FDroid is an alternative app store where its main focus is Free (libre) software. Free in the sense of freedom. They have also strong focus on tracking. Under app, you have "anti-feature" that tell you that part of its code is not opensource or that there is sensible data. :)

You should visit their website. ;)

Here is some info from their website :)

F-Droid is an installable catalogue of FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) applications for the Android platform. The client makes it easy to browse, install, and keep track of updates on your device.

FDroid respects your privacy. We don’t track you, or your device. We don’t track what you install. You don’t need an account to use the client, and it sends no additional identifying data when communicating with our web servers, other than its version number.

We don’t even allow you to install other applications from the repository that track you, unless you first enable ‘Tracking’ in the AntiFeatures section of preferences.

Any personal data you decide to give us (e.g. your email address when registering for an account to post on the forum) goes no further than us, and will not be used for anything other than allowing you to maintain your account.

Google fdroid or use chatgpt

Exactly, trying to find software alternative for what ultimately going to be locked down hardware is never going to be a sustainable solution.

Alternative OS means nothing if there's no widely supported open hardware with unlocked bootloader to run such OS long term, and Google is got all mainstream phone manufactures cornered legally and commercially with this and their requirement for manufecturer authorization for shipping GMS suite with their products.

The only way out is this ridiculous decision of Google getting push backs from legislation, because there's nothing manufecturers can do and without them there's nothing FOSS developers can do to push back long term, and Google isn't stopping themselves from doing Evil™.

Already today using LineageOS means give up on banking apps, ID apps, and even McDonald’s and some games like Pokemon.

Yeah because Google with play intergrity now demands valid keys that gets invalidated as soon Google detect they are used for such usage. The cat and mouse game suddenly got much harder to beat.

But if I'm already using LineageOS without GApps, this wouldn't make any difference, right?

Edit: Also - thanks for all your work!

Counterpoint: I use the McDonald's app where it belongs - on a giant greasy ordering kiosk.

But seriously, banks have websites. Everyone and everything has a website.

I don't need Android apps at the cost of my privacy or at the cost of control of my devices.

I use GrapheneOS as my only phone, and I have done so for years.

Whatever the topic, I don't need an app for that.

I've never had an issue with the three banking apps I tried on LineageOS, and I didn't even know there was a McDonald's app or pokemon games.

If this list for /e/os roughly applies to LineageOS (with microG), I wouldn't call it "only for secondary devices", more "won't work for some people"

Did I miss something? AFAIK google is requiring devs to ID, not to use SafetyNet or whatever the "only-runs-on-certified-phones" thing is called

I hear you. My wife has also requested that I not deprecate certain proprietary apps until I can provide a good alternative that works on both Android and Apple. Last time was when we were traveling and wanted to share locations with each other in real time. I had to give WhatsApp location perms 🤮

Some friends and I were talking about the feasibility of that earlier today.

It's possible, assuming that you never need to use your phone as an MFA method, never need to scan a QR code, or never need to use an app for something because they lack a web version.

If this comes to pass, f-droid might get closed as the userbase dwindles. Many apps will also cease to be developed and be left without updates. You will not get out with just updating to LineageOS. We should be looking at Linux phones at that point.

Still using LOS, haven't looked back...

Except that it is still an option to only buy phones that allow bootloader unlocking and root? That's been a requirement for me since my first smartphone.

How would this impact F-Droid in any way?

F-Droid itself builds the APKs to ensure that they're reproducible and not signed on a development machine that could be compromised.

https://f-droid.org/en/docs/FAQ_-_General/#is-your-building-and-signing-process-secure

With these changes, either:

• They use Google's developer identity process to sign every APK they build with their own developer identity, which Google is likely not going to allow or is going to quickly find an example of a "malicious" app so they can blacklist all of them; or
• They stop building APKs and just trust the developer provides a non-malicious, pre-verified APK;
• They find a way to mediate the process between the original developer and Google. Knowing Google, they would make it as needlessly painful for everyone involved to discourage and punish alternative app stores.