Google makes great apps, but these aren't it if you ask me

[ad_1] <img class="e_eh" decoding="async" loading="eager" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="youtube music vs spotify 4" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/youtube-music-vs-spotify-4.jpg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/youtube-music-vs-spotify-4-64w-36h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/youtube-music-vs-spotify-4-1000w-563h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/youtube-music-vs-spotify-4-1536w-864h.jpg 1536w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/youtube-music-vs-spotify-4-675w-380h.jpg 675w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/youtube-music-vs-spotify-4-300w-170h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/youtube-music-vs-spotify-4-1280w-720h.jpg 1280w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/youtube-music-vs-spotify-4-840w-472h.jpg 840w" alt="youtube music vs spotify 4" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/youtube-music-vs-spotify-4.jpg"/> Andy Walker / Android Authority

Google is a software program firm and is aware of tips on how to make nice apps. I imply, I exploit apps like Gmail, Maps, YouTube, and Drive frequently. Then there are its AI-focused apps like NotebookLM, which is by far probably the most underrated app in Google’s arsenal.

Nevertheless, there are a number of apps I believe are means underdeveloped and want some severe work. They’re just too primary for me, or lack most of the options you get with the competitors. I do know Google is all about simplicity at instances, nevertheless it’s taking issues too far with a few of its apps.

I need to talk about 4 of them and clarify why I believe they desperately want an improve. Let’s dive in.

Which of those apps is your least favourite? 283 votes

Preserve

17%

Duties

17%

YouTube Music

29%

Wallpapers

38%

Google Preserve

<img class="e_eh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="google keep text formatting 1" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-keep-text-formatting-1-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-keep-text-formatting-1-64w-36h.jpeg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-keep-text-formatting-1-1000w-563h.jpeg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-keep-text-formatting-1-1920w-1080h.jpeg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-keep-text-formatting-1-1536w-864h.jpeg 1536w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-keep-text-formatting-1-675w-380h.jpeg 675w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-keep-text-formatting-1-300w-170h.jpeg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-keep-text-formatting-1-1280w-720h.jpeg 1280w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-keep-text-formatting-1-840w-472h.jpeg 840w" alt="google keep text formatting 1" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/google-keep-text-formatting-1-scaled.jpeg"/> Joe Maring / Android Authority

So far as note-taking apps go, Google Preserve is as primary as they get. Even basic issues like textual content formatting are very primary, with Preserve solely providing a number of choices. Whereas the app itself launched over a decade in the past, these primary formatting options had been solely broadly rolled out to the Android app in 2023, with the desktop model catching up two months in the past.

You may have two heading choices on provide, in addition to the power to daring, italicize, and underline textual content. That’s it. You possibly can’t change colours, modify the font dimension exterior of the out there headings, or create a bulleted listing.

Whilst you can add photographs to a be aware, you possibly can’t place them in a selected space, as they mechanically present up on prime. You possibly can create labels to attempt to arrange your notes, however you possibly can’t create notebooks like with most of Google Preserve’s rivals.

I get that Google is attempting to maintain this as a easy note-taking app, since lots of people are into that. Not everybody needs an app that’s as feature-packed as Evernote or Notion. Nevertheless, there’s a restrict, and I believe including issues like improved formatting choices and a greater system for organizing notes would nonetheless retain that easy nature Google goes for and considerably enhance the app’s general usability. I used to be a Preserve consumer for years however finally determined to maneuver to a rival app for these very causes.

Google Duties

<img class="e_eh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="google tasks feature 1" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/google-tasks-feature-1.jpg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/google-tasks-feature-1-64w-36h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/google-tasks-feature-1-1000w-563h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/google-tasks-feature-1-1536w-864h.jpg 1536w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/google-tasks-feature-1-675w-380h.jpg 675w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/google-tasks-feature-1-300w-170h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/google-tasks-feature-1-1280w-720h.jpg 1280w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/google-tasks-feature-1-840w-472h.jpg 840w" alt="google tasks feature 1" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/google-tasks-feature-1.jpg"/> Andy Walker / Android Authority

I attempted this for some time and actually wished to find it irresistible, particularly because it’s well-integrated with Gemini, however I simply can’t stand it. In case you assume Preserve is primary, check out Duties. It’s as barebones because it will get.

I’ve been utilizing Todoist for years, and it nonetheless appears like a quite simple app to make use of. Nevertheless, it’s full of options that enhance the general expertise and don’t get in my means if I don’t need to use them.

I like that I can write out “Do laundry each Wednesday at 6 PM” and the app will create a recurring process immediately. Because it helps pure language enter, I don’t need to manually choose a date or time; I simply sort it out. That’s easy and environment friendly.

With Google Duties, you get none of that.

I additionally love that I may give a precedence degree to every process, use filters and labels for improved group, create sub-projects, and see what’s on my to-do listing simply at this time for improved focus, amongst many different options.

With Google Duties, you get none of that. The one options I can spotlight are the power to create lists and add a star to a process so you'll find it sooner. All very primary stuff, actually. With the amount of cash, information, and manpower Google has, it ought to be capable to make a correct to-do listing app as a substitute of giving us this barebones providing, which I don’t assume many individuals use.

