Skip to main content

Apple’s 2017 Design Awards winners showcase the best apps iOS offers

Promotional logo for WWDC 2023.
This story is part of our complete Apple WWDC coverage

Apple honors the achievements of some of its most creative and talented developers every year at its Worldwide Developers Conference and 2017 was no different. The winners of this year’s Apple Design Awards comprise a variety of games that use the company’s hardware and rendering technologies in unique ways, as well as productivity apps with impeccable user experience design that also work across Apple’s other products.

Among the 12 games and apps is Splitter Critters, a puzzle title originally built in just 72 hours with a revolutionary gameplay mechanic. After seeing favorable reception to the original version, developer RAC7 games went back to the drawing board to finish the project. In Splitter Critters, your goal is to help wandering aliens back to their space ship by slicing and dragging the level around until they are able to reach it.

Recommended Videos

Apple also honored Drinkbox Studios, the developers of Severed, an action-adventure game. The judges were impressed by the title’s intuitive touch controls for sword swinging, critically-acclaimed soundtrack, and the vibrant graphical presentation optimized for iOS through Apple’s Metal API.

If you have had enough fun killing time and you are ready to get to work, Apple suggests you check out Things 3, the latest release of the long-running task management app. Things 3 integrates with iOS and iCloud services like Calendars and Reminders, and supports a wide range of gestures to accelerate certain actions. The app also integrates with Apple Watch for unique watch face complications and comes alongside a MacOS version that even supports the Touch Bar in the new MacBook Pro.

For the photographers out there, Lightricks’ Enlight was made to harness the full power of the CPU and GPU in Apple’s devices to deliver one of the iOS’s most powerful photo editing tools. Enlight takes advantage of the wide color gamut of the iPhone 7’s display and features an extensive roster of customizable filters and special effects, allowing you to create even more amazing things with the device’s capable camera.

There were many more apps recognized at this year’s WWDC, including virtual coloring book Lake, currency converter Elk, and cooking app Kitchen Stories. For the full results, check out Apple’s Design Awards site.

Adam Ismail
Former Contributor
Adam’s obsession with tech began at a young age, with a Sega Dreamcast – and he’s been hooked ever since. Previously…
Will my iPhone get iOS 26? Here’s every supported model
We've got the full list of iOS 26 supported devices - find out if you're getting the new iPhone update
iOS 26 features on a series of iPhone screens

Apple announced iOS 26 at WWDC 2025, and the new iPhone update comes with a fresh new 'Liquid Glass' look and plenty of features - and there are loads of iOS 26 supported devices, which is great news.

And no, you haven't missed a volley of updates since iOS 18 in 2024. Apple has skipped a bunch of numbers, so instead of giving us iOS 19 in 2025, we got iOS 26 alongside iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26 and tvOS 26. In short, Apple's brought its operating system numbering into line. Nice.

Read more
3 big iOS 19 changes that I hope Apple reveals at WWDC 2025
iOS 19 sample logo.

We’re less than two days away from Apple’s big WWDC 2025 keynote, where the company will reveal new versions of each of its software platforms. One of the biggest changes this year is the expected shift from iOS 19 to iOS 26, with new versions of macOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS, and visionOS also set to follow suit. We're also expecting to see the evolution of Apple Health, including a new AI doctor and Health subscription.

iOS 26, if it is to be named that, is expected to introduce one of the biggest evolutions in design for Apple software since the first iPhone was launched. Inspired by visionOS and the Apple Vision Pro, it’s expected to be a monumental redesign, but I hope that Apple also takes the time to make a few improvements.

Read more
iOS 26 rumored to go back to basics with four intriguing upgrades
An iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 18, showing its home screen.

In just two days from now, Apple will take the stage at WWDC 2025 and showcase the big yearly upgrades for its entire software portfolio. I am quite excited about the platform-wide design update and a few functional changes to iPadOS, especially the one targeting a more macOS-like makeover for the iPad’s software. 

Of course, analysts will be keenly watching for Apple’s next moves with AI, but it seems some of the most dramatic features have been pushed into the next year. Apple can afford some of those delays, as long as the company serves enough meaningful updates to its user base. Apple won’t exactly be running dry on AI, though. 

Read more