@@ 0,0 1,156 @@
+post_title: Open source and privacy friendly android apps I use and recommend
+---
+pub_date: 2022-07-17
+---
+_hidden: no
+---
+body:
+
+If, like me, you still haven't switched to a "true" GNU/Linux phone such as the
+[pinephone](https://www.pine64.org/pinephone/) or the
+[Librem 5](https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/),
+chances are you are running android, i.e., Google/Linux.
+
+# An OS: LineageOS
+
+To expand the phone lifetime and avoid feeding the data giants,
+I recommend using [LineageOS](https://wiki.lineageos.org/),
+a custom ROM (ie an OS)
+without your phone manufacturer's and google's spying bloat.
+
+If your phone is in [this list](https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/),
+installation should be *pretty* straightforward.
+If you couldn't find your phone there, don't panic!
+You may find a version of LineageOS for your device anyway by
+searching through the [XDA-dev forum](https://forum.xda-developers.com/).
+It feels a bit weird to download a binary from an online forum, but this seems
+to be OK in the Android world.
+Anyway, I did it for my Xiaomi Redmi Note 4,
+which is not officially supported by LineageOS anymore, and I am very happy with it.
+
+Now, even if you don't install a custom ROM,
+I recommend using the following apps:
+
+# The ultimate list
+
+## F-Droid
+
+This is where the organic apps are.
+
+There is absolutely no valid reason not to install F-Droid on your phone.
+It is a repository of open source applications, i.e., an alternative to the
+play store, where (most) apps are user-focused instead of personal-data-collecting focused.
+Just install this [APK](https://f-droid.org/F-Droid.apk), and
+avoid using the google play store at all costs!
+
+The app search engine included in fdroid is notoriously bad.
+So here's my curated list of recommended apps
+(and use your search engine to find other apps unless you know the name of the app
+you are looking for on F-Droid).
+
+## Communications
+
+Main use of a phone, right? It used to be, at least.
+
+- [FairEmail](https://email.faircode.eu/) for... well, emails.
+- [QKSMS](https://github.com/moezbhatti/qksms): I am sure you guessed what it does.
+ LineageOS's builtin SMS app is also good, but this one a little more
+ feature rich.
+- [Conversations](https://conversations.im/) or [Quicksy](https://quicksy.im/) are alternatives to whatsapp,
+ telegram and co. Both are user-friendly XMPP clients. The only difference between them is that Quicksy
+ implements a "your phone number is your username and I'll try to find your contacts using your address book "
+ thing that seems to be very popular among non-tech users for some reason.
+ By using bridges ([spectrum2](https://spectrum.im), [slidge](https://slidge.im], [aria-net](https://aria-net.org),
+ [biboumi](https://doc.biboumi.louiz.org/)...), your thin XMPP client can communicate with
+ Signal, Telegram, IRC, Matrix, Facebook Messenger, Skype…
+
+## Calendar and contacts
+
+- [Etar](https://github.com/Etar-Group/Etar-Calendar):
+ a calendar app that does not phone home to google every time you do something
+ (if you installed LineageOS, you probably don't need it).
+ Nore more forgetting going to your revolutionary anarchist meetings!
+- [DAVx5](https://www.davx5.com/): to use your own "cloud sync agenda and contacts" instead of
+ Google's. Note that you need to choose your contacts and/or agenda provider.
+ I personally rolled up my own [radicale](https://radicale.org) instance,
+ but there are some hosted alternative out there.
+ Contact me if you want an account on my radicale instance.
+- [ICSx5](https://icsx5.bitfire.at/): to subscribe to some read-only calendars only available as
+ ICS (I am looking at you, office 365).
+
+## Content consumption (sic)
+
+- [Fennec](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.mozilla.fennec_fdroid/): basically firefox,
+ but on fdroid. Automatically bundles [ublock origin](https://ublockorigin.com/),
+ which makes browsing the mainstream web almost sufferable. Combined with firefox on desktop
+ and using a Firefox Sync, you'll have bookmarks, history and passwords synchronized.
+- [Antennapod](https://antennapod.org/): great podcast client with discovery from different sources.
+ The large majority of podcasts still use an open format, usable by a lot of different apps.
+ Enjoy while it lasts!
