What are currently the best EFBs for Android?

MarkH

MarkH

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MarkH
My iPad screen has issues and my Foreflight renewal is coming up soon, so it seems time to ask if its time to switch away from FF.

I love FF, but I have never used any other EFB. I hate my iPad, the worst part of FF is the hardware.

I'm tired of it overheating, I don't use it for anything other than FF because I don't like the interface. The bluetooth takes way too long to wake up devices.

I use a Stratux and a GDL39 (I would like an EFB that works with both). I like having the ability to plan flights on my computer and have them on my iPad when I climb in my plane. Last, the quality of the moving map has to be good.

Are their any good Android options out there?
 
Ifly is my favorite. I'm being forced to switch to garmin pilot by the garmin avionics in my new bird, but I much prefer the simplicity of ifly. It worked great for me with a stratux.
 
Avare (Free, open source) is a good general gps. Easy to use. Works well with my Stratux, but not compatible with the GDL39.

FltPlanGo (free, proprietary), many more features than Avare, steeper learning curve IMHO a good product. My Stratux works with it well. GDL39 is officially supported, I don't have one so I can't give any feedback. Garmin bought fltpln.com and fltplngo app last year, which is probably the reason it now supports the GDL39.

https://fltplan.com/connectivity.html

One of the big plusses with FltPlnGo is you can build/save flight plans on the website and then transfer them to your tablet. (FltPln.com makes their money from offering corporate services)

I've not used Garmin Pilot or I Fly GPS so can't help you there.
 
Does the GDL39 work with apps other than FF and GP?

You sound like a good candidate for a Garmin Area 760.
 
MarkH said:
My iPad screen has issues and my Foreflight renewal is coming up soon, so it seems time to ask if its time to switch away from FF.

I love FF, but I have never used any other EFB. I hate my iPad, the worst part of FF is the hardware.

I'm tired of it overheating, I don't use it for anything other than FF because I don't like the interface. The bluetooth takes way too long to wake up devices.

I use a Stratux and a GDL39 (I would like an EFB that works with both). I like having the ability to plan flights on my computer and have them on my iPad when I climb in my plane. Last, the quality of the moving map has to be good.

Are their any good Android options out there?
Click to expand...

Theres a very simple fix for IPad overheating. Just don’t leave it in direct sunlight. Lay a sheet of paper over it if you’re leaving the plane in the Sun. I’ve used FF and IPad for nine years mostly in Texas at all times of the year following this simple procedure with ZERO overheats.

Also, is it a certainty that an android won’t overheat in direct, summer sunshine?

I have used my setup with Stratux, Stratus in panel transponder with AHRS, Garmin 345,... I’m really curious if it will actually not work with a GDL39, because I know it has worked with the other Garmin solutions I’ve connected to.

It’s your business, but I think your step is a little hasty without trying some simple remedies first.
 
Jim K said:
Ifly is my favorite. I'm being forced to switch to garmin pilot by the garmin avionics in my new bird, but I much prefer the simplicity of ifly. It worked great for me with a stratux.
Click to expand...

Forced? I’ve used IPad/FF with all sorts of Garmin products ranging from my 345 to my Son in Laws all Garmin Glass paneled Baron. ??? I tried the free 90 day GP subscription they gave me when I bought the 345, but I found more disadvantages than advantages. ???
 
MBDiagMan said:
...Also, is it a certainty that an android won’t overheat in direct, summer sunshine?...
Click to expand...

I can say I've had my Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro in direct Texas sun (C172) for many hours straight and it has never shut down.

It's only one data point but that's my experience.


Also, for those of us on tight flying budgets that rent, IMHO the expensive iPad and FF is wasted money that I'd rather use flying. A cheaper Android tablet running a free GPS app such as FltPlnGo literally means I get to fly a few more hours every year.
 
MBDiagMan said:
Forced? I’ve used IPad/FF with all sorts of Garmin products ranging from my 345 to my Son in Laws all Garmin Glass paneled Baron. ??? I tried the free 90 day GP subscription they gave me when I bought the 345, but I found more disadvantages than advantages. ???
Click to expand...

