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Groups > comp.mobile.android > #154705 > unrolled thread

Many ad SDKs share locations

Started byram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram)
First post2026-08-05 21:06 +0000
Last post2026-08-29 17:23 +0200
Articles 20 on this page of 72 — 11 participants

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Contents

  Many ad SDKs share locations ram@zedat.fu-berlin.de (Stefan Ram) - 2026-08-05 21:06 +0000
    Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-05 13:56 -0800
      Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-05 15:17 -0800
    Re: Many ad SDKs share locations "R.Wieser" <address@is.invalid> - 2026-08-06 09:16 +0200
      Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-06 07:55 -0800
    Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Arno Welzel <usenet@arnowelzel.de> - 2026-08-07 16:09 +0200
      Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-07 18:51 -0800
        Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Arno Welzel <usenet@arnowelzel.de> - 2026-08-09 11:18 +0200
          Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-15 09:05 -0800
            Re: Many ad SDKs share locations "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-08-15 19:30 +0200
              Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-15 10:37 -0800
            Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-08-16 09:28 +0100
              Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-16 10:26 -0800
                Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Arno Welzel <usenet@arnowelzel.de> - 2026-08-18 12:54 +0200
                  Re: Many ad SDKs share locations "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-08-18 12:58 +0200
                    Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-18 09:08 -0800
            Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Arno Welzel <usenet@arnowelzel.de> - 2026-08-18 12:48 +0200
              Re: Many ad SDKs share locations "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-08-18 13:00 +0200
                Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-18 10:37 -0800
                  Re: Many ad SDKs share locations AJL <noemail@none.com> - 2026-08-19 03:55 +0000
                    Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-18 23:00 -0800
                      Re: Many ad SDKs share locations AJL <noemail@none.com> - 2026-08-19 16:31 +0000
                        Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-20 06:21 -0800
                          Re: Many ad SDKs share locations AJL <noemail@none.com> - 2026-08-20 15:17 +0000
                            Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-20 08:44 -0800
                              Re: Many ad SDKs share locations AJL <noemail@none.com> - 2026-08-20 18:07 +0000
                                Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-20 22:46 -0800
                                  Re: Many ad SDKs share locations AJL <noemail@none.com> - 2026-08-21 17:20 +0000
                                    Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-22 11:04 -0800
                                      Re: Many ad SDKs share locations AJL <noemail@none.com> - 2026-08-22 21:43 +0000
                                        Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-23 07:25 -0800
                            Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> - 2026-08-20 18:30 +0000
                              Re: Many ad SDKs share locations AJL <noemail@none.com> - 2026-08-20 20:20 +0000
                                Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-20 22:45 -0800
                                  Re: Many ad SDKs share locations AJL <noemail@none.com> - 2026-08-21 16:51 +0000
                                    Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-22 10:29 -0800
                                      Re: Many ad SDKs share locations AJL <noemail@none.com> - 2026-08-22 20:30 +0000
                                        Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-23 07:30 -0800
                                          Re: Many ad SDKs share locations AJL <noemail@none.com> - 2026-08-23 16:39 +0000
                                            Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-23 09:05 -0800
                                              Re: Many ad SDKs share locations AJL <noemail@none.com> - 2026-08-23 18:18 +0000
                                                Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-24 19:04 +0200
                                                  Re: Many ad SDKs share locations AJL <noemail@none.com> - 2026-08-24 10:53 -0700
                                                    Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-24 20:42 +0200
                                              Re: Many ad SDKs share locations lisa <not.in.use@home.invalid> - 2026-08-23 20:40 +0200
                                          [OT] US news sources (was: Re: Many ad SDKs share locations) Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-08-25 12:47 +0100
                                      Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2026-08-31 17:29 +0100
                                        Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-31 12:07 -0600
                                          Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2026-08-31 19:20 +0100
                                            Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-31 19:15 -0600
                                            Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-09-01 10:34 +0100
                                              Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2026-09-01 16:30 +0100
                                                Re: Many ad SDKs share locations "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-01 18:03 +0200
                                                  Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2026-09-01 17:49 +0100
                                                    Re: Many ad SDKs share locations "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-01 19:12 +0200
                                                      Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> - 2026-09-01 18:40 +0100
                                                        Re: Many ad SDKs share locations "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-01 20:05 +0200
                                                          Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-09-01 21:44 +0200
                                                        Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Arno Welzel <usenet@arnowelzel.de> - 2026-09-02 10:11 +0200
                                                Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Arno Welzel <usenet@arnowelzel.de> - 2026-09-02 10:08 +0200
                                Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> - 2026-08-21 07:51 +0000
                                  Re: Many ad SDKs share locations AJL <noemail@none.com> - 2026-08-21 17:41 +0000
                              Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-08-21 00:40 +0100
                                Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-20 22:43 -0800
                                Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> - 2026-08-21 07:59 +0000
                                  Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-22 11:08 -0800
                              Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-20 22:45 -0800
                  Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Arno Welzel <usenet@arnowelzel.de> - 2026-08-20 22:58 +0200
                    Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Maria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com> - 2026-08-20 22:43 -0800
                      Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Arno Welzel <usenet@arnowelzel.de> - 2026-08-29 17:21 +0200
              Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-08-21 00:23 +0100
                Re: Many ad SDKs share locations Arno Welzel <usenet@arnowelzel.de> - 2026-08-29 17:23 +0200

