What are some useful apps that are only found on F-Droid?

Termux cos the Google Play version is depreciated since Android 10.

Dimmer, Newpipe, Vimusic, Xtra, Aurora Store, Yet another call blocker

Xtra the only way I can watch Twitch on my Firestick. Fuckin Twitch ads are ridiculous.
- Check out "S0und". It's pretty good too
- Same with youtube. Newpipe is a must nowdays. From desktop I use freetubeapp.io
- Xtra works with the firestick? Will have to try that. Only found smarttubenext to be good on firestick and stremio
I have been using Phone app from Google mainly because it has a spam detection and blocker feature are you telling me that I can replace it with Yet another call blocker or how exactly would I make it work?
- Yes you can!
  
  As you can see, in newer android versions the spam filter app for calls it's separate from the phone app.
  
  Try using Yet another call blockee + simple dialer (I recommend the entire simple mobile suite actually). If you're not satisfied you can always go back (contacts are stored in your SIM or on your phone, deleting or changing the dialer app does not make your contacts disappear)
Thanks for dimmer didn't know it
- It changed my life, I love it
I wouldn't call Aurora F-Droid only, expecially when the project's site lists a few different, non F-Droid ways to obtain the APK.
Xtra is on the play store. At least it was
- I wouldn't trust that. Play store is filled with ripoffs of foss apps with lots of ads and god only knows what. Also xtra blocks ads, which is a big no-no on the play store.
  
  Only download from the sources listed on the app's github/gitlab page https://github.com/crackededed/Xtra
  
  Spoiler: only from F-Droid

Droid-ify it's, a better F-Droid client

Did you try Neo Store?
- Neo feel more complicated for me, so I stick with Droid-ify

Adaway is an open source ad blocker for Android using the hosts file.

FYI you don't need apps that pretend to be a VPN to block ads anymore, you can just go to Settings > Network and Internet > Private DNS and set it to something like dns.adguard.com to block almost all ads, no install required!
- I afraid the UK isps Virgin, three and Sky have blocked me completely from trying to browse anything at all if I try to enable this setting at all.
  
  IF I enable it on any of them I have no Internet at all. Sucks but in the UK it's basically turning off you're Internet. I still have an older version of blokada working but when it updates it kills my Internet like the rest of them so I'm constantly fighting that.
- something like dns.adguard.com
  
  What other options are there?
- what about apps that detect adblockers, will this bypass them or do they just not let you view their content?
is it better than blokada?
- Blokada is a VPN based adblocker, but Adaway can work as a hosts file based blocker, if the phone is rooted. Hosts file based blocking uses zero cpu cycles, as it's a feature of the network stack, it's just a file containing list of addresses to redirect, so it should use less battery than blokada. By default on all OSes this hosts file is not editable by regular users, that's why you need root. Wikipedia article about hosts file
Isn't it also available on the Play Store?
- Google killed VPN-based adblockers on the play store.
  
  Can't say whether this is true or not, I've stopped using google play long ago
- No.

I use an app called Seal. You could think of it as a fronted for youtubedl. The interface is really beautiful and you can download videos from many different websites.

Another one is ViMusic, this is just an app that streams songs from YouTube music without any ads. edit: fixed spelling of vimusic

There's also a similiar alternative to Seal called YTDLnis.
- That is cool.
Love Vimusic! For people that don't like the interface, there's also Innertune which works very similarly to Vimusic. Haven't needed Spotify since 😁
Just in case, NewPipe is a super complete YouTube player without ads (and there is a fork also without sponsor sections). It can also view comments of the videos and it can keep your own subscribed videos feed, all without using a YouTube account. You can also download them, and play the audio only, also in the background. All in all, my complete YouTube replacement.
Thank you for showing me ViMusic.

TrackerControl full version

TrackerControl is an Android app that allows users to monitor and control the widespread, ongoing, hidden data collection in mobile apps about user behaviour (‘tracking’).

https://trackercontrol.org/

This is amazing, thank you
- welcome to the rabbit hole lol
This looks very similar to what's built into DuckDuckGo, "App Tracking Protection", at least on Android.

Fennec, Termux, NewPipe, LiberaReader, NeoStore

Not that it's only on Fdroid, but DAVx5 is free on Fdroid and $10 on Play.

I always looked at this form of app monetization as "You are tech savvy enough to know the risks of trusting a 3rd party app store therefore we will not charge you" type of tax haha
Simple Gallery Pro and OsmAnd+ both follow this methodology as well.
- Fedilab as well

F-droid is great. But I wish f-droid had some kind of rating system so that I could use it more.

NewPipe

Simple calendar

Simple gallery

SD Maid

KeePassDX

MuPDF mini

Open contacts

OsmAnd~

Slight backup

VLC

Jerboa

F-droid

ps: how do you make a list on Jerboa/lemmy?

