I hope folks aren’t actually surprised Google would’ve eventually done this. Support F-Droid, but start getting yourselves ready to migrate off the mobile duopoly as Apple & Google are becoming more like one another with the power. Yeah, that means yelling at your bank to not require an app & using cash too.
this post was submitted on 24 Feb 2026
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F-Droid
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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.
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Why ask Goggle's permission?
I've started using the Zapstore app store being built by the Nostr community. Zapstore is an app built around empowering developers to release and sign apps over the Nostr protocol without having to get permission from any app store or any other entity such as a tyrannical goveenment
F-Droid could release apps over the Nostr protocol, using their own Nostr ckient, and bypass Google completely.
Zapstore just released ver 1.0
Zapstore.dev
Zapstore would also have to verify itself and all its apps as Google verified will block any unverified apps, no matter the app store.
That's why you run a different fork of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), which most of us privacy advocates as well, such as GrapheneOS or LineageOS.
I do as well, however that represents only a small part of f-droids userbase. A lot of people aren't financiallt in the position to get a new device that support GrapheneOS/lineageos/eOS etc or need some apps that will only work on google verified devices
Lineage runs on a zillionolder older inexpensive phones.
If they can't figure somethjng out, then that's on them. I honestly don't care about zombie sheeple like them. They deserve what they get.
The less people use the app repositories the less support they get by app developers, they need any support they can get if they want to offer a decent number of apps
When you release an app using the Nostr protocol, clients like Zapstore grab the app directly from GitHub, GitLab or whatever platform the developer uses, bypassing the need for repositories.
Zapstore still has some kind of app repository, even if that isn't the official name. And someone still has to publish the app
Zapstore is only a client that grabs Nostr events from Nostr relays and displays the "app release" events.
Any Nostr client could display those events.
You grab Zapstore from their website or GitHub, just like you do F-Droid.
But someone has to make sure that the apps are being added to Nostr, no? Or does it just display all apks published on Github/Lab/etc?