gofossSep 29, 2025

For 15 years, F-Droid has been the antidote to Google Play: no trackers, no ads, just open source apps. Now, Google wants to kill it.

Under the guise of "security", Google is forcing devs to register, pay, and surrender control. F-Droid can’t comply without betraying its principles. Thousands of apps could vanish overnight.

Fight back: demand sideloading rights, pressure regulators/Parliament, and defend one of the safe harbors for ethical tech.

https://f-droid.org/2025/09/29/google-developer-registration-decree.html

@marcprux @fdroidorg

F-Droid and Google's Developer Registration Decree | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository

For the past 15 years, F-Droid has provided a safe and secure haven for Android users around the world to find and install free and open source apps. When co...

Show threadPureTryOutSep 30, 2025
@don_atoms @marcprux @fdroidorg It would help if you'd stop calling it "sideloading" and just used the normal term "installing".
Also, stop using Android. The only real option is moving away, use #MobileLinux.
Show threadMartin Marconcini

@bart @don_atoms @marcprux @fdroidorg you cannot expect billions of devices to "stop using Android", don't be a clown.

Also what do you expect billions of users to do? Install Linux on their phones? And then what? You can't even make phone calls.

Sep 30, 2025 at 9:30amWeb
Show threadWandering ThinkerSep 30, 2025
@bart @don_atoms @fdroidorg @marcprux @gryzor
Clowns are those who continue to use Android, despite all the crap stuffed into it, and believe that life without a smartphone is impossible.
Are you talking about "millions of people"? Well, that just confirms the fallacy of the theory that "millions of flies can't be wrong."
Show threadF-DroidSep 30, 2025
@wthinker @gryzor @bart @don_atoms @marcprux It's 'billions' with a B by now. 😛
Show thread🌸 lily 🏳️‍⚧️   θΔ ⋐ & ∞Sep 30, 2025

@[email protected] @fdroidorg @bart @don_atoms @gryzor @marcprux

and believe that life without a smartphone is impossible.i wish it weren't but you have no idea how many services expect that you have a working smartphone with a mainstream os, only outlook or gmail, etc

i do not want to have a "smartphone" at all and yet i'm forced to because that's how it's expected to be

Show threadMartin MarconciniSep 30, 2025

@tauon @fdroidorg @bart @wthinker @don_atoms @marcprux it's not possible to live without a smartphone in modern western Europe or the US of A.

Plain and simple. Unless you have a lot of money in cash (and even then, you'd need to go under the table for a lot of things).

Or if you are super privileged and someone else does and pays everything for you.

It's sad. But true.

Show thread🌸 lily 🏳️‍⚧️   θΔ ⋐ & ∞Sep 30, 2025
@gryzor @fdroidorg @bart @[email protected] @don_atoms @marcprux yes that's what i'm saying. that is a bad thing. i do not want to have a smartphone but everything expects me to
Show threadWandering ThinkerOct 1, 2025
@bart @don_atoms @fdroidorg @gryzor @tauon @marcprux If you don't want to fight and endure some discomfort, then why should you live well and not by someone else's rules?
Show threadMartin MarconciniOct 1, 2025

@wthinker

Please stop. You don't know me, or what discomfort I endure or have endured. Stop making assumptions.

Are you happy with your phone and OS choice? Good for you.

Show threadRaptor Oct 3
@gryzor @tauon @fdroidorg @bart @wthinker @don_atoms @marcprux one of the most annoying ones are parking meters in the city, as annoying as coins are to carry it's not even an option anymore, the newer ones are pure digital and operated by NFC and app so if I have to go downtown for any reason I literally can't park without an android app. That and two factor ident, everyone got rid of their SMS option and requires an app now....
Show threadShredd Tone  Sep 30, 2025

@gryzor @bart @don_atoms @marcprux @fdroidorg It's a bit more complicated than that. in fact, you can make phone calls through linux phones and among other things; however switching over will not be easy and not something that people can do overnight, and that's only if they want to.

As that moves into another topic, I kinda wanna focus on one issue at a time.

For now, we should be fighting for the right for android users and developers to be able to freely make and access open sourced apps that don't rely on lock-in vendors; at least not to make things any worse for android users, whether anyone uses Android or not.

Show thread🌸 lily 🏳️‍⚧️   θΔ ⋐ & ∞Sep 30, 2025

@gryzor @fdroidorg @bart @don_atoms @marcprux

you can't even make phone calls
androiddev.socialthat makes sense

Show threadMartin MarconciniSep 30, 2025

@tauon
I've been doing Android and iOS development since 2010, I lived in silicon valley for 7 years. It's so bad you don't wanna know.

If I could switch industries, I would.

But people saying "using Android (or iOS) is bad, use Linux instead", are completely detached from modern life.

Or live in world regions where you may not need them.

In the Netherlands, you'd probably last 2 days before you need one for anything. /shrug

(I don't like it, but I didn't do this) :)

Show thread🌸 lily 🏳️‍⚧️   θΔ ⋐ & ∞Sep 30, 2025
@gryzor i did not say you can just stop using android and ios (see quote), i said "you can't make phone calls" is wrong

RE: https://possum.city/notes/adaaqukyloxa0b9s
Show threadMartin MarconciniSep 30, 2025

@tauon my apologies I'm aware of this (I have a plethora of devices with various OSes and have tried Linux on a smartphone)

I wish it was as simple as flashing a USB drive, booting, and bam. No more iOS or Android.

In my experience it's very far from that.

As for making phone calls, I think the last time I had to make one was a while ago. And 70% of the ones I receive, are spammers/scammers so I'd be ok with a non-call "phone" :)

Show thread🌸 lily 🏳️‍⚧️   θΔ ⋐ & ∞Sep 30, 2025
@gryzor yeah the actual experience of installing another os is definitely not as good as it is on pc
Show threadSebastian KrzyszkowiakSep 30, 2025
@gryzor @bart @don_atoms @marcprux @fdroidorg Weird, somehow I've been successfully making and receiving phone calls with GNU/Linux on various devices for the last 17 years... 🤔
Show threadPureTryOutOct 1, 2025

@gryzor @don_atoms @marcprux @fdroidorg Calling people you don't agree with a clown, now that's productive.

Honestly, why the hate? You're free to not use it, but you could be happy that some people are at least trying to break the duopoly. Also, calling does work for a bunch of devices. Sure, not for all of them, but it's getting there.

Let's work together on a better world rather than just negativity on people actively trying to improve things.

Show threadMartin MarconciniOct 1, 2025

@bart @don_atoms @marcprux @fdroidorg There's no hate here. I use and prefer open source and even contribute myself in many various ways.

The alternatives to iOS or Android are severely limited. And I mean practically unusable given the necessities and expectations of most modern life.

Do I like this? No.
Can I change this? Also no.

That's it.

The hate is towards people saying "don't do this or that, do this other thing instead because I say it's better".

All the love to PostmarketOS.

Show threadzaire arcanaOct 2
@bart @gryzor @don_atoms @marcprux @fdroidorg the unfortunate thing is, on a lot of devices you literally can’t install another OS without risking a brick or an unusuable experience, or just at all; this is through no fault of mobile linux developers, just that unfortunately mobile OEMs have a history of proprietary-centrism and generally hostility towards those efforts