Keep Android Open | F-Droid – Free and Open Source Android App Repository F-Droid is under threat. Google is changing the way you install apps on your device. We need your help. https://keepandroidopen.org/ This Week in F-Droid TWIF curated on Friday, 20 Feb 2026, Week 8 F-Droid core During out talks with F-Droid users at FOSDEM26 we were baffled to learn most were relieved that Google has canceled their plans to lock-down Android. Why baffled? Because no such thing actually happened, the plans announced last August are still scheduled to take place. We see a battle of PR campaigns and whomever has the last post out remains in the media memory as the truth, and having journalists just copy/paste Google posts serves no one. But Google said… Said what? That there’s a magical “advanced flow”? Did you see it? Did anyone experience it? When is it scheduled to be released? Was it part of Android 16 QPR2 in December? Of 16 QPR3 Beta 2.1 last week? Of Android 17 Beta 1? No? That’s the issue… As time marches on people were left with the impression that everything was done, fixed, Google “wasn’t evil” after all, this time, yay! While we all have bad memories of “banners” as the dreaded ad delivery medium of the Internet, after FOSDEM we decided that we have to raise the issue back and have everyone, who cares about Android as an open platform, informed that we are running out of time until Google becomes the gate-keeper of all users devices. Hence, the website and starting today our clients, with the updates of F-Droid and F-Droid Basic , feature a banner that reminds everyone how little time we have and how to voice their concerns to whatever local authority is able to understand the dangers of this path Android is led to. We are not alone in our fight, IzzyOnDroid added a banner too, more F-Droid clients will add the warning banner soon and other app downloaders, like Obtainium , already have an in-app warning dialogue. Regarding F-Droid Basic rewrite, development continues with a new release 2.0-alpha3 : Updated Translations Export installed apps list as CSV Add install history feature Add mirror chooser setting Add prevent screenshots setting Show tool-tips for all app bar buttons Create 3-dot overflow menu for My Apps for less frequently used actions Persist sort order of My Apps Adapt strings according to Material Design 3 guidelines Apply string suggestions (Thanks Lucas) Fix missing icon bug in pre-approval dialog Note that if you are already using F-Droid Basic version 1.23.x , you won’t receive this update automatically. You need to navigate to the app inside F-Droid and toggle “Allow beta updates” in top right three dot menu. In apps news, we’re slowly getting back on track with post Debian upgrade fixes (if your app still uses Java 17 is there a chance you can upgrade to 21?) and post FOSDEM delays. Every app is important to us, yet actions like the Google one above waste the time we could have put to better use in Gitlab. Community News Buses

Source: Hacker News | Original Link