Is a release at the Play Store planned?

Yeah, I could install F-Droid for just one app, but I’m not going to :-). I am currently updating the app via the Codeberg Site, but auto-updates would be nicer.

  • @WhoRogerEnglish
    2•1 year ago

    Ok point taken, most are on GP anyway. There are still some that can’t be or are strongly limited, like ad-blocking VPNs/Firewalls, or apps for running apps in a separate profile.

    Or YouTube apps, do you know NewPipe? If not, you’re missing out. Or better yet NewPipe x SponsorBlock.

    Others have full versions on F-Droid, while the versions on GP are paid, like Simple Mobile Tools.

    Yet others have versions with Google dependencies removed, like Matrix clients, which you can use with ntfy instead of GMS for notifications.

    Firefox also isn’t the best version of itself. Fennec, Mull and IceRaven are better, same with Chromium-based browsers like Bromite/Cromite and Mulch.

    I don’t really use GPlay so I don’t really know which of my apps are there or aren’t. I still suggest getting the Neo Droid or Droidify client and checking out the apps.

    • @[email protected]OPEnglish
      1•1 year ago

      Sure, I could go the full de-google route. But with each step towards more privacy you sacrifice a little bit of usability and convenience. And I think everyone should find the level she/he is satisfied with.

      I could use Linux, but I’m “still” using Windows because I’m a gamer. And gaming is more important than privacy for me.

      I could use LibreWolf/Mullvad Browser instead of Firefox, but they both had very stuttery scrolling on my 165 Hz monitor and I like using Firefox Sync. With Android Chromium based browsers I had problems with the filled in data from Bitwarden and security updates often take quite a long time to be released.

      I could use NewPipe, but I’d rather pay for YouTube premium to support the video creators.

      I could use ntfy (didn’t hear about this before), but I’m sure there are some problems that don’t exists with GMS. I can imagine that the battery consumption is higher when using both GMS and ntfy for example (?). Or that there would be some delays with received notifications (?).

      The list goes on and on. I really like trying out new FOSS apps, but I wanted to state that there are often not only upsides when using them :-)…

      I’m more in a middle ground there. When there is an alternative that offers a similar experience to a Google (or other big company) app, I will use it. But sometimes there isn’t and then I’m okay with it.

      Kagi, Proton, Signal/Threema, … are all really great and I use them as alternatives to their Google/Meta counterparts, but for some apps there are no alternatives (for me).

      For example Google Maps: I drive quite a lot and need real time traffic data. Magic Earth also has some data, but it is not nearly as good and it sometimes suggests very questionable routes.

      • @WhoRogerEnglish
        3•1 year ago

        Well, I wasn’t telling you to remove everything Google, just saying you can add more sources and alternatives, and that’s just a plus.

        Dunno why you’re talking about Windows and its apps, that’s a different matter altogether… Although yes, personally I’d ditch Windows even sooner than Google and Android. Tho I’ll definitely ditch both as soon as I can get a fully degooglable phone and some PC.

        Regarding ntfy, nope I myself was surprised how damn smoothly it works, and it doesn’t register on battery consumption at all. I wish more apps would use it, as Google’s monopolistic notification system is really the only thing I “need”, and that’s only because they force it on me. When I have the time, I’ll be campaigning to foss apps to use ntfy.