{"slug": "obtainium", "name": "Obtainium", "category": "other", "category_name": "Other software", "description": "Android app that installs and updates apps directly from their developers' release pages.", "recommenders": 10, "commenters": 11, "warners": 0, "score": 8.852, "rising": 4.69, "first": "2025-11-26", "latest": "2026-09-24", "why": "Recommended for installing and updating Android apps straight from developers' GitHub releases or websites, often alongside F-Droid and Aurora on phones without Google services.", "why_is_quote": false, "has_verdict": true, "sentiment": {"recommend": 10, "neutral": 2, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [1, 0, 0, 3, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 3, 3, 0], "listed": true, "loved": ["De-Googled Android", "Direct from developers"], "caveat": "Usability", "short_quote": "I switched to Obtanium a year or so ago. I get all my apps from GitHub releases straight from the developers now.", "icon": true, "domain": null, "github_repo": "github.com/imranr98/obtainium", "official_url": "https://github.com/ImranR98/Obtainium", "pricing": "open source", "aliases": ["Obtainium"], "verdict": [{"text": "Recommended for installing and updating Android apps straight from developers' GitHub releases or websites,", "cites": [{"id": 797319776, "item_id": 49832486, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49832486", "by": "aorth", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched to Obtanium a year or so ago. I get all my apps from GitHub releases straight from the developers now.", "excerpt": "Cool! Unfortunately I switched to Obtanium a year or so ago. I get all my apps from GitHub releases straight from the developers now.", "context": "", "use_case": "installing Android apps from GitHub", "switched_from": "F-Droid", "story": "F-Droid 2.0"}, {"id": 787973328, "item_id": 49248333, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49248333", "by": "fwn", "date": "2026-08-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Obtainium to update directly via signal.org for a very long time now.", "excerpt": "> [Signal is] obsessed with [...] user tracking, via app store stats. Not sure about that. You do not need Google Play Store to download or update Signal. I use Obtainium to update directly via signal.org for a very long time now. JSON: https://updates.signal.org/android/latest.json", "context": "", "use_case": "updating Signal on Android", "switched_from": "", "story": "Signal is working on a paid option to create an account without a phone number"}, {"id": 737011696, "item_id": 46063231, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46063231", "by": "j0e1", "date": "2025-11-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I have been using Obtainium [1] to install apps on my Pixel including Emacs.", "excerpt": "I have been using Obtainium [1] to install apps on my Pixel including Emacs. [1] https://github.com/ImranR98/Obtainium", "context": "", "use_case": "installing Android apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Surprisingly, Emacs on Android is pretty good"}, {"id": 752753016, "item_id": 47047063, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47047063", "by": "bramhaag", "date": "2026-02-17", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "These are all easily installed through Obtainium", "excerpt": "Some other FOSS apps I use daily: Aegis - 2FA (https://github.com/beemdevelopment/Aegis) Breezy Weather - A very good looking weather app (https://github.com/breezy-weather/breezy-weather) OnlyOffice Documents - MS Office suite replacement (https://github.com/ONLYOFFICE/documents-app-android) Fossify Calendar (https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Calendar) Fossify Messages (https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Messages) Aves - Loc", "context": "", "use_case": "installing and updating apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "GrapheneOS \u2013 Break Free from Google and Apple"}]}, {"text": " often alongside F-Droid and Aurora on phones without Google services.", "cites": [{"id": 786298545, "item_id": 49143659, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49143659", "by": "collabs", "date": "2026-08-02", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Fdroid and obtainium work flawlessly.", "excerpt": "Without Google doesn't mean the same thing for everyone. I got a Motorola g moto stylus 2025 and have been running an experiment for almost a year now in which I use this device without ever logging into the device with a Google account. Fdroid and obtainium work flawlessly. Aurora Store works for the most part but some apps won't even let me open them without a play store signed in account which is sad.", "context": "runs phone without a Google account", "use_case": "installing apps without Google", "switched_from": "", "story": "A big win for Android interoperability"}, {"id": 791661090, "item_id": 