AppGallery Awards 2025 was launched. The lifestyles of Generation Z are all hidden here.

"Technology is not merely the sum of tools; it is a new environment that reshapes the way we live, perceive, and interact." As early as the 1930s, American technological sociologist Lewis Mumford foresaw the future in his book Technics and Civilization.

Throughout history, the birth of each key tool has been like a great explosion of civilization. In the past decade, the core keyword has undoubtedly been artificial intelligence - AI technology and its application research and development have been updated almost monthly, unleashing infinite possibilities. This change is evident in the chaotic application market in recent years: various cutting-edge concepts and trendy ideas make it difficult for ordinary people to distinguish which are just following the trend, which truly have practical value, and which can bring real changes to people's lives...

Don't worry. The announcement of AppGallery Awards 2025 provides a reliable solution for HarmonyOS users - just download the apps on the award list without hesitation. As the annual authoritative award of the Huawei AppGallery, since 2024, AppGallery Awards has been selecting benchmark apps and games in the HarmonyOS ecosystem every year based on dimensions such as technological innovation, user experience, and high-quality content, creating an "App expo" that can be deeply appreciated. It helps users accurately find the few apps that are most likely to leverage their lives among a wide variety of choices, inspiring users with new ideas and usage scenarios.

As its name suggests, AppGallery, different from the positioning of traditional app stores (Stores), aims to present users with a continuously updated and carefully curated digital life gallery. AppGallery Awards is not only an insight into cutting-edge trends but also an endorsement of the influence of benchmark apps and games in the HarmonyOS ecosystem. By recommending apps that can stand the test of users, it creates innovative life solutions, making AppGallery a bridge connecting users and developers.

On December 8, 2025, AppGallery Awards 2025 arrived as scheduled, presenting the "Apps and Games of the Year" and the "Apps and Games with Annual Influence". The "Apps and Games of the Year" list focuses on six apps with excellent comprehensive performance. They deeply integrate the innovative capabilities of HarmonyOS 6, creating high-quality all-scenario experiences and bringing infinite creativity to users.

Similar to last year, the "Apps and Games with Annual Influence" is more like a reflection on cutting-edge trends and cultural development, helping users, especially the young generation, to grasp the forefront hotspots of digital life. Based on the trend insights of 2025, AppGallery has brought a new round of app and game recommendations this time.

2025 is the year when AI technology truly changes lives - AI is evolving from a tool to a partner. Now, AI agents have matured to the point where they can serve as digital avatars for young people. Building AI agents has also become a hot topic of the year, and this generation of young people has taken it a step further by training AI into a "life agent" that understands their preferences.

As Yuval Noah Harari stated in 21 Lessons for the 21st Century: "Artificial intelligence will not completely replace humans, but it will profoundly change the nature of work, freeing humans from standardized and repetitive work and shifting them to more creative, emotional, or physically flexible fields."

For example, during the graduation job-hunting season, post-00s fresh graduates have started using AI for mock interviews. Some have even trained AI to be their work secretaries. A survey by Guangming Daily shows that over 60% of young people use AI every day, and over 80% of them regard AI as a general assistant. Using AI to generate PPTs, build thinking frameworks, organize meeting minutes, and even perform operations such as text-to-image and text-to-video generation are already second nature to this generation of young people. More and more young people are realizing that by leaving repetitive decisions to AI, they can devote their truly precious attention to creation, thinking, and experience.

The support of the HarmonyOS ecosystem enables these apps to be seamlessly integrated into daily life: Quark combines HarmonyOS features such as smart multi-window - picture-in-picture. Based on Alibaba's Qwen large model, it eliminates the need for frequent screen switching and browser searches, becoming a great assistant for efficient learning and work; Doubao integrates with system sharing and file transfer station features, excelling in everything from chatting to photo editing; Wenxin allows users to freely create agents, and its unified dragging ability breaks boundaries, enabling seamless cross-app transfer of text and images...

Who hasn't used these AI tools yet? It can only be said that this generation of young people has only developed less than 1% of the potential of AI.

The reality has become so surreal that any satirical novel pales in comparison to it. When absurdity becomes the norm, the only way out for art is to become even more absurd than reality. In 2025, the abstract meme culture that "no one will understand in 100 years" has become the mainstream in the Internet world, and with the addition of AI technology, it has reached new heights.

On social media, there are trends of "using AI to generate group photos of celebrities" and making singing videos for one's cats. Some people have turned Du Fu's thatched cottage and Lin Daiyu uprooting a willow tree into videos; others have "made dinosaurs into three-course meals"; in the film and television section, young people have put Empress Zhen Huan on a motorcycle and An Lingrong on a skateboard; in the music section, the skill game Gomoku with abstract lyrics and dances has become extremely popular; and some people have made videos of meaningless memes such as "Spaghetti should be mixed with No. 42 concrete" and "The whole area around Huanglongjiang is Bluetooth". These unconventional creations have received many likes from peers.

Young people who love abstract memes are no longer satisfied with simply "chanting" abstract catchphrases. Instead, they use AI tools to quickly bring their wild imaginations to life. This is not only a way to showcase their individuality but also a unique social way to find like-minded people. Everyone competes to show themselves in the "abstract contest", from inspiration to editing, adding background music, and then to community dissemination. The continuous update of various auxiliary apps has also provided a specific platform for the "abstract culture".

