AfterShip is probably the best Package Tracker for Android
I recently sold a couple of old game consoles and games on eBay, something which I have not done for years. Since I had to ship all items as packages, I started to look for an application to help me keep track of them all so that I would stay in the loop and know when packages were delivered to the buyers.
I discovered AfterShip Package Tracker after some testing and have not looked back. What I like in particular about the app is that it supports national and international carriers. The app lists more than 200 different carriers including FedEx, UPS, DHL Express, Royal Mail, Deutsche Post or Australia Post.
You can check the apps page on Google Play for a full list of carriers sorted by region.
Once you have installed the application on your device and started it up, you will notice that it uses as clean a interface as it gets.
First thing you may want to do is add one or multiple tracking numbers to the app to start tracking packages.
You have two main options to do so. You can either enter the tracking number manually or use the built-in barcode reader to read the barcode on packages that you are about to sent to add them this way.
The app tries to detect the carrier automatically when you add a tracking number manually but offers overrides so that you can pick a carrier in case none or the wrong carrier were identified by the application.
If you want, add a title to the package which helps with the identification as the tracking number is used otherwise.
All active shipments are displayed with their status in the main interface. There you can tap on a shipment to display details about it which not only displays the current and previous status information but also the phone number of the service to contact them directly.
There you can also share the tracking link using a share provider installed on Android and display details about the package which may be useful if you need to contact the carrier.
Another interesting feature on the details page is the option to add notes to packages. This can be handy if you contact the carrier and want to add notes so that you can recall the conversation.
The app supports push notifications for all important events including failed attempts at delivery, exceptions and alerts.
Verdict
AfterShip Package Tracker is an easy to use application that leaves little to be desired. It could use a few extra features and options (there are none), for instance one to exclude the majority of carriers from being listed when you open the carriers menu or an option to take a photo of the package contents.
All in all though this is a great application for anyone who sends or receives packages regularly and wants to keep track of them from a single interface.
Just to suggest an alternative, TrackChecker Mobile:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.metalsoft.trackchecker_mobile
I’ve used this, problem arise when you track from post office’s website that doesn’t use english (aka china post), you can’t copy the message at all so you’re stuck with gibberish until it reach your country’s post office.
I am a big fan of Slice. it ties into your email accounts and then finds and tracks purchases. If that purchase has a tracking number, it automatically tracks and alerts you to status changes. I really like it.
https://www.slice.com/
A screenshot from my app this morning
http://i.imgur.com/kqu3pDc.jpg
One more fan of TrackChecker. Recognizes most of Asian shippers automatically.
But will try AfterShip too. I’ve noticed when using its online service that some shippers sometimes recognized incorrectly.
P.S. just tried it with a couple of Yanwen tracks. Unfortunately it doesn’t show status, when TrackChecker does.
That’s too bad. I did not run into any issues testing it with the services that I use regularly.
I not understand why someone need such apps or additional software, all off mentioned FedEx, UPS, DHL Express, Royal Mail, Deutsche Post services provide an extra site to show the status, just open the web browser. No need any extra software.
What’s the benefit of install another app that includes ads just for seen something you can’t change?!
I think it makes sense if you receive or sent lots of packages as it improves how you can track them especially if different carriers are used.
I used to use PackageBuddy, but the developer seemed to stop working on it so the app became unusable with many carriers.
I soon moved to Deliveries and haven’t looked back: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.orrs.deliveries it has the ability to tailor your preferred services and for me I like its sync between my phone and tablet.
It also seems according to their site that Aftership doesn’t support Luxembourg Post, so without putting in a request to add it I wouldn’t be able to use it.
It looks good but it’s slow to notify for me. When I get an email that my package is ready to pick up it takes the app an hour or so to tell me the same thing. If I check the tracking number on my carrier’s web page it also tells me my package has arrived. So they should work on improving it’s speed.
One overlooked feature of Aftership that no other android tracking app I have found has is the ability to auto-detect tracking numbers in the clipboard. Having come from Junecloud deliveries on iOS this was an important feature to me and Aftership nailed it.
I got fooled by its high rating in the Play Store. I installed AfterShip then deleted it after a week. It is not the “best” package tracker at all. The only thing I like about this app is the clean and minimal UI. The app lacks customization features but more importantly the app is not accurate at all thus making it unreliable. I’ve read reviews in the Play Store thinking it’s an issue on my end but it seems that a lot of reviewers agree on this. The updates are so slow, way behind and refreshing does nothing. For instance, it would say “package at facility” when I have already received the package. It’s always a day or a few hours behind.
So I decided to email the developer(s) and got a reply 2 days later. This is what it said: “Please note that AfterShip is not a real time tracking solution. AfterShip gets tracking info from carriers every 3-12 hours. We hope this frequency can improve over time.” Even the developer of the app stated that their app is “not a real time tracking solution”. Also, in my email I asked whether they have abandoned the app or if we’re ever going to see new updates because it has been 4 months since their last but my question was disregarded. Anyway, I have tried a lot of package trackers for Android and the best one is Deliveries (full app name: Deliveries Package Tracker). The tracking is accurate and fast, has a lot of customization options, and constant updates from the developer.
Another fan of TrackChecker, for the last four years this is the only app (iOS) that seems to track most of China carrier companies.
You can add even pictures, and divide packages by groups or web sites that you order from.
It’s free for unlimited number of tracking but 3$ for ads free.