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F-Droid: the open-source Android app store

Checked against the makers' own pages · Last reviewed October 15, 2026

What F-Droid is

F-Droid calls itself "the app distribution ecosystem for Android where your user freedom comes first." The app connects to F-Droid-compatible repositories (collections of apps); the default one, hosted at f-droid.org, "contains only bona fide libre software," according to F-Droid's package page.

F-Droid lists what the app does for you: update notifications, optional automatic updates, older and beta versions, filtering out apps that won't run on your phone, and checking "repo index signatures and APK hashes" (digital fingerprints that show a download wasn't altered).

F-Droid gives two reasons it isn't in Google Play: Google Play is proprietary software, and an app that competes with Google Play is against Google Play's terms. [1][2][6]

How to install F-Droid

1. On your phone, open f-droid.org and tap Download F-Droid (the file is F-Droid.apk). 2. Open the downloaded file. Android blocks apps from outside Google Play until you allow them: on Android 8.0 and newer, you allow the app you downloaded with (usually your browser) in the Install unknown apps setting; on Android 7.1.1 and older, you turn on Unknown sources in Settings > Security. 3. Install F-Droid, open it and let it update its app list.

F-Droid's package page notes that you can also download individual app files (APKs) from its website, but that "by installing that way you will not receive update notifications and it's a less secure way to download," so it recommends the F-Droid app.

To check that your F-Droid.apk is genuine, F-Droid publishes a signature file (F-Droid.apk.asc) and instructions for verifying it with GPG on a computer. The expected key fingerprint is 37D2 C987 89D8 3119 4839 4E3E 41E7 044E 1DBA 2E89.

Some phones come with F-Droid built in. If you use a phone that is not Google-certified, Google's developer verification does not apply (see below). [1][4][6][7][8][9]

How F-Droid builds, signs and labels apps

F-Droid says every package in its main repository "is built in a completely fresh isolated virtual machine environment," and that signing happens in a separate offline environment. It adds a caution: "this is a small community project which you are warned to use at your own risk," and you should still check the permissions an app asks for.

Because F-Droid usually signs apps with its own key, the F-Droid version of an app and the Google Play version can't be installed over each other. Some apps are "reproducible": F-Droid checks that its build matches the developer's and can ship the developer-signed file.

Anti-Features are warning labels for things "many users might not want to accept," such as Ads, Tracking, Non-Free Network Services (the app depends on a non-free online service) or Known Vulnerability. Apps marked Tracking are hidden by default; you can show them in the app's Anti-Features settings. [2][3][10][11]

What F-Droid 2.0 changed

F-Droid announced F-Droid 2.0 on Sept. 24, 2026, calling it "a complete redesign of the official F-Droid app and the largest app update in 10 years," rolling out "over the coming weeks." According to F-Droid:

• Navigation is now three areas: Discover, Search and My Apps.
• Search also covers app descriptions, categories and translations, with better Chinese, Japanese and Korean support.
• Many more categories, including 17 game genres, and combinable filters (for example, hide apps with an Anti-Feature).
• Updates are fetched and installed automatically by default; your existing settings are kept.
• A new installer asks for approval before the download on supported phones.
• The "Use Tor" setting moved to general proxy settings; F-Droid recommends Tor VPN for Tor support.

As of Oct. 15, 2026, F-Droid's package page lists version 2.0.2 (added Oct. 12, 2026) and marks it beta. [4][6]

F-Droid and Android developer verification

Google's developer verification program requires apps on Google-certified phones to come from developers registered with Google. It began on Sept. 30, 2026 for seven app stores in four countries and is planned worldwide for 2027. F-Droid is not one of the seven stores.

F-Droid opposes the program. In February 2026 it wrote that the requirement would apply "regardless of whether your software is distributed commercially ... or through a non-commercial community app repository like F-Droid," and said: "We unequivocally advise against signing up for this program, now or ever." It signed the open letter at keepandroidopen.org. In July 2026 F-Droid called Google's verifier service a "trojan horse" and said it did not yet know what would happen to F-Droid and F-Droid-installed apps in the first four countries.

Google's side: users "can continue to use any alternative app store," and apps from unverified developers can be installed after a one-time "advanced flow" with a 24-hour wait. Google's help page says non-certified devices and AOSP are exempt. The GrapheneOS project and /e/OS support staff say the program does not affect their systems. [5][9][12][13][14][15][16]

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