One of the great advantages of Android versus iOS is the greater freedom it offers both users and developers. Google’s mobile operating system derives from a project published as open source, Android Open Source Project (AOSP), which can be forked and modified, which opens the door to known ROMs and to reimplementations that try to move away from Android services. Google.
Thanks to that greater freedom that Android confers, it is possible to obtain the applications from other sources than the Google Play Store. However, what at first may seem like an advantage for the user is actually a double-edged sword, since, like Windows, you have to be careful about the sources you use to get the applications. The potential risks of getting unofficial media apps are one of the reasons for Apple’s stance against sideloading and third-party stores, but pressure from the public and from regulatory and government bodies is forcing the apple giant to bite to reconsider its position, and not only when it comes to stores.
Getting software from the source the user wants isn’t an advantage in every sense, but it doesn’t make a good thing for a company like Apple to end up amassing so much power. Going back to Android, the first question that a newbie to these issues might ask would be the following: Is there life beyond the Play Store? The answer is yes and quite, so we are going to take the opportunity to mention four repositories from which you can download APK files. It is likely that we will not mention anything here that many users do not know, but it is precisely the best-known media that in theory should have more eyes on them and therefore more supervision to offer confidence.
APKMirror
APKMirror is owned by Android Police, a well-known website among those who follow Android news, which reinforces the trust one can have in this repository.
Obviously, the fact that its origin is a well-known news portal does not make APKMirror trustworthy in itself, so those responsible have taken care of implement policies that consist of verifying the APK files that are uploaded before their publicationthe use of cryptographic signatures to ensure the legitimacy of updates, and the fact that new apps are checked against others from the same developer to verify their legitimacy.
APKMirror allows you to obtain previous versions of applications and see their information extracted from the Play Store, so those obtained through the repository can be updated with the Google store.
Aptoide
Aptoide is another old acquaintance of Android APK installer downloads that has among its numbers the fact of having more than 200 million users and having supplied more than 6,000 million downloads. The repository managers have decided adopt blockchain technology (blockchain) and cryptocurrencies, so it uses its own, called AppCoinswhich allows developers to increase their revenue share, among other uses.
However, not everything is gold that glitters, since Aptoide allows users to manage their own stores and therefore allows modded APKs on its platform. Although they are indicated, that does not mean that the user must be careful with what they download.
APKPure
And another popular option to download installers or apps in APK format. APKPure, like APKMirror, implements rigorous security policies to guarantee as much as possible that the files are safe and reliable.
As a security measure, APKPure check the legitimacy of all apps before publishing by using SHA1 to make sure the certificate is secure. The cryptographic signatures for new versions of the applications must match those previously published and in the case of new applications it is compared with other software from the same developer. If the checks cast doubts, the APK file is not published.
Among its characteristics are the absence of modified APK files, lists of previous releases of the applications, and it has an application that must be installed by sideloading, that is, downloading the APK file and installing it as if it were software for Windows. , although in Android you must first allow the installation of applications from third-party sources.
f droid
F-Droid is one of the best-known Play Store alternatives out there and stands out for only providing apps that are published as open source. In fact, those responsible say they have verbatim “a catalog of free software applications for Android”, so it probably fits well for those users who prefer to have a more stallamanian experience with their smartphone, although for that it would be preferable to change the stock operating system for a less atrophied ROM at the level of questionable components.
In addition to the store application, F-Droid also allows you to download and install APK files, something that in your case is almost mandatory if we see that the free software movement has always been closely linked to the freedom of the user, although officially only it covers the availability of the source code under the conditions that we exposed in its day.
And in extreme cases, you can always keep the Play Store
Despite the fact that Android is characterized by giving more freedom to the user, the Play Store continues to be the reference store. On the other hand, third-party stores are not official resources, so 100% security around them is never guaranteed even though the Play Store is not free of sin. However, the fact that it is from the same company that develops and promotes the operating system may be an incentive to use it to the detriment of any alternative.
Conclusion
Android is not perfect in terms of freedom for users, especially since the implementations served by almost all mobile manufacturers are tied to Google services and are proprietary, which is possible thanks to the fact that the Android Open Source Project is mainly published under the Apache 2 license, which does not require redistribution of the source code of derivative software. However, the draconian control of Apple over its own ecosystem and the difficulty that alternative operating systems have have ended up leaving an entire highway empty for Google’s operating system in some respects.
On the other hand, as it happens with Windows, you have to be very careful with where you get the installers for Android applications because the user, searching through third-party sources, can end up infected by malware. with catastrophic consequences.
From MuyComputer we are not responsible for the damages caused by the use of these alternative repositories for Android.
