Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast

Episode: "Our Favorite Apps of All Time!"
Date: April 3, 2026
Hosts: Marques Brownlee (MKBHD), Andrew Manganelli, David Pierce, Adam Oram, Ellis Rowan

Episode Overview

In this lively and wide-ranging episode, the Waveform team uncovers their personal "Mount Rushmore" of mobile apps, debating the best and most useful apps ever made—from utilities that supercharge productivity to quirky games and tools of nostalgia. Along the way, the hosts recap tech headlines, discuss the demise of the Mac Pro, the frustrating state of account security, the latest in smart glasses, and the ironic twists of AI leaks. Expect heated opinions, playful ribbing, and a dose of tech trivia.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. April Fools' Energy & Recent Viral Projects

• The episode opens with April Fools' banter and behind-the-scenes notes on recent viral content, including the team's shorts comparing iPhone cameras across generations.
• On viral content & stolen posts:

  "Someone goes, I'm just going to clip out the two final things and post it with no credit on Twitter and get 5 million views. It's infuriating." – Andrew (06:28)

2. Tech News & Product Eulogies

• Apple Mac Pro Officially Discontinued:
  The Mac Pro is finally dead; reflections on its limited niche and how the Mac Studio is now the pro default.

  • On the Mac Pro's fate:

    "So the market for people who can't get it done with Thunderbolt but can with a Mac Pro was about three people. I'm not even one of those people." – Marques (14:36)

  • On Apple's trade-in offer:

    "For funsies, I put Marques's maxed out M2 Ultra Mac Pro in the trade in program…It is $2,665. That's not. It's that bad." – Andrew (19:03)

• Anthropic Claude Source Code Leak:
  The irony of AI companies warning others not to use their leaked, allegedly borrowed code.

  • On the leak:

    "You stole our stuff and we stole all the other stuff." – David (22:51)

• Gmail Username Change:
  Google now allows users to change their email/username every 12 months.

  • On reclaiming digital identity:

    "My two questions are, one, aren't most of the reasons we have bad email addresses because the one we wanted was taken already? So, like, by the time I try and change it…that's probably been taken." – Andrew (26:27)

• Smart Glasses Wars:
  Rumors that "Nothing" (the brand) is entering the smart glasses race, with a focus on recording and AI, paralleling Meta/Ray-Ban.

  • On recording as a killer feature:

    "The number one use case of the meta ray bans for most people is first person hands free video…It's a thousand percent what most people buy those glasses for." – Marques (30:15)

  • On design in smart glasses:

    "Most people with glasses on your face…want them to sort of fade away…But now…if glasses blow up and everyone has glasses, then the design actually becomes a part of…why you might pick one over the other." – Marques (34:59)

3. File Structures & Tech Nostalgia

• Playful discussion about file systems, old-school tech literacy, and generational knowledge gaps.
  • On digital literacy:

    "It's genuinely crazy how many young people don't know, like, the file structure of computers." – Adam (09:17)

4. Pixel 11 Leaks

• Discussion of early renders, iterative changes, and frustration over base storage limits.
  • On stagnation:

    "If Tensor G6 is again underwhelming…same price…same features and same 128gigs of storage. I think that takes the front for bust of the year so far." – Marques (37:52)

5. Waveform’s Mount Rushmore: Top Five Apps of All Time

Segment Begins [41:50]

Rules & Tone

• Each host brings their 5 favorite (mobile) apps—no desktop software, with some leeway for nostalgia/old iPod Touch-era apps.
• Heated debates arise over what qualifies and why.

Marques Brownlee (MKBHD)

"Top five mobile phone apps…in no particular order." – Marques (46:44)

• Honorable Mentions: Copilot Finance, Athletic (Apple Watch fitness), Blip (file transfer), Geekbench, YouTube
• Top 5:
  1. Carrot Weather – "The best weather app, period. Layout inspired by Dark Sky, super accurate, great radar." [50:06]
  2. TickTick – "Just the best task and planning app. Always come back to it." [49:42]
  3. Flighty – "Unbelievably useful for flying. The one app that tells you about delays before anyone else." [48:47, 49:22]
  4. Waze – "Not the prettiest, but the best for crowdsourced traffic info." [47:29]
  5. Relay for Reddit – "The best Android Reddit app by a mile." [47:00]

David Pierce

"This might be a top five, like in order…" – David (56:06)

• Honorable Mentions: Google Opinion Rewards, Telegram
• Top 5:
  1. Pocket Casts – "Probably the greatest app ever made. Insanely good UI, cross-platform, grandfathered pro." [57:05, 58:11]
  2. Viewfinder Preview – "I use it every week to frame my film photos for cameras without a viewfinder." [57:34]
  3. Nova Launcher – "One of the most downloaded apps ever, especially for customizing Android skins." [57:05]
  4. Relay for Reddit – "Used it for so, so long." [56:17]
  5. Libby – "If you like libraries, it gives access to ebooks/audiobooks for free. Can't believe it's free." [56:10]

Andrew Manganelli

“If it is not in this list, it’s a dog water app.” – Andrew (59:24)

• No honorable mentions (only the best):
• Top 5:
  1. UDisc – "The best disc golf app. Free version gives you 90% of what you need. Great community data." [64:50]
  2. Google Tasks – "May have legitimately changed my life. The simplicity works so well." [63:55]
  3. Blip – "Changed everything for our team file transfers. Cross-platform, fast, no file size limit." [62:52, 63:42]
  4. Old School Runescape – "Remote grind. Lets Runescape people go outside." [61:16]
  5. Taco Bell – "Most customizable fast food app. Lets me add what I want without saying it in the drive-thru." [59:35]