In the HarmonyOS ecosystem, abstract culture can spread faster and wider. Popular posts on Xiaohongshu and hit songs on Kugou Music can be directly shared with friends and relatives by tapping the devices. Kugou Music has launched the exclusive Viper Master Tape sound quality for the Kirin chip, and the HDR Vivid HarmonyOS innovation feature has enhanced the picture quality of QuickShot, making this "abstract" culture more "concrete"...

If you want to understand the new social trends of young people, decoding abstract symbols is a must.

Han Bingzhe once reminded in The Burnout Society that anxiety and burnout do not stem from external oppression but from endless self-driving. This is an "overly positive" society where the flood of information and social interactions has squeezed out the space for silence and stagnation, causing us to lose the ability to be "negative" - we are tired but cannot rest; we are connected but feel extremely lonely.

In a highly atomized social network, loneliness is not an accidental emotion but a normal state hovering over the city. Learning to coexist with anxiety has become a psychological compulsory course for a generation - this generation of young people is seeking pain relief from electronic ibuprofen in the virtual world.

Spending 8 hours or more at work every day, when they go home and see cute kittens and puppies popping up on their screens, they seem to be able to forgive the world immediately. Cyber cute animals are just the entry-level electronic ibuprofen. Young people have learned to use apps to cultivate their minds: during the lunch break, they open a meditation app and follow a free ten-minute meditation course to recharge themselves for the day; many podcast apps and psychological healing apps prompt young people to stop and take a break, listen to chats and knowledge popularization, and look at the distance and poetry.

Similarly, AI technology has also entered the emotional healing field. A report on the AI usage of Generation Z released by Soul this year shows that nearly 40% of young people use AI products for emotional companionship every day. After all, compared with the previous generation, this generation of young people is more accustomed to being alone but also eager for companionship. In this case, a virtual companion can also be a form of emotional comfort.

With one-click login using a Huawei account, users can summon their most familiar psychological counseling assistant anytime, anywhere to share their troubles. For example, they can start meditation practice from beginner to advanced levels through Now Meditation, or turn to the AI psychological counseling assistant on Simple Psychology... The anti-peeping mode of the HarmonyOS also makes such confessions more reassuring.

There will always be a demand for emotional healing. It is a proposition that young people need to overcome in their lives, and electronic ibuprofen products will continue to provide pain relief services for them.

It's hard to imagine that young people who used to mock themselves as "fragile" are now flocking to the mountains and fields in groups.

A strong outdoor craze has emerged. According to Xiaohongshu's Outdoor Observation Report for the First Half of 2025, in the first half of 2025 alone, the number of outdoor posts with the keyword "weekend" on the platform exceeded 1.06 million. Behind this is a Chinese outdoor sports participation population of over 400 million. A "return to the mountains" led by urban youth is taking place. On social media, posts related to mountain walks are everywhere. Young people are keen to share hiking routes, equipment lists, and the beautiful scenery they captured in the mountains.

This trend has advanced from hiking to more challenging areas - trail running has become a phenomenon-level trend in 2025. The number of domestic races has increased explosively. According to the 2025 Trail Running Calendar, there were more than 50 races across the country in November alone. For popular races such as the Chongli 168 Ultra Trail, the number of applicants exceeded 20,000, and applicants had to draw lots to get a spot, with a winning rate of about 64%. It was extremely difficult to get a ticket.

In this collective escape to the mountains, young people temporarily forget the troubles of work and the pressures of life, focusing only on the road under their feet and the scenery in front of them. The development of technology has also made outdoor activities more accessible. Now, online posts about forming groups for outdoor activities and planning the best niche routes are like a nanny-level guide to mountain walks; navigation apps can still accurately locate even without a signal in the mountains, leading young people out of the mountains smoothly; weather apps can not only provide accurate weather forecasts but also convert complex data into intuitive travel suggestions, such as adding or removing clothes and warning of potential dangers, helping young people better arrange their "escape" schedules and enjoy pure nature.

HarmonyOS has incorporated navigation and weather apps into a more comprehensive ecosystem: the real-time window for lock screen navigation broadcasts the high-precision lane-level navigation of Gaode Map; adding the Moji Weather service card to the device desktop, the app's AI radar provides kilometer-level and minute-level accurate precipitation forecasts; Two Steps Outdoor Assistant integrated with Petal Maps can help users better locate suitable mountain walk routes...

Everything is ready. The belief of young people is to head towards the mountains - because the mountains are there.

On December 2, 2025, Escape from Tarkov, the originator of the "search, fight, and evacuate" game genre, witnessed a historic moment: popular streamer Tigz became the first player to complete the ultimate escape through the new map "Terminal" in front of global players. 2025 is also the year when countless "Tarkov-like" games were launched. The "search, fight, and evacuate" game genre has jumped from a niche and hardcore circle to a popular gameplay among mainstream players.

To put it simply, the core gameplay of the "search, fight, and evacuate" game has three steps: search for supplies, engage in combat, and successfully evacuate. It creates an extremely pure world of risk and reward: players need to bring their own equipment into the game, search for supplies, deal with combat within a limited time, and finally reach the evacuation point. If successful, they can convert their loot into wealth; if they fail, they will lose all the