microG (LineageOS fork) also comes with F-Droid already installed

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Like the recent news from Fairphone and their Fairphone Open, a LineageOS fork, microG, also brings freedom with options. On their build, the free-open-libre repository F-Droid comes in a “bloatware” fashion (sorry :wink:)

I cannot say if it’s necessary to allow the Unknown Sources, but after clicking the download option of any app on the F-Droid GUI, the app will be downloaded and installed straight away, without any further screen tap.

PS.: already mentioned on the comments of their blog post

2 Likes
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That’s a normal and wanted behavior, because the F-Droid Privilege Extension (from F-Droid itself) comes bundled with “LineageOS for microG” ROM. Therefore you don’t need to leave install from unknown sources activated all the time.

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With Android 8 their is no need to install the Privilege Extension.
Also i see “automatic install” as a (security) problem

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So with Android 8, the permission for installing other apps does include background-installing?

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I read Android 8 change the unknown sources so you can a different source, like a whitelist.
Maybe someone here use already 8 or 8.1 and can say more about that?

I still use LOS 14.1

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Sounds great with Fairphone :blush:

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In German on their forum:

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Also:

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So with Android 8, the permission for installing other apps does include background-installing?

No, you still get a system dialog when some app tries to install or upgrade an APK.

“Unknown Sources” option just became per-app in Android 8.0. E.g. if you download an APK from your browser and tap “Open”, Android will ask you to enable unknown sources for the browser; then when you use F-Droid to install an app, Android will ask you to do the same for F-Droid, etc.

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So on Android 8 if you allow F-Droid updates, Android only asks once the permission for all applications?
If an application in F-Droid store is “virulent, vicious” like applications with root kit permission, the application can break all the OS.
Do we have a regular check of complaints in Android store about an application to know if that application is serious or not? (this could be a nice feature)