Unveiling the Best Apps of the Year: Apple’s iPhone App Finalists and 7 Hidden Gems

Is the App Store still a source for technological innovations, or has AI development become the newer tech to build for? When Apple recently unveiled its iPhone App of the Year finalists, it became clear that while long-time favorites were included, the new apps catching fire in the market were overlooked. Despite ignoring the AI app boom, the App Store has plenty of interesting new gems to discover, but they might be harder to find these days. The App Store’s editorial collections and similar platforms have become a bit stale, making it more challenging to find new, interesting apps unless they go viral.

After doing a little digging, it’s apparent that some interesting and relatively new releases exist. For instance, Blank Spaces is a minimalist home screen “launcher” for iOS users. Break the Web is an app that offers real-time, AI-powered summaries of news and trends, while SwipeSwipe is a camera roll cleaning app that makes clearing out photos more fun. Meanwhile, Corner is a map and social app for curating places and sharing them with friends, as feeeed is an innovative RSS reader with additional features. Finally, Bandto and Hardcover are AI-driven networking and book recommendation platforms, respectively.

These apps, while different, showcase how the App Store still hosts innovative new technologies, even with AI development becoming increasingly popular. While it may be more challenging to find these new gems, they can offer unique and exciting experiences for users.