Apexthrust

Hate this app? You're officially in the minority

By Andy Boxall Published 12 hours ago Andy is a seasoned technology journalist with more than 15 years experience in the mobile industry, writing for Digital Trends, Wired, and more. During that time he has reviewed hundreds of smartphones and tablets, dozens of smartwatches, and a host of smart rings and smartglasses too. His daily mobile tech life includes Android and iOS devices, smart rings, and a smartwatch unless it's a special ocassion, when a traditional watch takes its place on his wrist. He has attended multiple CES, MWC, and IFA tradeshows, has a passion for photography and cars, listens to far too much K-pop, and always has a strong opinion on the state of the tech industry. You can find Andy's portfolio of work on his Authory page. Sign in to your Android Police account Add Us On Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread 3 Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Asking to name a single app that absolutely nobody hates sounds like an impossible task.

In an era of subscription fatigue, too many ads, and annoying bloatware, consensus is rare, but a viral discussion on Threads claims to have found the one exception.

If you have a bad word to say about this specific app, it seems like you may be statistically irrelevant. What’s the app with zero haters? It’s VLC.

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Posts 10 By Parth Shah

The video player for all

No hate here

A close up of a Threads post on a phone screen

Yes, VLC. The app with the traffic cone icon and an uncanny ability to play most video files without a problem, which I’m sure many of us regularly use.

What’s more, VLC was the app the original post named, and no one responding could come up with an alternative that resonated in the same way.

Most replies are very positive about VLC, mentioning how it will often play files other apps won’t, but there are a few detractors.

Some dislike how frustrating it can be to stream to a smart TV, and the lack of Dolby Vision support.

Coincidentally, Android Police recently wrote about VLC, calling out its basic design but embracing its functionality and lack of marketing and ads.

Although the story doesn’t use the words, it’s clear the author has plenty of love for the app.

VLC has been available for nearly 25 years, and is available for Android, Windows, macOS, iOS, and most other platforms.

At the beginning of 2025, VLC had been downloaded more than six billion times.

What about other apps?

Some notable mentions

NotebookLM running with Android Police as a source

It’s rare for open questions like this one to come up with the “correct” answer immediately.

Still, I was less surprised that VLC is practically universally accepted as an app without any haters than I was by how few other examples turned up in the comments.

WinRAR, a Windows tool to unpack ZIP and RAR files, seemed to fall into second place, but with 6,200 Likes it’s a considerably far behind VLC.

Other notable mentions include Winamp, but the legacy version for Windows rather than the more recent version, and 3D Pinball for Windows.

These aren’t “apps” in the general sense of the word today, and hairsplitters will no doubt call them “programs.”

It’s also evidence of how much nostalgia played a part in the response to the original post.

Elsewhere, some more app-like answers include a keen Samsung fan who got 8 Likes for the suggestion of Samsung Notes, which fell far behind the 213 Likes on Google’s NotebookLM. It’s hard to hate NotebookLM when it’s so dull.

No haters isn’t the same as most popular

VLC’s name doesn’t always come up

A graphic highlighting Focus Friend as 2025's best app.

Credit: Google

The phrasing of the original question is interesting, and understanding it is key to giving a strong answer.

Apps that only a few people actively dislike are different from asking about, and then naming, a universally popular app.

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Google published its Best of 2025 app list in November 2025, with its top app being Hank Green’s productivity app Focus Friend, and Pokémon TCG Pocket taking the top game of 2025 title.

After analyzing a decade’s worth of data in 2019, research company App Annie (now part of Sensor Tower) put Facebook, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, Snapchat, Skype, TikTok, UC Browser, YouTube, and Twitter as the most downloaded apps of the 2010s.

VLC was nowhere to be seen on either list, yet it still managed to get singled out as an app that’s hard to hate during the first weeks of 2026.

Hard to hate

What’s your choice?

I regularly use VLC, just like a host of other people, and during my modest use, it works consistently, except when I try to play a few pesky old .mkv files.

I certainly don’t hate it, so I can add my name to the list of VLC advocates.

Would you name VLC as an app without any haters? If not, what would be your pick?