TL;DR: F-Droid 2.0, released on September 24, 2026, is a full rewrite of the open-source Android app store’s client in Kotlin and Jetpack Compose, described by the project as its biggest update in a decade. The biggest practical changes: simpler navigation with three main sections, search that actually searches descriptions and translated text, automatic updates on by default, and a minimum requirement of Android 7.
F-Droid is the independent, volunteer-run catalog of free and open-source Android apps, and its official client has run on essentially the same Java codebase since the project started in 2010. Version 2.0, launched on September 24, 2026, replaces it. After more than a year of development and 14 test releases, the new client ships a full rewrite in Kotlin with a Jetpack Compose UI, and the project calls it its largest update in 10 years. The release even hit number one on Hacker News with over 1,000 points, which is unusual for an app-store update.
The timing is pointed. The announcement opened with a banner warning that Google is changing how apps get installed on Android devices, and the first phase of Google’s developer-verification enforcement for newly registered apps on certified devices begins on September 30, 2026. F-Droid shipped its rewrite six days earlier.
The Kotlin and Jetpack Compose rewrite
The biggest under-the-hood change is the language switch. Kotlin has become the standard for modern Android development, and the F-Droid team says the rewrite will help them deliver improvements more quickly in the years ahead. The UI is built with Jetpack Compose, bringing the interface in line with current Material Design patterns.
This matters beyond cosmetics. A modern codebase is easier for new contributors to pick up, and F-Droid is a small volunteer team. The code the project ships is also worth noting for what it does not do: F-Droid builds most of its catalog from source on its own infrastructure rather than distributing pre-built binaries uploaded by developers, which is a meaningful supply-chain difference from the Play Store model.
Navigation and discovery
Navigation collapses into three primary sections: Discover, Search, and My Apps. Settings and the Nearby Swap feature move to the top bar instead of competing for space in the main navigation. The old bottom navigation bar was widely seen as cluttered.
Discover gets real attention. The home screen highlights new arrivals, recent updates, and the most downloaded apps. Categories expand from broad buckets into meta-categories and fine-grained options, including dedicated sections for VPNs, firewalls, password managers, launchers, and navigation tools. Games alone split into 17 distinct genres.
Filtering improves too. Users can combine multiple criteria, including category, device compatibility, and anti-features, which makes precise searches possible without knowing an app’s exact name.
Search that searches the right things
Search was one of the old client’s weakest points, and the rewrite addresses it directly. Instead of focusing mainly on app names, search now examines descriptions, categories, and translated strings. Support for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean text improved. Previous queries are remembered, and results can be sorted and filtered.
This fixes a frequent complaint from users who could not find suitable software unless they already knew what it was called. For a catalog of thousands of niche tools, description search is the feature that makes the rest of the catalog usable.
Installing and updating apps
F-Droid 2.0 takes advantage of newer Android installation APIs. Auto-updates are on by default, using Android’s pre-approval install API, and background checking, downloading, and installing updates work without extra confirmation steps while respecting user preferences. A unified session installer reduces the tap-through needed for installs.
The minimum supported version moves to Android 7. Android 6 support is dropped.
The release also went through an independent security audit by the Open Technology Fund’s Security Lab with Convocation, with a full report pending, after the 14 test releases.
What was removed
Not everything survived the rewrite. The pull-to-refresh gesture is gone, replaced by background checking. The F-Droid Privileged Extension is no longer supported. The app-wiping panic trigger is temporarily removed pending community feedback. Tor auto-detection is gone; the recommended approach is now Tor VPN, with manual proxy options remaining for users who need them.
The Hacker News thread was not all praise. Bulk updating now needs per-app clicks, which some users call a regression, and some alternative clients such as Droid-ify and NeoStore still consume the older index format, which is SHA1-signed, while the official infrastructure has moved to a newer index format.
Why this release matters now
The rewrite lands at a moment when alternative app distribution faces its stiffest headwind in years. Google’s developer-verification enforcement, with its first phase beginning September 30, 2026, threatens indie developers who would rather not register with Google or submit their apps to its verification regime. F-Droid’s answer is a modern client, a public banner linking to the Keep Android Open campaign, and the argument that installing software on your own device should not require Google’s permission. ADB installs, for what it is worth, are explicitly unaffected by the enforcement.
The rollout is gradual over the coming weeks after the test releases, so not every user will see 2.0 immediately.
What changed in F-Droid 2.0
| Area | Old client | F-Droid 2.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Codebase | Java, largely unchanged since 2010 | Kotlin with Jetpack Compose UI |
| Navigation | Cluttered bottom bar | Three sections: Discover, Search, My Apps; Settings and Nearby Swap in the top bar |
| Search | Mostly app names | Descriptions, categories, translated strings; improved Chinese, Japanese, and Korean support; remembered queries |
| Categories | Broad buckets | Meta-categories and fine-grained options; Games split into 17 genres |
| Updates | Manual by default | Automatic background updates by default; pre-approval install API |
| Minimum Android version | Android 6 | Android 7 |
| Removed or paused | Pull-to-refresh, Privileged Extension, panic-trigger app wipe | Background checking instead; panic wipe paused pending feedback |
| Security review | None public for the client rewrite | Independent audit by the Open Technology Fund’s Security Lab; full report pending |
Key takeaways
- F-Droid 2.0 is the client’s first real rewrite in a decade: Kotlin and Jetpack Compose, modern Material Design, and a much cleaner navigation model.
- The practical upgrades are search (descriptions, translations, CJK support), fine-grained categories and combinable filters, and auto-updates on by default.
- Some features were cut in the rewrite: Android 6 support, the Privileged Extension, pull-to-refresh, and the panic-trigger app wipe.
- The release is timed against Google’s developer-verification enforcement starting September 30, and F-Droid is openly campaigning to keep Android open.
- Rollout is gradual, so check for the update over the coming weeks rather than expecting it on day one.
References
- F-Droid app store thumbs its nose at Google’s dev crackdown, The Register
- F-Droid 2.0 overhauls Android’s open source app store, WebProNews
- F-Droid 2.0 Android app store launches with new UI, improved search, Linuxiac
- F-Droid rebuilt its app store right as Android locks down sideloading, Pinggy
- F-Droid 2.0 ships six days before Google’s sideloading lockdown, DEV Community
- F-Droid 2.0: what changed and Google’s sideloading threat, ExplainX
Was this useful?
Thanks for the feedback.
