F-Droid is using Dataplan to update apps when told not to

The F-Droid app is fetching app updates using the data plan even though I have Update over WiFi only option enabled. For many people this is not a problem. But for someone who is on a limited or expensive Data plan, this is a big problem. So this is my WTF post just letting someone know this is happening to me. I’m on a Pixel 2 with the March update. Also your website is terrible for mobile web, I cannot even enter the optional tags when making this thread. Ok thanks.

Are you using LineageOS or Android 7? If the F-Droid app is not working properly, you can still stop its unwanted behaviour via system settings.
For this, please go to settings > Apps > F-Droid > Data usage > Disable all cellular data access > yes.

No, he wrote: “Pixel 2 with the March update”. It’s stock.
@KirkH420 , check the issue at the issue tracker

How can you tell that its fetching app updates over cellular? That’s not a bug I’m aware of. It will fetch screenshots over cellular right now. I’m going to fix that in the next release.

I’ll have to see if I can get it to do it again, I have my data switched off when I am not strictly using it. However last time I was away from WLAN and was messing around with F-Droid and other apps out of boredom, I happened to notice. Dude asked HOW I can tell and specifically… Google has a lesser known app called Datally (data tally) it it’s like a firewall for your data plan. It will only let the apps you have chosen to have access to LTE Data. The app knows when the data stream is coming through WLAN and shuts it’s self off (unlimited usage mode) and then when it is on LTE Wimax it will enable the data-limiter. It shows how much each allowed app has used and on which day and warns you of newly installed apps for which a Rule hasn’t yet been set up.

Through Datally I watched as F-Droid began prefetching my app updates where they will then wait for me to press install. This happened when the “only in WiFi” was enabled.

Ok so I decided to recreate the situation and I was able to do it again. I have no WiFi (WLAN) connection. I opened F-Droid. I enabled “Automatically Fetch Updates.” I enabled “Update over WiFi only.”
F-Droid is ready.

Then I turned on my Data Switch.

Then I went to Datally (my data firewall app) and set F-Droid to Allow 100%.

Switch screen focus to F-Droid.

Focus updates panel.

Check for updates. Updates found.

Updates began downloading.

Included are some caps.

Here I will complete uploading my pics of F-Droid updating. Notice the widget on right hand side of the screen. That is Datally letting me know how much data has been sucked by F-Droid.

Trying to send again due to “one image per new user” ruleset.

Lol I’m NOT pressing send but Gmail keeps sending and crash-closing.

probably that when you are connected, other applications not under F-Droid will try to send and receive data too.

Oh I don’t know that the gmail sending prematurely is related at all. Im inclined to think no.

v1.2-alpha1 will be out soon, it includes a lot of work on making F-Droid be better about bandwidth. At the very least, it should no longer download updates on mobile data when “Only on Wi-Fi” is checked.

v1.2-alpha1 is out now, please try that version, I think I fixed all the data leaks :ocean:

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