49478818, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49478818", "by": "nazgulsenpai", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "grab whatever other utilities I might need from Obtanium or F-Droid", "excerpt": "I use LineageOS with MicroG and decided probably 5 years ago to just use PWAs instead of apps for any online service and grab whatever other utilities I might need from Obtanium or F-Droid. Also the experience on my Thinkphone is the exact same as it was on my Pixel XL 2. I know not everyone can do this, and some PWAs are downright terrible if they work at all, but for my usecase it has been great.", "context": "", "use_case": "installing apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "\u201cIt works better in the app\u201d"}, {"id": 752744323, "item_id": 47046520, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47046520", "by": "sandreas", "date": "2026-02-17", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Obtainium to install Apps that are not in these stores", "excerpt": "I personally tend to own two Phones. One all-day carry GrapheneOS device (Pixel 8) and an older WiFi and at home only iPhone for all payment and ensurance stuff. This is inconvenient in some ways, but at least it is sort of privacy as good as it gets while still being able to run official apps when I need them at home. To de-google the phone, I use F-Droid as primary App store, Aurora as fallback for non-f-droid Apps", "context": "", "use_case": "installing apps not in stores", "switched_from": "", "story": "GrapheneOS \u2013 Break Free from Google and Apple"}, {"id": 797318978, "item_id": 49832436, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49832436", "by": "sandreas", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I use a combination of Aurora, Obtainium and F-Droid.", "excerpt": "No... I use a combination of Aurora, Obtainium and F-Droid. Unfortunately there are APP providers actively preventing their apps to work on graphene OS, so i own an extra use@home cheap broken glass iphone for these mandatory but non-graphene apps. It is a pain and it is getting worse... I'm really tempted to get back to the Apple ecosystem for less shens but currently i cannot do this yet... It just feels wrong but ", "context": "", "use_case": "installing Android apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "F-Droid 2.0"}]}, {"text": " The main caveat is that it is not very user friendly,", "cites": [{"id": 796896339, "item_id": 49806021, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49806021", "by": "Cider9986", "date": "2026-09-22", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Obtainium is great but not user friendly.", "excerpt": "> Graphene OS devs themselves recommend that you install apps on Graphene OS via Google Play Store for security reasons. Can you provide a source that they've said this recently? This seems to be a bit of a misrepresentation. They say: >The Play Store app is also the most secure way to install and update apps from the Play Store. on /usage, but this does not indicate it's the most private way or that it's the recomme", "context": "GrapheneOS user", "use_case": "app installation", "switched_from": "", "story": "There's a high chance of devices being sold with GrapheneOS preinstalled in 2027"}]}, {"text": " and one commenter points to missing signature verification for F-Droid repos.", "cites": [{"id": 797372928, "item_id": 49835808, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49835808", "by": "eighthave", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "If you like the Obtanium user experience, I recommend you get involved", "excerpt": "If you like the Obtanium user experience, I recommend you get involved and help them implement signature verification on F-Droid repos: https://github.com/ImranR98/Obtainium/issues/3348", "context": "", "use_case": "installing apps from GitHub releases", "switched_from": "", "story": "F-Droid 2.0"}]}], "praise": [{"label": "De-Googled Android", "summary": "Commenters use it to get apps on GrapheneOS, LineageOS and other phones without Google.", "quotes": [{"id": 786298545, "item_id": 49143659, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49143659", "by": "collabs", "date": "2026-08-02", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Fdroid and obtainium work flawlessly.", "excerpt": "Without Google doesn't mean the same thing for everyone. I got a Motorola g moto stylus 2025 and have been running an experiment for almost a year now in which I use this device without ever logging into the device with a Google account. Fdroid and obtainium work flawlessly. Aurora Store works for the most part but some apps won't even let me open them without a play store signed in account which is sad.", "context": "runs phone without a Google account", "use_case": "installing apps without Google", "switched_from": "", "story": "A big win for Android interoperability"}, {"id": 752744323, "item_id": 47046520, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47046520", "by": "sandreas", "date": "2026-02-17", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Obtainium