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- 1Conversations app ditches Google Play, goes free●Breaking Up with Google Play: Why Conversations Is Now Free
Developer Daniel Gultsch has announced that Conversations, the popular open-source XMPP chat app for Android, is no longer distributed on Google Play and is now free of charge. In his announcement he explains the reasoning behind leaving the Play Store, and the move is drawing wide attention among developers debating the costs and constraints of Google's app distribution.
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StreetComplete, the popular open-source app that lets users answer simple questions to improve OpenStreetMap data, has released a public beta of its iOS version. The app has long been a favorite on Android, and iPhone users have asked for an iOS port for years. The launch drew strong interest from the mapping and open-source communities, with many welcoming the wider availability.
- 3Anger over Google's Android Developer Verification Program●Fuck Android Developer Verification Program
Developers are pushing back against Google's Android Developer Verification Program, a policy that will require all app developers to register with Google even for apps distributed outside the Play Store. Critics say the scheme undermines Android's openness and effectively forces sideloaded apps through Google's gatekeeping, making it harder to share software anonymously or without corporate approval.
- 4Google accused of bundling ads into Android system updates▼Google now ships "ads" with their Android system update?
Google is facing criticism over claims that its Android system updates now include advertisements delivered directly to devices. Users and developers are questioning whether the company is using its update mechanism as an advertising channel, renewing long-standing debates about Google's control over the Android ecosystem and how far it will go to monetise its platform.
- 5Developer Misses Flutter's debugPrint After Switching to Kotlin▼For more than three years, Flutter was my main environment for building applications. Recently, I... # kotlin # android
A developer who spent more than three years building applications with Flutter as their main environment has recently moved to Kotlin for Android work, and says the thing they miss most is Flutter's debugPrint. The reflection highlights small quality-of-life differences between the two frameworks that only become visible after switching stacks, and has drawn modest engagement from the mobile development community.
- 6Barcode Scanning on Android Without Google Play Services●Originally published on the Capawesome blog. Barcode scanning works on Android devices without... # ionic # android # mo
A tutorial from Capawesome explains how to implement barcode scanning in Capacitor-based Android apps without relying on Google Play Services. The approach matters for devices without Google's services, such as de-Googled phones, custom ROMs, and budget hardware, letting Ionic developers keep apps fully functional across a wider range of Android devices.