This Google Play Store alternative is my first stop for Android apps now – here’s why – ZDNET

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• F-Droid, the third-party Android app store, has been totally redone.
• The new version is easier to use and more viable.
• F-Droid is free to install (via sideloading) and use.

For the vast majority of Android users, the Google Play Store is the only known option for installing apps. For the longest time, I would have said that’s the best route for most users.

Also: My top 6 open-source Android apps from the Google Play Store

What is F-Droid?

If you know what the Google Play Store is, you mostly know what F-Droid is. The difference: F-Droid is considered a third-party app store, meaning it is neither created nor maintained by Google. Instead, F-Droid operates outside the Google ecosystem, which means some users might be hesitant to adopt it as their Android app store. 

There are some things to consider with F-Droid. First, every app on it is free and open-source software (aka FOSS), so anyone can view, inspect, audit, and even modify the code. Because that code is open, anyone can vet it. If you’re a developer, you can view the source code of any app, and if you find anything suspicious, you can report it. If you’re not a developer, you still have the same level of access to the code; you might just not know what to do with it.

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On top of that, the F-Droid team checks apps for security issues and potential malicious code before they are added to the repository. And finally, F-Droid compiles some apps directly from source, which ensures that the code in the app you install matches the code in the repository (so there’s no risk of installing an app that pretends to be something it’s not).

That doesn’t mean F-Droid is perfect. The vetting is fairly basic, app updates can be slower, and some apps are built on out-of-date Software Development Kits (SDKs).

Therefore, I always recommend that users do some vetting themselves before installing an app. But then again, I suggest the same thing when using the Google Play Store. There have been plenty of malicious apps on Google’s app store over the years, so it would be foolish to blindly trust every app you find.

What has changed on F-Droid?

The big change is a new modern UI. For the longest time, F-Droid suffered from a fairly out-of-date, confusing interface that often turned potential users away from the app. This new UI was rebuilt from the ground up, using Kotlin Compose and adhering to the Android Material Design principles. 

Thanks to that redesign, users will find F-Droid to be more streamlined and familiar. Instead of a confusing, cumbersome interface, the UI now consists of only three sections: Discover, Search, and My Apps. 

With the new layout, F-Droid is much more accessible to new users. At the same time, F-Droid did not lose the Settings and Nearby Swap features; instead of having their own tabs, those two entries have been moved to the three-dot menu in the upper right-hand corner. 

The Categories feature has also been improved. First, the category system has been broadened. Instead of relying only on a small selection of categories, F-Droid now includes higher-level “meta” categories to group related categories. For example, in the Communication meta category, you’ll find apps for email, messaging, and social networks; in the Device meta category, you’ll find apps for launchers, keyboard, security, and theming.

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The new F-Droid search and filter system is also more reliable. Previously, the F-Droid search system only searched app titles; now it also searches app descriptions, categories, and translations, so users are more likely to find the app they want without knowing the app’s name.

On top of that, installing and updating apps on the new F-Droid looks and feels more like a typical app store should. Additionally, the new iteration includes background updates, so there’s no need to manually “pull-to-refresh” to check for updates.

The goal of the new F-Droid app is to make it easier for users to discover, install, and maintain apps — and the developers have exceeded that goal.

The right change at the right time

These F-Droid changes come at just the right time, as Google has recently made changes of its own to app sideloading on Android. I believe Google’s updated sideloading process — it asks if you’ve been coerced and requires that you wait 24 hours — could make some people feel that sideloading is less trustworthy.

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What does that have to do with F-Droid? Well, to install apps from F-Droid, you first have to install F-Droid via sideloading. In other words, you won’t find F-Droid on the Google Play Store. But because you now have to jump through Google’s extra hoops to sideload F-Droid, you might find yourself questioning its viability.

Don’t! The good news is that, once you’ve sideloaded F-Droid, that’s it; apps installed from F-Droid are installed from within the app, so it’s as easy as using the Google Play Store.

If you’ve been looking for a Google Play Store alternative and have not been keen on F-Droid, you should give the new iteration a try. As soon as I installed it, I knew that I’d most likely turn to it before going to the Google Play Store. I love the new UI, and the fact that the apps are open-source is a big bonus for me.