I've tried ipad/ff, find it worse than gp. Both are needlessly complicated. I'm also an ios-hater. They put so much effort into making it look slick that it makes it harder to use. FF suffers from this as well.

Ifly is super simple to use, the only knock is that they don't provide all the weather briefing info, but that's easy to get from 1800wxbrief. In flight I don't want to be messing around looking for things.

Unfortunately Garmin doesn't play well with others unless they have to, so ifly can't get adsb info from the gdl88. I also like the idea of gp and the gtn sharing flight plan data, although I haven't used it yet. Finally, data concierge is a pretty compelling feature.

I'm sure I'd get used to an ipad, but I'd rather pay 1/4 the price for similar hardware with a ui I prefer. My $100 Lenovo tablets have never overheated, even when I forget them on the glare shield. They're cheap enough i carry a spare. Every try to use an approach plate on a phone in flight? F that. Android tablets also have built in GPS, so if the 750 went TU or I lost electrical, I'd still know where I was. To get that in an ipad, you have to go to the $550 version.

My point was that I was forced to leave my preferred efb if I want to use all the features of my garmin panel. Thankfully gp is available on Android.
 
Echoing @Jim K a bit, iFly GPS. Unless you need Garmin ADS-B panel compatibility, in which you have little choice, it's the best I've seen in terms of both function and usability.

I've been a ForeFlight user for almost 10 years and subscribe to iFly as my backup. I have tried just about all of the others - both platforms - and for me it's not even close.
 
"Best" is highly subjective. It depends on how you want to use your EFB. I have two Android EFBs installed on my aviation tablet (currently a Galaxy Tab S5e, after retiring my Galaxy Tab S3).
  • DroidEFB (formerly Avilution) - This is a stone-simple EFB that has all the charts and procedures, as well as quick weather and W&B standalone apps. Procedures are geo-referenced in the premium version. The split screen modes are really nice. Works well with a large variety of ADS-B devices. (Mine displays weather and traffic from an NGT-9000.) It won't upload flight plans to your avionics, but that is not a big deal for me. US coverage only. I'm a charter subscriber, and still like the user interface a lot compared to the competition, including Garmin Pilot, which I used for a while when Avilution was going through some legal issues.
  • FltPlanGo - this is still a freebie, although recently bought out by Garmin. Also does all the basics, but I find the graphical display and user interface a little more clunky and less responsive than DroidEFB. Does include Canada coverage. Works well with a large variety of ADS-B devices. Mainly, the price is right, especially considering the feature set.
The nice thing about Android tablets is that virtually every wifi tablet includes internal GPS capability. This means the tablets can act as emergency alternate GPS navigation in the event of total electrical failure. FYI, none of my Android tablets has ever experienced an overheating issue.
 
Neither of the two iPads I’ve flown with in the last nine years have ever exhibited an overheat either. It’s a simple matter to prevent. A caveman could do it.
 
Jim K said:
I've tried ipad/ff, find it worse than gp. Both are needlessly complicated. I'm also an ios-hater. They put so much effort into making it look slick that it makes it harder to use. FF suffers from this as well.

Ifly is super simple to use, the only knock is that they don't provide all the weather briefing info, but that's easy to get from 1800wxbrief. In flight I don't want to be messing around looking for things.

Unfortunately Garmin doesn't play well with others unless they have to, so ifly can't get adsb info from the gdl88. I also like the idea of gp and the gtn sharing flight plan data, although I haven't used it yet. Finally, data concierge is a pretty compelling feature.

I'm sure I'd get used to an ipad, but I'd rather pay 1/4 the price for similar hardware with a ui I prefer. My $100 Lenovo tablets have never overheated, even when I forget them on the glare shield. They're cheap enough i carry a spare. Every try to use an approach plate on a phone in flight? F that. Android tablets also have built in GPS, so if the 750 went TU or I lost electrical, I'd still know where I was. To get that in an ipad, you have to go to the $550 version.

My point was that I was forced to leave my preferred efb if I want to use all the features of my garmin panel. Thankfully gp is available on Android.
Click to expand...

A Ford is better than a Chevy!.... no, wait!.... a Chevy is better than a Ford!
 
FltPlan Go works great on my Samsung, and it's free.
 
