F-Droid releases major version 2.0 update for Android

F-Droid, the open-source repository for Android applications, has released version 2.0, marking its largest update in a decade. The release features a complete redesign of the user interface to align with modern Material Design standards and a significant technical overhaul, including rewriting key components in Kotlin using Jetpack Compose.

Key functional improvements include enhanced app discovery, a more granular category system, and improved search capabilities that support CJK (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) characters. The update also introduces automatic app updates, which users can configure to use mobile data or remain manual.

The update comes amid challenges regarding Google’s upcoming policy changes. Starting in August 2025, Google plans to extend developer verification to all Android apps, a move that could impact indie developers and third-party repositories like F-Droid that operate outside Google’s verification regime.