F-Droid 2.0 redesigns the open-source Android app store
F-Droid, the free and open-source software (FOSS) repository for Android, announced F-Droid 2.0 on September 24, 2026, calling it the largest update to the app in 10 years. The project says the redesign followed more than a year of development and 14 test releases, and will begin rolling out to users over the coming weeks. Key components of the app were reworked and rewritten in Kotlin Compose, which F-Droid describes as the current standard toolkit for Android UI.
The main navigation was simplified into three core areas: Discover, Search and My Apps. Discover now folds in categories and highlights newly added, recently updated and most-downloaded apps. The category system was significantly expanded and reorganized with higher-level "meta" categories for easier browsing; as one example, the former single Games category now distinguishes between 17 different game genres. Search can now match app descriptions, categories and translated content rather than just app names, remembers recent queries, and got specific improvements for Chinese, Japanese and Korean text. A new filtering system lets users combine criteria such as category, device compatibility and anti-features, for example showing only Action Games compatible with a given device while excluding apps that depend on non-free network services.
Installation also changed. F-Droid 2.0 fetches and installs updates automatically by default, and the pull-to-refresh gesture, previously used to trigger a manual update check, is now used exclusively for scrolling; a manual update trigger is still available through the overflow menu on the My Apps screen. F-Droid says that thanks largely to pressure from the EU's Digital Markets Act and antitrust actions elsewhere, Android now offers all app stores a smoother, more automatic install and update path than before; F-Droid 2.0 uses a new unified installer built on this, including a pre-approval API that lets supported devices ask for confirmation right when a user decides to install an app rather than after it has downloaded.
Several privacy and security features changed. Users who had the old "Use Tor" setting enabled will have it migrated to generic Proxy Settings, with Tor VPN now the recommended path for Tor support. The app-hiding "panic" feature, which could previously disguise F-Droid as a calculator app, has been simplified so the disguise now affects only the app's icon and name; F-Droid warns the app will still show up in the Android "Apps" settings and remains detectable under forensic inspection. The ability to wipe and remove apps in response to a panic-trigger app like Ripple has not returned in this release; F-Droid says the feature required highly specialized maintenance for a small user base and is asking affected users for feedback, suggesting those who depend on the current app-wiping setup may want to postpone updating. Separately, F-Droid 2.0 does not currently support the F-Droid Privileged Extension, relying instead on Android's built-in session installer for background updates on recent Android versions.
Key facts
- F-Droid 2.0, announced September 24, 2026, is the largest update to the F-Droid Android app in 10 years, built after more than a year of work and 14 test releases, with a rollout starting over the coming weeks.
- Navigation was simplified into three areas (Discover, Search, My Apps); categories were expanded and reorganized, splitting Games alone into 17 distinct genres, and search now covers descriptions, categories and translated text with better Chinese, Japanese and Korean support.
- Updates now install automatically by default, and a new unified installer uses Android's pre-approval API, made possible in part by EU Digital Markets Act pressure, to move install confirmation earlier in the process.
- The Tor setting was migrated to generic Proxy Settings, and the app-disguise panic feature now hides only the app icon and name rather than fully masking the app, which remains detectable via device settings or forensics.
- The panic-triggered app-wipe feature (used with tools like Ripple) has not returned in 2.0, and the F-Droid Privileged Extension is not supported, so affected users may want to hold off updating.
Why it matters
F-Droid is a widely used alternative Android app store for free and open-source software, and 2.0 is its biggest overhaul in a decade, rebuilt in Kotlin Compose to speed up future updates. The release also folds in a structural shift in Android itself: EU Digital Markets Act pressure and antitrust actions elsewhere have pushed Android to give third-party stores a smoother, more automatic install and update path, and F-Droid's new unified installer is built on that.
Who it affects
It affects existing F-Droid users on Android and on Android-based operating systems that bundle F-Droid, such as CalyxOS, emteriaOS, iodeOS, Lineage-for-microG and ShiftOS. It particularly matters to users with elevated privacy or security needs who rely on F-Droid's Tor support or its app-hiding "panic" features, since both were reworked in this release.
How to use it
F-Droid 2.0 is rolling out to users over the coming weeks following 14 test releases; there is no fee or paid tier mentioned. Users who had Tor enabled will find it migrated to generic Proxy Settings, and those who want manual update checks can trigger them from the overflow menu on the My Apps screen instead of via pull-to-refresh, which now only scrolls.
How solid is it
This account comes from F-Droid's own project announcement post, dated September 24, 2026, so the description of features and rollout plans is the project's own characterization rather than independent testing; the visible text of the post is also cut off before its end, so some closing details are not covered here.
Risks and caveats
Two capabilities are explicitly reduced or missing in this release: F-Droid 2.0 does not yet restore the ability to remove and wipe apps in response to a panic-trigger app like Ripple, and it does not support the F-Droid Privileged Extension even when installed. F-Droid says users who depend on the current app-wiping setup may want to postpone updating while it evaluates bringing that feature back, and that the app remains detectable in device settings and under forensic inspection even with the disguise feature applied.
“The best refresh button is the one you never have to press.”
— F-Droid, project announcement