YouTube Music

<img class="e_eh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="YouTube Music Explore tab" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/YouTube-Music-Explore-tab.jpg 1707w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/YouTube-Music-Explore-tab-64w-48h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/YouTube-Music-Explore-tab-1000w-750h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/YouTube-Music-Explore-tab-1440w-1080h.jpg 1440w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/YouTube-Music-Explore-tab-1152w-864h.jpg 1152w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/YouTube-Music-Explore-tab-507w-380h.jpg 507w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/YouTube-Music-Explore-tab-675w-506h.jpg 675w" alt="The YouTube Music explore tab on an Android device that is leaning on a stack of black books." src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/YouTube-Music-Explore-tab.jpg"/> Nathan Drescher / Android Authority

That is by far probably the most developed app on this listing. It’s a superb one general, I’ll give it that, nevertheless it nonetheless wants work because it’s going through powerful competitors from Spotify and the likes.

I need to decrease the variety of apps I exploit, so I’d ideally like YouTube Music to be my essential app for podcasts, however that’s not going to occur anytime quickly. The podcast characteristic on YouTube Music appears like an afterthought as a substitute of being well-integrated into the general expertise. It’s very laborious to seek out podcasts to hearken to, as its discovery characteristic isn't nice in comparison with rival apps. If you already know what you need to hearken to, you possibly can seek for it, and that’s that. However if you wish to discover new podcasts in particular genres or see what different persons are into, then YouTube Music isn't that nice.

Then there are the restrictions of the free plan. The music stops taking part in as quickly as I flip off the display screen, which isn’t an enormous deal once I’m at dwelling, as I have a tendency to look at movies and take a look at lyrics whereas listening to my favourite jams. However once I’m in my automotive, turning off the show is a should as I need to protect battery life. I can’t do this with YouTube Music, however I believe I ought to be capable to, particularly since Google will get loads of money from the 2 advertisements I've to pay attention to each fourth or fifth tune.

Spotify’s free plan, for example, permits for background playback when the display screen is off, and what’s much more attention-grabbing is that the variety of advertisements I've to hearken to is considerably decrease in comparison with YouTube Music. Certain, Spotify has different limitations YouTube Music doesn’t, however I can reside with these whereas listening to music in my automotive.

Google Wallpapers

<img class="e_eh" decoding="async" loading="lazy" sizes="(min-width: 64rem) 51.25rem, 80vw" title="Google Pixel 9 wallpapers on Pixel 8 Pro angled" srcset="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Google-Pixel-9-wallpapers-on-Pixel-8-Pro-angled.jpg 1920w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Google-Pixel-9-wallpapers-on-Pixel-8-Pro-angled-1536w-864h.jpg 1536w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Google-Pixel-9-wallpapers-on-Pixel-8-Pro-angled-675w-380h.jpg 675w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Google-Pixel-9-wallpapers-on-Pixel-8-Pro-angled-64w-36h.jpg 64w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Google-Pixel-9-wallpapers-on-Pixel-8-Pro-angled-1000w-563h.jpg 1000w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Google-Pixel-9-wallpapers-on-Pixel-8-Pro-angled-300w-170h.jpg 300w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Google-Pixel-9-wallpapers-on-Pixel-8-Pro-angled-1280w-720h.jpg 1280w, https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Google-Pixel-9-wallpapers-on-Pixel-8-Pro-angled-840w-472h.jpg 840w" alt="Google Pixel 9 wallpapers on Pixel 8 Pro angled" src="https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Google-Pixel-9-wallpapers-on-Pixel-8-Pro-angled.jpg"/> Robert Triggs / Android Authority

Pixel 8 Professional

I lately broke my telephone and needed to swap to an previous OnePlus in the interim. I turned it on and located a Google Wallpaper app put in that I forgot existed. A wallpaper app from the maker of the Pixel and all these fancy apps I exploit always sounds thrilling, however that pleasure went away a couple of minutes after opening it.

The app is tremendous primary and has a really small choice of wallpapers, particularly in comparison with a rival app like Zedge. The wallpapers are separated into solely ten classes, which appears extremely low contemplating what number of classes related apps provide .

The choice of wallpapers is proscribed.

Not solely is the choice restricted, the wallpapers themselves aren’t actually that good. Most are very generic in my view, though I did handle to seek out a number of good ones. What I discover attention-grabbing is that Google hasn’t even bothered connecting the app with Gemini, which might permit customers to create customized wallpapers primarily based on prompts. Google has a aggressive benefit right here that it’s merely not using. The app itself is simply so primary that I don’t know why Google made it within the first place.

These are the 4 apps Google must work on, however let me know within the feedback if there are any others you assume are sub-par.

A few of these carry again recollections of apps like Google Podcasts, which had been so primary for causes unknown to me that Google determined to kill them

Which of those apps is your least favourite? 283 votes

Preserve

17%

Duties

17%

YouTube Music

29%

Wallpapers

38%

. I don’t assume that’s going to occur with apps like Preserve and YouTube Music, however I don’t assume lots of people would miss an app like Wallpapers. No less than, I wouldn’t. [ad_2] Source link