3 ms·

Could you make the claim that F-Droid is actually safer than "Google Play Store" The plea Google makes against so-called "sideloading" always refers to "malwar

Could you make the claim that F-Droid is actually safer than "Google Play Store" The plea Google makes against so-called "sideloading" always refers to "malware" But how much malware has been distributed via F-Droid versus "Google Play Store" It could be that smaller, independent "app store" might be better managed than Google's

GreenVulpine 1y ago
Yes, software on F-droid is free and reviewed for anti-features before publishing. Google Play has the worst, ad ridden, dark pattern filled, data guzzling, subscription packed, commercial slop with no real oversight on what gets published. Malware frequently gets on the Play Store, never heard of it being a problem on F-Droid.
- throwaway48476 1y ago
  Google is a malware services company. They profit when malware OBS is the first search result when you search for OBS.
dlcarrier 1y ago
Google themselves have mentioned that about half of all malware is installed through their Play Store.
greatgib 1y ago
To me, the question is not even relevant. Whatever the quality of f-droid,each use should be free to decide if they want to use it or not without Google having a life or death choice on the app that you want to use.
marcprux 1y ago
> Could you make the claim that F-Droid is actually safer that "Google Play Store" That is essentially the assertion that we made in the prequel to this post (at https://f-droid.org/en/2025/09/29/google-developer-registration-decree.html https://f-droid.org/en/2025/09/29/google-developer-registrat...). > But how much malware has been distributed via F-Droid versus "Google Play Store" There's been only a single case of malware that we know of that has slipped into distribution on F-Droid (through a supply-chain attack on a transitive dependency), and it was caught within a day. So if we were feeling glib, we might have made the claim that "there is over 224 times as much malware on the Play Store than on F-Droid".
seany 1y ago
I don't even understand how this is an interesting or relevant point. "Can I install what I want on my service how and when I want" is the end of the conversation.
1vuio0pswjnm7 1y ago
Why would one make this claim Because Google is suggesting that "malware" is a motivation/reason/justification for their new "sideloading" policy It can be useful to show that Google's alleged justification is bogus
cyp0633 1y ago
The freedom of installing whatever you want indeed brings more opportunity to come across malware, but as long as you lose the freedom, it's up to Google to decide which apps are "safe", which are not. Google will be the only, sole source of apps, they control everything. It's not about immediate safety, it's about safety in the long run.

GreenVulpine 1y ago

Yes, software on F-droid is free and reviewed for anti-features before publishing. Google Play has the worst, ad ridden, dark pattern filled, data guzzling, subscription packed, commercial slop with no real oversight on what gets published. Malware frequently gets on the Play Store, never heard of it being a problem on F-Droid.

throwaway48476 1y ago
Google is a malware services company. They profit when malware OBS is the first search result when you search for OBS.

dlcarrier 1y ago

Google themselves have mentioned that about half of all malware is installed through their Play Store.

greatgib 1y ago

To me, the question is not even relevant. Whatever the quality of f-droid,each use should be free to decide if they want to use it or not without Google having a life or death choice on the app that you want to use.

marcprux 1y ago

> Could you make the claim that F-Droid is actually safer that "Google Play Store" That is essentially the assertion that we made in the prequel to this post (at https://f-droid.org/en/2025/09/29/google-developer-registration-decree.html https://f-droid.org/en/2025/09/29/google-developer-registrat...). > But how much malware has been distributed via F-Droid versus "Google Play Store" There's been only a single case of malware that we know of that has slipped into distribution on F-Droid (through a supply-chain attack on a transitive dependency), and it was caught within a day. So if we were feeling glib, we might have made the claim that "there is over 224 times as much malware on the Play Store than on F-Droid".

seany 1y ago

I don't even understand how this is an interesting or relevant point. "Can I install what I want on my service how and when I want" is the end of the conversation.

1vuio0pswjnm7 1y ago

Why would one make this claim Because Google is suggesting that "malware" is a motivation/reason/justification for their new "sideloading" policy It can be useful to show that Google's alleged justification is bogus

cyp0633 1y ago

The freedom of installing whatever you want indeed brings more opportunity to come across malware, but as long as you lose the freedom, it's up to Google to decide which apps are "safe", which are not. Google will be the only, sole source of apps, they control everything. It's not about immediate safety, it's about safety in the long run.