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#155228

FromAJL <noemail@none.com>
Date2026-08-23 18:18 +0000
Message-ID<116fdi1$24sp7$1@dont-email.me>
In reply to#155224
Maria Sophia wrote:

>I also require my news to be balanced, just like I am, which means Fox news
>is out of the question, as is MSNBC, or Al Jazeira for that matter.

This news apparently doesn't fit your personal bias so you don't listen to
 it.

>The most uninformed people on the planet, are those who listen only to the
>news that fits their own personal bias.

And since you only listen to news that fits your own personal bias that
 makes you uninformed per your own definition??

>If you can tell what the announcer thinks, it's not news.

Not a problem for me. I READ my news (using on-topic Android apps), so
 there's no biased announcers...  ;)



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#155250

FromMaria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com>
Date2026-08-24 19:04 +0200
Message-ID<116htia$11r0$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com>
In reply to#155228
AJL wrote:
> Maria Sophia wrote:
> 
>>I also require my news to be balanced, just like I am, which means Fox news
>>is out of the question, as is MSNBC, or Al Jazeira for that matter.
> 
> This news apparently doesn't fit your personal bias so you don't listen to
>  it.

Hi AJL,

By that statement, you've shown you completely misunderstand what bias is.

Please look at this screenshot again, before you respond.
 <https://i.postimg.cc/vmqrXjvM/bias.jpg>

While that's only one source of bias assessment, it makes the main point.
HINT: It has NOTHING whatsoever to do with my own personal opinions!!!!!!!

> 
>>The most uninformed people on the planet, are those who listen only to the
>>news that fits their own personal bias.
> 
> And since you only listen to news that fits your own personal bias that
>  makes you uninformed per your own definition??

Again, it's a bit disconcerting that you argue so strenuously about
something that every sentence you make shows you don't understand it.

HINT: It has NOTHING to do with my own personal feelings at all!

> 
>>If you can tell what the announcer thinks, it's not news.
> 
> Not a problem for me. I READ my news (using on-topic Android apps), so
>  there's no biased announcers...  ;)

You prove my point that people who read biased news are doing so for
entertainment, because it gives them that dopamine high, much like an AI
always tries to say "you are a genius" before it corrects your words. :)

Anyway, my point is valid, which is:
 a. There are reliable sources who assess the bias of news outlets 
 b. If anyone reads the biased news WITHOUT knowing the bias, it's not news
 c. It's entertainment

For example, MSNBC & FOX NEWS are not news.
They're entertainment.

Please note this is a sagacious and well-thought-out point of view.
I'm pointing out something credible that most people can't even fathom.

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#155255

FromAJL <noemail@none.com>
Date2026-08-24 10:53 -0700
Message-ID<116i0ds$338va$2@dont-email.me>
In reply to#155250
On 8/24/2026 10:04 AM, Maria Sophia wrote:

> For example, MSNBC & FOX NEWS are not news. They're entertainment.

You asked me what news I read (off topic). I told you (off topic). None
of the above (off topic) news organizations were on my list. I got a
lengthy (off topic) lecture anyway. So I did a little (off topic)
baiting. And boy did I catch a whopper of (off topic ) jibber-jabber.
Anyway it's been fun but EOD for me. Carry on, and I expect at least a
full page (off topic) rant in reply...

My apologies to the group. I'll try to behave better in the future...  8-O

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#155260

FromMaria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com>
Date2026-08-24 20:42 +0200
Message-ID<116i39t$188f$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com>
In reply to#155255
AJL wrote:
>  I'll try to behave better in the future...

