Call of Duty: Mobile is Google’s Android game of the year

By Shubham Agarwal Published December 3, 2019

Moments later Apple unveiled its picks for the best iOS apps and games of 2019, Google has announced its Best of Play annual winners. The list highlights apps and games that Google thinks represented the best of Android over the past year and, unlike Apple, also includes a User’s Choice section which reveals the results of the polls Google has been running on Android for the last couple of weeks.

Activision’s Call of Duty: Mobile beat PUBG Mobile and Fortnite to secure both the Users’ Choice and the best Android game of the year by Google titles. Google didn’t mention any runner-ups, however the nominations for Users’ Choice Game comprised of Assassin’s Creed Rebellion, Angry Birds Dream Blast, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, and more. In comparison, Apple’s game of the year was a much less mainstream one called Sky: Children of the Light.

Recommended Videos

“The Best Game of 2019 should be fun, accessible, and deliver compelling gameplay that’s a blast to play. It also needs to push the boundaries of what we expect on mobile, and this year’s winner does all of that without skipping a beat,” wrote Google in the Play Store post.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

On the other hand, Google picked Ablo, a social network that translates languages in real time during video calls and text conversations, letting you easily connect with new people from around the world, as the best Android app of 2019.

“This year, one app truly stood out from the rest: it surprised and delighted us with its ingenuity and polish. Beautifully designed and thoughtfully executed, it’s our Best App of 2019,” added Google.

Meanwhile, video-editing app, InShot Video Editor took home the Users’ Choice App award vanquishing nominations such as Ablo, Scripts by Drops, Enlight Pixaloop, and Peloton.

Google did not announce which apps accumulated the highest number of downloads in 2019. But it did declare the best apps and games in several different categories. Appy Weather led the Best Everyday Essentials bracket, exercise equipment maker Peloton in Best Apps for Personal Growth, CERN’s Big Bang AR in Best Hidden Gems, and many more. You can browse all the winners on the Google Play Store.

Oddly, Google’s Best of Play list didn’t feature any mention of its gaming subscription service Play Pass. Apple, on the contrary, added a special category for Apple Arcade this year.

Topics

Shubham Agarwal

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Shubham Agarwal is a freelance technology journalist from Ahmedabad, India. His work has previously appeared in Firstpost…

Mobile

Here’s how your Android phone could help stop your motion sickness

Someone holding the Google Pixel 9 with the screen on.

Motion sickness — also called kinetosis — is a common problem. In fact, as many as one in three people have felt sick while in a vehicle. For those who suffer from it, reading in the car is practically impossible.

Apple introduced a feature that helps those prone to motion sickness use their phones without the accompanying nausea. Now, Google is working on a similar feature for Android phones.

Mobile

Your Google Maps app is about to look different. Here’s what’s changing

Screenshot of the new teal color in the Google Maps app.

If you own an Android device such as a Samsung Galaxy S24 or Google Pixel 9 Pro, there is a small design update coming to the Google Maps app that aims to enhance its visual appearance and user experience. The app will be adopting a new interface color scheme, which could make navigation and interaction feel fresher.

As first reported by 9to5Google, Google Maps is set to change its signature blue accent for buttons and other user interface elements to a dark shade of teal.

Mobile

The YouTube mobile app is getting a small redesign. Here’s what’s changing

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 playing a YouTube video.

How do you feel about the YouTube app on iOS and Android? Most of us use the app and don't think twice about it, but YouTube announced a lot of changes in October. Some of these planned updates have begun to roll out, and they're worth paying attention to — especially because one of them is difficult to notice. The updated bottom bar is a subtle change, but it adds a bit of flair.

The updated bottom bar is part of a server-side update, which means you don't have to download a new version of YouTube to see it. However, you should ensure you're using the latest version of the YouTube app. For Android, that's 19.47, and it's 19.49 for iOS. The update hasn't reached all devices yet — I still don't see it on my own phone — but it should be applied by the end of the day.