Mere hours after Apple unveiled its official list of the year's best apps and games for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Apple TVs, the time has come to honor the most popular titles available in the Play Store for Android devices.
Unlike its Cupertino-based arch-rival, which carefully selected every single recipient of a 2019 App Store trophy, Google gave the bulk of the "power to the people", letting users pick their own winners across four Play Store categories. The search giant separately named its choices for the year's best overall app and best game, and just like last year, its victor in the latter section of the contest coincided with the people's champion.
Following in the footsteps of 2018 global phenomenon PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty: Mobile pulled off the double win despite barely making its worldwide debut on October 1. A little more than two months were apparently enough to get the free-to-play first-person shooter over the 50 million Android installation mark, with a 4.5-star review average based on almost six million user ratings making today's popularity crown not seem that surprising when you think about it.
With more to choose from and less potential to achieve global phenomenon status, it's also not surprising to see Google's pick for 2019's best Android app title differ from that of the general public. While the users' vote went to Video Editor - Glitch Video Effects, an aptly named... video editor app from InShot with over 10 million installs under its belt, the tech giant behind the Play Store selected Ablo as its top dog.
That's a slightly lesser-known app with a less impressive 1 million+ download count and 4.3-star review average (compared to 4.6 for InShot's Video Editor), which nonetheless impressed, surprised, and delighted Google with its "beautiful design and thoughtful execution" of a pretty cool concept - instantly translating your chats and video calls so you can easily overcome the language barrier typically preventing you from making friends all over the world. Admit it, you kind of want to try out this Ablo thing now.
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Meanwhile, Marvel Studios' Avengers: Endgame just so happens to be both the year's top-selling Google Play movie and the users' favorite new film, with Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark ranking second among 2019's top-selling ebooks while winning the popular vote in its respective category.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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