Been using FF for years..also use Stratux..no issues.

I have tried 30 day trials of all the others...FF, iFly and GP are my top 3 picks. The free EFB's work, but the old saying " you get what you pay for " says it all.
 
Garmin Pilot supports both iPad and Android, but IMO the iPad version is much smoother. I'm an Android guy but would up gritting my teeth and buying an iPad mini for GP, with a Pixel phone as backup. I leave my tablet in the plane and plan on my phone.

At this point GP and FF are functionally equivalent. It's just a matter of preference, which usually comes down to which interface you are accustomed to.
 
MBDiagMan said:
Theres a very simple fix for IPad overheating. Just don’t leave it in direct sunlight. Lay a sheet of paper over it if you’re leaving the plane in the Sun. I’ve used FF and IPad for nine years mostly in Texas at all times of the year following this simple procedure with ZERO overheats.

Also, is it a certainty that an android won’t overheat in direct, summer sunshine?
Click to expand...

I prefer Android, so I have some Android tablets and while they can overheat, I find that my $70 Amazon Fire Tablet is far less likely to overheat than my iPad Mini 4.

On the phone side, my iPhone SE (2020, my only iPhone) has overheated in situations where my Nokia 6.1 was working just fine 1 inch away (this was not flying, this was using both on the ground).

Moving to the desert has made it worse, nowhere in my Yankee is out of direct sunlight. In Georgia, covering the iPad with a white cloth mostly solved the problem, in Arizona it just made me move the cloth before I found out it was overheated.
 
MBDiagMan said:
Neither of the two iPads I’ve flown with in the last nine years have ever exhibited an overheat either. It’s a simple matter to prevent. A caveman could do it.
Click to expand...
I'm in that group as well. No iPad overheating in 9+ years. My Android phone has.
 
Last edited:
Y'know, I just realized there was no mention whether the OP is talking VFR or IFR. (Also, what other equipment the airplane has.) I think it matters.

VFR, I don't care about much more than a map and facility information. IFR I want more in a familiar flow that makes sense to me.
 
midlifeflyer said:
I'm in that group as well. No iPad overheating in 9+ years. My Android phone has.
Click to expand...
Either way. OP prefers Android, so let's answer his question, not try to push what he doesn't want on him.

I'm in the same opinion. iOS UI sucks, I despise the closed ecosystem, and their devices are WAY OVERPRICED for what you get.
 
jrollf said:
Either way. OP prefers Android, so let's answer his question, not try to push what he doesn't want on him.
Click to expand...
If you check back, you'll see I answered the question. Just responding to the usual drivel about overheating.

jrollf said:
I'm in the same opinion. iOS UI sucks, I despise the closed ecosystem, and their devices are WAY OVERPRICED for what you get.
Click to expand...
I'm agnostic when it comes to mobile device operating systems. iPad Mini primary (at least in part a function of history - there was no Android tablet at the time), Samsung tab as backup. Galaxy phone. Have used and have good familiarity with about a dozen EFBs divided evenly (with some duplication) between the operating systems.
 
midlifeflyer said:
Y'know, I just realized there was no mention whether the OP is talking VFR or IFR. (Also, what other equipment the airplane has.) I think it matters.

VFR, I don't care about much more than a map and facility information. IFR I want more in a familiar flow that makes sense to me.
Click to expand...

Yes, and for IFR what is in the panel. IFR, I am relying almost entirely on a 430 with plates either printed out or on the iPad for reference and hopefully I have studied them well enough that I don’t have to look. The 430 gives me frequencies in order and waypoint to waypoint navigation. If I have headings, altitudes, missed info added to that, then most everything works.
 
