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Google’s Requirement For All Android Developers To Register And Be Verified Threatens To Close Down Open Source App Store F-Droid (www.techdirt.com)

submitted 2 weeks ago by schnurrito@discuss.tchncs.de to c/foss@beehaw.org

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[–] mp3@lemmy.ca 47 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Some of my favorite apps are on F-Droid and nowhere else.

These apps are for the privacy-minded people, by privacy-minded people who will absolutely refuse to be tied by name (or digital signature with an identity verification process) to their apps.

And then there's the problem of making legally gray apps (emulators), now someone needs to be tied to that app, which makes then easier to find, or if an app starts to irritate a government or corporation, then they can find who published it pretty easily (likely without proper the proper legal oversight/subpoena) even outside of the Play Store.

What the fuck Google.

[–] pdqcp@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Which apps are your favorites? If you don't mind sharing

[–] mp3@lemmy.ca 10 points 2 weeks ago

[–] steltenpower@social.edu.nl 9 points 2 weeks ago

@pdqcp @mp3 web browsers without AI

[–] thingsiplay@beehaw.org 21 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It's not closing down F-Droid, but rather not allowing to operate normally in stock Android. There are still alternative Android systems that makes use of F-Droid.

[–] Zedstrian@lemmy.dbzer0.com 24 points 2 weeks ago

There are, but the roadblocks to installing Android derivatives on most Android phones would probably reduce the F-Droid install base by at least 90%.

[–] cupcakezealot@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 week ago

would not be a problem if developers stuck together and mass refused to get verified

[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Update: I see the issue now.

I don't see the issue:

F-Droid compiles the apps
F-Droid publishes the apps
F-Droid gets registered
F-Droid subclasses app identifiers under its own

...and things go back to normal.

You won't be able to update an F-Droid app with an Obtainium one, but Android is already warning about those, not allowing automatic updates from mixed sources.

[–] numeral_paver555@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The thing is that changing the app id requires too much patching to thousands of apps, and the users will not be able to migrate from the current f-droid version.

[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

F-Droid does automated patching already, they often remove "anti-features". The migration is a PITA, but not the end of the world, Kiwix did that recently (split into Play Store and F-Droid versions).

[–] numeral_paver555@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That patch is manually added. Moreover, some apps have hard binding with their id, making the situation more complicated. Kiwi is not on f-droid at all. They host their own version. It might be easier for the app authors to do it. But f-droid maintainers don't have this capacity.

[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 3 points 1 week ago

My bad, Kiwix is on IzzyOnDroid. You're right, F-Droid itself might have a tougher time.

[–] TrippyHippy@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 weeks ago

https://www.androidpolice.com/supreme-court-deals-google-a-blow-forces-major-play-store-overhaul/