MKBHD's Top 5 Apps of All Time!

Summary of MKBHD's Top 5 Apps of All Time!

by MKBHD

1h 47m•April 3, 2026
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Overview of MKBHD's Top 5 Apps of All Time!

This episode of the Waveform Podcast (hosted by Marques “MKBHD,” Andrew, David and Ellis) mixes news, tech commentary and a recurring roundtable: each host presents their personal top five mobile apps of all time (plus honorable mentions). Along the way they cover product eulogies (Mac Pro), software leaks (Anthropic/Claude), usability gripes (SMS 2FA, AirDrop), an iPhone photo experiment, and rumors about smart glasses and the Pixel 11. The tone is conversational, opinionated, and heavy on practical recommendations for apps and workflows.

Major news & headlines discussed

  • Mac Pro officially discontinued from Apple’s store; Mac Studio positioned as the new pro-class Mac. Trade-in values discussed (example: Marques’s heavily spec’d Mac Pro traded for ~$2,665).
  • Anthropic accidentally leaked Claude-related code. Leak highlights included a “Buddy” concept and anti-distillation measures; hosts caution about legal ramifications of grabbing leaked code.
  • Google will let users change their Gmail username once every 12 months; previous address remains an alias and can still sign in.
  • Pixel 11 renders/ CAD leaks look very similar to Pixel 10; rumors of 128 GB base storage and possible removal of thermometer sensor sparked debate.
  • Reports of an NPM/Axios ecosystem incident (brief mention).
  • Apple opens Swift for Android (discussion about whether it’ll meaningfully change cross-platform dev).
  • Smart-glasses rumors: Nothing reportedly working on camera/mic/speaker glasses (no built-in display), leaning on phone/cloud for AI features—compares to Meta Ray-Bans and Google Glass lineage.
  • Whoop valuation / wearable debate: Whoop reportedly at a $10B valuation; hosts skeptical of subscription model, marketing, and real value vs simpler alternatives.

Notable deep-dive segments

iPhone photo experiment

  • The team shot the same photo across iPhone generations (1→17). Findings:
    • Daylight: incremental year-to-year differences are modest.
    • Low-light: differences become dramatic; night mode (iPhone 11) is a major turning point.
    • Usability: newer phones deliver a much smoother camera UI.
    • File transfer: AirDrop works back to iPhone 4S; older devices were easier with Windows file system access than with modern Apple tools.

Two-factor authentication (PayPal story)

  • Marques recounted PayPal lockout due to old phone number and reliance on SMS 2FA; moral: SMS-based 2FA is fragile—use passkeys or authenticator apps where possible.

Content theft on social platforms

  • Viral short (17 iPhone photos) was widely reposted without credit; hosts criticize platform incentive structures that favor monetization and viral reposting over attribution.

Anthropic leak & “distillation”

  • Leak included ideas for a Tamagotchi-like “Buddy” UI and anti-distillation techniques (poisoning training data). Discussion about irony and legal complexity around training models on copyrighted code/data.

App lists — each host’s top 5 (mobile-focused)

Below are condensed lists of each host’s top five apps with brief notes. Honorable mentions are included where given.

Marques (MKBHD)

  • Honorable mentions: Co-pilot (finance aggregator), Athletic (training/recovery analytics), Blip (file transfer), Geekbench, YouTube (hon. mention)
  1. Relay for Reddit — best Android Reddit client (Marques uses Android too)
  2. Waze — crowdsourced routing and alerts (still preferred for real-time road issues)
  3. Flighty — flight tracking utility (great for rebooking and live delay intel)
  4. TickTick — task manager / to-do app (simple, reliable)
  5. Carrot Weather — top weather app for UI, data sources, radar (Marques’ #1)

Andrew

  • Honorable mentions: Flighty, Gentler Streak (fitness)
  1. uDisc — #1 for disc golf players (course finder, scoring, community data)
  2. Google Tasks — simple todo/tasks; effective for Andrew’s workflow and Android Auto
  3. Blip — cross‑platform, reliable file transfer (favored over spotty AirDrop in studio)
  4. Old School RuneScape — mobile version of the classic grind game (very sticky)
  5. Taco Bell app — highly usable fast-food ordering customization

David

  • Honorable mentions: Flighty, Gentler Streak
  1. Obsidian — local-first, linked note-taking (syncs well across devices)
  2. StoryGraph — book tracking & recommendations (favored over Goodreads)
  3. Stellarium — astronomy/sky map app (AR + high-resolution imagery in pro tier)
  4. Duolingo — gamified language learning
  5. KWGT — advanced custom widget builder for Android home screens

Ellis

  • Honorable mentions: childhood-era apps (e.g., “beer app”), UrbanSpoon; Too Good To Go noted as similar concept
  1. Brooklyn Public Library app (BPL) — instant renewals, borrowing: “best free app” in Ellis’s view
  2. Moment Pro Camera — pro camera controls + profiles (Moment provided app free; Ellis likes saved profiles & LUT workflows)
  3. Seesaw — gallery/arts discovery app (simple, focused)
  4. Fog of World — travel-logging map (old-school battery-heavy location tracker; fun but invasive)
  5. Discogs — music database & marketplace (catalogue records, buy/sell, discovery)

Key takeaways & recommendations

  • Security: avoid SMS-based 2FA where possible—use passkeys or authenticator apps (fewer lockout headaches).
  • Media/workflow: Blip is strongly recommended for reliable cross‑platform file transfer; AirDrop can be flaky in crowded environments.
  • Privacy: be wary of camera-equipped glasses—first-person video is a real use case, but companies will collect data; design/visibility matters for social acceptance.
  • App choices: many hosts value small, well-built, opinionated apps (Carrot Weather, TickTick, Obsidian, uDisc, BPL). If you want quick wins:
    • Try Blip for transfers
    • Flighty for frequent fliers
    • Carrot Weather or Stellarium for better weather/star experiences
    • Obsidian for serious note-taking and linking
  • Content creators: platform reposting and stripping credit remains a major problem—engage with original creators and credit when sharing clips.

Notable quotes & quick lines

  • “Phone number two factor is stupid.” — on SMS 2FA fragility.
  • “Monetization over engagement is probably the worst thing that’s happened to social media.” — on stolen viral content.
  • “Mac Studio is the new pro.” — on Apple de-emphasizing the tower Mac Pro.
  • “If you use passkeys, this would not be a problem.” — security PSA.

Action items (for listeners)

  • If you use SMS 2FA for important accounts (PayPal, banks), switch to passkeys or an authenticator app now.
  • If you deal with lots of device file transfers, test Blip (or similar) and consider it instead of relying only on AirDrop.
  • Try one app from the episode that fits your hobbies: Carrot Weather, TickTick, Obsidian, Flighty, uDisc, or Stellarium—many hosts noted free tiers and trials.
  • If you have an old cringe email username, check Google’s new policy to see if you can swap addresses (one change per 12 months).

If you want a short quick-reference list of every app mentioned (honorable mentions included), I can provide that as a compact bullet list.