with active noise cancellation, the NuraTrue Pro earbuds aim to rock your world.
There’s now a new and simple way to recycle your old phone for cash thanks to a trade-in app from local telco Boost Mobile.
Boost Trade-In is a newly launched app on iOS and Android that guides you through the process of recycling unwanted phones in exchange for money. It comes off the back of recent research from the mobile company, finding that 78% of Australians have at least one unused smartphone in the home. 74% are open to trading in or recycling old phones, but factors including lack of perceived value, convenience, and privacy concerns are common deterrents.
To make matters worse, MobileMuster – an Australian telco collective that provides phone recycling services – found that only 8% of mobile phones get sold or traded in when someone buys a new device. This is reportedly far below the recycling rate throughout the US, UK, and Europe. Additionally, data reported in the United Nations’ Global E-waste Monitor 2020 shows Australia lags well behind on a per capita basis. Here, we only recycle 9% of our 21.3kg of e-waste per capita. Compared to Europe’s 42.5% of 16.2kg, and North America’s 15% of 20.9kg.
While those are depressing numbers, Boost Mobile’s new app is a positive step forward in streamlining the phone recycling process. It takes you through multiple diagnostic tests, assessing your old phone’s touchscreen, buttons, battery and more before assigning a dollar value to a trade-in. Should you choose to proceed with the trade-in, the app provides an Australia Post label for you to send the service at no cost. Once approved following a final warehouse check, you receive the money directly into your nominated bank or PayPal account.
Other companies like Apple and Samsung offer their own trade-in programs, but the more options we have, the better. Also, many of the current initiatives usually apply when trading towards a new phone, or only result in store credit. Cash in the bank with minimal hoops to jump through is always welcome. Plus, it’s environmentally friendly, with 98% of traded-in devices then sold through The Refurb Shop.
Potential phone value with Boost Trade-In
Here are some of the popular phones you can trade in, along with how much you can potentially earn for a device in good working condition.
Phone model
Potential value
Apple iPhone 8 128GB
$125.00
Apple iPhone 8 Plus 128GB
$165.00
Apple iPhone 8 Plus 256GB
$190.00
Apple iPhone SE 2020 64GB
$140.00
Apple iPhone 11 256GB
$405.00
Apple iPhone 11 Pro 256GB
$430.00
Apple iPhone 12 128GB
$540.00
Apple iPhone 12 Pro 128GB
$615.00
Apple iPhone 13 512GB
$725.00
Apple iPhone 13 Pro 512GB
$920.00
Apple iPhone X 256GB
$220.00
Apple iPhone XR 128GB
$220.00
Google Pixel 4 128GB
$150.00
Google Pixel 5 128GB
$260.00
Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB
$50.00
Samsung Galaxy S9 256GB
$80.00
Samsung Galaxy Note 8 256GB
$75.00
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 N960F 512GB
$155.00
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G N986B 512GB
$510.00
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus (T975) 128GB 4G
$390.00
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G G998B 128GB
$510.00
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 5G 256GB
$510.00
You can download the iOS version or the Android version of the Boost Trade-In app now to see what your old devices are worth. Ultimately, if we want to catch up with our overseas neighbours, and improve our recycling rates, we need more initiatives like this.
Multi-function air purifiers already exist on the market, but according to Philips, its Air Performer 2-in-1 is the first in the world to use AI technology to automatically clean and cool air.
Among the latest air purifying products on the market, the Air Performer uses a three-layer high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to clean air in your home. Philips’ third-party lab testing found that the filter eliminates 99.97% of all particles too small for us to see, as small as 0.003 microns. These particles include bacteria, pollen, dust, and other common house pollutants like pet dander.
More than just an air filter, the Air Performer also functions as a bladeless fan that can rotate 350 degrees to cover a wide area. It has various fan speeds and modes to choose from, including a sleep mode to quietly purify and cool the air in your bedroom. Not just for smaller rooms, the device also covers spaces of up to 70m2.
