7 Android apps I stopped using in 2026 (and what I replaced them with)

I test a lot of new apps year-round as part of my job. At times, I stumble upon some really great alternatives to apps I’m currently using, and I end up switching to them.

So far this year, I’ve switched to a handful of apps on my Android phone, iPhone, and Mac for various reasons. Here are seven apps I ditched in favor of better alternatives on my Android phone.

Notion -> Obsidian

I’ve used Notion as a personal knowledge base for many years. However, its limitations — the lack of a full-fledged offline mode in particular — started to bother me over time. Obsidian filled in this gap perfectly. It works completely offline, so I can view notes in my vault even when I’m not connected, without needing to download them in advance, unlike Notion. I can even edit notes, and my changes sync as soon as I’m back online.

Besides, the Obsidian Android app feels faster and easier to navigate, too; the sidebar makes it really easy to jump between notes. My absolute favorite Obsidian feature is support for plugins. I’ve installed a bunch of them in my vault to help me publish notes online, create better tables, quickly run actions by typing a forward slash (/), visualize connections between my notes, get metadata for files, and more. I also use a plugin called Remotely Save to sync notes across all my devices, since Obsidian’s native sync service requires a subscription.

LANDrop -> LocalSend

LANDrop is a cross-platform file-sharing app. I’ve used it to send files between my Android phone, iPhone, iPad, and Mac for many years until I ran into discoverability issues and slow transfer speeds — particularly when moving files between my Mac and an Android phone — and had to use alternative methods. That’s when I replaced it with LocalSend on all my devices.

LocalSend works similarly to LANDrop — using your local Wi-Fi network to facilitate transfers. And I haven’t experienced any issues with it so far. What’s also nice is that LocalSend is actively being developed, so it’s more likely to receive fixes for any major issues reported by users. Some other things I like about LocalSend include the ability to stop and restart the server to fix discoverability issues, view a detailed history of previous transfers, and manually send files when a router uses AP isolation to limit device discoverability.

Syncthing -> Resilio Sync

I have a bunch of files on my Mac that I need access to on my phones and Windows computer. Until last year, I used Syncthing to do this. But because its Android app, Syncthing-Fork, started exhibiting issues like increased battery usage and aggressive background termination on my Android phone, I switched to Resilio Sync.

Although Resilio Sync isn’t open-source or completely free like Syncthing, it gets all the essentials right, and that’s what matters to me. To begin with, its apps feel more polished, and the setup process is pretty straightforward. File syncing is also faster, which is much needed since my synced folder contains many subfolders and files. There’s also an option for selective syncing. Thanks to it, I can browse all the files in the shared folder and choose to sync only the files I need for each device individually. This way, I don’t have to worry about the synced folder taking up a significant chunk of my storage space. Last but not least, Resilio Sync offers a native iOS app, so I can keep files from my Mac synced on my iPhone, too.

Google Authenticator -> Ente Auth

Google Authenticator has been my go-to 2FA app for ages. While it’s come a long way and received some much-needed features, like cloud sync and screen lock, the lack of E2E encryption has always bothered me. So when I tested Ente Auth last month to write a listicle on the best 2FA apps, I finally replaced Google Authenticator with it. Its biggest advantage is the zero-knowledge E2E encryption, which ensures only I can access my codes.

Among other things, I like Ente Auth’s de-duplication feature that helps identify and fix duplicate account entries. Another handy feature is the ability to add tags. I use it to group similar accounts using tag names, such as work, social, etc., so I can access them quickly. Similarly, I like the frequently used and recently used sorting options it offers. What’s also nice is that Ente Auth has desktop apps for macOS, Linux, and Windows. Thanks to this, I don’t need to pull out my phone every time I try to log in to an account on my computer to access its 2FA code.

Spotify -> Apple Music

I’ve been a Spotify loyalist for years. However, over the past couple of months, I’ve been switching between it and Apple Music quite a bit. My only reason for going back to Spotify has been its unmatched recommendation algorithm. But of late, I’ve spent too much time listening to music on Apple Music on my Mac, and its high-resolution playback made me switch to it completely. (I still sometimes go back to Spotify to discover new tracks.)

Sure, Spotify now supports lossless playback, but Apple Music still wins for me. For one, Apple Music provides high-resolution streaming at no extra cost. Spotify, on the other hand, requires me to pay extra for lossless streaming. Not only is this plan significantly more expensive, but it doesn’t have an annual subscription. Besides, Apple Music also has a Hi-Res Lossless option. I use it when I have my wired, DAC-based audio setup with me. Another reason I like Apple Music is that, unlike Spotify, it focuses only on music and doesn’t push audiobook and podcast recommendations on my feed.

Files by Google -> Solid Explorer

Files by Google comes pre-installed as the default file manager on many Android phones. However, I’ve always found it good for one-off file tasks and replaced it with Solid Explorer on my own Android phones. I never bothered to do this on my review units. But that changed this year, as I no longer use Files. Instead, I install Solid Explorer alongside other apps when setting up a new phone.

Solid Explorer packs a bunch of additional features that help me with various everyday operations. For example, it has a dual-panel mode that makes it really easy to compare two different storage locations and move items between them. Solid Explorer also supports FTP. I use it quite often to move files between my phone and home server. Then, there’s a built-in storage analyzer that helps me identify what’s taking up storage on my device, along with a list of duplicate files, older files, least-used apps, and more, so I can deal with them accordingly. The app also offers the ability to automatically clear items from the trash periodically, which I find really handy. Solid Explorer is quite customizable, too, and I’ve tweaked its appearance and behavior to my preferences.

AccuWeather -> Breezy Weather

AccuWeather has been my favorite weather app on Android for a long time. While I really liked its radar and interactive maps as well as detailed daily and hourly reports, the app has gotten too bloated with ads — to the point where I’ve found myself closing it and using the default weather app on my phone. Thankfully, I found Breezy Weather. It’s open-source, free, and packed with features. And unlike AccuWeather, it doesn’t show ads in the interface.

Aside from its clean interface, what I like the most about Breezy Weather is that it lets me choose from different weather databases. As such, I can switch to a local database for a more accurate forecast. It even lets me configure what data I want to see and in what order. I also like that the app displays information as cards on the main screen, as it helps keep the interface clean. I can tap on a card any time I want more details. Breezy Weather offers a great selection of widgets, too, that not only provide plenty of information but also look great. The best part is that many of them are highly customizable, so I can tweak their appearance as I want.

These are all the Android apps I’ve ditched so far this year. I pay for Apple Music (since it doesn’t offer a free tier) and have bought the premium license for Solid Explorer. The other apps are either free or have a feature-rich free plan that serves my needs pretty well. A few of them are cross-platform apps, and they make living with a multi-ecosystem device setup so much easier.