The year is almost over and that means the editors look back on 2019. Erwin lists his favorite iOS app, iOS game and Apple product of this year.
Favorite App of the Year: TikTok
It’s a good thing Screen Time on my iPhone doesn’t have a year view, because the amount of hours I’ve put into TikTok isn’t something to be proud of. But this app is so much fun.
Gone are the days when Tiktok, or formerly Muscal.ly, revolved around teenage girls lip-synching. TikTok is the new Vine full of creative people who come up with the funniest things.
The power of the app is that you don’t have to make any effort to view the coolest things. You open the app and are sent directly to the ‘For you’ page, where an algorithm presents the best videos. If you don’t like something, swipe up and you’ll have the next video. If I’m honest, at least three quarters of the videos are junk, but the rest is so damn good that you just keep swiping and the hours are ticking by.
The app is now also extremely popular in the Netherlands. As a result, the algorithm shows more and more videos from the Netherlands and that quality is significantly lower than the rest. Perhaps that is why I will be using the app a lot less in 2020.
Favorite iOS Games: Mario Kart Tour
Mario Kart Tour is definitely not the best game I’ve played this year, but since its release, there’s hardly been a day that I haven’t started the game. Sometimes I fall deep into a smartphone game and just can’t stop. A few years ago it was Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and now Nintendo has me in its grip again.
That’s because of the short races that remain a lot of fun to do. You’re constantly picking up weapons to throw at your opponents and getting rewards from all sides. Each race gives its own score, so you always have something to improve on. Sometimes you can get a random chance at a new racer or kart, or you buy them with your earned coins. Nintendo also regularly adds new races and challenges so there is always something to do.
Also read our Mario Kart Tour Review
Apple Product of the Year: Apple Pay
Apple and ING finally introduced Apple Pay in the Netherlands this year and since my very first payment I can’t live without it. It is so easy to pay for things, provided the ATM is positioned correctly, of course. At the bakery, my arm sometimes just doesn’t fit properly between the payment machine and the speculaasjes.
That I was one of the first in my hometown with Apple Pay on my Apple Watch was clear from the reactions of store employees. Every time there was amazement and even now sometimes.
I rarely have to take out my wallet. And with the proliferation of self-scan checkouts in all kinds of stores, shopping has never been easier and without awkward social contact. Delicious. AirPods in and go.