Good point. Very good point. My fault. Not yours. I apologize. 
I was too combative for once. :)
Let's drop it. Mea culpa.

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#155229

Fromlisa <not.in.use@home.invalid>
Date2026-08-23 20:40 +0200
Message-ID<95fm8lhrbb301li7s0g5uanun556qi2nk5@4ax.com>
In reply to#155224
On Sun, 23 Aug 2026 09:05:23 -0800, Maria Sophia
<mariasophia@comprehension.com> wrote:

>If someone listens to news and does NOT know the bias of that news, then
>it's just entertainment, and not news.

take china, russia or foxnews for example. Even if you know the bias
of the news, it's not entertainment, it's brainwashing.

>HINT: If you can tell what the announcer thinks, it's not news.

yeah, and you believe that evereone thinks so?

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#155299 — [OT] US news sources (was: Re: Many ad SDKs share locations)

FromNuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid>
Date2026-08-25 12:47 +0100
Subject[OT] US news sources (was: Re: Many ad SDKs share locations)
Message-ID<116jvc8$3l8e9$3@dont-email.me>
In reply to#155220
On 2026-08-23, Maria Sophia wrote:

> AJL wrote:
>>>I also require my news to be balanced, just like I am, which means Fox news
>>>is out of the question, as is MSNBC, or Al Jazeira for that matter.
>> 
>> I read them all...
>
> Ug. 
>
> Fox News is like listening to the Pope tell us the news,

There could be a use case for this: if Fox News reports something in a
certain way where you'd usually not expect them to, that could signal
that the proverbial shit is about to hit the fan in a more explosive way
than otherwise.

> while MSNBC is 
> like listening to a high-ranking Mormon bishop deliver a Sunday sermon on 
> social equity, and Al Jazeera is like listening to an embassy press 
> secretary reading a foreign policy brief translated through a state-run 
> filter.
>
> If you look at Ground News or any of the other balance checkers, they're so 
> unbalanced in terms of news as to be like being on an Apple Usenet
> ng. :)

Well, there's always "America's Finest News Source".

-- 
Nuno Silva

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#155430

FromAndy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
Date2026-08-31 17:29 +0100
Message-ID<nflocnFsv7pU1@mid.individual.net>
In reply to#155197
Maria Sophia wrote:

> I'd bet nobody but maybe Andy Burns on this newsgroup is
> aware of what Google is doing to make it ever harder to sideload apps.

Google call this "Advanced Flow" and it's intended to protect unwary 
users from being talked into installing unverified apps by scammers.  It 
is also linked to Google wanting more developers to be registered with them.

To enable side-loading now(?) or soon(?) they require you to turn on 
developer mode (acknowledging a warning in the process) then reboot your 
phone (to cut off any active phone call in the process) and go through a 
24 hour "cooling off period".

<https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/03/android-developer-verification.html>

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#155434

FromMaria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com>
Date2026-08-31 12:07 -0600
Message-ID<1174fsr$q1r$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com>
In reply to#155430
Andy Burns wrote:
>> I'd bet nobody but maybe Andy Burns on this newsgroup is
>> aware of what Google is doing to make it ever harder to sideload apps.
> 
> Google call this "Advanced Flow" and it's intended to protect unwary 
> users from being talked into installing unverified apps by scammers.  It 
> is also linked to Google wanting more developers to be registered with them.
> 
> To enable side-loading now(?) or soon(?) they require you to turn on 
> developer mode (acknowledging a warning in the process) then reboot your 
> phone (to cut off any active phone call in the process) and go through a 
> 24 hour "cooling off period".
> 
> <https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2026/03/android-developer-verification.html>

Hi Andy,

Thanks for adding that value as I wasn't aware of the process they're gonna
make us horrid people (we evil sideloaders, that is) do just to install the
very same app from the very same app repository that we've always used.

Luckily, apparently, "adb install com.package.apk" is grandfathered.
 <https://android.gadgethacks.com/news/google-android-sideloading-rules-2026-changes-explained>

Google appears to be following Apple's brilliant marketing which is to make
it miserable to impossible to load apps normally, & tell you it's for your
own good.

There is also something called "pairip" which is causing issues on the
groups that don't use the Google Play system, but I need to look it up.