to install Apps that are not in these stores", "excerpt": "I personally tend to own two Phones. One all-day carry GrapheneOS device (Pixel 8) and an older WiFi and at home only iPhone for all payment and ensurance stuff. This is inconvenient in some ways, but at least it is sort of privacy as good as it gets while still being able to run official apps when I need them at home. To de-google the phone, I use F-Droid as primary App store, Aurora as fallback for non-f-droid Apps", "context": "", "use_case": "installing apps not in stores", "switched_from": "", "story": "GrapheneOS \u2013 Break Free from Google and Apple"}, {"id": 791661090, "item_id": 49478818, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49478818", "by": "nazgulsenpai", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "grab whatever other utilities I might need from Obtanium or F-Droid", "excerpt": "I use LineageOS with MicroG and decided probably 5 years ago to just use PWAs instead of apps for any online service and grab whatever other utilities I might need from Obtanium or F-Droid. Also the experience on my Thinkphone is the exact same as it was on my Pixel XL 2. I know not everyone can do this, and some PWAs are downright terrible if they work at all, but for my usecase it has been great.", "context": "", "use_case": "installing apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "\u201cIt works better in the app\u201d"}]}, {"label": "Direct from developers", "summary": "It pulls apps and updates straight from GitHub releases or developer sites instead of an app store.", "quotes": [{"id": 797319776, "item_id": 49832486, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49832486", "by": "aorth", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched to Obtanium a year or so ago. I get all my apps from GitHub releases straight from the developers now.", "excerpt": "Cool! Unfortunately I switched to Obtanium a year or so ago. I get all my apps from GitHub releases straight from the developers now.", "context": "", "use_case": "installing Android apps from GitHub", "switched_from": "F-Droid", "story": "F-Droid 2.0"}, {"id": 787973328, "item_id": 49248333, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49248333", "by": "fwn", "date": "2026-08-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Obtainium to update directly via signal.org for a very long time now.", "excerpt": "> [Signal is] obsessed with [...] user tracking, via app store stats. Not sure about that. You do not need Google Play Store to download or update Signal. I use Obtainium to update directly via signal.org for a very long time now. JSON: https://updates.signal.org/android/latest.json", "context": "", "use_case": "updating Signal on Android", "switched_from": "", "story": "Signal is working on a paid option to create an account without a phone number"}, {"id": 737011696, "item_id": 46063231, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46063231", "by": "j0e1", "date": "2025-11-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I have been using Obtainium [1] to install apps on my Pixel including Emacs.", "excerpt": "I have been using Obtainium [1] to install apps on my Pixel including Emacs. [1] https://github.com/ImranR98/Obtainium", "context": "", "use_case": "installing Android apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Surprisingly, Emacs on Android is pretty good"}]}, {"label": "F-Droid alternative", "summary": "Some former F-Droid users switched to it for apps not covered by other stores.", "quotes": [{"id": 754915281, "item_id": 47182205, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47182205", "by": "bentley", "date": "2026-02-27", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "switched from F-Droid to Obtanium for any apps not yet on Accrescent", "excerpt": "Were any of the current directors or new nominees involved in the incident where F-Droid marked Bible and Quran apps as NSFW, hid them from search by default, and expressed the intent to remove them completely (https://gitlab.com/fdroid/admin/-/issues/252#note_2578531026)? (Discussed on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45638096) If I\u2019m charitable, I could assume they intended to make a controversial move to d", "context": "former F-Droid user of many years", "use_case": "installing Android apps", "switched_from": "F-Droid", "story": "F-Droid Board of Directors nominations 2026"}, {"id": 797319776, "item_id": 49832486, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49832486", "by": "aorth", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched to Obtanium a year or so ago. I get all my apps from GitHub releases straight from the developers now.", "excerpt": "Cool! Unfortunately I switched to Obtanium a year or so ago. I get all my apps from GitHub releases straight from the developers now.", "context": "", "use_case": "installing Android apps from GitHub", "switched_from": "F-Droid", "story": "F-Droid 