Designed to connect with your smartphone, the Air Performer enables Wi-Fi connectivity using the Philips Air+ app. Here, you can control the fan from anywhere in your house and adjust settings as needed. Most helpful, the Air+ app gives you air quality updates and sends notifications if the quality drops below a designated point. In addition to measuring and displaying air quality in particulate matter below 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5), the Air Performer also displays temperature and humidity levels to help you keep comfortable in the home.
Philips Air Performer 2-in-1 Purifier & Fan availability and price
Out now, the Philips Air Performer 2-in-1 Purifier & Fan is available through major retailers including Bing Lee, David Jones, and Myer. Although it has an RRP of $799, some retailers have it listed for cheaper.
Other air purifiers include some of Xiaomi’s recent Smartmi and Jya devices. Arguably one of the more like-for-like products is the similarly designed bladeless Dyson air purifier. GadgetGuy is currently testing the latest Philips device and will have a full review soon. Air quality is an important factor to your health, so we’re keen to see how it tackles common household pollutants.
Fresh from announcing the 2022 App Store Awards Winners, Apple has revealed the most downloaded apps on the Australian App Store this year.
Listed below is an eclectic mix of classics combined with new apps. It sure makes for interesting reading to find out what software we install the most.
Australia’s most downloaded apps on iPhone
Minecraft continues to be overwhelmingly popular, as does Lion Studios’ adaptation of the popular online word-guessing game Wordle! A few travel apps top the paid iPhone charts, likely representing Australians keen to travel after pandemic restrictions. Also, the photo-sharing app BeReal overtook TikTok, an indication that a still-photo platform is in demand. Take note, Instagram.
Top Paid iPhone Games
Minecraft
Bloons TD 6
Heads Up!
Plague Inc.
Monopoly – Classic Board Game
Geometry Dash
Rovio Classics: AB
Papa’s Freezeria To Go!
True Skate
Incredibox
Top Free iPhone Games
Wordle!
Subway Surfers
Stumble Guys
Fill The Fridge!
Coloring Match
X-HERO
Roblox
Fishdom
Text or Die
Parking Jam 3D
Source: BeReal.
Top Paid iPhone Apps
WikiCamps Australia
The Wonder Weeks
TripView – Sydney & Melbourne
Monash University FODMAP diet
Rain Parrot
Threema. The Secure Messenger
Procreate Pocket
Forest: Focus for Productivity
AutoSleep Track Sleep on Watch
75 Hard
Top free iPhone apps
myGovID
BeReal. Your friends for real.
Express Plus Medicare
TikTok
Microsoft Teams
WhatsApp Messenger
Disney+
Google Maps
MyMacca’s
Shop: All your favorite brands
Australia’s most downloaded apps on iPad
Aside from slight variations, the most popular iPad apps share plenty of similarities to the iPhone charts. Unsurprisingly, Procreate, the brilliant digital art app from Tasmanian-based studio Savage Interactive, is number one on the paid iPad charts. It also won an Apple Design Award earlier in the year for its inclusive design and accessibility features.
At least one headscratcher stands out: TikTok on iPad? As a platform entirely based on vertically-aligned phone content, it’s an interesting choice to download it on a tablet.
Top paid iPad games
Minecraft
Bloons TD 6
Geometry Dash
Poppy Playtime Chapter 1
Plague Inc.
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Monopoly – Classic Board Game
Stardew Valley
Terraria
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
Top free iPad games
Roblox
Stumble Guys
Subway Surfers
Wordle!
Magic Tiles 3: Piano Game
Coloring Match
Among Us!
Fill The Fridge!