It's markdown format, starting a line with - will show a bullet point
I second the wish for a ratings system!
But I wish f-droid had some kind of rating system so that I could use it more.

Either that, or at least a download count so that I could tell which apps were most popular. (I tend to trust popularity more than ratings as a proxy for quality anyway.)

Native Alpha.

Save web apps, into one application, with extra privacy settings (like javascript blocking)

Link? I haven't been able to find it by searching.
- https://apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/
  
  Add this to your repository list in settings
  
  From https://github.com/cylonid/NativeAlphaForAndroid
I like this but I found Hermit is better (and on Google Play)

For those that use the Signal messenger, Langis is just Signal without Google Play services.

Session is Signal with no phone number required.

https://github.com/oxen-io/session-android
- Any reason to use it over matrix/element?
I use Element with my self hosted signal bridge. Works nice as well

NewPipe, Noto, Mucke, QKMS, OSMAnd, Mull

I also use Noto, great journaling app.

Netguard. There is a Google Play version, but it cannot do system-wide adblocking.

Do you mean to block system apps' internet access?

Settings ->Advanced options ->Toggle "Manage system apps"
- No, what I mean is under
  
  Settings -> Advanced options -> Toggle "Filter traffic"
  
  And the related settings:
  
  Settings -> Backup -> Hosts file download URL
  
  and
  
  Settings -> Backup -> Download hosts file
Try RethinkDNS. You can specify blocklists at DNS level, so you don't even need the app if you don't need the other stuff.
- You mean, like TrackerControl? You still need special settings to block your own phone system apps from reaching their Samsung, etc tracking addresses. Like, how do you block Samsung keyboard from sending all their tracking data otherwise? These apps have limited versions in the Play store that won't block system apps.

Kvaesitso, a really great and elegant launcher for Android.

MinCal Widget nice tiny calendar widget

Seal, handsome video downloader

Kvaesitso ia great, but I keep coming back to Kiss. Having your most used/history apps easily accessible from bottom to top (instead of being only at the top of the apps folder) is so convenient and easier accessible. You don't have to move your hands to the top of the phone.

Edit: I missed a specific setting that allows you to have the search page reversed (bottom to top), so favorites and most used are at the bottom. It's definitely better, but I still fall back to Kiss.
- KISS is nice but to my taste Kvaesitso is more polished and I enjoy the way it handles widgets as a page you slide up very quickly.
Seal is awesome!

Not sure if it's only on F-droid, but I've switched from G-board to Open-board. It's a virtual keyboard app that has many "extra" features compared to Simple board. There's autocorrect, swipe to complete, and a clipboard visualizer. I'm trying to figure out if I can add entries to the dictionary so it suggests some words I use often instead of others tho.

So, I tried it but I'm totally addicted to swiping when writing. This one is sadly missing this feature..
- OpenBoard has actually a working swipe-typing implementation that catches most of my typing incredibly well (and which is incredibly infuriating at the moment to correct when it doesn't... You'll get it when you use it). You need to use this other fork: Openboard
- AnySoftKeyboard has swiping, though it's not quite as good as commercial offerings at that.
- That is true. I found swipe to type convenient, but never necessary personally so it wasn't a feature i thought to mention 😅
Do you have a link to Open-board? Can find it neither in f-droid nor in Google play.
- There's just no dash, Openboard 😊
This looks interesting, but is it still being updated? It seems like almost 1 full year since last update.
I'm using the AnySoft keyboard, but I'll give openboard a try.

Dimmer: screen dimmer
Insular: isolate sketchy apps.
Xtra: twitch with bttv
Florisboard: non big brother keyboard
Superfrezz: kill background apps

Holy, dimmer is the best lol

Sleep timer: stops media when the timer runs out.

https://f-droid.org/en/packages/fr.smarquis.sleeptimer/

Minetest + mineclone2 = FOSS legally distinct minecraft

I used to use it for Bromite since then I've used it for Mull Browser and Antennapod.

That said I've never found the main app very useful I use foxy droid to browse and update those apps

SD Maid FOSS Edition

DNS66 is an amazing adblocker

LibreTube is the best youtube client out there

Many apps that are on F-Droid are also on Google Play, but there are exceptions. Gadgetbridge (smart watch connection app) warns that the Google Play version is unofficial and unaffiliated. An unofficial app might be upstream compiled without modifications, but this opens users to potential supply chain attacks from the uploader and Google.

Tachiyomi, but honestly I mostly use Neko which is a fork of TachiyomiJ2K which is a fork of Tachiyomi. Both aren't on Fdroid but at least they are completely FOSS.

It's the best Manga reader out there and it supports basically every Manga website out there and more.