Source Code on GitHub
Apps in centralized App Stores are always at the risk of being removed, for example when the Element Matrix client was suspended from Google Play without prior warning. SkyDroid utilizes multiple decentralized technologies like Sia Skynet and Handshake to prevent things like this from happening.
Discover awesome new apps using curated collections from your favorite app reviewers. SkyDroid comes with some recommended collections to get you started quickly.
SkyDroid can update or install multiple apps at once without user interaction, even on non-rooted devices using Shizuku.
SkyDroid is 100% open-source, so you can be sure it does what it says. You can find the source code on GitHub.
Every developer fully controls the distribution of their app, publishing new apps takes less than 15 minutes and updates are available worldwide in less than 1 hour. Apps are independent and don't rely on SkyDroid itself in any way.
SkyDroid is currently available in over 7 languages and supports localized descriptions, names and screenshots for apps in every language.
The F-Droid main repository, IzzyOnDroid and over a dozen other F-Droid repositories are bridged to SkyDroid to help you get started quickly and find most of the apps you need.
SkyDroid features Dark, Light and AMOLED black modes for your viewing pleasure. There's even a book-like sepia background if you prefer a more relaxed light mode.
Collections can independently mark apps as verified to increase trust in them. Verified apps show which collections verified them. Verifying can consist of reviewing the app, scanning for malware or just ensuring good overall app quality. This is fully decentralized, because the user decides which collection to trust and follow.
SkyDroid verifies the integrity of every metadata and APK file to ensure that it has not been maliciously altered. Integrity is guaranteed down from the domain level, support for technologies like DNSSEC is planned to secure the lookup process even more.
You can share apps or collections using links, they are opened directly in SkyDroid if available. This enables anyone to directly link to apps on SkyDroid, no matter where they are hosted.
SkyDroid supports Split-APKs which results in up to 3x smaller app download sizes. Syncing app metadata happens incrementally on a per-app basis to increase overall performance and reduce the needed bandwidth.
| SkyDroid | Google Play |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Decentralized | F-Droid allows users to add external repositories, but this is a manual process for the user which effectively results in the majority of developers using the F-Droid main repository to publish their apps. Also, maintaining an own F-Droid repository isn't very straightforward and requires the developer to take care of the hosting. | ||
| Collections | Only official ones | ||
| Batch actions | Only with ROOT | ||
| Open app distribution | Some app categories are forbidden, for example NSFW apps | The F-Droid main repository only allows open-source apps | |
| Developer control | Google controls signing keys by default | By default, apps in the F-Droid main repo are only signed by F-Droid, so updates with the same signature can only be published by F-Droid. It is however possible to keep the original developer signature for an APK when using the reproducible builds process. | |
| Fast Updates | Updates are available worldwide in less than 1 hour | App Update Reviews can take up to 3 days | Updates in the F-Droid main repo can't be triggered by the developer and can take some days to be picked up |
| Easy app publishing | Does only require owning a domain name and publishing a new app takes less than 15 minutes | Requires Google Account and one-time payment, a lot of things to fill out and up to a week of app review | Developers need to ensure their app can be compiled by F-Droid and getting an app added to the F-Droid main repo can take multiple months |
| Integrity verification | |||
| Multi-language support |