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Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions about the F-Droid app? You are in the right place. Here are the most frequently asked questions about F-Droid — answered simply, honestly, and in plain English specifically for beginners. If you cannot find the answer you are looking for here, visit our contact page and we will be happy to help you personally.
General Questions
Q1: What is the F-Droid app?
F-Droid is a free and open source app store for Android devices that lets you browse, download, and install over 1,200 free Android apps completely privately — with no account, no tracking, and no data collection of any kind required.
Q2: Is the F-Droid app free?
Yes, the F-Droid app is completely free to download, install, and use forever. Every single app available inside the F-Droid repository is also completely free with absolutely no hidden costs, subscriptions, or in-app purchases of any kind.
Q3: Is the F-Droid app legal?
Yes, F-Droid is 100% legal to use in every country around the world. F-Droid only hosts apps that are legally distributed by their developers under valid free and open source software licenses. Installing apps from outside Google Play is completely legal on Android.
Q4: Who created the F-Droid app?
F-Droid was created by Ciaran Gultnieks in 2010 as a free and open source alternative to Google Play. Today it is maintained by a global community of volunteer developers and governed by the F-Droid Board of Directors.
Q5: How many apps does F-Droid have?
The official F-Droid repository currently has over 1,200 free and open source Android apps. By adding trusted third party repositories like IzzyOnDroid and Guardian Project you can unlock thousands of additional free apps inside your F-Droid app.
Q6: Does F-Droid work without a Google account?
Yes, F-Droid works completely without a Google account. You never need to provide any personal information, email address, or account credentials of any kind to download, install, or use the F-Droid app on your Android device.
Q7: Does F-Droid work without Google Play Services?
Yes, F-Droid works completely without Google Play Services. This makes it perfect for custom ROMs like GrapheneOS, CalyxOS, and LineageOS where Google Play Services are not installed on the Android device.
Q8: Why is F-Droid not available on Google Play?
F-Droid is not available on Google Play for two reasons. First, F-Droid is a competing app store which violates Google Play terms of service. Second, F-Droid is committed exclusively to free and open source software and Google Play is proprietary closed source software making them fundamentally incompatible.
Safety and Security Questions
Q9: Is the F-Droid app safe to use?
Yes, F-Droid is completely safe to use. Every app is built from source code in an isolated environment, signed on an air-gapped offline machine, and the entire platform has been independently security audited three times by Cure53 and Radically Open Security — two of the world’s most respected cybersecurity firms.
Q10: Can F-Droid contain malware?
The official F-Droid repository is extremely unlikely to contain malware because every app is built from publicly available source code that anyone can inspect. However third party repositories have different security standards so always stick to trusted and verified repositories only to stay completely safe.
Q11: Is F-Droid safer than Google Play?
F-Droid is considered safer than Google Play in terms of privacy and transparency. Every F-Droid app is open source, independently verified, and built from source code. Google Play apps are closed source meaning nobody can inspect what they are actually doing on your device.
Q12: Has F-Droid ever been hacked?
There are no known successful attacks or security breaches of the official F-Droid repository or distribution system to date. The air-gapped signing process and multiple independent security audits make F-Droid one of the most secure app distribution systems available for Android today.
Q13: Is the F-Droid APK safe to download?
Yes, the official F-Droid APK is completely safe to download. Always download F-Droid exclusively from the official f-droid.org website or trusted sources that link directly to the official download. Never download F-Droid APK from unofficial third party APK mirror websites.
Q14: Does F-Droid track my activity?
No, F-Droid tracks absolutely nothing about you. No account is needed, no activity is ever recorded, no data is collected, and no personal information is ever sold to any third party advertiser or organization of any kind.
Installation Questions
Q15: How do I install the F-Droid app on Android?
Download the official F-Droid APK from the official website, enable installation from unknown sources in your Android settings, open the downloaded APK file, and tap Install. The entire process takes less than 5 minutes and works on any Android device running Android 6.0 or above.
Q16: What Android version does F-Droid require?
F-Droid officially supports Android 6.0 and above with the latest stable version. F-Droid also supports much older Android versions going all the way back to Android 1.5 through specific older compatible versions of the F-Droid APK available for separate download.
Q17: Can I install F-Droid on Amazon Fire TV Stick?
Yes, you can install the F-Droid app on any Amazon Fire TV Stick by enabling apps from unknown sources in Fire TV settings and using the Downloader app to download the official F-Droid APK directly onto your Fire TV Stick device.
Q18: Can I install F-Droid on Android TV?
Yes, F-Droid can be installed on any Android TV device including Nvidia Shield, Xiaomi Mi Box, and other popular Android TV boxes using a file manager app or ADB to sideload the official F-Droid APK onto your Android TV device.
