⛓️ Today, Google has taken the next step in enclosing the #Android ecosystem by starting to enforce its developer verification program in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.

[swiphtgroup@mastodon.social]

@nextcloud This is the kind of F-Droid list that’s genuinely useful: small, dependable tools that keep working when the platform rules change. LocalSend and Aegis have both earned permanent spots on my devices.

[benjaminlj@virup.social]

@nextcloud just to mention a couple of awesome games on #fdroid :
https://f-droid.org/packages/paper.loop2
https://f-droid.org/packages/com.shatteredpixel.shatteredpixeldungeon
https://f-droid.org/packages/com.unciv.app

[spiezmaestro@social.spiezmaestro.ch]

@nextcloud Floccus, Joplin, Symfonium, FossWallet.

[tech_elmo@mastodon.social]

@nextcloud great summary. Let me AFD Podium Podcast player and FluffyChat, using the Matrix Protocol. For maps I use osmand+

[candoumbe@dotnet.social]

@nextcloud
I saw no mention of #keepassdc , #signal / #molly

I just moved to #grapheneos recently so f**k Google's vision of Android! Unfortunately, the majority of users will be stucked there.
Shame on #google for doing that f*** move

[kerplunk@mastodon.scot]

@nextcloud

Google is shit.
anyway
Most important app on my phone is called Net Guard, The Git version as that helps block ads.
After a donation to the dev extra features unlocked. Pro version.
Developer is Marcel Bokhorst
Download and details@
https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard

I get constant nagging popups saying i must activate shitty google play services, play store and all the other google trash.

NO WAY, my phone works fine without their spyware active.

Been using NetGuard for years, recommend.

[johan_e_m@mastodon.social]

@nextcloud I'll add Kashcal. Works perfectly with Nextcloud calender and I preferred their interdace

[waledg@cyberplace.social]

@nextcloud Why doesn't anyone want to help me? We desperately need a tent for my family. Help me via the link in my bio.

[scribbler@mastodon.social]

@nextcloud a few of my favorites not mentioned so far: URLCheck, wX (weather app), Scrambled Exif, Organic Maps, Orion Viewer - Pdf & Djvu, Schulrechner (calculator), MuPDF, Graph 89, Fossify apps (launcher beta, phone, gallery, file manager)

[schroedingerspossum@mastodon.social]

@nextcloud

@organicmaps on FDroid has completely replaced google maps for me

[arshubham@mastodon.social]

@nextcloud Droid-ify, KDE Connect, AntennaPod, Immich, Gadget Bridge, Grayjay, Futo Keyboard, Findroid, μLauncher, Linphone, Home Assistant

[skyblitz@ieji.de]

@nextcloud you forgot github ... since you push it on client side and refuse to even acknoledge it.

[ferroxo@infosec.exchange]

@nextcloud Aegis Authenticator, Auxio, CoMaps, HeliBoard, IronFox, Tuta Mail, VLC

[andresimous@oslo.town]

@nextcloud
My favourite apps would be:
Aves (gallery with tags and map view)
fWallet (simple Wallet App for tickets)
PodAura (Podcasts)

[desirable_dialogue@ni.hil.ist]

@nextcloud
f-droid was once the goto appstore for free software for android, and that was because it was so beloved.

Now it's more and more distributing slop code.

[rajendrap@mastodon.social]

@nextcloud I agree with your criticism. Google’s increasing control over Android feels like an invasion of user privacy and freedom. If a change is genuinely beneficial, it should be explained and offered and not enforced in a way that disturbs users, as if Google were the master and users had no choice. I welcome credible open and alternative ecosystems like F-Droid.

[jm@dvd.chat]

@ojonnysilva@fosstodon.org @nextcloud@mastodon.xyz somehow somewhere, i think the answer is going to lie in google losing their grip on aosp, and google's android will continue constricting

google seems increasingly hostile to aosp and seems to regret letting android be so open for so long

i don't realistically think starting over on linux will help, because all the apps are on android already

my personal hunch is that this is going to bite them in the ass, and sooner than later, some big brand is going to end up releasing devices without play services

i think samsung might be the canary to watch, notably absent from the googlebook reveal. maybe i'm wrong and there's a samsung googlebook on the shelves by the winter.

[ojonnysilva@fosstodon.org]

@jm @nextcloud I cannot say for sure as I'm not knowlegeable on how these things work under the hood, but the problem isn't the gap from a fresh start from Linux to AOSP, or even the apps, I suspect its easier to get an Android app (many of which run on a JVM) to run on Linux than a Windows one for instance, the problem is the hardware support. Samsung giving google the cold shoulder doesn't mean they'll open their arms to open source, it only means that they'll go for their own closed solution.

[janikvonrotz@fosstodon.org]

@nextcloud don't forget about the Fossify apps https://www.fossify.org/

[failedlyndonlarouchite@mas.to]

@nextcloud

how on earth is this bad ?

in every single serious profession, there are standards and certifications

we have the CPA for acountants; engineers are required in many cases to hold a license, etc etc

what is wrong with Google haveing a verification program