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Nextcloud cries foul over Google Play Store app rejection
(go.theregister.com)
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this post was submitted on 13 May 2025
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Android
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I try to avoid the play store at this point. I even switched Tasker from the Play store version to the standalone non-google APK from João himself (Patreon-exclusive; or you can email him for a license, it's like $4).
Any time I implement an open-source project that offers an Android app, I immediately search their github/gitlab or F-Droid. I don't even try to look on the play store anymore. Too much tracking bullshit.
The layout of the playstore sucks now, and the ads in apps have got worse.
Fdroid looks bad and has terrible sarch though to be fair.
I'm less concerned with F-Droid's UI, I've been using it for well over a decade now and am fairly used to it, but I absolutely get the frustration. The recent UI update is an improvement, though.
Play Store's UI is absolutely atrocious. The ad-ridden garbage is why I just stay away from it as much as possible.
Agreed.
I use droidify which is nicer but the search is still poor. Happy to get some stripped back functional apps, tbh I use pay more overall but it goes to devs and im not infuriated by poor service.
Ok so I have a question: I have a few apps that I have the apk but when I run them, or even if I install from Aurora Shop, when I run them they say I need to install it from Play. Then they exit.
How do I work around this? I have been told it can be circumvented but I haven’t got a handle on how.
Thanks if you can advise.
That's a really good question for which I do not have an answer.
Well I know there’s this app called Plexus or Plexor something and that supposedly helps you get an app past that requirement. I used it once to success long time ago by choosing a setting for the app and then it suddenly did not demand to get from the Play Store, so I know it works - in theory. But since that one success a few months ago, I haven’t gotten it to work again. I suspect maybe that phone at the time was completely de-googled or was a ROM such as CyanogenMod, and maybe the app can bypass if it doesn’t see the Google services at all.
Anyway, I will further investigate. I have some ROMed phones I can try on. If you want, I’ll post update in case you’re interested.
Thanks again for reply. Even if you didn’t have info for it I appreciate the courtesy.
If you haven't, take a look at "Obtanium". It searches F-droid, github, gitlab, and a few other sources for android releases of open source projects.
It searches? I have to give it a link to the repo on github.
When you tap "Add app" the second text box is a search bar.
I just did it, actually amazed. That is all on me I think I wasnt using it right initially...everything I searched so far has not had a repository when I went to install.
F-droid is better as it is an actual app store with actual rules. You can still add external repos but ideally you should use main.
Obtanium is not meant as a replacement for f-droid. While it can be used as an f-droid frontend, I primarily use it to install from git repos such that I can track their releases page for updates automatically when using apps like freetube which generally only work reliably if you're on the nightly release.
Enjoy your spyware I guess.
The F-droid app is complete garbage, also they don't make it easy to install apps that are open source but don't follow GPL. Obtainium is perfect, just point to git repository. Now all we need is a P2P source control service.
It's not fdroid that doesn't make it easy to insyall apps that are open source but not FOSS, it's the licence of the non gpl open source softwarebthat usualy bans modifying, building and redistributing the code. It's not foss, it's just viewable source.
This is not my experience at all with F-droid. F-droid only allows foss but that's not limited to the GPL
Oh yeah, I have at least 10 apps on that haha. Fantastic piece of software. I use it for apps that aren't hosted on any sort of marketplace.
Great example: If you shop at Harbor Freight (American bargain tool store), then you're probably aware that they always have coupons for various tools. Someone created a database that catalogs all of their current coupons, HFQPDB, and they also provide an app (android only). The app isn't found anywhere else except that site.
Oof, there's a reason you use an app store. Dont download shit direct from the internet. Thats how you get malware
Yes because it’s that simple. Every file online that’s not from some huge corporation is spyware. /s
Some people are strange - we know what we’re doing, we know a site and whether they have a solid reputation, we have experience and can determine when we’re getting a safe file. Oh, and do you truly believe that the “official” sources don’t dole out spyware left & right? Don’t be this naive; It’s not as simple as you stated. That’s just the general carte blanche rule that experts tell ordinary users because if we didn’t, they would download crap from everywhere under the sun and load up on malware every day.
Obviously you have no idea how bad x.509 is.
The issue isnt just the developer. Its your connection. Thats why we have release signatures, and most repos on git dont have signed releases.
Buddy, pal, my absolute friend.
It's not like I'm not vetting the source code. Are you out here installing from sources that don't let you vett your source code?
Enjoy your spyware I guess 🙄
I do verify signatures, yes. If it isnt singed, I don't install it.
Thats why you use fdroid.
Order of installation:
Fdroid
Aurora
Playstore... and if I get to this point, probably about 80% of the time I just don't bother. If it needs Google Play Services, 100% no-install.