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#155436

FromAndy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
Date2026-08-31 19:20 +0100
Message-ID<nflut1Ftup8U1@mid.individual.net>
In reply to#155434
Maria Sophia wrote:

> Google appears to be following Apple's brilliant marketing which is to make
> it miserable to impossible to load apps normally, & tell you it's for your
> own good.

But it doesn't seem to be the full "the sky is falling" that some were 
claiming/expecting several months ago ...

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#155443

FromMaria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com>
Date2026-08-31 19:15 -0600
Message-ID<11758uu$qv6$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com>
In reply to#155436
Andy Burns wrote:
>> Google appears to be following Apple's brilliant marketing which is to make
>> it miserable to impossible to load apps normally, & tell you it's for your
>> own good.
> 
> But it doesn't seem to be the full "the sky is falling" that some were 
> claiming/expecting several months ago ...

Actually, it's pretty bad for power users... 
 <https://i.postimg.cc/Zn1pWXM6/installernamesignin.jpg>

But maybe for "regular" users (who don't sideload), it's not the "sky is
falling" since they're using the Google Play Store app, but for those using
the alternative app store methods (including those that scrape the Google
Play Store repo), it's getting more and more doom and gloom, it seems.

Recently I updated Aurora (which is a Google Play Store replacement) and I
didn't know they had changed the defaults to automatically update all apps.

So it tried to update all my apps.

Unfortunately, I also had Shizuku enabled, so it actually automatically
updated all my thousand apps to the latest version, without asking me!

          ('cuz that's what Shizuku allows it to do)

So all of a sudden, a bunch of apps started asking me to log into the
Google Play Store, which, of course, I've never done & never will I do.

After debugging that "what the hell" moment, I had to "fix" those apps by
changing the underlying installerName metadata to com.android.vending.
 <https://i.postimg.cc/LXGtJhR1/shizushell-installer.jpg>

 *Installed APK from Aurora immediately asks to log into Google Play Store*
 <https://xdaforums.com/t/app-6-0-aurora-store-open-source-google-play-client.3739733/post-90608946>

I'm told "pairip" is really bad for people who like to load their own apps.
But I don't know anything about it yet, but I'm sure it will hit me hard.
-- 
Google figured out Apple's predatory marketing makes them tons of money!

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#155450

FromNuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid>
Date2026-09-01 10:34 +0100
Message-ID<117667p$1leom$2@dont-email.me>
In reply to#155436
On 2026-08-31, Andy Burns wrote:

> Maria Sophia wrote:
>
>> Google appears to be following Apple's brilliant marketing which is to make
>> it miserable to impossible to load apps normally, & tell you it's for your
>> own good.
>
> But it doesn't seem to be the full "the sky is falling" that some were
> claiming/expecting several months ago ...

It's well into the dark side and could easily be abused to make it even
more cumbersome or impossible.

I'd not be surprised if the result was a part of the userbase just not
installing Android updates, if that's even contained in a specific
android OS version...

-- 
Nuno Silva

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#155467

FromAndy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
Date2026-09-01 16:30 +0100
Message-ID<nfo9b8Fapn0U1@mid.individual.net>
In reply to#155450
Nuno Silva wrote:

> On 2026-08-31, Andy Burns wrote:
> >> it doesn't seem to be the full "the sky is falling" that some were
>> claiming/expecting several months ago ...
> 
> It's well into the dark side and could easily be abused to make it even
> more cumbersome or impossible.
> 
> I'd not be surprised if the result was a part of the userbase just not
> installing Android updates, if that's even contained in a specific
> android OS version...

What miniscule proportion of Android users do you think ever attempt to 
install apps from other than the google or manufacturer's app store?

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#155469

From"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid>
Date2026-09-01 18:03 +0200
Message-ID<2k9jmmxmop.ln2@Telcontar.valinor>
In reply to#155467
On 2026-09-01 17:30, Andy Burns wrote:
> Nuno Silva wrote:
> 
>> On 2026-08-31, Andy Burns wrote:
>> >> it doesn't seem to be the full "the sky is falling" that some were
>>> claiming/expecting several months ago ...
>>
>> It's well into the dark side and could easily be abused to make it even
>> more cumbersome or impossible.
>>
>> I'd not be surprised if the result was a part of the userbase just not
>> installing Android updates, if that's even contained in a specific
>> android OS version...
> 
> What miniscule proportion of Android users do you think ever attempt to 
> install apps from other than the google or manufacturer's app store?