Q19: Can I install F-Droid on a Chromebook?
Yes, F-Droid can be installed on any Chromebook that supports Android apps by enabling the Linux development environment in Chrome OS settings and installing the F-Droid APK through the Android app subsystem built into Chrome OS.
Q20: Do I need to root my Android device to use F-Droid?
No, you do not need to root your Android device to install or use F-Droid. F-Droid works perfectly on any standard unrooted Android device running Android 6.0 or above without requiring any root access or system modifications of any kind.
Apps and Repositories Questions
Q21: What are the best F-Droid apps?
Some of the most popular and highly rated apps on F-Droid include NewPipe for YouTube, Fennec F-Droid for browsing, Bitwarden for passwords, Joplin for notes, TrackerControl for privacy, and Shattered Pixel Dungeon for gaming. See our complete best F-Droid apps guide for the full list.
Q22: What is an F-Droid repository?
An F-Droid repository is a secure online collection of verified free and open source apps that F-Droid connects to in order to display and deliver apps to your Android device. You can add trusted third party repositories to significantly expand your available app selection beyond the default 1,200+ apps.
Q23: How do I add repositories to F-Droid?
Open the F-Droid app, go to Settings, tap Repositories, then tap the plus icon and enter the repository URL. The new repository will be added instantly and all its apps will immediately appear in your F-Droid library ready to browse and install.
Q24: What is the IzzyOnDroid repository?
IzzyOnDroid is the most popular trusted third party F-Droid repository available today. It adds over 700 additional free and open source apps that are not available in the main F-Droid repository and is maintained by a well known and trusted member of the F-Droid community.
Q25: Can I use F-Droid and Google Play together?
Yes, you can run F-Droid and Google Play simultaneously on the same Android device without any conflicts. Many privacy conscious Android users use F-Droid for open source apps and Google Play or Aurora Store for commercial apps that are not available on F-Droid.
Troubleshooting Questions
Q26: Why is F-Droid not installing on my device?
The most common reason F-Droid won’t install is that installation from unknown sources is not enabled on your Android device. Go to Settings, tap Security or Privacy, and enable the Unknown Sources or Install Unknown Apps option then try the installation again.
Q27: Why are my F-Droid apps not updating?
If your F-Droid apps are not updating automatically, open the F-Droid app and pull down to manually refresh the repository. If updates still do not appear go to Settings inside F-Droid and tap Update Repositories to force F-Droid to check all repositories for the latest available app versions.
Q28: Why does F-Droid show no mirrors available?
If F-Droid shows a no mirrors available error, check your internet connection first. If your internet is working fine go to F-Droid Settings, tap Repositories, then disable and re-enable the main F-Droid repository to force F-Droid to reconnect and find available mirror servers in your region.
Q29: Why is the F-Droid install button greyed out?
If the install button is greyed out after downloading an app you most likely have a screen overlay app running on your device such as Twilight or a blue light filter app. Android disables the install button when overlay apps are active for security reasons. Disable the overlay app temporarily and try installing again.
Q30: How do I update the F-Droid app itself?
F-Droid updates itself automatically when a new version is available. Simply open the F-Droid app and it will notify you when an update for the F-Droid app itself is available. Tap the update notification and follow the on screen instructions to install the latest version.
Comparison Questions
Q31: What is the difference between F-Droid and Google Play?
F-Droid hosts only free and open source apps with zero tracking while Google Play hosts over 3 million apps but tracks all user activity and requires a Google account. F-Droid wins on privacy and security while Google Play wins on app selection and ease of use.
Q32: What is the difference between F-Droid and Aurora Store?
F-Droid hosts its own library of free and open source apps while Aurora Store is a Google Play client that lets you download Google Play apps without a Google account. Both serve different purposes and most privacy conscious users install and use both apps together on their Android device.
Q33: What is the difference between F-Droid and APKPure?
F-Droid verifies every app by building it from source code while APKPure simply hosts pre-compiled APK files with no verification process. F-Droid is significantly safer and more trustworthy than APKPure for anyone concerned about Android security and privacy.
Q34: What are the best F-Droid alternatives?
The most popular alternatives to F-Droid include Aurora Store for accessing Google Play apps without an account, Obtainium for installing apps directly from GitHub releases, and the official Google Play Store for the largest selection of Android apps available anywhere.
Q35: Is F-Droid better than Aurora Store?
F-Droid and Aurora Store serve completely different purposes so comparing them directly is not entirely fair. F-Droid is better for privacy focused open source apps while Aurora Store is better for accessing the full Google Play library without a Google account. Most users benefit from using both together.