The Inaugural App Annie Awards, The Annies, was held in San Francisco this week.
App Annie, a mobile app data and insights company, yesterday announced the winners of their inaugural awards program, The Annies, which took place at the company’s premiere industry event, Capptivate, in San Francisco.
The winning apps were across six different categories and included massive hits such as Spotify, The Weather Channel, Marco Polo Video Walkie Talkie, Game of War, Netflix and YouTube.
In what is the first industry recognition of its kind, The Annies awards highlighted and celebrated the mobile app visionaries who demonstrate exceptional growth, industry impact and mobile app success.
“At App Annie, I’m proud to say we work with the most innovative digital leaders,” said Bertrand Schmitt, CEO and Co-Founder. “Apps have revolutionized the way we approach business — because apps have transformed consumers’ lives. We’re excited to recognize these mobile pioneers with The Annies, and we look forward to watching their continued success.”
- Spotify Named “Fan Favorite”: Music streaming leader Spotify was recognized as the top app by iOS and Google Play downloads during the 12 months ending April 2017, with the highest rating in the United States. In April 2017 alone, Spotify earned 4.1 out of 5 stars and reached 3 million combined downloads. Other finalists in this category include WhatsApp, Pandora, Pinterest and Bitmoji.
- The Weather Channel Won For “Transformation Through Mobile”: For this category, App Annie analyzed the top traditionally non digital-first companies that have transformed their businesses through developing mobile apps. The winner was determined by assessing average combined monthly active users (MAU) in the US in the 12 months ending April 2017. The Weather Channel earned this title. The Weather Channel had over 40 million monthly active users on iPhone and Android phone combined in the US in April 2017. Other finalists in this category include ESPN, Walmart and Chase Mobile.
- Marco Polo Video Walkie Talkie Wins For “Breakout Growth”: Video chat app Marco Polo Video Walkie Talkie wins for Breakout Growth. It is currently the top rated app that has experienced the largest year-over-year growth, based on combined iPhone and Android MAU. The app’s combined MAU in April 2017 for iPhone and Android phone was 17x its MAU in April 2016 in the United States. Other finalists in this category include Signal Private Messenger, UberEATS, HOOKED and Chick-fil-A One.
- Netflix and Game of War Take Home “The Most App Store Revenue for Non-Gaming and Gaming Apps”: This category highlights the top apps by combined iOS and Google Play revenue in the US in the 12 months ending April 2017 –– for both Gaming and apps excluding Games. Game of War, a massive multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG), broke into the top 10 by revenue for iOS and Google Play approximately a month after its launch, and has remained there three and a half years later. Netflix saw $11.5 million in combined iOS and Google Play revenue in the US in April 2017. Other finalists in this category include Pokemon GO, Mobile Strike, HBO NOW and Pandora.
- YouTube Earns “Most Capptivating App”: The most “capptivating” app in the US in Q1 2017 was identified based on the new App Annie proprietary eMAU index, or “Engagement by Monthly Active User” which measures app engagement, sentiment and growth for apps outside of games and utilities. As of April 2017, YouTube has over 70 million iPhone and Android phone combined MAU. Other finalists in this category include Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram and Pandora.
Methodology
The award finalists and winners are determined by a quantitative analysis of App Annie estimates and rankings. The rankings are calculated using a combination of downloads, revenue and/or usage –– overlaid with growth metrics including year-over-year changes and overall industry influence. Mobile apps available from the Apple App Store and Google Play in the U.S. market were considered for these awards.
Staff Writer