diff --git a/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/auth/AuthenticatedActivity.java b/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/auth/AuthenticatedActivity.java
index e89c5c528..0db56e66b 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/auth/AuthenticatedActivity.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/fr/free/nrw/commons/auth/AuthenticatedActivity.java
@@ -3,15 +3,13 @@ package fr.free.nrw.commons.auth;
 import android.accounts.Account;
 import android.accounts.AccountManager;
 import android.accounts.AccountManagerFuture;
-import android.accounts.AuthenticatorException;
-import android.accounts.OperationCanceledException;
-import android.os.AsyncTask;
 import android.os.Bundle;
 
-import java.io.IOException;
-
 import fr.free.nrw.commons.CommonsApplication;
 import fr.free.nrw.commons.theme.NavigationBaseActivity;
+import io.reactivex.Single;
+import io.reactivex.android.schedulers.AndroidSchedulers;
+import io.reactivex.schedulers.Schedulers;
 import timber.log.Timber;
 
 public abstract class AuthenticatedActivity extends NavigationBaseActivity {
@@ -24,87 +22,36 @@ public abstract class AuthenticatedActivity extends NavigationBaseActivity {
     public AuthenticatedActivity() {
         this.accountType = AccountUtil.accountType();
     }
-   
-    private class GetAuthCookieTask extends AsyncTask<Void, String, String> {
-        private Account account;
-        private AccountManager accountManager;
-        public GetAuthCookieTask(Account account, AccountManager accountManager) {
-            this.account = account;
-            this.accountManager = accountManager;
-        }
-        
-        @Override
-        protected void onPostExecute(String result) {
-            super.onPostExecute(result);
-            if(result != null) {
-                authCookie = result;
-                onAuthCookieAcquired(result);
-            } else {
-                onAuthFailure();
-            }
-        }
 
-        @Override
-        protected String doInBackground(Void... params) {
-            try {
-                return accountManager.blockingGetAuthToken(account, "", false);
-            } catch (OperationCanceledException e) {
-                e.printStackTrace();
-                return null;
-            } catch (AuthenticatorException e) {
-                e.printStackTrace();
-                return null;
-            } catch (IOException e) {
-                e.printStackTrace();
-                return null;
-            }
-        }
+    private void getAuthCookie(Account account, AccountManager accountManager) {
+        Single.fromCallable(() -> accountManager.blockingGetAuthToken(account, "", false))
+                .subscribeOn(Schedulers.io())
+                .doOnError(Timber::e)
+                .observeOn(AndroidSchedulers.mainThread())
+                .subscribe(
+                        cookie -> onAuthCookieAcquired(cookie),
+                        throwable -> onAuthFailure());
     }
-    
-    private class AddAccountTask extends AsyncTask<Void, String, String> {
-        private AccountManager accountManager;
-        public AddAccountTask(AccountManager accountManager) {
-            this.accountManager = accountManager;
-        }
-        
-        @Override
-        protected void onPostExecute(String result) {
-            super.onPostExecute(result);
-            if(result != null) {
-                Account[] allAccounts =accountManager.getAccountsByType(accountType);
-                Account curAccount = allAccounts[0];
-                GetAuthCookieTask getCookieTask = new GetAuthCookieTask(curAccount, accountManager);
-                getCookieTask.execute();
-            } else {
-                onAuthFailure();
-            }
-        }
 
-        @Override
-        protected String doInBackground(Void... params) {
-            AccountManagerFuture<Bundle> resultFuture = accountManager.addAccount(accountType, null, null, null, AuthenticatedActivity.this, null, null);
-            Bundle result;
-            try {
-                result = resultFuture.getResult();
-            } catch (OperationCanceledException e) {
-                e.printStackTrace();
-                return null;
-            } catch (AuthenticatorException e) {
-                // TODO Auto-generated catch block
-                e.printStackTrace();
-                return null;
-            } catch (IOException e) {
-                // TODO Auto-generated catch block
-                e.printStackTrace();
-                return null;
-            }
-            if(result.containsKey(AccountManager.KEY_ACCOUNT_NAME)) {
-                return result.getString(AccountManager.KEY_ACCOUNT_NAME);
-            } else {
-                return null;
-            }
-            
-        }
+    private void addAccount(AccountManager accountManager) {
+        Single.just(accountManager.addAccount(accountType, null, null, null, AuthenticatedActivity.this, null, null))
+                .subscribeOn(Schedulers.io())
+                .map(AccountManagerFuture::getResult)
+                .doOnEvent((bundle, throwable) -> {
+                    if (!bundle.containsKey(AccountManager.KEY_ACCOUNT_NAME)) {
+                        throw new RuntimeException("Bundle doesn't contain account-name key: "
+                                + AccountManager.KEY_ACCOUNT_NAME);
+                    }
+                })
+                .map(bundle -> bundle.getString(AccountManager.KEY_ACCOUNT_NAME))
+                .doOnError(Timber::e)
+                .observeOn(AndroidSchedulers.mainThread())
+                .subscribe(s -> {
+                            Account[] allAccounts = accountManager.getAccountsByType(accountType);
+                            Account curAccount = allAccounts[0];
+                            getAuthCookie(curAccount, accountManager);
+                        },
+                        throwable -> onAuthFailure());
     }
 
     protected void requestAuthToken() {
@@ -115,17 +62,9 @@ public abstract class AuthenticatedActivity extends NavigationBaseActivity {
         AccountManager accountManager = AccountManager.get(this);
         Account curAccount = app.getCurrentAccount();
         if(curAccount == null) {
-            AddAccountTask addAccountTask = new AddAccountTask(accountManager);
-            // This AsyncTask blocks until the Login Activity returns
-            // And since in Android 4.x+ only one background thread runs all AsyncTasks
-            // And since LoginActivity can't return until it's own AsyncTask (that does the login)
-            // returns, we have a deadlock!
-            // Fixed by explicitly asking this to be executed in parallel
-            // See: https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/android-developers/8M0RTFfO7-M
-            addAccountTask.executeOnExecutor(AsyncTask.THREAD_POOL_EXECUTOR);
+            addAccount(accountManager);
         } else {
-            GetAuthCookieTask task = new GetAuthCookieTask(curAccount, accountManager);
-            task.execute();
+            getAuthCookie(curAccount, accountManager);
         }
     }