Cryptomator for Android on alternative App Stores like FDroid

[popolski]

Hi, I currently use Cryptomator for Windows and Android and it is very useful for me.
But in the near future, I want to switch to a degoogled Android version (/e/-project). I think this is a trend for many Android users with privacy concerns.
Since the Android App was purchased from the Google Play store: How do i get it (legally) for a degoogled Android smartphone? I would very much appreciate if yould would offer it on the alternative App Store FDroid. I would be willing to make a donation then. This would be a big step forward towards more privacy and security.

[SailReal]

Hey and welcome to the community !

This is already possible…you can buy a license and download the apk from our website: Cryptomator for Android

Cryptomator app without Google Play

We are currently implementing one of the most desired feature: Purchasing Cryptomator without Google Play Store . Soon you will be able to download the app from our website and purchase a license to activate it. [ezgif-2-43da1b6a5c94] You can activate the license by clicking on a link after the purchase or by copy and pasting the content into the dialog. Updates will be automatically downloaded and installed in the app itself (of course with your permission). [ezgif-2-5801de05838f] …

If we will use in addition to the website an fdroid repo in the future is still under discussion.

[Ged296123]

Thanks for the great app.

I would second @popolski on his request.

For non-coding people like myself who cannot compile apk’s from source code, and who has to trust the developers in using “clean apps,” Fdroid is a good and trusted repo. Some googling showed that in the past ~2yrs ago Cryptomator was not allowed to FDroid because it only had open-core and not open-source, which did confuse me some.

I understand and fully respect that Cryptomator is not FOSS and have already bought a licence from Play Store (I was naive back in the time to use Play Store). Now, moving away from GApps and its “spying” ecosystem, I want to use a clean version of android and download my apps from F-Droid. Can you please help explain why Cryptomator cant be on FDroid to download? Can’t we always download from a trusted repo and buy a licence from the developers site?

Thanks in advance.

[SailReal]

Hey and welcome to the Cryptomator Community ,

@Ged296123

Can you please help explain why Cryptomator cant be on FDroid to download? Can’t we always download from a trusted repo and buy a licence from the developers site?

However, we have stumbled across a problem for which we currently do not have a good solution yet: in the F-Droid main repo, all apps must have been build from the source code or rebuild on the server, compare and there must be no difference.

In the Cryptomator app, we need API keys to be able to use Dropbox and OneDrive. These API keys are simply a string of characters. It is quite normal that this is required for a cloud, so that these clouds ensure, among other things, that if, for example, something were to go wrong with such an app, they could simply block these API keys and all users would be safe again. So these API keys are not absolutely top secret, but they are very much worth protecting, because you could do damage with them. The cloud providers would also not be very keen on us seeing that we simply publishing them.
Not publishing them means that these keys create a difference between what we have published in a release and what, for example, the f-droid developers have build from source (the diff is exactly and just those API keys).

We have already thought about downloading these API keys via the internet by runtime so that they’re not included in the source code, but without an account it is not that easy to secure this interface, we already have some ideas for this (which are not yet fully elaborated), but simply connecting to a certain web address and getting the API key from there is just not possible. The other option is a separate F-Droid repo, which we have already tackled in the meantime and which can be used, but I think you were talking explicitly about the main repo.

We also thought about removing Dropbox and OneDrive from the F-Droid build flavor completely but by experience, this would bring so much confusion by users because in different distribution paths only different cloud providers would be available, that we don’t think this idea is the best either.

To summarize it: We are still working on it and evaluating possibilities to get the app into the F-Droid main repo. The fall back will be a custom repo which is already ready for shipping.

[Ged296123]

Hi : )

Thanks for the warm welcome and response.
As I’m not a coder, it may not be my place to suggest alternatives for solutions to the Dropbox and OneDrive API problem.
It is however good to know that you’re aware of the request I tried to highlight and are looking for solutions to have Cryptomator on FDroid.
As a long time user of your app, I also want to thank you in its development and will be looking forward to seeing it in non-proprietary stores.

[cryptomaschine]

In IzzyOnDroid (a F-Droid team member) repository, Cryptomator is already available:
Cryptomator - IzzyOnDroid (izzysoft.de)