Google has been making an effort to build hype for great applications available on their platforms for a while. Last year, at Google I/O the Google Play Awards were introduced as a way to show off the best apps in a number of categories, this year they’re back and they’ve brought along a bunch of new categories.
The Best App/Game and Standout Indie and Standout Startup categories are returning, but there’s a broader concentration on new categories including Augmented and Virtual Reality apps, as well as a focus on different platforms like Android Wear and Android TV. This year Google has also changed their Families category to simply the best Kids app. Socially aware apps are also big with their own category and there’s also a best Accessibility Experience category for Apps or games enabling device interaction in an innovative way that serves people with disabilities or special needs.
Apps nominated in each category had to have either launched or received a major update since April last year and were also subject to a set of specific criteria, including high star rating and technical performance. The winner in each category will win a shiny Google Play Awards trophy at the ceremony at Google I/O this year which will take place at 6:30PM PT on the 18th of May – that’s about 11:30am AEST on Friday, 19 May 2017 if you’re keen to tune in at home.
You can see the nominees in each category are all over at g.co/play/gpa2017.