2.0"}, {"id": 761292304, "item_id": 47580769, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47580769", "by": "nout", "date": "2026-03-30", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "not available on Play Store, but rather through alternative stores (like Zapstore, Obtainium)", "excerpt": "That's seriously horrible. There are 5+ open source android apps that I use and want to continue using that are not available on Play Store, but rather through alternative stores (like Zapstore, Obtainium). If I get a phone with preinstalled Graphene OS (like the upcoming Motorola phone), then does it avoid this stupidity? Or even with Graphene it prevents me from installing apks?", "context": "Android user of open source apps", "use_case": "installing open source Android apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Android Developer Verification"}]}, {"label": "Reliability", "summary": "One commenter says it works flawlessly on a phone with no Google account.", "quotes": [{"id": 786298545, "item_id": 49143659, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49143659", "by": "collabs", "date": "2026-08-02", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Fdroid and obtainium work flawlessly.", "excerpt": "Without Google doesn't mean the same thing for everyone. I got a Motorola g moto stylus 2025 and have been running an experiment for almost a year now in which I use this device without ever logging into the device with a Google account. Fdroid and obtainium work flawlessly. Aurora Store works for the most part but some apps won't even let me open them without a play store signed in account which is sad.", "context": "runs phone without a Google account", "use_case": "installing apps without Google", "switched_from": "", "story": "A big win for Android interoperability"}]}], "caveats": [{"label": "Usability", "summary": "A GrapheneOS user calls it great but not user friendly.", "quotes": [{"id": 796896339, "item_id": 49806021, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49806021", "by": "Cider9986", "date": "2026-09-22", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Obtainium is great but not user friendly.", "excerpt": "> Graphene OS devs themselves recommend that you install apps on Graphene OS via Google Play Store for security reasons. Can you provide a source that they've said this recently? This seems to be a bit of a misrepresentation. They say: >The Play Store app is also the most secure way to install and update apps from the Play Store. on /usage, but this does not indicate it's the most private way or that it's the recomme", "context": "GrapheneOS user", "use_case": "app installation", "switched_from": "", "story": "There's a high chance of devices being sold with GrapheneOS preinstalled in 2027"}]}, {"label": "Signature verification", "summary": "Signature verification for F-Droid repos is an open feature request.", "quotes": [{"id": 797372928, "item_id": 49835808, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49835808", "by": "eighthave", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "If you like the Obtanium user experience, I recommend you get involved", "excerpt": "If you like the Obtanium user experience, I recommend you get involved and help them implement signature verification on F-Droid repos: https://github.com/ImranR98/Obtainium/issues/3348", "context": "", "use_case": "installing apps from GitHub releases", "switched_from": "", "story": "F-Droid 2.0"}]}], "who": [{"by": "Cider9986", "context": "GrapheneOS user", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49806021", "date": "2026-09-22"}, {"by": "collabs", "context": "runs phone without a Google account", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49143659", "date": "2026-08-02"}, {"by": "nout", "context": "Android user of open source apps", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47580769", "date": "2026-03-30"}, {"by": "bentley", "context": "former F-Droid user of many years", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47182205", "date": "2026-02-27"}], "tags": ["for GrapheneOS users", "for de-Googled phones", "for GitHub-hosted apps", "F-Droid alternative"], "use_cases": ["installing android apps", "installing apps from github releases", "installing android apps from github", "app installation", "installing apps", "updating signal on android"], "compared": [{"slug": "f-droid", "name": "F-Droid", "co": 9, "switched_from": 2, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "aurora-store", "name": "Aurora Store", "co": 4, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "grapheneos", "name": "GrapheneOS", "co": 4, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "accrescent", "name": "Accrescent", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}, {"slug": "google-play-store", "name": "Google Play Store", "co": 2, "switched_from": 0, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49831968", "title": "F-Droid 2.0", "mentions": 