I have a Samsung Tab S2 and a home built Stratux with gps and ahrs capabilities, and no panel gps or AP, so interfacing with avioinics is something I can't address. Started with Avare a few years back, then moved to FltPlanGo which worked well. I would have stayed with it, but at the time it didn't support ahrs input and I wanted to get the most out of my stratux, so I downloaded iFlyGPS and used it free for the trial period. Subscribing afterwards was a no brainer. Works great, very easy to use, map update functions have been streamlined and are now excellent, flight plannning is so easy and intelligent with it that I don't find it necessary to use a computer at all anymore, but it does fully integrate with 1800wxbrief.com. You can easily get full certfied (or whatever the right word is) briefings, although a few of some of the graphical products come up as web links. You can file and store flight plans. EXTREMELY customizable display...you can see what you want to see, how you want to see it, and where you want to see it. Synthetic vision, ahrs or gps derived backup six pack...terrain, obstruction, traffic, time--to-descend alerts and many others configurable... and all easy to learn to use and easily accessible without having to be pinpoint accurate with your finger while in bumpy air.

Two minor drawbacks.... the lack of checklists, user-designed or otherwise. I liked and used that function in FltPlanGo. Also, no W&B calculator. I've asked them about that in two occasions over the past year or two. Earlier response was that they focus on navigation (and they DO do that exremely well), more recent response is that those things are now on their short list and are working on them.

Another plus for the company is that they are very responsive to their customers. Emails are answered sometimes even within the hour, and it's easy to get someone on the phone. The company is also growing quickly...personally, I'm not sure that's a plus or a minus, but so far I'm a big fan. My CFI is a diehard FF fanboy, and is constantly showing me "but FF can do THIS..." ..so far, other than being able to display faa publications like FARs, various handbooks, etc., he hasn't shown me anything I can't do with iFly on an Android....and I can easily view those documents outside iFly, so that's not a concern. For hardcore ifr pilots needing features I might not be aware of and/or Apple fans, PERHAPS iFlyGPS might fall short somewhere....but I can't imagine where. Great app, designed by pilots for pilots.

I have NO ties to the company...just a satisfied and impressed user.
 
I fly a sport plane in VFR only but I use and am greatly pleased with my iFly 740b. As MuseChaser noted above, it does what it does very well. BTW ... they are having a sale today.
 
Throwing in my vote for iFly. I really like that it supports Android, iOS and even Windows.
 
MuseChaser said:
Two minor drawbacks.... the lack of checklists, user-designed or otherwise.
Click to expand...
Two suggestions.

  • If you like electronic checklists, take a look at MiraCheck. Multi-platform, very customizable, a decent selection of developer and user crated ones, and a good editor (you can create them in Excel or Sheets and export to csv if that's your 'druthers).
  • If you prefer pdf checklists, a good pdf viewer. One of the good things about Android is the ability to make shortcuts to individual files, so it's always reachable.

For me, the single biggest drawback of iFly is also it's strongest positive. It appears to have been built so it lies on top of the OS instead of being integrated in it. That leads to a lot of stability and the ability to work identically in all four of its planforms. The downside is lack of things like copy and paste. It would be nice to, for example, use IFR "recent ATC clearances" from FltPan, Skyvector or one of the number of other sites which does it well, copy it and paste it into iFly without having to recreate it manually. Yes, that's not a big deal, which give yo an idea how good I think it is.
 
midlifeflyer said:
BTW, if anyone is interested in iFly, their Black Friday promo is 15 months for the price of 12.
Click to expand...

I think that goes thru 12/28 this year. While Avare gives me everything I need and most if what I want, I’m doing the trial of iflygps due to this thread.

Q: It does not appear ifly has the ability to store performance data for multiple aircraft in a library/selector of some sort. Is that the case?
 
It's possible I'm not understanding you correctly, but you can add multiple aircraft profiles: Menu/Setup/Select Aircraft/Create New Profile.
 
Challenged said:
It's possible I'm not understanding you correctly, but you can add multiple aircraft profiles: Menu/Setup/Select Aircraft/Create New Profile.
Click to expand...

Just discovered that, thanks. I only downloaded it today to play around with since we’re doing nothing but soaking up occasional sun in Destin right now.
 
MarkH said:
My iPad screen has issues and my Foreflight renewal is coming up soon, so it seems time to ask if its time to switch away from FF.

I love FF, but I have never used any other EFB. I hate my iPad, the worst part of FF is the hardware.

I'm tired of it overheating, I don't use it for anything other than FF because I don't like the interface. The bluetooth takes way too long to wake up devices.