I do, some times. I have things from F-droid.

-- 
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

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#155470

FromAndy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
Date2026-09-01 17:49 +0100
Message-ID<nfodv8Fbel0U1@mid.individual.net>
In reply to#155469
Carlos E.R. wrote:

> Andy Burns wrote:
>
>> What miniscule proportion of Android users do you think ever attempt 
>> to install apps from other than the google or manufacturer's app store?
> 
> I do, some times. I have things from F-droid.
Well yes, so do I, but people here aren't exactly typical android users.

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#155473

From"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid>
Date2026-09-01 19:12 +0200
Message-ID<6kdjmmxbq2.ln2@Telcontar.valinor>
In reply to#155470
On 2026-09-01 18:49, Andy Burns wrote:
> Carlos E.R. wrote:
> 
>> Andy Burns wrote:
>>
>>> What miniscule proportion of Android users do you think ever attempt 
>>> to install apps from other than the google or manufacturer's app store?
>>
>> I do, some times. I have things from F-droid.
> Well yes, so do I, but people here aren't exactly typical android users.


There are enough users that Google tries to stop them.


I am lazy enough to not do my own research, so I asked ChatGPT:

Q: Do you have an estimate of how many people use applications from F-droid?

Yes—but only approximately. F-Droid deliberately does not collect 
user/installation telemetry, so there isn't an authoritative “X million 
people use F-Droid” figure. F-Droid itself explicitly says it cannot 
accurately report its number of users.
F
F-Droid
+1

The best current clues are:

Over 18 million app downloads and updates in 2025. F-Droid reported this 
at the end of 2025, and notes that the figure is itself extrapolated 
because of its privacy-preserving infrastructure.
F
F-Droid
F-Droid's infrastructure sees millions of APK requests per month. An 
analysis of its May 2025 metrics, for example, found roughly 2.14 
million APK hits per month per front-end server, before accounting for 
mirrors.
F
F-Droid Forum
There are also many mirrors and third-party F-Droid-compatible 
clients/repositories, so F-Droid's own servers don't capture the whole 
ecosystem. F-Droid explicitly warns that server metrics therefore can't 
be converted straightforwardly into users.
F
F-Droid
For scale, the main F-Droid repository had 4,061 apps at the end of 2025.
F
F-Droid
My rough estimate

If by “people who use applications from F-Droid” you mean people who 
actively obtain/update apps through the F-Droid ecosystem, I'd put the 
order of magnitude at roughly:

~1–3 million active users worldwide, with perhaps several million if you 
count occasional/inactive users.

I would not regard that as a measured statistic—it's an inference from 
download activity, server metrics, and the fact that substantial 
activity happens through mirrors and alternative clients. The true 
number could plausibly be outside that range.

One useful sanity check is the 18 million annual downloads/updates: 
that's about 1.5 million per month. If an active user averages, say, 
5–15 F-Droid downloads/updates per month, that implies roughly 
100,000–300,000 highly active users on that particular metric alone. But 
because downloads are unevenly distributed, users update automatically, 
and the 18M figure has privacy-related estimation/mirror complications, 
it shouldn't be treated as a direct user count.

If you're asking because you're considering how large the potential 
audience is for an app distributed through F-Droid, I can give you a 
more useful estimate of monthly active F-Droid users, installs per app, 
and what percentage of Android users that represents, including 
historical trends.

F
F
Sources

-- 
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

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#155477

FromAndy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk>
Date2026-09-01 18:40 +0100
Message-ID<nfogtdFbu61U1@mid.individual.net>
In reply to#155473
"Carlos E.R." wrote:

> Andy Burns wrote:
>> Carlos E.R. wrote:
>
>>> I do, some times. I have things from F-droid.
>> Well yes, so do I, but people here aren't exactly typical android users.
> 
> There are enough users that Google tries to stop them.

They claim it's to prevent people being conned into installing
<hxxp://genuine-bank.com/not-a-scam-honest.apk>

That might be their spin, but if they'd wanted to, they could have made 
it much harder to sideload, but they haven't, and the message on their 
webpage is "sideloading is here to stay" ...



