Nothing Apps - Does Nothing host its own APKs?

Mathzy

I’ve gone down the completely de-Googled experience with GrapheneOS. Most of my apps are obtained via Obtainium, directly from the source.

I use Nothing X for my watch and earbuds - the app works fine for me without Google Play Services. However, I’m currently relying on Aurora Store to download this app (plus four others I cannot source elsewhere). I’d rather take the latest version of these apps from Nothing.

So - does Nothing host its own APK files for download? Other app providers I use (Proton, Signal, Vivaldi, as well as FOSS alternatives) do this and it would be great for Nothing to follow suit.

Err_404NotFound_

You can use APKMirror to get most of the Nothing apps via APK package.

Mathzy

Err_404NotFound_

Thanks for that. Whilst the packages on APKMirror should be trustworthy, I’d love Nothing to have a direct link to their APKs on the their website (as well as links to the Google and Apple stores). A proper APK from source should be the most trustworthy there is.

Err_404NotFound_

Mathzy Yeah, although that would mean that companies like Apple and Samsung could just download these APKs and steal the source code/ designs for Nothing’s apps.

ZenithFr

Err_404NotFound_ you think they couldn’t if they wanted to? Even if its packaged in google play store they can still download it and view the design and stuff, although I don’t get it what you mean by source code

Err_404NotFound_

ZenithFr All open source apps on Google Play Store and Android have their source code freely available to the public. This means that variants of the software can be made (how Android exists with many OEMs adding their own stuff on top). Source code is the basic code which allows an app or program to run.

lolifnotely🇮🇱

Err_404NotFound_ But isn’t that illegal? That sounds like a grounds for a lawsuit that you’ll win…

Err_404NotFound_

lolifnotely🇮🇱 If someone ripped off Apple software, then that would be illegal. But under open-source software regulations, Android operates under this, so that is why there is many OEMs such as Nothing and Samsung with their own version of Android (the basic kernel and source code for Android is freely available for developers, that is how custom ROMs are created and how apps are developed by developers outside of Google’s influence sphere.).

The Copyright Designs and Parents Act 1988 (UK policy) allows open-source software to be freely distributed and copied as long as the original source is referenced, and the licence is used with the reference.

lolifnotely🇮🇱

Err_404NotFound_ Of course, but why nothing release the apps as open source?…