Our Farewell from Google Play

Our project started in 2016 with the goal of offering alternatives to apps with basic functionality that demanded – back then at install time – many permissions they did not need. From our humble beginnings with Privacy Friendly Torchlight, our apps have always been available in the Google Play Store. Our current selection of Privacy Friendly Apps has grown since then to more than 30. And with more than 350,000 installs we believe we left a dent. We want to take this opportunity to also thank all our users for their continued support!

However, in 2025, eight years after we took on this project, things have changed. Not in regards to apps demanding more permissions than they need. No, unfortunately not that. What changed, however, is the effort to keep the apps updated. The maintenance for the provision of privacy-friendly apps in the Google Play Store is significantly greater than on F-Droid and is no longer feasible for a research group.

Please note that existing installations of our apps on your devices will not be deleted or affected by this change. However, you will no longer receive updates through the Google Play Store, which means that our apps may eventually stop working properly as the Android operating system evolves and compatibility issues arise. We recommend switching to the F-Droid Store for continued support and updates.

Our Privacy Friendly Apps will continue to be available on the F-Droid Store. For your convenience, we created instructions that explains how you can easily make the switch to the F-Droid Store while keeping all your data: Migration Instructions

Contact: good-bye-google∂secuso.org