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#155479

From"Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid>
Date2026-09-01 20:05 +0200
Message-ID<gogjmmxned.ln2@Telcontar.valinor>
In reply to#155477
On 2026-09-01 19:40, Andy Burns wrote:
> "Carlos E.R." wrote:
> 
>> Andy Burns wrote:
>>> Carlos E.R. wrote:
>>
>>>> I do, some times. I have things from F-droid.
>>> Well yes, so do I, but people here aren't exactly typical android users.
>>
>> There are enough users that Google tries to stop them.
> 
> They claim it's to prevent people being conned into installing
> <hxxp://genuine-bank.com/not-a-scam-honest.apk>
> 
> That might be their spin, but if they'd wanted to, they could have made 
> it much harder to sideload, but they haven't, and the message on their 
> webpage is "sideloading is here to stay" ...

Well, you can see at the F-droid site that they are complaining because 
they are affected.

-- 
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

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#155486

FromMaria Sophia <mariasophia@comprehension.com>
Date2026-09-01 21:44 +0200
Message-ID<11779ug$2se9$1@nnrp.usenet.blueworldhosting.com>
In reply to#155479
Carlos E.R. wrote:
>> That might be their spin, but if they'd wanted to, they could have made 
>> it much harder to sideload, but they haven't, and the message on their 
>> webpage is "sideloading is here to stay" ...
> 
> Well, you can see at the F-droid site that they are complaining because 
> they are affected.

Google is following Apple's attack on sideloading, with *many* changes!
 <https://i.postimg.cc/kMjKPBNL/fluffy.jpg>

On the Aurora telegram group, almost everyone is affected, because Google
is using tricks that Andy doesn't seem to be aware of to prevent
sideloading, even now. 
 <https://i.postimg.cc/8CBfK5PK/playstore-signin.jpg>

Worse, as even Andy knows, Google is forcing developers to "register" with
them in a fashion that privacy-oriented app developers just will not stand.

So we're clearly going to lose apps (like NewPipe, for example) that
provide tons of useful value over the brain-dead YouTube app due to this
policy.

I love Andy, and I think Andy is one of the most valuable contributors to
the tribal knowledge of this newsgroup, but Andy seems to be basing his
assessments on only a single attribute of Google's anti-sideloading policy.

An example is I had an app update automatically (by mistake) and now it
won't run unless I dig into its metadata to change the installer name.

And I don't even understand how "pairip" will affect us going forward.
-- 
Google is slowly but surely attacking sideloading with many vectors.

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#155494

FromArno Welzel <usenet@arnowelzel.de>
Date2026-09-02 10:11 +0200
Message-ID<1178lo5$2jrbj$4@dont-email.me>
In reply to#155477
Andy Burns, 2026-09-01 19:40:

> "Carlos E.R." wrote:
> 
>> Andy Burns wrote:
>>> Carlos E.R. wrote:
>>
>>>> I do, some times. I have things from F-droid.
>>> Well yes, so do I, but people here aren't exactly typical android users.
>>
>> There are enough users that Google tries to stop them.
> 
> They claim it's to prevent people being conned into installing
> <hxxp://genuine-bank.com/not-a-scam-honest.apk>
> 
> That might be their spin, but if they'd wanted to, they could have made 
> it much harder to sideload, but they haven't, and the message on their 
> webpage is "sideloading is here to stay" ...

Yes, but only for developers for are willing to register their apps at
Google. Otherwise users can not sideload the apps any longer without
going thoough a quite lengthy process which takes 24 hours to complete,
before unregistered apps are accepted:

<https://keepandroidopen.org/>


-- 
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de

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#155493

FromArno Welzel <usenet@arnowelzel.de>
Date2026-09-02 10:08 +0200
Message-ID<1178lii$2jrbj$3@dont-email.me>
In reply to#155467
Andy Burns, 2026-09-01 17:30:

> Nuno Silva wrote:
> 
>> On 2026-08-31, Andy Burns wrote:
>>>> it doesn't seem to be the full "the sky is falling" that some were
>>> claiming/expecting several months ago ...
>>
>> It's well into the dark side and could easily be abused to make it even
>> more cumbersome or impossible.
>>
>> I'd not be surprised if the result was a part of the userbase just not
>> installing Android updates, if that's even contained in a specific
>> android OS version...
> 
> What miniscule proportion of Android users do you think ever attempt to 
> install apps from other than the google or manufacturer's app store?

More than you think. F-Droid (<https://f-droid.org>) is a very well
known alternative source and APKMirror (<https://www.apkmirror.com>) is
also known to "power users".


-- 
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de

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