Breaking Up with Google Play: Why Conversations Is Now Free
Developer Daniel Gultsch is making his Android messaging client Conversations free and shifting to F-Droid, citing frustrating automated support and delayed updates from Google.
summary is enough The short post provides a relatable, clear look at the breaking point of dealing with app store monopolies.
summary
Daniel Gultsch, creator of the Android XMPP client Conversations, is making the app free and prioritizing F-Droid distribution. After a decade of funding development through Play Store sales, he grew exhausted by Google's automated rejections, lack of human support, and weeks-long review delays that stall critical security patches. Backed by grant funding until 2029, he is severing ties with Google's gatekeeping entirely.
key points
- Conversations is now free, with F-Droid serving as its primary distribution channel using reproducibly built APKs.
- Google Play review times have degraded significantly, delaying critical security updates by weeks with zero human recourse.
- Secure grant funding from sources like NLnet and the European Commission through 2029 enabled financial independence from Google.
who should read it
Android developers and open-source maintainers dealing with app store distribution.
discussion warm
consensus
Commenters overwhelmingly validate the frustration with Google Play's automated support, arbitrary rejections, and heavy fees.
pushback
A minority notes that alternative ecosystems impose similar or worse constraints, leaving developers with few good options.
It's called "Rent-seeking" when a powerful entity extracts wealth without providing any commensurate value.
Google wants you to believe the only way to get an app is through them. They have programmed society to believe this - despite the fact that you have never needed Google to download and run apps on your laptop. Apple also wants you to believe this, which is why they keep making it more impossible to run Mac apps without the Apple Store. They too want to extract your wealth and control you.
FOSS was created because people didn't have a way to cooperate and share the source code for …
It broadens the discussion into how open-source code is weaponized by platform monopolies for rent-seeking.
Generated by an LLM from the article and thread. Check the sources before relying on it.