#f droid

Starting September 2026, you will no longer be able to control what apps you get to download to your device unless the developer pays a fee and gives their ID to Google. This will further contribute to Google's monopolistic practices, raises the vulnerability of our IDs to a company that has a poor track record of keeping it protected, dismantles our right to privacy AND right to own, and in extreme cases where someone lives in an authoritarian regime, would mean that Google can be bought into putting vulnerable people in extreme danger.

Read this page, spread the word, send developer feedback to Android, and contact your representatives to prevent this from happening.

Follow this link for solutions for your device (requires technical knowledge, consult with someone who KNOWS what they're doing before attempting these measures)

It did not occur to me until just a half hour ago, but I wondered about the AI (a.i.) settings on the Mobile Mozilla Browser, specifically, in my case for Android and the Fennec / IronFox variants specifically. They both were set for AI to be on by default.

If this is a problem for you, as it is for me (limited resources on mobile, mostly) type about:config into your URL bar to begin.

Once you are there search for browser.ml and set the following to false:

browser.ml.checkForMemory

Of course we can! There's a store born just to distribute FOSS mobile apps, F-droid! On there you'll find only open source apps with a link to the source codes! I personally use another client to browse Foss applications, Drod-ify. It has a more modern look and gives you the ability to add more repositories other than the default F-Droid one!

I've been in a de-googling process for a few months now, adn F-Droid played a very important role in it! Here are some of the apps that I use the most, all coming from F-Droid/Droid-ify:

Fossify Phone, a replacement for the stock Phone app. It's part of the Fossify suite of apps;

OuterTune, a music player with local files and YouTube Music support;

Organic Maps, a Google Maps replacements based on OpenStreetMap;

Fedilab, a client to browse the Fediverse with support for Mastodon, Pixelfed, PeerTube and Friendica.

Eternity, a client for Lemmy, the Fediverse form of Reddit;

GrayJay, to watch YouTube videos without ads! It also support Twitch, PeerTube and others video and audio platforms.

Download and install F-Droid for Android phones and tablets. Get latest versions of F Droid apps first using F Droid App Store.

Flux is yet another of the many media players on offer there, but what sets this one apart is the Netflix-like interface that provides easy access to all the videos on your phone.

This is what its main screen looks like.

These are all video files residing on my phone, all indexed and organized for easy access. The only thing you'll need to do before installing this app is sign up for an account at The Movie DB and paste the API Token code in the Flux setup screen. That way, as Flux scans your phone storage for videos, it downloads the thumbnail image and summary for each video it finds. That's the only time Flux needs to connect to the Internet.

For best results, you'll also need to rename your video files so they'll show up properly in the app. There are simple instructions on how to do this in Flux's help screen. I myself have too many video files in my collection to spend countless hours renaming, so I just leave my files as is, and I get some interesting results. For example, the Men In Black entry actually points to the Three Stooges short of the same name. Twister loads some short video of a car called Twister from some old racing game I have on my phone.

I know it'll take some work to get Flux up and running on your phone should you decide to try it, but I'm struck by the way it presents the videos residing on my phone using a Netflix-like interface that gives some information on each video.

I went looking for a simple app to play classic text adventures like Zork on my Android phone. Instead, I ended up completely changing how I use my device—and how I think about privacy.

It started with an app I used to have called Text Fiction. When I tried to reinstall it, I found a copy on F-Droid, but it wasn’t compatible with my version of Android. That could have been the end of it—but instead, it led me to install the F-Droid app itself.

I had no idea at the time that this one decision would reshape my entire mobile experience.

First Impressions

The first app I downloaded was SuperTuxKart—an open-source alternative to Super Mario Kart, which I already had installed.

I expected something basic. What I got was a genuinely fun, polished game.

In fact, I ended up uninstalling Super Mario Kart. No more in-app purchases, no upsells—just a complete game, free and open-source. That was my first hint that F-Droid wasn’t just an alternative app store—it was a different philosophy.

Discovering Privacy-Friendly Apps

As I explored further, I started noticing a whole category of apps labeled “Privacy Friendly.”

There were quite a few of them—Solitaire, a notepad, a sketchpad—and they all shared something in common: they worked entirely offline and had no ads.

That simplicity was refreshing. No accounts, no tracking prompts, no constant notifications—just apps that did exactly what they were supposed to do.

A Shift in Perspective

At that point, I started thinking more critically about the apps I’d downloaded from Google Play.

What were they doing when I wasn’t actively using them?

Like many people, I began to wonder how much data “free” apps might be collecting in the background—and whether the convenience was worth it. It wasn’t a sudden rejection of mainstream apps, but it did change how I evaluate them.

My Favorite Discoveries

One of my favorite finds has been the apps from Fossify.

Their apps are simple, clean, and focused. The music player could use some improvement, but their keyboard stands out—basic, yes, but also extremely secure. Their launcher has completely replaced my phone’s default, and their calculator even includes a built-in unit converter, which I use more often than I expected.

I’ve also been using AnySoftKeyboard, which is great for multilingual typing. It’s been especially helpful for my Spanish practice, thanks to its predictive text and language support—all while respecting user privacy.

Replacing Paid Apps

As I spent more time with F-Droid, I realized I was also saving money.

I had been considering buying Geometry Dash, but instead found a similar open-source alternative that lets me import my own music and create custom levels. The same thing happened with other games—simple concepts, well executed, and completely free.

It wasn’t just about saving money, though. These apps often felt more flexible and user-focused than their commercial counterparts.

A New Daily Habit

These days, I check F-Droid regularly—not just for updates, but to discover something new.

Every now and then I come across something unexpected, like Nontrinsic, where users share and browse completely random, often nonsensical content. It’s strange, a little chaotic—and somehow part of the charm.

You really never know what you’ll find.

Coming Full Circle

And yes—after all that, I did eventually find what I was originally looking for.

An app called Fabularium now lets me play Zork and other classic text adventures on my phone.

But by the time I found it, F-Droid had already done something bigger.

What started as a simple search for one app turned into a complete shift in how I use my phone—less clutter, fewer distractions, more control, and a lot more awareness of what my apps are actually doing.