As Apple Hits $1 Trillion Value, Here Are 10 Amazing, Israeli-Made iPhone Apps

This summer, Apple secured two mega news headlines: its $1 trillion valuation and the 10th anniversary of the iOS App Store. Both headlines garnered immense joy amongst developers the world over – Israel included.

Thanks to Apple and the iOS App Store, developers have a platform to create great software applications and easily access vast audiences.

In fact, the App Store today has over two million apps from which to choose. There are apps to benefit your health, transportation, entertainment, lifestyle, and finances.

Dozens of tech-savvy Israeli companies and individuals have all but modified the Startup Nation to StartApp Nation. There are hundreds of blue-and-white designed apps on the App Store (and in Google Play, for that matter).

Don’t miss these 10 amazing iPhone apps made in Israel.

Couch to 5K Runner

Fitness22 has a series of health and fitness apps on the App store that are all geared to making the gym experience more accessible. The Israeli company, which launched in 2011, has 5/5 star ratings on the App Store and continues to be among the top-rated fitness apps.

Its most popular offering is the award-winning Couch to 5K Runner app, which trains you to run 5-kilometers in eight weeks. This mobile fitness and health company, formerly known as Clear Sky Apps, counts more than 50 million customers the world over using its apps for personal training. In addition to the 5K app, there are also training plans for 10K runs, marathons, as well as pre-made workouts, 0-200 situps and abs-building apps.

Fitness22 is an anomaly in the marketplace as it has no external funding but rather relies on premium paid apps.

Fooducate

If you’re looking for a nutrition tracker on the App Store, you’re likely to be directed to the Fooducate app. This free iOS (and Android) app helps people make better food choices.

The New York Times, Oprah and the Wall Street Journal have all recommended this Tel Aviv-made app for keeping you healthier and knowing what is in your food.

Scan barcodes and Fooducate will tell you which products have less added sugar, trans fats or fewer food dyes. The award-winning app can track meals, track your hunger levels, give personalized nutrition tips, offer health and diet tips, and offer suggestions for healthier foods. Fooducate is one of Apple’s Best of in the iPhone Health & Fitness category.

24me

Apple, Forbes, Cosmopolitan, CNN and others have chosen 24me as the best iOS app for getting things done. The free personal assistant app puts your notes, calendars, chores and accounts all together for better management.

The company came into being in 2013, shortly after founders Liat and Gilad Hertanu had just welcomed their third child in four years. They needed a product that could help them manage their time. In 2014, the app already secured “Best of the App Store” by Apple. 24me also includes a smart algorithm tool to help you triumph over procrastination.

Facetune

Jerusalem-based Lightricks helps amateur photographers and videographers master professional style photo editing via its apps on the iOS App Store.

The company’s Facetune fun portrait retouching application reached Apple’s No. 4 best-selling Paid app in 2016. “Our goal at Lightricks is to give aspiring artists unprecedented fun and powerful creative tools that look and feel magical.

“Since Facetune, our flagship product, we’ve built an arsenal of powerful creativity apps,” Lightricks CEO Zeev Farbman said in a statement.

Lightricks is also behind the popular Enlight photo editing app, which was Apple’s App of the Year (2015), the No.11 bestselling paid iOS app in 2016, and winner of Apple’s prestigious Apple Design Awards of 2017. Both apps also reached a No.1 rank on iOS charts in over 120 countries.

Lightricks was founded in 2013 by Farbman, Amit Goldstein, Nir Pochter, Yaron Inger, and Itai Tsiddon.

Run Sausage Run

The Run Sausage Run mobile game app logged more than 21 million downloads in its first two months – and over 50 million downloads to date — thanks to an awesome logo and funny storyline. That it is made by TabTale, repeatedly ranked by AppAnnie analytics firm as a Top 10 Mobile Games Publisher, probably also helped in this astounding feat.

The Tel Aviv-based children’s games developer distributes its more than 500 interactive apps under four publisher names: TabTale, Crazy Labs, Sunstorm, and Coco Play, according to the type of game and intended audience. If you’ve got kids, you’ve probably downloaded at least one TabTale game to date.

The company has fans across the globe and counts more than 1.2 billion downloads of its easy-to-play mobile games. TabTale is behind the Run Around app, which in June topped the charts and counted over one million downloads worldwide, according to Sensor Tower data firm. The Israeli developers also publish the official Miraculous Ladybug mobile game app from the internationally popular animated series.

Moovit

The Moovit public transit app is found on Apple’s prestigious list of the best iOS apps from around the world.

The Israeli urban mobility data analytics company helps some 170 million riders in 2,200 cities plan bus and train trips from point A to B.

Earlier this year, Moovit announced a partnership with Mobileye, the Jerusalem-based driving-assistance technology firm (acquired by Intel for over $15 billion.).

VP Head of Global Communications at Moovit Steve Swasey told NoCamels that the collaboration would “improve the world’s urban mobility.”

VIA

VIA’s mobile ride-hailing app helps people get around. With shared transport now a megatrend in the transportation sector, Via’s goal in connecting multiple passengers going the same way is increasingly welcomed. So much so, in fact, that Via is valued at $1 billion.

The iOS app holds an amazing 4.9 out of 5 rating on the App Store and has been called the “future of public transit.”

World Series of Poker

Playtika’s World Series of Poker is one of the top grossing iOS apps, according to Sensor Tower app data market research. The Israeli-founded online games company, owned by a Chinese consortium but run independently from its Herzliya headquarters, has a number of popular titles including House of Fun, Bingo Blitz and Slotmania – and all regularly rank among the top-grossing games on Apple’s App Store.

Playtika, founded in 2010, is a pioneer in the free-to-play games on mobile platforms. The company has said it counts more than six million people in 190 countries playing its games.

Gett

Another ride-share app popular on the App Store is Gett (formerly GetTaxi). This Tel Aviv-headquartered company serves more than 120 cities across Europe.

In the US, Gett collaborates with Juno. Unlike other ride-hailing apps, Gett’s GPS-based app hails a licensed taxi to a pickup spot and not a random driver. Gett also offers in-app tipping.

Waze

The famous Israeli-developed navigation app, Waze, holds an average 4.8 out of 5 rating in the United States and as such is one of the highest rated iOS apps, according to app analytics firm Sensor Tower. Waze’s community-generated, real-time traffic updates have helped millions of people get to their destinations.

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook once even recommended Waze as a good alternative to Apple Maps.

Google, of course, bought Waze in 2013, but the company’s roots are in Raanana and the GPS software-making firm is, and always will be, deemed Israeli.

Among its many accolades, Waze won the Best Overall App award at the 2013 Mobile World Congress, beating the likes of Dropbox, Flipboard and Square.

Viva Sarah Press is a journalist and speaker. She writes and talks about the creativity and innovation taking place in Israel and beyond. www.vivaspress.com

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