Text or Die
Airport Security
Procreate by Savage Interactive
Top paid iPad apps
Procreate
GoodNotes 5
Book Creator for iPad
WikiCamps Australia
Green Screen by Do Ink
Teach Your Monster to Read
Toca Life: Hospital
Popplet
Toca Kitchen 2
Stop Motion Studio Pro
Top free iPad apps
Disney+
Netflix
YouTube: Watch, Listen, Stream
Google Chrome
Binge
Amazon Prime Video
The Calculator
Microsoft Teams
Spotify
TikTok
Australia’s most downloaded apps on Apple Arcade
What’s old is new again when it comes to the popular Apple Arcade games this year. Angry Birds is back with a vengeance, as the NBA 2K series continues its domination of the sports genre. Interestingly, the Australian-made Wylde Flowers, recently crowned as the Apple Arcade Game of the Year, didn’t crack the top 10.
However, when you look at the list, games that focus on quick gameplay loops suited for replayability are heavily represented. Conversely, Wylde Flowers encourages a deeper time investment with its story, which may result in fewer downloads.
Angry Birds Reloaded
Top Arcade Games
Angry Birds Reloaded
NBA 2K22 Arcade Edition
Bloons TD 6+
Sonic Racing
Mini Motorways
Solitaire by MobilityWare+
LEGO® Star Wars: Castaways
Sneaky Sasquatch
Fruit Ninja Classic+
Skate City
If you’re keen to further explore the most downloaded apps in 2022, you can check out the top apps, games, and Apple Arcade charts.
Apple has recognised 16 apps and games from across the globe as part of the 2022 App Store Awards Winners, including the Australian-made game Wylde Flowers.
Five apps and six games made this year’s list of winners, in addition to five Cultural Impact award recipients. Alongside the local hit, others to receive awards included the photo-sharing app BeReal, popular Battle Royale game Apex Legends Mobile, and the vibrant hydration tracker Waterllama. Apple CEO Tim Cook mentioned that the class of 2022 represents a diverse range of creators and experiences.
“This year’s App Store Award winners reimagined our experiences with apps that delivered fresh, thoughtful, and genuine perspectives,” Cook said. “From self-taught solo creators to international teams spanning the globe, these entrepreneurs are making a meaningful impact, and represent the ways in which apps and games influence our communities and lives.”
2022 App Store Awards Winners: Apps
iPhone App of the Year: BeReal (BeReal)
BeReal took the world by storm, offering an authentic photo-sharing alternative to Instagram. Unobstructed by social media algorithms or pivots to video, BeReal encourages users to share whatever they’re doing at set intervals each day. Other apps have since emulated some of its major features, such as the timed notification to take photos, and using both the front and rear-facing cameras simultaneously.
iPad App of the Year: GoodNotes 5 (Time Base Technology Limited.)
GoodNotes 5 is a notetaking and PDF markup app made for easy access between Apple devices. You can search your notes, whether they be handwritten, typed, or embedded within PDFs, and back up to various cloud services. Also, unlike many other apps, it offers a once-off full version unlock purchase, instead of an ongoing subscription.
Mac App of the Year: MacFamilyTree 10 (Synium Software GmbH.)
For the family historians, MacFamily Tree 10 has plenty of features to display your family tree. It has 3D views, various publishing options, plus secure local and cloud backups. You can even colourise and enhance old family photos using the app.
Apple TV App of the Year: ViX (TelevisaUnivision Interactive, Inc.)
Taking out the Apple TV category, ViX is a Spanish-speaking streaming service. However, it’s not currently available in Australia.
Apple Watch App of the Year: Gentler Streak (Gentler Stories LLC.)
Gentler Streak
A workout tracker with a twist: Gentler Streak takes an overall wellbeing approach to your health, as opposed to optimising every inch of each waking moment. It uses data to encourage you to rest when needed. It also works seamlessly with Apple Health, ensuring everything stays with your device.
2022 App Store Awards Winners: Games
iPhone Game of the Year: Apex Legends Mobile (Electronic Arts)
Already a popular PC and console game, Apex Legends Mobile brings the fast-moving Battle Royale game to mobile devices. Its diverse cast of characters who wield unique abilities is one of the main drawcards, alongside an overall fun gameplay experience.
iPad Game of the Year: Moncage (X.D. Network Inc.)