3}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47045612", "title": "GrapheneOS \u2013 Break Free from Google and Apple", "mentions": 2}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49804683", "title": "There's a high chance of devices being sold with GrapheneOS preinstalled in 2027", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49477600", "title": "\u201cIt works better in the app\u201d", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49243025", "title": "Signal is working on a paid option to create an account without a phone number", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49124051", "title": "A big win for Android interoperability", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"recommend": 1}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {"recommend": 3}, "2026-03": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {"recommend": 3}, "2026-09": {"recommend": 3, "neutral": 1}, "2026-10": {}}, "quotes": [{"id": 797372928, "item_id": 49835808, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49835808", "by": "eighthave", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "If you like the Obtanium user experience, I recommend you get involved", "excerpt": "If you like the Obtanium user experience, I recommend you get involved and help them implement signature verification on F-Droid repos: https://github.com/ImranR98/Obtainium/issues/3348", "context": "", "use_case": "installing apps from GitHub releases", "switched_from": "", "story": "F-Droid 2.0"}, {"id": 797319776, "item_id": 49832486, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49832486", "by": "aorth", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I switched to Obtanium a year or so ago. I get all my apps from GitHub releases straight from the developers now.", "excerpt": "Cool! Unfortunately I switched to Obtanium a year or so ago. I get all my apps from GitHub releases straight from the developers now.", "context": "", "use_case": "installing Android apps from GitHub", "switched_from": "F-Droid", "story": "F-Droid 2.0"}, {"id": 797318978, "item_id": 49832436, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49832436", "by": "sandreas", "date": "2026-09-24", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "I use a combination of Aurora, Obtainium and F-Droid.", "excerpt": "No... I use a combination of Aurora, Obtainium and F-Droid. Unfortunately there are APP providers actively preventing their apps to work on graphene OS, so i own an extra use@home cheap broken glass iphone for these mandatory but non-graphene apps. It is a pain and it is getting worse... I'm really tempted to get back to the Apple ecosystem for less shens but currently i cannot do this yet... It just feels wrong but ", "context": "", "use_case": "installing Android apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "F-Droid 2.0"}, {"id": 796896339, "item_id": 49806021, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49806021", "by": "Cider9986", "date": "2026-09-22", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Obtainium is great but not user friendly.", "excerpt": "> Graphene OS devs themselves recommend that you install apps on Graphene OS via Google Play Store for security reasons. Can you provide a source that they've said this recently? This seems to be a bit of a misrepresentation. They say: >The Play Store app is also the most secure way to install and update apps from the Play Store. on /usage, but this does not indicate it's the most private way or that it's the recomme", "context": "GrapheneOS user", "use_case": "app installation", "switched_from": "", "story": "There's a high chance of devices being sold with GrapheneOS preinstalled in 2027"}, {"id": 791661090, "item_id": 49478818, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49478818", "by": "nazgulsenpai", "date": "2026-08-28", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "grab whatever other utilities I might need from Obtanium or F-Droid", "excerpt": "I use LineageOS with MicroG and decided probably 5 years ago to just use PWAs instead of apps for any online service and grab whatever other utilities I might need from Obtanium or F-Droid. Also the experience on my Thinkphone is the exact same as it was on my Pixel XL 2. I know not everyone can do this, and some PWAs are downright terrible if they work at all, but for my usecase it has been great.", "context": "", "use_case": "installing apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "\u201cIt works better in the app\u201d"}, {"id": 787973328, "item_id": 49248333, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49248333", "by": "fwn", "date": "2026-08-10", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I use Obtainium to update directly via signal.org for a very long time now.", "excerpt": "> [Signal is] obsessed with [...] user tracking, via app store stats. Not sure about that. You do not need Google Play Store to download or update Signal. I use Obtainium to update directly via signal.org for a very long time now. JSON: