F-Droid Warns Google's New Rules Could Kill Sideloading Apps On Android
F-Droid has been a popular and reliable way to sideload apps to Android devices for over ten years. It has been able to accomplish this thanks to its process of vetting apps before they become available to users for download. The process includes an inspection of source code by the F-Droid team to ensure the app doesn’t contain features that work against the interests of a user. Apps also use either F-Droid’s cryptographic key or the developer’s private key, so users know an app hasn’t been tampered with.
However, under Google’s new policies, Android users won’t be able use F-Droid on a certified Android device. The F-Droid team says that it “cannot ‘take over’ the application identifiers for the open-source apps we distribute, as that would effectively seize exclusive distribution rights to those applications.” Ultimately, it would mean the end of F-Droid as a viable way of obtaining apps.
F-Droid also took a swipe at Google’s stated reasoning for the implementation of the new rules. It’s supposed to be in name of security, but as the F-Droid team points out, there have already been several malware campaigns that have used the Google Play Store to distribute malicious apps to unsuspecting users. From F-Droid's perspective, the move is more about “consolidating power and tightening control over a formerly open ecosystem.”
F-Droid is urging regulatory bodies to investigate Google’s behavior. It’s also asking app developers to reach out to government representatives in their countries, with the hopes that this type of pressure could lead Google to reverse course.
