29 votes

F-Droid 2.0: A new chapter for Android freedom

Posted by moocow1452
Tags: android, apps, app stores.third party, sideloading, releases, announcements, source.fdroid, long read
https://f-droid.org/2026/09/24/f-droid-2.0-a-new-chapter-for-android-freedom.html

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Title
F-Droid 2.0: A New Chapter for Android Freedom | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository
Authors
F-Droid
Word count
3076 words

10 comments

  1. Eric_the_Cerise
    Link
    I did not see any commentary on how/if this relates to the upcoming Google blacklist of "unapproved" apps. I'm a bit surprised that they released this massive overhaul just a few months before the...

    I did not see any commentary on how/if this relates to the upcoming Google blacklist of "unapproved" apps. I'm a bit surprised that they released this massive overhaul just a few months before the Google blackout begins ... although, they've clearly been working on it for a year or more, and I guess, before the blackout is certainly better than after.

    9 votes
  2. Interesting
    Link
    I updated, thank you for the notification - I think my phone had snoozed F-Droid because I hadn't used it in a while. This update is a massive improvement, kudos to the F-Droid team!

    I updated, thank you for the notification - I think my phone had snoozed F-Droid because I hadn't used it in a while.

    This update is a massive improvement, kudos to the F-Droid team!

    2 votes
  3. [8]
    updawg
    Link
    Just downloaded F-Droid for the first time. Why is it this ugly app where icons aren't downloading if the screenshot on the blog post is a nice enough, modern style with navigation options that...

    Just downloaded F-Droid for the first time. Why is it this ugly app where icons aren't downloading if the screenshot on the blog post is a nice enough, modern style with navigation options that make sense? Did they really keep the default view just a hundred vague categories with no way to actually find good apps? And the alternatives given equal billing were Latest and Nearby? Those seem like the stupid categories I'd expect from an app designed in a board room by out-of-touch execs.

    1. [4]
      GunnarRunnar
      Link Parent
      I guess it's not widely available just yet. My app at least didn't update itself to 2.0.

      We are excited to begin rolling out F-Droid 2.0 to users over the coming weeks after 14 test releases.

      I guess it's not widely available just yet. My app at least didn't update itself to 2.0.

      5 votes
      1. [2]
        Slystuff
        Link Parent
        Mine was marked as not being able to auto update to the new version, but it was available when I went to manually check.

        Mine was marked as not being able to auto update to the new version, but it was available when I went to manually check.

        2 votes
        1. Eric_the_Cerise
          Link Parent
          Same here ... I am running version 1.23.2, added on 2/20/26. I get the message "This app was built for an older version of Android and cannot be updated automatically" ... but I have the option of...

          Same here ... I am running version 1.23.2, added on 2/20/26. I get the message "This app was built for an older version of Android and cannot be updated automatically" ... but I have the option of manually updating to the latest 2.0.1 version, released yesterday.

          1 vote
      2. updawg
        Link Parent
        Thanks. Seriously, though, how is the interface this bad? People recommend it so often that I figured it would at least make it easy to find good apps.

        Thanks. Seriously, though, how is the interface this bad? People recommend it so often that I figured it would at least make it easy to find good apps.

    2. [3]
      scarecrw
      Link Parent
      This isn't to suggest your aims are unwarranted, but I think it's worth considering what it means to identify "good" apps and if that's something F-Droid wants to do. Looking over...

      This isn't to suggest your aims are unwarranted, but I think it's worth considering what it means to identify "good" apps and if that's something F-Droid wants to do.

      Looking over https://f-droid.org/en/about/ I don't see anything that would entirely prohibit them from providing some sort of rating or recommendations, but I could understand some reluctance to take that on and a desire to exist as an impartial repository.

      5 votes
      1. updawg
        Link Parent
        I get that, but the redesign screenshot clearly shows "Most Downloaded." The old version feels like the apocryphal "if I asked the people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." I...

        I get that, but the redesign screenshot clearly shows "Most Downloaded." The old version feels like the apocryphal "if I asked the people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." I don't know what I want, so having to go through however many categories to find however many unknown apps where I have to open them up and read the description to figure out what they do...it seems like some sort of discovery tool would have been warranted a decade ago.

        1 vote
      2. jcd
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        I'd be very reluctant as well (it comes close to advertising). Goods apps do stand out either way, if you check a little. PS. Maybe I'm a dinosaur because I find the old app just fine (and ~90% of...

        I'd be very reluctant as well (it comes close to advertising).

        Goods apps do stand out either way, if you check a little.

        PS. Maybe I'm a dinosaur because I find the old app just fine (and ~90% of my apps come from Fdroid)

        1 vote