F-Droid, the free and open-source app store for Android, has a new face. Its official app, F-DroidAfter, has been completely redesigned from the ground up, and the update rolled out September 24, 2026. It is the largest app update in 10 years, and it took more than a year of work to build.
The change is not just cosmetic. The app has been rewritten using Kotlin Compose, a modern way of building Android apps, and it drops the old look for something closer to Material Design. The result is a simpler way of getting around the app, with everything organized under three main headings: Discover, Search, and My Apps.
A New Look, Built From Scratch
The redesign is a complete overhaul of the official F-Droid app, F-DroidAfter. The old design is gone, replaced by a cleaner, more organized layout. The update took more than a year of work, and it is the largest app update in 10 years.
The app now uses Kotlin Compose, which replaces the old code base entirely. The new design follows Material Design patterns, giving the app a look that fits better with modern Android phones.
Navigating the Three Sections
The app now splits into three main sections:
- Discover brings back Categories as a separate area, letting users see apps sorted by type before they start searching.
- Search handles app names, descriptions, categories, and even translated content, so a query in Japanese or Korean still returns the right results. Search also remembers recent queries and lets filters combine category, device compatibility, and anti-features in one search.
- My Apps sits on the other end of the screen, handling the apps a user has already installed.
The top bar holds Settings and Nearby Swap, two older features that had been scattered across the app. The Games category has been broken down into 17 distinct genres, giving users a finer way to find what they want.
Onboarding Screens Now Explain Advanced Features
Onboarding screens now introduce advanced features throughout the app, rather than burying them behind a menu. The redesign puts more information in front of the user sooner, so they know what the app can do before they start using it.
The Unified Installer
One of the bigger changes is how updates get pushed to devices. F-Droid uses a unified installer that relies on the new pre-approval API. The argument for this API is that the EU’s Digital Markets Act pressured Android to allow all app stores a smoother install and update experience, and F-Droid is taking advantage of it.
The update rolls out to users over the coming weeks after 14 test releases.
What FOSS Means Here
F-Droid is a repository for FOSS software. That means every app in the store carries the full source code, so anyone can read, change, and share it. Some of those apps are games, some are tools, and some are entirely free to use.
The store includes apps that do not track users, and apps that avoid non-free network services. Users who care about privacy can filter by category, device compatibility, and anti-features, narrowing down the list to only the apps that fit their standards.
The Case for Free Software
The project is built on the idea that software should be open, meaning anyone can look at the code behind it. Making it easier to find, install, and maintain the apps you rely on is the whole point of the store, and it sets F-Droid apart from the standard app market.
The redesign keeps that spirit while making the app easier to use. The three-section layout means a user looking for a new app can move between finding, searching, and installing without ever leaving the same screen.
The Test Run
Before the full roll-out, F-Droid ran 14 test releases. Those tests covered every part of the new design, from the installer API to the search filters.
The rollout began September 24, 2026. For users who have not updated yet, the change will arrive over the coming weeks.
What the Update Means
The redesign is a statement about how F-Droid sees its role. By rebuilding the app from scratch, the team shows that it is willing to make hard choices to keep the store useful. The new installer API is a practical example of that thinking, using a tool built for all app stores to make updates smoother.
The redesign also makes the store easier to use. The three-section layout and the top-bar organization mean users spend less time hunting for what they want. The search filters, which combine category, device compatibility, and anti-features, give users more control over what appears in their results.
The Numbers Behind the Story
- Launch: September 24, 2026
- Update size: Largest in 10 years
- Development time: More than a year
- Test releases: 14
- API used: New pre-approval API
- Games genres: 17
- Categories: Integrated into Discover
- Rollout: Over the coming weeks after test releases
The redesign is a vote of confidence in the free-software model. It is also a reminder that the app store has a technical problem to solve, and the new API gives it a way to do that.
F-DroidAfter is now available for users to try. The rollout continues over the coming weeks, and the team expects the transition to be smooth. The app is free to use, and the code remains open for anyone who wants to see how it works.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs narrow rules against direct harm to open-source projects like F-Droid and is against broad rules that could hand the market to bigger competitors. The redesign here is a vote of confidence in the free-software model, and the paper supports it.
The update is a technical fix, not a political one, and the paper believes the free-software community should be left alone to keep fixing them. The new API is a practical example of that thinking, using a tool built for all app stores to make updates smoother.
What matters is that the code stays open. Anyone who wants to see how it works can still do so, and that is worth protecting.
Source material: “F-Droid 2.0: A New Chapter for Android Freedom,” f-droid.org.
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