Google Awards 'Houzz' As Android App Of The Year, Google Play Awards Winners Full List Here

"Houzz," an interior design app, has been named as the year's overall best Android app. The recognition was given during the first Google Play Awards, a few days following the launch of Google Play Store version 6.7. Google previously combined the annual Best of lists for the apps available on the Play Store. This time, the company chose a different direction by following the Apple yearly awards of selecting the winners in different categories.

The interior design app "Houzz" provides users with relevant ideas related to redecorations or renovations, such as the millions of high-resolution images, the ability to draw sketches and annotations on the "Houzz" photos and the links along with a million active professionals in the field of home improvement.

Meanwhile, other resemblance to Apple's annual awards have been noted as well. Although Apple chooses the best apps for iPad, Apple Watch, iPhone, along with recognitions like the most innovative, Google picked the five nominees over 10 categories with no difference between the tablet and smartphone apps, according to Tech Crunch.

The  other  winners of the first Google Play Awards include "Thinkrolls 2" for Best Families App;  "Robinhood" for Best Use of Material Design; "Clash Royale" for Best Game; "Table Tennis Touch" for Best Use of Google Play Game Services;  "Pokémon Shuffle Mobile" for Go Global; "World Around Me for Early Adopter; the Alphabear" for Standout Indie; "NYT VR" for Most Innovative; and "Hopper" for Standout Startup.

The winners were picked by a panel consists of Google experts, and the ratings were based according to a range of factors like app quality and such as innovation. In order to earn a nomination, an app must have received or released a major update within the last 12 months.  

Aside from "Houzz," other nominated apps were "Neko Atsume: Kitty Collector," "Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes," "Marvel Future Flight," "SmartNews," "Card Wars - Adventure Time," "Prune," and "This War of Mine and Fast Like a Fox,"  Android Authority reported.