+- [Feeder](https://f-droid.org/packages/com.nononsenseapps.feeder/): A RSS client.
+ It provides a simple way to get updates from blogs and websites you like.
+ RSS used to be a lot more popular a few years ago than it is today,
+ but the indie web has not given up on it yet (and why should it?).
+- [Materialistic](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/io.github.hidroh.materialistic/):
+ A simple frontend for [hacker news](https://news.ycombinator.com/), the best "social network" out there,
+ (for computers nerds mostly, but if you like maths/science, you might like it too).
+- [NewPipe](https://newpipe.net): Alternative to the youtube app.
+ Will remove ads, allow you to play audio while the screen phone is sleeping.
+ It is worth adding their own [repo](https://newpipe.net/FAQ/tutorials/install-add-fdroid-repo/) to F-droid,
+ since the latest version is often required and fdroid has a sloooow update process (related to their very limited resources
+ and the volunteer nature of their work).
+- [RedReader](https://f-droid.org/packages/org.quantumbadger.redreader/): A text oriented app for reddit for your doomscrolling needs.
+ If you find a little too monotone and old-looking, you probably will enjoy [Slide](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/me.ccrama.redditslide/) more.
+- [Wikipedia](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.wikipedia/): it is not strictly necessary to use their app to view wikipedia,
+ but I very much enjoy the dark mode it provides.
+- [Wallabag](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/fr.gaulupeau.apps.InThePoche/): A "save to read it later" app. Requires an account on a wallabag server instance.
+ For now, subscriptions to [my instance](https://wallabag.nicoco.fr) are opened, so go ahead if you wish.
+
+The following apps require you to either set up your own jellyfin instance (a media server),
+or to have a nerdy pirate friend grant you access to theirs.
+
+- [Jellyfin](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.jellyfin.mobile/):
+ The main client, full-featured client
+- [Gelli](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.dkanada.gramophone/):
+ A lighter client focused on music
+
+If you use [Kodi](https://kodi.tv/), its [remote control app](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.xbmc.kore/)
+can also be handy
+
+## Maps
+
+- [Organic maps](https://organicmaps.app/): drop-in replacement for google maps.
+ You won't get the reviews for the places you want to visit, so you might miss shops that
+ buy [fake 5-start reviews](https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffab&q=buy+reviews+on+google&ia=web)…
+- [Transportr](https://transportr.app/): works in most places I have visited. The kind of
+ no-bullshit software I love. Type where you want to go, see the possible public transport
+ options. That's it.
+- [OsmAnd~](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/net.osmand.plus/): Uses a different rendering
+ technique than most map apps, which makes it easier to customize the looks of the maps
+ you are looking at. Very feature-rich. Contributing to [open street map](https://www.openstreetmap.org/)
+ is possible direcly in the app. It is quite resource-heavy though, so I tend to prefer
+ organic maps.
+
+## Misc
+
+- [Syncthing](https://syncthing.net/): A general purpose multi device file synchronization app.
+ Unlike dropbox, google drive and the like, this does not use a "cloud"-based drive, but
+ rather relies on direct communication between devices. I use it to sync my phone's
+ pictures to my desktop computer.
+- [Fitotrack](https://codeberg.org/jannis/FitoTrack): There are a lot of options for
+ privacy-friendly sports tracking apps on F-Droids, but I settled on this one.
+- [Aurora Store](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.aurora.store/): OK it might happen that you
+ actually want an app that is only available on the play store (boooooooo). In this case,
+ aurora store got you covered!
+- [Moneybuster](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/net.eneiluj.moneybuster/). A "shared budget manager",
+ the app you need to keep track of who paid what during your week-end with your friends.
+ Allows remote sync to [#!money](https://ihatemoney.org/) so that everyone has access to the
+ same data.
+- [KDEConnect](https://kdeconnect.kde.org/): Thanks to this, I can write SMSs from my desktop
+ computer. No more using this lilliputian keyboard when I'm home. Has a ton of other features
+ for phone<->phone and computer<->phone interactions.
+- [Shopping list](https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.woefe.shoppinglist/): very basic
+ shopping checklist app that uses plain text files. I use syncthing to keep its data folder
+ in sync with my SO's phone.
+
+Pfffew that took longer to write than I thought!