Open Source Android App Code
- Open Source Apps For Android
- Open Source Android Applications
- Source Code For Android Apps
- Open Source Android App Code
This is an incomplete list of notableapplications (apps) that run on the Android platform which meet guidelines for free software and open-source software.
- 3Communication
- Download an Android project with source code and start using Back4App Introduction. In this section you learn how to get started with an Android Studio template and get ready to use Back4App in 3 easy steps. If you want a detailed Quickstart guide or connect Back4App to an existing project, go to our Install Parse SDK tutorial.
- Free and Open Source Android Apps Market Application. Google Play Store itself can be replaced with F-Droid, a free and open source Android app repository. F-Droid is a robot with a passion for Free and Open Source (FOSS) software on the Android platform.
Advertisement blocking[edit]
The hard drive on my laptop just crashed and I lost all the source code for an app that I have been working on for the past two months. All I have is the APK file that is stored in my email from when I sent it to a friend. A s we all know, Android is an open source operating system. Therefore, here is the list of ten best free and open source Android apps available on the internet. Go through the post to discover the apps. Dec 13, 2017 This is “amazing” series of open source projects. Open source projects are a valuable resource for programmers. You can learn by reading the source code or build something on top of existing projects. This is an extremely competitive list and it carefully picks the best Android apps written in Java that are currently open source.
| Application name | Description | Availability | License | API[a] | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | F-Droid | |||||
| AdAway | Ad blocker | No | Yes[1] | GNU GPLv3 | L16 / 4.1+ | |
| Adblock Plus | Ad blocker | No | No | GNU GPLv3 | L7 / 2.1+ | No longer maintained nor supported by Eyeo GmbH |
| DNS66 | Ad blocker | No | Yes[2] | GNU GPLv3 | L21 / 5.0+ | |
| Blokada | Ad blocker | No | Yes[3] | GNU GPLv3 | L21 / 5.0+ | |
- ^The API column is used to describe which versions of Android each individual application is compatible with. If API column shows '5.1' then the application is compatible with Android version 5.1 or higher; 'L7' or 'L14' mean specific Android API versions.
Browsers[edit]
| Application name | Description | Availability | License | API[a] | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | F-Droid | |||||
| Brave | A Chromium-based web browser with an emphasis on speed, reforming ad blocking, and preventing tracking.[1] | Yes | No[2] | BSD | 4.1+ | Has in-built ad blocker |
| Chromium | Web browser using Blink engine. | Yes | Yes | 4.4+ | Available via the GPLv3 installer app getChromium[3] (which can be found on F-Droid).[4] | |
| Fennec F-Droid | Web browser customizable with add-ons, uses Gecko engine. | Yes | Yes[5][4] | MPL | 4.1+ | Same with Firefox for Android, but some proprietary code removed. |
| Firefox for Android | Web browser customizable with add-ons, uses Gecko engine. | Yes | No[6] | MPL | 4.1+ | Removed from F-Droid |
| Firefox Focus/Klar | Privacy centered browser, uses Gecko engine (GeckoView). | Yes | Yes[7][5] | MPL | 5.0+ | |
| GNU IceCat | GNU Project version of Firefox browser. | Yes | Yes[8][6] | MPL 2.0 | 4.0.3+ | IceCat contains features not found in mainline Firefox release and eschews all usage of proprietary components. |
| Orfox / Tor Browser | Mozilla-based browser enhanced for use on Tor anonymity network | Yes | Yes[9] | MPL | 4.0.3+ | Available in F-Droid by activating the extra Guardian Project repository[10] |
Communication[edit]
| Application name | Description | Availability | License | API[a] | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | F-Droid | |||||
| ConnectBot | SSH, telnet, and terminal emulator | Yes | Yes [7] | Apache 2.0 | 1.5+ | |
| CSipSimple | SIP & VoIP client | Yes | Yes | GPLv3 | 1.6+ | |
| Jitsi | Videoconferencing and instant messenger | Yes | Pending | LGPLv2.1 | ? | Android version is experimental Alpha release. |
| K-9 Mail | Advanced email client | Yes | Yes [8] | Apache 2.0 | 2.2+ | Supports OpenPGP integration with OpenKeychain |
