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For everyone still using Simple Tools apps, switch to Fossify it’s a fork that has all that crap removed
So far I only see Gallery, File Manager, and Calendar on IzzyOnDroid. Hopefully SMS and Contacts will be added soon.
dialer app is released too.
They are still being worked on
Link for others:
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Disable updates has never been a solution. It’s a bandaid to a gaping wound.
Guys.
Dont install FOSS apps from the Playstore. Use F-Droid (F-Droid Basic if you are on an updated OS)
Thanks.
A personal recommendation is to use Droidify, it’s just a great F-droid front-end.
You can download the APK here: https://f-droid.org/packages/com.looker.droidify/
When I last used it it was somehow unstable. Maybe that has changed.
I have used it for maybe a year and I never had any problems. Then again, I’m hardly a power user, so it makes sense that other people might have different experiences. :)
I really like that they add more repos you just need to enable. Number 1 reason to use it, as F-Droid will never add those for obvious reasons.
Some that I cant live without
- Izzyondroid
- Guardian Project
- Collabora office
- signal foss twinhelix
- molly
- futo
- simplex chat
- Cryptomator
- Mobilsicher (proprietary German apps that are core infrastructure. They ask those developers if they can get the APKs)
- (Bitwarden) (dont use it)
- Julians Repo: nice to get GrapheneOS app updates, but you should install their appstore instead.
My experience too, but I switched back and it’s far better now.
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F-Droid basic uses modern Android Libraries and modern Apps can be updated without interaction.
Thats because Android has a Package manager that uses APKSigner signatures to verify the app. That is Private/Public Key authentication, so its pretty sure the App comes from the developers.
Only if the Signature matches the App gets an Update. So there is no danger in using automatic updates.
Making F-Droid Basic “battery unrestricted” will help.
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Yes I hate the name. It makes no sense. I will do another post on multiple Platforms to advertise it.
Yes the unattended upgrades only work on a modern store and modern apps. The original client is extremely outdated.
Droidify can do both: Session Installer and Shizuku: https://github.com/Droid-ify/client
You’re welcome.
I agree that F-Droid is great!
What I usually do is to buy the pro version on Google Play and install it later on F-Droid.
On the other hand I don’t see anything wrong for non tech people to install FOSS apps from the Play Store. The apps are still FOSS
They were sold to ZippoApps, who specializes in adding crapware to apps.
What else would we expect anyway…
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No. No it doesn’t. Israel might be a shitty country built on apartheid and illegal settlements, and netanyahoo might be genociding Gaza via IDF, but that doesn’t mean every individual should be regarded with a blanket statement.
But fuck ZippoApps anyway.
How did this get to Israel. How?
This BS about “genociding” Gaza again… do you like HAMAS terrorists?
Hmm, this app is also in the F-Droid repository with its old outfit.
Luckily it got forked : https://github.com/FossifyOrg/SMS-Messenger
There are a bunch of those “simple” apps on F-droid, such as Simple Contacts, Simple Calendar, and Simple Camera. I cannot find Simple Gallery in F-droid any more, it seems to have been replaced by its Fossify equivalent already.
In light of this, it could be an idea to check if you have any of those apps installed and consider replacing them with an alternative. I was using Simple Contacts until now (only listed as “Contacts” in my apps), so I guess it’s time to make some changes.
Simple Gallery got removed when people found it had non-FOSS Google libraries linked in while checking the Fossify rebrand/rework, just export your preferences and import them on Fossify Gallery (BE AWARE: There’s a bug in some launchers when an app uses custom icons like Simple Gallery and Fossify do, which breaks them, you’ll notice it if you import the preferences and you can no longer launch the app and have to uninstall/reinstall it to be able to even launch it again, in that case edit the exported Simple Gallery preferences and remove the icon line)
I have several of the apps installed. I went through and checked the permissions, and they’re still pretty sparse. The play store didn’t mention anything about updates, but a few of them, like Notes, seemed to be disabled.
Am I just a version behind or something?
If they’re from F-Droid you’re good; if you’re on Google Play I doubt they’ll update anything to get more permissions without your consent.
However, if the developer has taken a turn for the worse (which this post seems to indicate), you might not receive any more updates for your F-Droid software, and you might get to a point where you don’t want to install updates from Google Play. Software that cannot be updated is generally not a good thing.
Furthermore, these apps deal with somewhat sensitive information by default, and I wouldn’t want to use apps developed by a company I don’t trust if I don’t absolutely have to. :)
RIP Simple mobile apps. You were amazing while you lasted.
there are forks of code before the sellout and the releases are already out. use fdroid or obtainium. https://github.com/fossifyorg/
Yeee, I use the F-Droid version, so they’re clean.
Still a shame though…
“have full network access” BIG YIKES
Throwback to when they announced releasing a simple phone. Fun times.
That was amazing. Someone linked to alibaba where you could buy the same 4? Year old phone for something like $120USD. Someone else dredged up a weird eastern European connection for the ‘FOSS’ OS. And they promised support, which ended when you bought the pos.
I’m really curious about the amount of money exchanged. It must have been an enormous amount in order to do a “I’d even sell my mom for that” and don’t feel dirty
the developer, and this isnt exaggeration, does not understand gpl v3. he literally got confused when people told him he had no right to sell contributed code. you can see for yourself in the github discussions
You can sell GPL code. Even if you aren’t the author. What you must do is share the code with those customers though.
you cant sell othwrs ans then close source which is what they did to my knowledge
You perfectly can sell GPL code. And you can double-license yourself (provided that you are the copyright holder) as GPL and a privative license. A lot of companies do that, legally and correctly.
It has begun
(ps install the fork versions of the simple mobile tools suite, its called fossify)
Wow, the new owners enshittified those apps really fast.
i hope these zippo fucks get sued by everyone who contributed. bastards are doing dropshipping but with malware pretty much
Play store version is already infected. There was a buyout of SMT apps.
So it begins
sigh. Most people will just accept the new default permissions without blinking an eye. They’re taking advantage of people’s ignorance.
You overestimate most peoples tech skills. They will never know because they have auto-updates activated.
Hopefully fossify will release fossify messenger soon. Fossify’s a project forking all the simple apps
