F-Droid Defies Google with Major Upgrade Amidst Existential Threat
F-Droid, an open-source Android app store that distributes free and open-source software packages for Google's Android mobile platform, has released its largest upgrade in a decade. The new version, F-Droid 2.0, is a complete redesign of the app's interface and features.
The update brings a modern visual design, improved app discovery, better search functionality, and a simpler user experience. Additionally, key parts of F-Droid have been rewritten in Kotlin, a language that has become standard for modern Android development, with the UI built using Jetpack Compose.
F-Droid's team stated that transitioning to Kotlin will help them deliver improvements more quickly in the future. The update also includes a redesigned Discover screen and expanded categories to make finding open-source solutions easier.
The release comes as Google is set to extend developer verification to every single Android app that can be installed on an Android device by August 2025. This move has been met with criticism from indie developers, who argue that it will force them to register with Google and verify their identities.