Chris Thomas was a reporter at Android Police from 2022 until 2025. F-Droid isn’t pulling any punches. In a blistering new post, the open-source Android app repository has accused Google of trying to ...

F-Droid has challenged Google’s claim that sideloading is safe, calling it false. The conflict centers on new Android developer verification rules that require government ID and Google approval.

Unlike Apple, Google has always made it relatively easy for users to install Android apps from sources other than the company’s official app store. But recently the company announced that it will ...

Who needs the Play Store?

F-Droid has warned that Google’s new developer verification rules could effectively kill alternative Android app stores. The platform says that Google’s rules are monopolistic and harmful to ...

You may have seen recently that Google has issued a new decree requiring all Android developers, even if they don’t publish their apps on the Play Store, to register centrally with Google. This ...

F-Droid has announced an update to its service that introduces faster server hardware, which should speed up tasks like building Android apps. F-Droid has announced a new upgrade to its service, ...

One of Android’s defining traits has always been freedom—the ability to install apps from anywhere, not just Google Play. But that openness may be under threat. Google’s proposed developer ...

Alternative app repository F-Droid has once again fired shots at Google for its new developer verification rules that threaten to kill sideloading on Android devices. The platform calls Google’s ...

Don't miss out on our latest stories. Add PCMag as a preferred source on Google. A "Keep Android Open" campaign is pushing back on new rules from Google that will reportedly block users from ...