Woebot and Wisdo shine at Google Play Awards

At this week's I/O event, the annual Google Play Awards shone the spotlight on outstanding Android apps over the past year. Top of the list was the Standout Well-Being App, awarded to Woebot, a self-care chatbot created by Stanford psychologist – and University College Dublin PhD graduate – Dr Alison Darcy.

Following on the theme of mental health and well-being, Wisdo took the award for Best Social Impact. This alternative social media app connects like-minded individuals and hosts groups on everything from mindfulness and going green to LGBTQ+, motherhood and PTSD.

Gaming was also a focus with Marvel Strike Force scooping Best Breakthrough Game while Shadowgun Legends was awarded Most Beautiful Game. Tick Tock: A Tale for Two already has numerous awards to its name and added Most Inventive app to the list. This interactive puzzle game is a two-player where you and a friend are trapped in a mystical clockwork world from which you must escape by solving perplexing puzzles.

Popular graphic design app Canva deservedly won the Standout Build for Billions Experience. Aside from being used to make logos and posters, Canva is a firm favourite with social media content creators, making it easy to create professional looking Instagram "instaquotes", Twitter banners and Facebook covers.

[ https://www.blog.google/products/google-play/2019s-google-play-award-winners/ ]