A unique puzzle game where you explore cleverly designed dioramas, Moncage is well suited to the larger display of an iPad. It plays with perspective and vignettes to reveal story snippets along the way.
Mac Game of the Year: Inscryption (Devolver)
Inscryption, one of the 2021’s best games, made its way onto Mac this year. The less you know about this unsettling, mind-bending genre mashup before playing, the better.
Apple TV Game of the Year: El Hijo (HandyGames)
A non-violent stealth game played from the perspective of a playful child, El Hijo is a spaghetti western-inspired experience about a boy finding his bravery in the face of danger.
Apple Arcade Game of the Year: Wylde Flowers (Studio Drydock Pty Ltd.)
Wylde Flowers
Available on the Apple Arcade games subscription service, Wylde Flowers is a story-driven take on the farming life simulator genre. As Tara, you befriend the diverse residents of a rural island, many of whom have secrets they’re hiding. There’s magic, animals, and an excellent voice cast that truly brings the game to life.
Made by Studio Drydock, based in Melbourne but with a team of international collaborators, Wylde Flowerswon an Apple Design Award earlier in the year for Inclusivity. It’s a gorgeous game filled with wonderful messages to impart based on real-life experiences.
More content is coming soon to Wylde Flowers as well, so we have more witchy farming goodness to look forward to.
China Game of the Year: League of Legends Esports Manager (Shenzhen Tencent Tianyou Technology Ltd.)
Esports, particularly League of Legends, is massive among Asian countries, so it comes as little surprise to see a game about managing an esports team popular with Chinese audiences. It’s not available here in Australia yet, but we do have a burgeoning esports scene that would no doubt enjoy a themed management sim.
2022 App Store Awards Winners: Cultural Impact
Selected by the App Store editors, the Cultural Impact awards celebrate those who made lasting impacts on people’s lives and influenced culture. Here are the Cultural Impact winners, a description of each, along with more details about a couple of apps that caught our eye.
How We Feel from (How We Feel Project, Inc.)
By prompting users to tap into their emotional wellbeing with the ease of daily check-ins, How We Feel helps users put difficult emotions into words and presents strategies to address these emotions in the moment.
Dot’s Home (Rise-Home Stories Project)
Dot’s Home
Dot’s Home spotlights systemic housing injustices and the subsequent impact within communities of colour through a compelling and thoughtful time-travelling tale. It’s a single-player narrative game following the experience of a young black woman who faces issues of race, place, and home.
Headed up by a couple of US-based filmmakers making their first game, Dot’s Home resonated with a global audience, including many people of colour who have faced similar inequalities. Plenty of diverse voices brought the game to life, from multimedia storytellers to housing and land justice advocates, delivering a poignant message.
Locket Widget (Locket Labs, Inc.)
Allowing users to send live photos right to family and friends’ Home Screen, Locket Widget drives intimate connection between loved ones, free from traditional social media pressures.
Waterllama from (Vitalii Mogylevets)
With its colourful design and gentle guidance, Waterllama makes meeting hydration goals fun, using creative challenges, reminders, and cuddly characters to keep users on track.
Designer Vitalii Mogylevets started Waterllama as a project to address his own issue of not drinking enough water. Now, it’s a vibrant reminder system backed by research to help you stay hydrated. With iOS widget and Apple Watch functionality, the app also cleverly allocates different levels of hydration depending on what you consume. If you drink beer, for example, you’ll be less hydrated than before, and need to drink more water to compensate!
Waterllama also offers premium customisation options for a one-off purchase, which is a wallet-friendly monetisation model for those of us who need help with hydrating.
Waterllama
Inua – A Story in Ice and Time (ARTE Experience)
Inua – A Story in Ice and Time provides an engaging, mystical adventure for users to explore historical events that weave in elements of Inuit traditions, folklore and breathtaking tales.
: Castaways
