this post was submitted on 04 Dec 2023
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Since simple mobile tools will soon become a spyware and I use 3 of their apps regularly, yesterday I installed F-Droid after reading many Lemmy recommendations.

Wow, I'm pleasantly surprised.

A new app I've tested is Spotube (Spotify open source alternative; edit: apparently it uses Spotify metadata but it streams from YouTube. My bad.).

Any other underrated app y'all recommend?

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[–] x2XS2L0U@feddit.de 86 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Some of them are not underrated, but I'd just share my favorites...

  • AntennaPod for podcasts.
  • Aurora Store if you need some Google apps to be updated.
  • Binary Eye is a nice and slim qr code scanner and generator.
  • CriticalMaps is a good tool if you're into critical mass events.
  • GadgetBridge can be a companion app for your smartwatch (if you have the right one).
  • GPS logger just logs your position in an interval you can set. I use it to track my movement in 30min bits.
  • GymRoutines is a privacy friendly gym exercise app with a database of your progress.
  • K9 mail (soon to be rebranded as Thunderbird mobile) is a powerful mail app.
  • KeePassDX is an android password manager compatible with keepass files.
  • LibreTorrent is a nice way to torrent your favorite linux distros while on the go.
  • Location Map Viewer I use with the gpx files I get from GPS logger to visualize my movements.
  • mpv just plays a lot of media without being a bloated thing like vlc. I use mpv for videos, vlc for music.
  • NewPipeSponsorblock is available in a custom repo only.
  • Ning is a nice way to get an overview over a local network.
  • OpenTracks can be used in combination with GadgetBridge to record your sports with gps.
  • OSMand gives you a frontend for using openstreetmap with offline maps, navigation and more.
  • PDF Doc Scan is my way to digitalize important letters as a pdf on the go.
  • StreetComplete is a gamificated way to fill in missing things in openstreetmap. it's fun.
  • Syncthing-Fork (important to use the fork) is a file sync tool I use to backup a lot of my phones folders to a pc.
  • Tusky is my favorite way to browse mastodon.
  • VLC is a powerful media player (I then use only to shuffle through my mp3s).
[–] otter@lemmy.ca 26 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

This is such a great list, saving and installing a few!

Adding on (and likely seconding a few):

  • 2048: game
  • Aegis: for 2Fa stuff
  • AntennaPod: second this one
  • AnkiDroid: Flashcards, the Anki project is huge and extends way past android. Worth exploring if you want/need to memorize things
  • Droid-ify: Fdroid client I use, but I keep the main app installed too
  • Eat Poop You Cat: game to be played in a group
  • Feeder: for RSS
  • FFShare: for compressing photos/videos before sharing
  • FlorisBoard: The keybaord I liked, although I don't use it full time
  • GPTAssist: Frontend for chatGPT
  • Material Files: File manager
  • Native Alpha: Have websites run like apps, while isolating each site
  • OpenFoodFacts: A bit buggy, but it's similar to OSM but for food
  • RetroStack: Another game
  • SDMaid SE: Same dev from the popular playstore one, is rebuilding a better one from scratch, AND it's now FOSS
  • SkyMap:
  • Survival manual
  • Termux
  • Translate You
  • UntrackMe: To redirect Tiktok/Twitter/Pinterest/etc. links to the frontends
  • URLCheck: Highly recommend getting this one to clean trackers from links
  • Unitto: Calculator of choice. I explored a bunch before settling on this one

For OSM specifically, I second the ones mentioned. Here are some other OSM related things: https://lemmy.ca/post/6586265

[–] Nunya@lemdro.id 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thanks for the recommendations, especially URLCheck. I already had FDroid and have been trying to figure out an easy way to clean tracking URLs.

[–] otter@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago

Glad to help! It works really nicely

[–] otter@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 year ago

Formatting, please 😅

[–] BenGFHC@kbin.social 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Why is it important to use the fork of syncthing?

[–] DeltaTangoLima@reddrefuge.com 9 points 1 year ago

The dev said a couple of weeks ago that they're planning on closing their Google Play Developer account, so using the fork means you'll be able to keep up with new releases from that point.

[–] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago

I use it because it moves a lot of settings into the sync jobs.

So now I can set individual sync jobs to only run on my home wifi and ac power, and other sync jobs (like my photos) to sync over any network and any power state.

[–] Chicagoz@lemm.ee 13 points 1 year ago

Interesting list. Antennapod is an excellent podcast app - use it every day. I've never found VLC to be bloated though. And am curious about the SyncThing fork vs. regular SyncThing.

[–] toothpaste_sandwich@feddit.nl 5 points 1 year ago

I do love OSMand, it is easily the app I have used and depended on the most in the past ten-ish years.

[–] alphacyberranger@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Thanks for this list.

[–] sabreW4K3@lemmy.tf 2 points 1 year ago

I didn't know about the SyncThing Fork.

[–] Moneo@lemmy.world 25 points 1 year ago (2 children)

A new app I’ve tested is Spotube (Spotify open source alternative).

This is super misleading. Spotube isn't a Spotify alternative, it uses Spotify metadata and streams the audio from youtube.

[–] GutsBerserk@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Edited. Thanks for the correction.

[–] Moneo@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Thank you! They advertise it pretty confusingly, I didn't figure it out until I saw a reddit post explaining.