https://updates.signal.org/android/latest.json", "context": "", "use_case": "updating Signal on Android", "switched_from": "", "story": "Signal is working on a paid option to create an account without a phone number"}, {"id": 786298545, "item_id": 49143659, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49143659", "by": "collabs", "date": "2026-08-02", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Fdroid and obtainium work flawlessly.", "excerpt": "Without Google doesn't mean the same thing for everyone. I got a Motorola g moto stylus 2025 and have been running an experiment for almost a year now in which I use this device without ever logging into the device with a Google account. Fdroid and obtainium work flawlessly. Aurora Store works for the most part but some apps won't even let me open them without a play store signed in account which is sad.", "context": "runs phone without a Google account", "use_case": "installing apps without Google", "switched_from": "", "story": "A big win for Android interoperability"}, {"id": 761292304, "item_id": 47580769, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47580769", "by": "nout", "date": "2026-03-30", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "not available on Play Store, but rather through alternative stores (like Zapstore, Obtainium)", "excerpt": "That's seriously horrible. There are 5+ open source android apps that I use and want to continue using that are not available on Play Store, but rather through alternative stores (like Zapstore, Obtainium). If I get a phone with preinstalled Graphene OS (like the upcoming Motorola phone), then does it avoid this stupidity? Or even with Graphene it prevents me from installing apks?", "context": "Android user of open source apps", "use_case": "installing open source Android apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Android Developer Verification"}, {"id": 754915281, "item_id": 47182205, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47182205", "by": "bentley", "date": "2026-02-27", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "switched from F-Droid to Obtanium for any apps not yet on Accrescent", "excerpt": "Were any of the current directors or new nominees involved in the incident where F-Droid marked Bible and Quran apps as NSFW, hid them from search by default, and expressed the intent to remove them completely (https://gitlab.com/fdroid/admin/-/issues/252#note_2578531026)? (Discussed on HN: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45638096) If I\u2019m charitable, I could assume they intended to make a controversial move to d", "context": "former F-Droid user of many years", "use_case": "installing Android apps", "switched_from": "F-Droid", "story": "F-Droid Board of Directors nominations 2026"}, {"id": 752753016, "item_id": 47047063, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47047063", "by": "bramhaag", "date": "2026-02-17", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "These are all easily installed through Obtainium", "excerpt": "Some other FOSS apps I use daily: Aegis - 2FA (https://github.com/beemdevelopment/Aegis) Breezy Weather - A very good looking weather app (https://github.com/breezy-weather/breezy-weather) OnlyOffice Documents - MS Office suite replacement (https://github.com/ONLYOFFICE/documents-app-android) Fossify Calendar (https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Calendar) Fossify Messages (https://github.com/FossifyOrg/Messages) Aves - Loc", "context": "", "use_case": "installing and updating apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "GrapheneOS \u2013 Break Free from Google and Apple"}, {"id": 752744323, "item_id": 47046520, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47046520", "by": "sandreas", "date": "2026-02-17", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Obtainium to install Apps that are not in these stores", "excerpt": "I personally tend to own two Phones. One all-day carry GrapheneOS device (Pixel 8) and an older WiFi and at home only iPhone for all payment and ensurance stuff. This is inconvenient in some ways, but at least it is sort of privacy as good as it gets while still being able to run official apps when I need them at home. To de-google the phone, I use F-Droid as primary App store, Aurora as fallback for non-f-droid Apps", "context": "", "use_case": "installing apps not in stores", "switched_from": "", "story": "GrapheneOS \u2013 Break Free from Google and Apple"}, {"id": 737011696, "item_id": 46063231, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46063231", "by": "j0e1", "date": "2025-11-26", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I have been using Obtainium [1] to install apps on my Pixel including Emacs.", "excerpt": "I have been using Obtainium [1] to install apps on my Pixel including Emacs. [1] https://github.com/ImranR98/Obtainium", "context": "", "use_case": "installing Android apps", "switched_from": "", "story": "Surprisingly, Emacs on Android is pretty good"}]}