I ditched music on my Android telephone and went again to my iPod

As an old-school techie whose early life had been spent tinkering with tape decks and transportable CD gamers, I discover that trendy Android telephones are nothing in need of miracles of engineering for audio consumption. They’ve received a display that rivals my high-end tv, a DAC chip that’s by all measures clear, near-lossless wi-fi streaming, extra storage than you possibly can shake a stick at, and sufficient processing energy to run a small datacenter.

But, after I need to sit down and really take heed to an album, the telephone is usually probably the most irritating instrument in my pocket. Between the fixed pings from Slack and the AI-generated discovery feeds that preserve making an attempt to shove viral tracks down my throat, the straightforward act of listening has change into a chore. It shouldn’t have been this manner. A completely related machine just like the telephone in your pocket, with entry to virtually each observe in existence, ought to supply the most effective listening expertise. However, in apply, it’s simply not true.

That frustration is why, regardless of gaining access to the finest Android telephones and iPhones round, I nonetheless flip to a gaggle of iPods for my music listening. It seems that in 2026, the easiest way to take pleasure in music is to journey again to 2006. Whereas everybody else is preventing with subscription worth hikes and discovery algorithms, I’ve discovered sanctuary in a tool that doesn’t actually have a Wi-Fi chip. And if the rising shift again to retro tech normally, and iPods particularly, is something to go by, I’m removed from alone on this shift.

Let’s be sincere in regards to the present state of music apps on Android in the present day. Whether or not you employ Spotify, YouTube Music, or Tidal, the expertise is not nearly your library. The enshittification of all these apps has been continuing at a gradual however regular tempo. Each time I open YouTube Music, I’m greeted by a “Samples” tab that appears suspiciously like TikTok. AI DJs interrupt my move to inform me what they suppose I need to hear based mostly on present traits. The app supplies a loud, cluttered expertise that prioritizes engagement metrics over the precise artwork of the tune. There’s additionally the cyclical motion of playlists, particularly on Spotify, which appears to floor the identical common tracks each single time. Discovery is principally useless except you truly put the time into actively perusing sources like AllMusic for the newest releases or studying music evaluations on-line.

The distractions transcend the apps themselves. Most of our listening in the present day occurs on a telephone, which, sure, is extraordinarily handy. You’ll be able to hear at dwelling, hear on the go, and, to a good diploma, hear offline. However when you’re making an attempt to lose your self in a fancy progressive rock album or a traditional swing jazz recording, a notification a couple of LinkedIn connection request is most undoubtedly a vibe killer.

Even in “Do Not Disturb” mode, the temptation to verify a notification or scroll by means of a feed is all the time there as a result of each time you’re adjusting your playlist, that notification is true there. May I train extra self-restraint? Maybe. However my telephone actually doesn’t make it simple. Shifting my music to a devoted machine, nevertheless, solved this immediately. Once I maintain my iPod, I’m doing one factor and one factor solely. I’m listening. Which, when you take your music critically, is crucial factor.

Smartphone-driven anxiousness isn’t a uncommon phenomenon. I endure from it too. We’re continuously reachable, continuously up to date, and continuously “on.” At night time, earlier than I lastly flip off the lights and fall asleep, I’m nonetheless checking the information, social feeds, my e mail, and my inner and exterior Slack teams. Utilizing a smartphone as a major music participant means you might be tethered to that world.

The iPod presents a sanctuary. It doesn’t know the place you might be or what you might be doing. It simply holds your music and performs it again. This lack of connectivity is its biggest function. It creates a tough boundary between your digital life and your leisure time. Once I go for a stroll with the iPod, I’m really disconnected. If somebody wants me, they’ll wait half-hour. That degree of peace is more and more arduous to seek out within the trendy tech ecosystem. Belief me, it hasn’t been simple to interrupt away from the telephone. I nonetheless discover myself reaching for a phantom notification at instances. However that simply reinforces why I take advantage of an iPod and vinyl for many of my music listening, and change over to an audio streamer and self-hosted music server after I crave trendy comfort.

We now have spent the final decade perfecting the haptic engine — the Taptic Engine when you’re on an iPhone — however a vibration motor underneath a glass sheet won’t ever beat the tactile perfection of the iPod click on wheel. In 2026, we’re surrounded by flat, fingerprint-prone rectangles that supply no give in any respect. There’s something immensely satisfying in regards to the bodily “click on” of a button. It supplies a degree of suggestions {that a} touchscreen merely can not replicate.

The most important benefit right here is blind management. I can attain into my pocket and skip a observe, play, or pause with out ever taking a look at a display. On my Android telephone, I’ve to wake the machine, doubtlessly bypass a lock display, and hunt for a software program button. Even with always-on shows and media controls, the friction is increased. The iPod was designed from the bottom up for one-handed, sightless navigation. It stays a masterclass in usage-led industrial design that feels extra related now than it did 20 years in the past. After all, I may write paeans to the fantastic thing about the Dieter Rams-inspired industrial design of the {hardware} itself, however I digress. Nearly 25 years on, this can be a machine that, in typical Apple style, simply works.