[–] ammonium@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Really? How does it do that? Not everything on Spotify is on YT is it.

Edit: https://github.com/KRTirtho/spotube/issues/835

Hmm, I think this is a bit deceiving from the developer. I have premium but just want an Android client which doesn't force podcasts on me :(

[–] RTRedreovic@feddit.ch 14 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Can you elucidate more on «Simple mobile tools will soon become a spyware.» I use a few of their apps available on F-Droid.

For Spotify, you can try ViMusic.

[–] sunnie@sopuli.xyz 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)
[–] lascapi@jlai.lu 10 points 1 year ago

Looks bad for privacy.... 😞

[–] RTRedreovic@feddit.ch 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thanks. That appears to be quite an unfortunate turn of events. I just deleted and replaced the apps w/ alternatives I already have in my personal list.

[–] illi@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Any recommendation on alternative for notes? Preferably something where I can import backup from Simple Notes?

[–] Scrollone@feddit.it 2 points 1 year ago

There's a new maintainer, search for FossifyX on GitHub. They plan to keep supporting the open-source versions of all the Simple Mobile Tools apps.

[–] RTRedreovic@feddit.ch 1 points 1 year ago

I am not sure if it supports importing from Simple Notes specifically but I use Notesnook. Needs an account however.

[–] Endorkend@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago

An Israeli firm bought them.

[–] Pantherina@feddit.de 13 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Aaand now uninstall it again and try F-Droid Basic. Its the version of F-Droid using modern libraries, which is way more secure. Featurewise that means modern apps have automatic updates

Annoying but thats why I always recommend to install that APK instead. You can just install it from F-Droid.

I tried all other F-Droid clients and they all have some bugs. G-Droid is discontinued but had an awesome rating system, Neostore has cool features but seemed buggy, Droid-ify is just fancy and has many repos preinstalled (but deactivated).

The lack of 3rd party repos being already in the menu with just a click away is the only problem with the official clients.

[–] DeltaTangoLima@reddrefuge.com 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I switched to Obtainium some time back, and ended up uninstalling all F-droid clients altogether.

[–] Pantherina@feddit.de 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah no way. I found it nearly unusable, and many great apps are only on F-Droid

[–] DeltaTangoLima@reddrefuge.com 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Lol - I found it far from unusable, but no worries. Obtainium also supports F-droid apps, so I get the best of both worlds.

[–] Sanyanov@lemmy.world 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Eternity as a Lemmy client

Mastodon official app

Official version of Telegram without Google bloat

NewPipe all the way

Canta

InviZible Pro

Organic Maps - FOSS Navigation!

OpenBoard (keyboards are underrated)

Rethink: DNS+Firewall

URLCheck as a useful way to check links before actually going there

Unciv - FOSS Civilization-like game

[–] deweydecibel@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I'm still routinely amazed Unciv is allowed to continue to exist, and that it's becoming so increasingly polished. It's not a perfect recreation of Civ 5, it probably never truly can be in terms of hardware limitations, but it's incredible just how damn close they've managed to get it.

It's also exceedingly dangerous for me, as someone who struggles with ADHD, to have Civ 5 on my phone. It has caused more than a few >30 minute bathroom breaks.

That said, I kinda wish the dev wouldn't push version updates for every single little thing. I can go weeks without most F-Droid apps needing to update, but I seem to get a notification to update Unciv like every 2 days.

[–] Azzu@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago

If you get Fdroid basic or I think droidify you get auto updates without notifications. This is more of an app store issue than one with the unciv releases.

[–] WeLoveCastingSpellz@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

droidify iw the fdroid client I prefer

[–] uis@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Newpipe, OMaps, Jerboa, VLC, zxing/barcode reader.

Newpipe also acts as a client of peertube and soundcloud.

[–] shrugal@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Droid-ify: Same functionality as F-Droid, same repos etc, but with a much nicer UI.

Xtra: Alternative client for Twitch with support for blocking ads.

LibreTube: Native Android client for the alternative YT frontend Piped.

[–] Drinvictus@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 1 year ago

Tachiyomi is a great manga and comic book reader Glider is a client for Hackernews ReadYou is my favorite RSS reader Xtra is a twitch viewer

[–] 1984@lemmy.today 6 points 1 year ago
[–] Endorkend@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

First app I installed with fdroid is Yet another Call Blocker and it's the one app I haven't swapped out for an alternative yet.

[–] Matth78@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Agree with all suggestions. I didn't see any image viewer so my recommendation for that is to use Aves.

get neostore too (front end for f droid)

[–] RatzChatsubo@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Are there any alternative repos I'm missing out on guys? I just took everyones advice and started using f-droid lite. Noticed you can add repos so I'm curious

[–] yessikg@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 year ago

Lato (downhill snowboarding game, a little rough around the edges but fun)

Rabbit Escape (a game similar to Lemmings)

[–] winter@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 year ago

AntennaPod for podcasts KeepassDX for a password manager LibreTorrent

And remember to donate the developers :)

[–] neonred@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Foxy Droid: alternative F-Droid-Client but with the classic and for me much more accessible UI of the old F-Droid-Client. Uses the exact same repos. Can be downloaded using the normal F-Droid-Client, which then can be uninstalled

[–] neonred@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I've just seen Droid-ify is a fork or at least pretty similar to Foxy Droid, so I'd recommend that, too