This. On Android, at least, there is https://f-droid.org.
I'm a fan of Simple Mobile Tools - https://www.simplemobiletools.com
Lots of great tools, designed to work with minimal permissions and no ads. (I have no connection, just been using their software for years.) Available in F-Droid.
Is the reason behind this request that you're looking for simple apps without any privacy breach?
If so, I strongly encourage you to use apps from https://www.simplemobiletools.com/ I'm not affiliated, simply a big fan of some of their apps.
Pro versions are free on F-Droid
If you want quality Android apps, check out my suite Simple Mobile Tools at https://www.simplemobiletools.com/ . None of them has internet access or ads, but if you want to get the latest upgrades, you need to get the Pro versions on Google Play. Or just get them on F-droid. They have tens of millions of downloads already, so no worries, it isn't just some school project.
All apps from Simple Mobile Tools are great. And they are FOSS (Free and Open Source). You don't need those companies.
• https://f-droid.org/search?q=Simple%20Mobile%20Tools
• https://play.google.com/store/apps/dev?id=9070296388022589266
I think he means just good functional apps. There's entire suites of apps like: https://www.simplemobiletools.com/ that can really enhance a user's experience. You can also sideload F-droid for a store that focuses on providing free and open source apps that a lot of times are as good as the paid ones. In fact there are sometimes even premium apps that the developer offers on F-droid.
Sure, the apps are available on F-droid too, for example the gallery is at https://f-droid.org/packages/com.simplemobiletools.gallery.pro . Just change the URL to get to other apps. All apps are the same as on F-droid, just Simple Gallery Pro has a more advanced photo/video editor on Google Play. Then you can optionally send some donation at https://www.simplemobiletools.com/donate
> switch all google apps to open source alternatives from F-droid appstore
Hey, I need a good alternative to Google Messages. The only alternative I tried (Simple SMS )didn't seem to work all the time (I don't know if Messages was intercepting SMS or what). Do you have any suggestions for good alternatives? I am looking to replace what I can. I am already using the KISS launcher and OSM+ (which is fucking dope btw). I am unable to root my phone so can't do anything crazy.
Thanks for the quick reply and explanation. I will add this in case someone else has the same problem. Some apps like Simple Contacts from Simple Apps will not let Sesame access the contacts. The solution as I wrote before, was to use a different Contact app like Google Contacts. Contact Search after doing this change is wprking as intended. Works fine on both Nova Search(with Sesame integration) and with Sesame Search.
Word of advice: Make a sticky thread in this subreddit with FAQs and common problems. Should help troubled folks and reduce the frequency of the same questions all over again. Anyways, thanks for the support. Cheers!
I use Gallery and Voice Recorder from Simple Mobile Tools. Available on GPlay and F-Droid. They do just what they say on the tin. No ads, tracking or bullshit. I've found their apps so worthwhile I purchased their Thank You app on GPlay.
no need to use Google Play, just donate at https://www.simplemobiletools.com/donate/ . F-droid versions are the same as the Google Play Pro versions, no need to unlock anything. The only difference is the galleries photo editor, which is better in the Google Play version. It isnt open source though so it cannot be added on f-droid.
Simple notes from https://www.simplemobiletools.com/ . no unnecessary permissions. It is a stand alone note taking app, which is also opensource.
The "simple notes" app is one of a whole suite of apps. All are opensource.
About the useful apps, I myself installed a bunch of those from SimpleMobileTools to replace the default apps for Contacts, SMS, Dialer, Calendar, File Manager, and Gallery. They also have some other useful apps: Notes, Camera, Voice Recorder, Music Player, Flashlight, Calculator, App Launcher.
For now I like them. They are open-sources (see below about Free/Pro), with no ads, require only the bare minimum permissions (e.g. most of them don't have Internet permission), and they all follow the same theming style with a choice between a dark or a light theme.
However the free versions of the major apps won't be updated anymore, so you would need to buy the Pro versions to get the latest features and updates. That's the cost for good quality apps! (open-source is "free as in speech", not necessarily "free as in beer")
I have only downloaded the free versions for now, and I'll see if they meet my requirements. If they do, I might go for the Pro versions, at least to thanks the devs for their work!
Note: I'm not endorsed or paid by SimpleMobileTools. Only a Hisense A5 Pro CC user looking for good replacements for the default chinese/trackered apps, and who does not want to go for GAFA apps.
I guess OP was trying to match the styling of those Simple apps on FDroid but the color is just bad. Maybe people see it differently but to me it looks like they tried to find the most horrendous shade
There are SimpleMobileTools apps for some of that https://www.simplemobiletools.com/You can download all of them in FDroid Store. You can also change the theme, logo color etc
All credit goes to /u/tibbbi You can check the other apps here https://www.simplemobiletools.com/ All the apps can be found on f-droid.
The dialer app is new. Just installed it on my phone and could set it as default. Works like a charm for those of us that just recently became preoccupied with their privacy and cannot install LineageOS.
from https://www.simplemobiletools.com/ , github or from the apps long descriptions. I plan remaking the main website too, the web buttons are too hard to see indeed. The webs have just been created, I will think of the rest later :)
between the collections of * https://www.simplemobiletools.com * https://secuso.aifb.kit.edu/english/105.php available in app store and open source https://f-droid.org repo, you should be pretty well covered.
tip: i use f-droid app (better search than site currently) as the starting point in my research on options.
Sure, these .apk files are the same ones you can purchase on Google Play. There is nothing left out whatsoever. You can then send some donation at https://www.simplemobiletools.com/donate/ for the apps, if you think so.
I don't think they use any services. Their apps are fully offline and well, anonymous.
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Here is their website: https://www.simplemobiletools.com/
Endless chasing? Just install an AOSP or other secure ROM. XDA has a huge community which will help if you have questions. Fdroid has a ton of privacy aware apps without junk. I've been using https://www.simplemobiletools.com/ a lot of my apps.
I would say a stock iphone is more private than a pixel. But that's not saying much.