Hank Green’s Focus Friend is Google Play’s App of the Year

Focus Friend, the screen time assistant from YouTuber and entrepreneur Hank Green, is Google Play’s app of the year.

The productivity tool, which launched in August, lets you block yourself from distracting phone apps while encouraging you with the help of a virtual friend — a little cartoon bean who loves to knit socks and scarves, which can later be replaced with decor for the little bean’s room.

The premise behind the app is that users might be encouraged to manage screen time better if they know that their actions will impact others, even if it’s just a little bean who will be sad if you interrupt their knitting project.

The app was a huge success upon launch, reaching number one on the Apple App Store after quickly climbing the charts. On Android, Focus Friend has 1 million installs, according to its Play Store listing.

Google calls Focus Friend a useful and cute app and an effective tool to help users disconnect.

In a year that has once again seen AI assistants and tools rise up the App Store charts time and time again, it’s interesting to see a timer helping you disconnect from Google’s top award-winning app technology. On Google Play, for example, the top apps currently include both OpenAI’s consumer-facing tools: ChatGPT (ranked #1), and video app Sora. Other top apps focus on social media, entertainment, or shopping, such as TikTok, WhatsApp, Instagram, Temu, and GoWish.

It’s clear that consumers reward apps that are engaging and addictive, not ones that encourage you to log out.

Google also announced several other app winners across categories like Games, Watches, Headphones XR, and more. The Pokémon TCG Pocket trading card game won Best Game, Best Multi-Device App was photo editor Luminar, and Best Multi-Device Game was racing game Disney Speedstorm.

Other 2025 winners are:

better Applications

better games