| Linphone | Video SIP/VoIP client | Yes | Yes [9] | GPLv2 | 2.2+ | |
| Sipdroid | SIP/VoIP client | Yes | Yes [10] | GPLv3 | 2.0+ | works on 1.5 |
| WordPress | Official WordPress client | Yes | Yes | GPLv2 | 2.3+ | |
Privacy/security focused[edit]
| Application name | Description | Availability | License | API[a] | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | F-Droid | |||||
| APG | OpenPGP and key management | Yes | Yes | Apache 2.0 | 1.5+ | OpenKeychain available as more up-to-date alternative |
| Briar | Peer-to-peer encrypted messaging and forums | Yes | Yes[11][11] | GPLv3 | 4.0+ | |
| Conversations | Federatedencrypted instant messaging and group chat | Yes | Yes [12] | GPLv3 | 4.0+ | Interoperable with any Jabber/XMPP clients. End-to-end encryption using OMEMO, OpenPGP (and OTR for versions under 2.0 and the legacy version). |
| I2P | Anonymizing network layer | ? | Yes [13] | Apache 2.0 | 2.3+ | Alpha release; do not rely upon it for strong anonymity. I2P also maintain their own F-Droid repo.[12] |
| Jami | Softphone and messenger utilizing DHT and strong cryptography | Yes[13] | Yes[14] | GPLv3 | ? | |
| Lantern | Apache 2.0 | |||||
| OpenKeychain | OpenPGP and key management | Yes | Yes [14] | GPLv3 | Integrates with K-9 Mail. | |
| Orbot | Client and proxy for Tor anonymity network | Yes[15] | Yes | BSD/GPL | 1.6+ | |
| Psiphon | Client for internet censorship circumvention system | Yes | Yes | GPLv3 | ? | |
| Signal | Encrypted instant messaging, voice and video calling | Yes | No | GPLv3 | 2.3+ | Also available for iOS. The Android client is a merger of the former TextSecure and RedPhone apps.[16] Uses proprietary libraries.[17] |
| Surespot | Encrypted instant messaging | Yes | Yes [15] | GPLv3+ | Also available for iOS. F-Droid build is based on forked repo. | |
| Telegram | Client for cloud-based messaging platform | Yes | Yes [16] | GPLv2 | 2.2+ | Also available for iOS. F-Droid build is based on forked repo.[18] Server uses closed source software. |
| Tox | peer-to-peer instant-messaging | Yes | Yes [17] | GPLv3+ | 4.0+ | Alpha release |
| Tutanota | Client for end-to-endencrypted email service | ? | Yes[19][18] | GPLv3[20] | ? | |
| Wire | Encrypted instant messaging, voice and video calling | Yes | No | GPLv3 | Also available for iOS, Windows and OS X. Server uses closed source software. | |
Emulators[edit]
| Application name | Description | Availability | License | API[a] | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | F-Droid | |||||
| Dolphin | Nintendo GameCube and Wii | Yes | Yes | GPLv2+ | 5.0+ | Requires device with support for arm64-v8a ABI and OpenGL ES 3 or above |
| Mupen64Plus | Nintendo 64 emulator | Yes | Yes | GPLv3 | 2.0+ | Unofficial port as Mupen64 Plus AE. |
| openMSX | MSX | Yes | Yes | GPLv2+ | ||
| PPSSPP | PlayStation Portable | Yes | Yes | GPLv2+ | 2.3+ | |
| RetroArch | Emulates multiple platforms | Yes | Removed | GPLv3[21] | 2.3+ | |
| ScummVM | Emulates multiple gaming engines | Yes | Yes | GPLv2 | 1.5+ | |
| VICE | Commodore hardware | Yes | Yes | GPLv2 | ||
Games[edit]
| Application name | Description | Availability | License | API[a] | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | F-Droid | |||||
| 2048 | Mathematics sliding block puzzle | Yes [19] | Yes[20] | MIT | 2.2+ | Port of 2048 |
| Angband | Text-based roguelike | Yes | Yes | GPLv2 | ? | |
| Battle for Wesnoth | Turn-based strategy game in a fantasy setting | Partial | No[21] | GPLv2 | 2.3+ | Ported to Android with SDL |
| Brogue | Roguelike | Yes | Yes | GPLv3 | ? | |
| Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup | Roguelike | Yes | No[22] | GPLv2+ | Text-based version also available | |
| Fish Fillets NG | Underwater puzzle game. | Yes | No[23] | GPLv2 | 1.6+ | Port of Fish Fillets NG |
| Freeciv | A turn-based strategy game similar to Sid Meier's Civilization | Yes | No[24] | GPLv2 | 2.0+ | |
| Frozen Bubble | Knock the bubbles down by making clusters of three or more bubbles in the same color. | Yes | Yes [25] | GPLv2 | 1.6+ | Port of Frozen Bubble |
| GLtron | Lightcycle racing game. | Yes | Yes | GPLv2 | 2.2+ | Port of GLtron |
| H-Craft Championship | SciFi 3D racing game. | Yes | No [26] | zlib | 3.2+ | Media is proprietary, but free for personal use. |
| OpenArena | First person shooter similar to Quake 3 (see: id Tech 3) | Yes | No[27] | GPLv2 | 1.6+ | Unofficial port by 'pelya' using SDL 1.2[22] |