Adam Oram

• Honorable Mentions: Flighty, Gentler Streak (iOS exclusive fitness app)
• Top 5:
  1. Obsidian – "Super complex, local-first note-taking app across platforms. My life is in Obsidian." [70:41]
  2. StoryGraph – "Goodreads, but better. Great recommendations, independent maker." [69:08]
  3. Stellarium – "Star/planet sky map app that's gone viral. Gorgeous, pro features are worth it." [68:02]
  4. Duolingo – "Gamified language learning; changed everything for app engagement." [67:24]
  5. KWGT – "Ultimate Android custom widget maker. Deep community support." [66:48]

Ellis Rowan

• Honorable Mentions: The beer app (OG iOS gag app), Urban Spoon (slot machine for restaurants), Fog of World (privacy nightmare, but fun)
• Top 5:
  1. Brooklyn Public Library App (BKLYN) – "It just works. Best library experience; instant renewals, zero hassle." [77:48]
  2. Moment Pro Camera (v2) – "Lets you save photo/camera profiles, unlocks iPhone cameras for creative use." [76:06]
  3. Seesaw – "App for gallery hopping in NYC. Simple, elegant, one-trick-pony done right." [75:26]
  4. Fog of World – "In practice, a privacy nightmare; aspirationally, a goated idea to map your life journey." [74:00]
  5. Discogs – "Goodreads for music and vinyl collectors; love the logging/trade/sell features." [72:44]

6. Whoop Wearable Rant

• Andrew delivers a scathing hot take on Whoop fitness trackers, calling them overhyped, overpriced, and mostly a marketing company catering to prestige and FOMO. The panel compares their favorite alternatives (Athletic, Garmin, Oura Ring, etc.).
  • On Whoop's status:

    "At this point Whoop is an if-you-know-you-know product…I think it is sort of a thought of as like the, if you're at a certain status level…Whoop is the only option." – Ellis (91:24)

  • On fitness trackers generally:

    "All of these things are toys. None of these are really that important. Listen to our episode with Dr. Mike about activity trackers…If it helps you be healthy, that's great. But there's so many better options than these stupid Whoop bands." – Andrew (89:06)

7. Trivia & Memorable Moments

• iPhone Lost at a Bar – Infamous Leak:

  "Which iPhone was left at a bar and subsequently leaked by Gizmodo?" – Ellis [40:45, Answer at 99:56]

  Correct Answer: iPhone 4

  "I had a moment where I was like, is it the 4s? Nah. But no, it was the 4." – Marques (99:56)

• Greek Mythology Space Program:

  "Artemis has a twin brother named what?" – Adam (80:58)
  Correct Answer: Apollo (102:07)
  "Damn. It was right there. I should have had that. It's really right." – David (102:11)

• Quotable banter:

  "Why wouldn't you do that?" – Marques, on missing features in YouTube Studio (52:17)
  "If it is not in this list, it's a dog water app." – Andrew (59:24)
  "I want glyphs on mine." – Adam, on smart glasses design (33:37)

8. Other Highlights

• File transfers: All hosts rave about Blip as a game-changing, cross-platform option for airdrop-like transfers (far superior to legacy solutions).
• Libby & libraries: Multiple hosts sing the praises of public library apps and the wonders of Libby for free ebooks/audiobooks.
• Host nostalgia: From Minecraft mods and Runescape to the "beer app" and Urban Spoon, the team fondly recalls formative app experiences.
• Social media woes: The team laments the state of content theft and incentives for engagement over credit or originality.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On viral content theft:
  “Someone goes, I’m just going to clip out the two final things and post it with no credit on Twitter and get 5 million views. It’s infuriating.” – Andrew (06:28)
• On file system literacy:
  “It’s genuinely crazy how many young people don’t know, like, the file structure of computers.” – Adam (09:17)
• On the fate of Mac Pro:
  “The market for people who can’t get it done with Thunderbolt but can with a Mac Pro was about three people. I’m not even one of those people.” – Marques (14:36)
• On Flighty’s killer feature:
  “You’re gonna be on a flight that gets delayed and you know from Flighty, 45 minutes before everyone sitting at the gate knows and you get to rebook your flight before everyone else...” – Marques (49:22)
• On library apps:
  “Why are all apps not as good as the thing that costs zero money? The library?” – Ellis (78:14)
• On Whoop trackers:
  “Whoop…just feels like the Planet Fitness thing where it’s like you pay up front for a year and you lock into a year contract. And then they hope you just forget...” – Andrew (86:38)

Segment Timestamps

• [03:31] – Main episode starts, intro, April Fools’ energy
• [05:50] – iPhone camera short, viral content
• [12:35] – File systems, digital literacy discussion
• [13:36] – Mac Pro eulogy, trade-in values
• [22:52] – Anthropic Claude code leak irony
• [24:43] – Gmail username changes
• [28:35] – Smart glasses market, design & privacy
• [36:49] – Pixel 11 leaks & disappointment
• [41:50] – Top Five Apps segment starts
  • [46:44] Marques’ list
  • [56:06] David’s list
  • [59:24] Andrew’s list
  • [66:06] Adam’s list
  • [71:06] Ellis’s list
• [85:06] – Whoop rant / wearable tech culture
• [99:56] – Trivia Answer: iPhone 4 leak at the bar
• [102:07] – Trivia Answer: Apollo as Artemis’ twin brother

Closing Thoughts

This episode is a treasure trove for tech nostalgia and app recommendations, with a lively, playful tone. The hosts’ chemistry, authentic opinions, and behind-the-scenes candor make even deep cuts (like file system banter or the bitter truth about paid fitness trackers) engaging and accessible. Listeners come away with not only an expanded app wishlist but also insight into the quirks, frustrations, and small joys of being a tech obsessive in 2026.

Who had the best app list? Tell the hosts what you think—and don’t forget to grab that library card.