I use a Stratux and a GDL39 (I would like an EFB that works with both). I like having the ability to plan flights on my computer and have them on my iPad when I climb in my plane. Last, the quality of the moving map has to be good.

Are their any good Android options out there?
Click to expand...

Having tried Foreflight and Gamin Pilot, I am sticking to Avare.
 
MarkH said:
I prefer Android, so I have some Android tablets and while they can overheat, I find that my $70 Amazon Fire Tablet is far less likely to overheat than my iPad Mini 4.

On the phone side, my iPhone SE (2020, my only iPhone) has overheated in situations where my Nokia 6.1 was working just fine 1 inch away (this was not flying, this was using both on the ground).

Moving to the desert has made it worse, nowhere in my Yankee is out of direct sunlight. In Georgia, covering the iPad with a white cloth mostly solved the problem, in Arizona it just made me move the cloth before I found out it was overheated.
Click to expand...

I can see where under the greenhouse canopy of a Yankee it would be difficult to keep anything cool.
 
TCABM said:
Just discovered that, thanks. I only downloaded it today to play around with since we’re doing nothing but soaking up occasional sun in Destin right now.
Click to expand...
Run some virtual tasks that you used with FF, particularly in-flight ones. That should give you some idea of the differences and how easily you will accommodate yourself to different function and flow. That's not true just for iFly, but for any EFB change. To me "intuitive" is not an objective adjective. Means more like "I find it easy" or, when making changes, "it's similar to what I am used to."
 
MarkH said:
My iPad screen has issues and my Foreflight renewal is coming up soon, so it seems time to ask if its time to switch away from FF.

I love FF, but I have never used any other EFB. I hate my iPad, the worst part of FF is the hardware.

I'm tired of it overheating, I don't use it for anything other than FF because I don't like the interface. The bluetooth takes way too long to wake up devices.

I use a Stratux and a GDL39 (I would like an EFB that works with both). I like having the ability to plan flights on my computer and have them on my iPad when I climb in my plane. Last, the quality of the moving map has to be good.

Are their any good Android options out there?
Click to expand...

I could have written this post myself. I have a four year old iPad that I purchased brand new to have an EFB when I fly. FlyQ was recommended to me and I absolutely the software. But this lousy iPad is now obsolete!! No more updates and FlyQ has a wonderful update that I can't access because Apple has decided my "old" iPad has to go. This is the last Apple product I will ever own. Sure they make beautiful hardward and it runs great but the lifespan is limited and they expect you to just upgrade. Fabulous business model. Also thanks to all of you that have made Android software recommendations. Definitely going that way now!
 
Hi.
mslisaj said:
Apple has decided my "old" iPad has to go. This is the last Apple product I will ever own.
Click to expand...

Yes, Goble and Apple are the worst electronic polluters in the World, that I know of, when it comes to already build instruments. They both play the same game, stop people from using the existing, perfectly good devices, just to sell more. All that in the name of protection. BS

I do not know how long, if ever, the Congress crits, / the environmentalists will keep ignoring it, as long as they keep getting paid by these co. I suppose, before they take some action. There are likely billions of perfectly good working devices that are being trashed for no good reason. Where is Al when you need him?

That said, before you change over to any Android device be aware that the same thing is going on with Goble, and you will likely be disappointed, again.
If you like what you have, are familiar with it, and are not trying to save getting a free Android app, you may want to take another look / reevaluate?
 
Thanks so much for weighing in on my post here. What you are saying is absolutely correct. Question - I'm not familiar with "Goble"? Or maybe that is a term for "google"? Okay I think I may have figured out your reference.
But here is the bottom line, I am not going to buy another Apple product ever. I intend to use my iPad for as long as it keeps running. I will continue using FlyQ (becase I like and am familiar with it). I guess it all depends on how long FlyQ is allowed to let me update my charts with them. I'll gladly continue to pay for their subscriptions and have been for years. But they may be forced by apple to change something so they won't work on older gear. But your advice is well taken. Thank you!
 
iPad mini seems to fare better than the full sized iPad WRT overheating.

I switched from GP to iFly. Was happy until it froze in flight twice, both at stressful times. Happened once on iPad mini and once on Android, so at least it was platform-agnostic!
 
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