Meet 5 Android developers working to improve lives around the world

Posted by Maxim Mai, Apps Partnerships, Google Play

Last Thursday at Google I/O 2017, we announced the href="https://g.co/play/gpa2017">winners of this year's Google Play Awards.
Grab some popcorn and watch the href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayXMtOmXXhw">award ceremony, we think
it's just as fun as The Oscars. This year, we included a category to celebrate
the achievements of developers who publish outstanding apps that have positive
social impact.

In introducing this awards category, we were inspired by the UN's href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs">17 Sustainable Development
Goals. With the ability to reach over 1 billion active Android devices
around the world, we think that app developers have a tremendous opportunity to
impact Zero Hunger (SDG
#2), Good Health and Wellbeing (href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg3">SDG #3) and Quality
Education (SDG #4), and
many others. Read on to find out more about how this year's winner and finalists
and impacting these goals.

Get in touch about your social impact app or game

Our work in supporting developer success in this area on Android and Google Play
is just beginning. We would like to encourage Android developers with a focus on
social impact to href="https://goo.gl/ZXXGx5">get
in touch with us here at Google Play and to tell us about their app or game.
It doesn't matter where you are based, what problems you are solving, or which
countries you are targeting, we would like to hear your story and maybe we can
help you grow faster and improve your app's quality.

Social impact winner & finalists in the 2017 Google Play
Awards

🏆 href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.sharethemeal.app&e=-EnableAppDetailsPageRedesign">ShareTheMeal
by United Nations 🏆

The Google Play Award category winner, ShareTheMeal, generates large scale,
global awareness for "Zero Hunger" and its users' donations pay for school
meals, which are provided by the World Food Programme, in regions around the
world experiencing food insecurity. Over 13 million meals have been donated via
the app since launch!

href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.charitymilescm.android&e=-EnableAppDetailsPageRedesign">Charity
Miles by Charity Miles

This is a running, cycling and walking tracker app with a social impact twist.
Charity Miles earns money for charity on your behalf for every mile you move,
via its brand fitness exercise sponsors! Users have already donated $2 million
to charity by recording over 40 million miles!

href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.peekvision.public.android&e=-EnableAppDetailsPageRedesign">Peek
Acuity by Peak Vision

Peek Acuity allows anyone with an Android phone to easily measure visual acuity,
which is one of the components of vision. It is designed by eye care
professionals to be used to help identify people who need further examination
by, for example, an optometrist or ophthalmologist. In developing countries,
over XM [confirm number with Peek Vision] struggle with vision impairment and
many don't have easy access to an eye care professional.

href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Proativa.ProDeafMovel">Prodeaf
Translator by ProDeaf Tecnologias Assistivas

This app lets anyone translate phrases and words from Portuguese for Brazilian
Sign Language (Libras) or from English to American Sign Language (ASL). This
significantly reduces barriers to communication between the millions of people
who depend on Libras or ASL as their lingua franca and others who have not had
the opportunity to learn this form of communication.

href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glitchers.catchhero&e=-EnableAppDetailsPageRedesign">Sea
Hero Quest by GLITCHERS

This is not just a game, it's a quest to help scientists fight dementia! It
sounds too good to be true but this really is a game, where simply by having
loads of fun chasing creatures around magical seas and swamps, you can help to
fight a disease that currently affects 45 million people worldwide. In fact
playing SEA HERO QUEST for just 2 minutes will generate the equivalent of 5
hours of lab-based research data.

If you're working on an app or game with a positive social impact, don't forget
to href="https://goo.gl/ZXXGx5">get
in touch via this form and tick the "Social Impact app" checkbox.

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