[wonderlg]

To be fair, if an alternative App Store was available and popular, I’d probably have to use it to download Spotify, Audible, etc. Its existence would affect me.

It would benefit in some way (like being able to subscribe to Audible in the app) but also it could be less safe (because if Amazon can, anyone else also can, possibly without supervision)

[techntoke]

This isn't really a problem on Android, which already allows you to install apps outside the app store.

[Daneel_]

Android also has global issues with malware infections and crapware, primarily due to people downloading software from third-party app stores.

I’m not saying the apple model is how I want things (far from it), but it certainly has been effective at controlling malware on the platform.

[toyg]

The problems with Android are typically caused by apps that actually make it to the official Play Store. The cause of that is poor reviewing by Google, nothing to do with OS issues.

A mac-like system for iOS would work just fine.

[techntoke]

Can you please tell me what app stores you're referring to, and which apps on F-Droid currently contain malware?

[TheSpiceIsLife]

Here's an article from from April this year 2020

https://www.techradar.com/news/phantomlance-malware-breaches...

Dozens of malicious apps infected with the malware are being distributed via the Play Store and alternate app stores such as APKpure and APKCombo, often targeting users to spy on their habits and steal data.

According to security firm Kaspersky, this malware campaign has been live for over 4 years, and is likely the work of the OceanLotus advanced persistent threat (APT) group, thought to be based out of Vietnam.

[ClumsyPilot]

So its on playstores and has no relevance to alternatibe playstores or sideloadimg

[jsjohnst]

> and alternate app stores such as APKpure and APKCombo

From GP’s quote directly above.

[scarface74]

I can tell you about an app that you might have heard of that bypassed the Google Play Store and was a security nightmare.

https://www.cnet.com/news/just-as-critics-feared-fortnite-fo...

[im3w1l]

> Fortnite became available for Android on Aug. 9, starting with Samsung Galaxy devices, and then became available for all of Android on Aug. 12. Google brought the vulnerability to Epic Games' attention on Aug. 15. Epic Games immediately acknowledged its mistake and fixed the bug with version 2.1.0 of the launcher on Aug. 16.

Iirc the issue was that they first downloaded a file and then ran it. Thus there was a short window of time where someone can tamper with the file before it's running. Far from being a security nightmare it was a subtle flaw, and fixed quickly.

[bamboozled]

For people who want different app stores and all the issues that go along with it can use an Android?

[wonderlg]

Good point. That might probably be the reason why Apple will be able to get away with it in the end. They’re not a monopoly and users do have a choice.

[techntoke]

I've had no issues with F-Droid. What issues have you had?

[bamboozled]

I had enough issues with Androids over the years and switch to iPhone, I consider the slightly more "closed" ecosystem a feature, not a bug.

I work with free software too so this was a very conscious decision for me.

Run open-source software everywhere else though.

[ifmpx]

What do you think makes open platforms an issue for mobile phones and not an issue for other devices?

I don't believe this issues you're facing come from android being open, but from google's poor design decisions like granting network access to apps by default.

Apple can do open platforms right if it wanted. It doesn't have to do them poorly like google.

[TheSpiceIsLife]

I was under the impression F-Droid only hosts free open source software?

That's the impression Wikipedia seems to give:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-Droid

So, for my use case: I want to run some proprietary software, F-Droid will be insufficient.

Happy to be proven wrong.

[techntoke]

Yes, however in cases like that an app store that only distributes officially signed packages and does some scanning as well as allows community to report issues should handle issues for packages that aren't open source. Nothing stopping something like that from existing if app creators wanted to start using it.

[crtasm]

For the official/default repos, yes.

You can add custom repositories in the fdroid app, as I understand it anyone can host a repo and put whatever they like on it.

[metiscus]

F-droid did wade into the free speech debate in relatively recent history by banning an app. I neither condone nor condemn this action but some people (probably very few given that f-droid itself is rather fringe) were probably put off by it.

[wonderlg]

Is that why I occasionally find random apk files in my downloads?

It is a problem, there’s a bunch of malware on android.