Fashionable flagship telephones have unimaginable battery life, however they’re additionally doing unimaginable quantities of labor. Between 120Hz refresh charges, 5G modems, and heavy background processing, your telephone is all the time preventing a shedding battle towards battery life, even in a world of 9,000mAh battery-equipped telephones. Even when you aren’t actively taking a look at your telephone, the machine is looking for alerts, pinging towers, and managing background information. Enjoying high-resolution audio over a Bluetooth connection or streaming by way of Wi-Fi drains that battery even quicker.

My iPod tells a special story. The unique iPod claimed and offered a full 20 hours of listening. My totally refreshed iPod presents a magnitude increased. Since I changed the unique spinning arduous drive with a microSD adapter, there aren’t any transferring elements and considerably much less energy draw. I’m presently working 512GB of storage paired with a considerably bigger battery that lasts weeks, not hours. I can go on a week-long journey and by no means take into consideration a charger. As a result of the machine isn’t looking for a 5G sign or refreshing a social media feed, the vitality effectivity is staggering. The iPod has no GPS to trace your motion. It has no microphone to hear for “Hey Google” instructions. It’s a devoted instrument that does one job and does it for a really very long time.

The economics of music listening in 2026 is irritating, to say the least. I’ve misplaced rely of the variety of instances Spotify has elevated its subscription charge. Whereas subscription costs proceed to climb, lossless tiers usually include a fair increased premium. We’re, clearly, simply renting our music and paying by means of the nostril for that privilege. In the event you cease paying your month-to-month charge, your whole library vanishes.

If a licensing deal falls by means of, your favourite album may disappear from the platform in a single day. This chance isn’t an “if,” however a “when.” Even altering political stances can imply that your favourite artist may pull their discography from the platform. Switching between platforms isn’t simple both, and it boils right down to paying for exterior providers to plug into your accounts and hoping that each one your playlists get transferred by means of.

There’s additionally the query of audio high quality. Whereas Spotify lastly rolled out its “Hello-Fi” tier, the associated fee is astronomical in comparison with an ordinary plan. On an iPod, I can load up high-resolution recordsdata that I personal. I purchased them on Bandcamp, ripped them from CDs and information, or downloaded them from digital shops. I personal these recordsdata. No person can determine to take them away from me. In lots of instances, this contains stay recordings, B-sides, and even leaked demo tracks that no business streaming service hosts. I’m not paying a month-to-month tax to entry my very own style. For the price of one yr of a music subscription, you should purchase a used iPod and sufficient storage to carry 1000’s of high-quality tracks without end.

Which brings me again to my earlier level. We now have change into passive customers of music. We open an app, hit “Beneficial for You,” and let the algorithm determine our temper. This has led to a cultural shift the place music has change into background noise relatively than a major focus. Heck, common music is being designed to be shorter simply to accommodate the eye span of a viral Instagram reel hook. We don’t take heed to albums anymore; we take heed to vibes, and name me old-school, however that isn’t for me.

The iPod, for higher or worse, forces you to be your personal music curator. You must manually handle your library. You must determine which albums are well worth the cupboard space. This intentionality adjustments the way you hear. When you must select to place an album in your machine, you usually tend to truly take heed to it from begin to end. You start to understand the sequencing of tracks and the artist’s intent. In the event you don’t prefer it, you don’t simply instantly change over to the following observe. You keep in mind that this was an artist who didn’t vibe with you, and also you’ll take away the report out of your rotation. There’s studying in that. The iPod doesn’t care about what’s trending on social media. It solely cares about what you could have determined is essential sufficient to take heed to. It turns music again into an energetic pastime relatively than a passive background listening expertise. I’m not one to take an ethical excessive floor, however as an novice musician, that speaks to me deeply.

I’ll preserve it easy. No, it’s not. In the event you thrive on discovering new artists each single day, the iPod isn’t going to work out for you. In the event you depend on sensible audio system and a seamless multi-room audio ecosystem, there are methods to shoehorn an iPod into the system, nevertheless it’s a hack job and a further expense that almost all wouldn’t trouble with.

Nevertheless, there’s a rising group of people who find themselves exhausted by the do-it-all nature of recent smartphones. And sarcastically, this transition again to an analog or extra intentional existence is being led by the very individuals who grew up in a smartphone-native surroundings. If you end up scrolling by means of Instagram if you are alleged to be having fun with a brand new report, or in case you are uninterested in your music being interrupted by commercials and notifications, a devoted participant is the reply. It’s for the one who values high quality over amount.

As for me, going again to the iPod wasn’t nearly nostalgia, although that actually performed a job. It was a sensible determination, amongst many others, to be extra within the second. Between utilizing Focus Modes and the Do Not Disturb mode on my Android telephone, to capturing extra movie, amassing extra vinyl, and listening to music by way of an iPod, it’s all a part of a concerted effort to be extra within the second. My Android telephone continues to be the most effective instrument for navigation, communication, and even on a regular basis pictures. It simply isn’t the most effective instrument for the duties I take pleasure in probably the most anymore. And music listening ranks excessive up in that checklist.