Ditch Spotify and Relive Your iPod’s Glory Days with Offline Android Music Players

We are well and truly living in the age of subscription streaming services, and with that comes an assortment of pros and cons. On the one hand, the convenience and discoverability offered by Spotify, Apple Musicand other music streamers, it’s hard to argue with them. On the other hand, a feeling of subscription fatigue has started to set in for many of us.

Personally, I have a strong weakness for the good old days, driven by nostalgia – back when iPod reigned supreme, digital music files were built into the device and media ownership was self-evident. Fortunately, a number of third-party mobile apps continue to cater to my preferences, with the Google Play Store full of options to choose from. Here are five offline music playing apps that fulfill the mp3a sizable void in my heart, temporarily rooting me in what is most certainly a bygone era.

1 Pulsar music player

I’ve been using Pulsar for several years and it remains one of my favorite offline music playing apps. I’ve never been really happy with Google’s local audio playback offerings: Play Music app, now defunct was average at best, and YouTube Music is not a convincing solution in my eyes.

Initially, I gravitated towards Pulsar because of its clean and attractive user interface, flexible approach to organization, and light software footprint. The app only takes up about 4MB of system storage, and yet it’s packed with useful features. Chromecast support, dedicated widgets, tablet-optimized interface elements, and automatic downloading of album and artist artwork are all present.

Pulsar is both free to download and ad-free. The developer offers an optional one-time purchase version called Pulsar+, which unlocks additional themes, a equalizerand more.

2 MissingCore Music

When I first discovered MissingCore Music, I was immediately compelled to download and install it on my own Android device. The app offers a stunning matrix-style aesthetic, inspired by NothingThe custom Android skin is called Nothing OS. The theme is consistent and tastefully implemented, and I honestly can’t get enough of it.

While it’s not as feature-rich as some other offline music playing apps, all the essentials are here: music queues, extensive music organization tools, and much more. Best of all, the app is completely free, both financially and in terms of advertisements.

3 Vanilla music player

Vanilla Music Player is a simple and free offline audio player for Android that excels in one area in particular: it incorporates Google’s most recent design language guidelines known as Material Design 3. Other Material Design-equipped media players, including Pulsar, target older versions of Google’s visual aesthetic. In this sense, Vanilla constitutes an excellent sample of what Google could create if it had the desire.

Vanilla is free to download, but the application is still in development. As such, it’s quite light in terms of features. Although it is currently lacking in the customization department, it more than makes up for this deficit with its charming animations and incorporation of Material You color theme.

4 VLC for Android

VLC is a proven software that most PC users already know it. The focus on providing a wide range of file formats is appreciated, and the experience translates well to mobile. While most music files fall into the predictable camps of mp3, AAC, WAV, and AIFF, VLC is still my go-to option when trying to open more obscure formats.

VLC is free to download and offers an ad-free experience out of the box. The app isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing on this list, but I find it relatively harmless. Perhaps most importantly, the application is open source, which is a major advantage for those looking for an open and transparent software package.

5 Musicolet music player

Musicolet Music Player is a complete offline music player app for Android, with tons of advanced options to choose from. The ability to create multiple track queues is a nice addition, as are the distinct EQ options on offer. This latest feature lets you create separate EQ presets for your headphones, car stereo, home theater setup, and more.

I find Musicolet less visually appealing than Pulsar or Vanilla, but it’s certainly pragmatic and precise in its approach to the interface. The app can be downloaded and installed for free from the Google Play Store and offers a completely ad-free experience from the start.