Basically title. I waited on installing F droid for a long time because my phone threw many scary warnings when I tried a long time ago. But now I have it, and I got some fossify apps, but since there is no “Editor’s Picks” on F- droid I dont really know where to go from here.
What apps do you recommend I install first to remove my dependence on closed ecosystems?
What is my vulnerability surface ie, which sort of apps should I watch out for?
Are there any bad faith companies in the open source sphere?
What I have installed:
From Obtanium:
From FDroid (really droidify from various repositories)
The list is massive and I’m on mobile and hate tiny keyboards. I can finish the list later if you/y’all are interested. The only thing that I actively use that is not FOSS on my phone is Google Messages, which I guess is a bit hypocritical, but its too good. Just the ability to react to messages makes it worth it for me.
I also highly recommend Grayjay. It is the best (IMHO) YouTube replacement. It is cross service, like I have odysee, nebula, youtube, and various peertube instances added as sources.
As far as what apps to watch out for, someone mentioned Simple Mobile Tools. Otherwise, I would stay away from apps that are not being updated anymore or are otherwise way too old.
I have some things to add.
Most of the released fossify apps are on fdroid.
From f-droid I recommended:
Binary eye (QR and bar codes)
Fennec or Mull (Firefox without telemetry, Mull for privacy/security)
K-9 mail (email client, Thunderbird mobile)
Aurora store (google appstore without need for play services)
Innertune (better YT music)
OpenNoteScanner (scan paper docs to digitize)
Droidify (fdroid but more feature rich and user friendly)
How does OpenNoteScanner compare to the Microsoft Lens app?
Much less features. Does the job with simple orientation correction and post process filters for clearer text. Serviceable but incomparably.
I feel so sorry for recommending a closed source app in this community, but Genius Scan from Grizzly Labs is the only non-oss app I still use. I think I paid around €30 for the enterprise version so it doesn’t bother me with cloud nonsense.
It’s all local only (if you want) and the scanning quality is the best I’ve found. (I used OpenNoteScanner for a few months, sadly it’s not even close both in terms of quality and convenience)
I figured I’ll mention it as an alternative to MS Lens app that likely sucks in every bit of information it can get its hands on.
Thank you for recommending Innertune. Checking it out now.
How well would you say Libera Reader works? Do you have experience using it?
It works perfectly well. I find the ui bit clunky personally, but functionally it works very well. I don’t have much time to read anymore though, so I rarely use it to be honest.
Librera Reader is the best reader I have had the honour to try. I have been using Librera Reader for several years now, and I think it is safe to say I love the app. It is actively maintained, and new features are added continuously. There are plenty of settings to allow you to modify the user experience exactly to your liking. If you are considering reading any e-books or PDFs on your Android devices, give Librera Reader a try. It is a fantastic app.
I read a lot, and currently I read with calibre on my pc since I can highlight and export them directly so I can include them in my notes. I’d like it if I could run the calibre server and be able to higlight on my phone, and sync it over to my pc automatically.