F-Droid 2.0 Launches After 10 Years with Kotlin Redesign and Better Search

F-Droid, the community-driven open-source Android app store, released version 2.0 on September 24, 2026, marking its largest update in a decade. The redesign was built from scratch using Kotlin Compose and Material Design, modernizing an interface that had remained largely unchanged for over 10 years. The update aims to address the challenge of helping users navigate F-Droid's growing ecosystem, which now contains thousands of free and open-source apps.

The new version introduces three core interface sections: Discover, Search, and My Apps. The Discover screen showcases newly added apps, recently updated applications, and the most downloaded software in the repository. Categories have been significantly expanded and reorganized into specialized groups—including firewalls, password managers, VPNs, and 17 distinct game genres—making targeted browsing easier. The search function now operates beyond app names, returning results based on app descriptions, categories, and translated content, with improved support for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean languages.

F-Droid's installation process has also been streamlined through use of Google's pre-approval API, reducing friction compared to traditional Android sideloading workflows. The update removes certain legacy features: manual update checking via pull-to-refresh is now automated (though manual checks remain in overflow menus), Tor integration has been migrated to generic Proxy Settings, and the panic feature now only disguises the app's name and icon rather than removing installed apps.

The rollout comes amid ongoing uncertainty around Google's developer verification requirements, announced in August 2025. Google plans to mandate that all app developers distributing outside the Play Store register with Google and verify their identity, either through a $25 full distribution option requiring government ID or a free limited distribution option capped at 20 devices. F-Droid board member Marc Prud'hommeaux warned in 2025 that such requirements could end the F-Droid project, as F-Droid deliberately operates without user accounts to avoid tracking users. The team has attributed the app's improved installation process in part to the EU's Digital Markets Act decisions against Google. Despite these regulatory pressures, the F-Droid team signaled commitment to long-term development by rebuilding core components in Kotlin, which they describe as a foundation for faster future improvements.