| OpenTTD | Business simulation game similar to Transport Tycoon Deluxe | Yes | No[28] | GPLv2 | 1.6+ | pelya SDL port[22] |
| OpenTyrian | Vertical shoot 'em up | Yes | No[29] | GPLv2 | 1.6+ | pelya SDL port[22] |
| robotfindskitten | A 'Zen Simulation' | Yes | Yes | GPL | 1.6+ | |
| Simon Tatham's Puzzle Collection | Collection of puzzle games | Yes | Yes | MIT | 2.1+ | |
| Ur-Quan Masters | Source-port for 3DO version of Star Control II | ? | No[30] | GPLv2+, CC by 2.0, CC by-nc-sa 2.5[23] | ? | Game engine is free, but Star Control art assets are released under a Creative Commons non-commercial license.[24][23] pelya SDL port[22] |
| Warmux | A turn-based artillery game | Yes | No[31] | GPLv2 | 2.0+ | |
General[edit]
| Application name | Description | Availability | License | API[a] | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | F-Droid | |||||
| Dasher | Accessible text-input method | Yes | Yes | GPLv3 | ? | Also available for iOS |
| Google IO | App for Google IO conference | Yes | Yes | Apache 2.0 | 4.0 | |
| OpenLP | Worship presentation software | Yes | Yes [32] | GPLv3 | ? | |
| ownCloud | Client for synchronization server | Yes | Yes [33] | GPLv2 | 4.0+ | |
| Nextcloud | Client for synchronization server | Yes | Yes [34] | GPLv2 | 4.0+ | |
| The White House | The official White House app | Yes | Yes | MIT | 2.2+ | |
Multimedia[edit]
| Application name | Description | Availability | License | API[a] | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | F-Droid | |||||
| AntennaPod | Podcatcher | Yes | Yes [35] | MIT | 2.3.3+ | |
| Kodi (formerly XBMC) | Media player and center | Yes | Yes [36] | GPLv2+ | Multi | |
| NewPipe | YouTube and SoundCloud Client | Yes | Yes [37] | GPLv3+ | ? | |
| Popcorn Time | Media player utilizing BitTorrent protocol | Yes | Yes | GPLv3+ (AGPL exception)[25] | ? | In Nov. of 2015 PopcornTime.io ceased operations after court order from the MPAA issued in Canada.[26] |
| Ringdroid | Ringtone maker | Yes | Yes | Apache 2.0 | 4.1+ | |
| Rockbox | Media player | ? | ? | GPLv2+ | ? | |
| Tribler | Decentralized video sharing | Yes | Yes | LGPL v2.1+ | 3.0+ | |
| Tux Paint | Simple drawing program for children | Non-free | Yes | GPLv2 | ? | Version on Google Play is published by a 3rd-party & contains proprietary ad libraries in violation of upstream developers' license |
| VLC | Media player | Yes | Yes [38] | GPLv2+ | 2.1+ | |
| Wikimedia Commons | Client for free media repository | Yes | Yes [39] | Apache 2.0 | 2.3+ | Original no longer maintained.[27] Community developed fork has attempted to revive project[28] |
Navigation[edit]
| Application name | Description | Availability | License | API[a] | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | F-Droid | |||||
| Avare | GPS aviation application | Yes | Yes | Apache 2.0 | 2.2+ | |
| MAPS.ME | Offline mapping using OpenStreetMap data | Yes | Yes [40] | Apache 2.0 | ||
| Mozilla Stumbler | Data gathering for Mozilla Location Service | Yes | Yes | MPL2 | 2.3.3+ | |
| OsmAnd | Offline mapping using OpenStreetMap data | Yes | Yes [41] | GPLv3 | 2.3+ | Only parts of the software are available at no cost, this cause the software to get a few arbitrary limitation as limited portion maps of openstreetmap may be loaded. There is an unlimited paid version. |
Reading[edit]
| Application name | Description | Availability | License | API[a] | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | F-Droid | |||||
| DuckDuckGo | Widget for privacy focused search engine | Yes | Yes | Apache 2.0 | 2.2+ | |
| FBReader | e-book reader | Yes | Yes | GPL | 1.5+ | |
| iFixit | Official iFixit reader | Yes | Yes | GPLv3 | 2.2+ | |
| Kiwix | Offline Wikipedia reader | Yes | Yes | GPLv3 | 4.0+ | |
| MuPDF | PDF and XPS viewer | Yes | Yes | AGPL | 2.2+ | |
| Wikipedia | Access to Wikipedia | Yes | Yes [42] | GPLv2 | 2.2+ | |
| Wiktionary | Client for crowd-sourced dictionary | Yes | Yes | GPLv2 | 2.2+ | |
| XOWA | Offline Wikipedia reader | Yes | Yes | AGPLv3 | 4.4+ | |
Science and Education[edit]
| Application name | Description | Availability | License | API[a] | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | F-Droid | |||||
| BOINC | Participate in distributed grid computing initiatives | Yes | No | LGPL/GPLv3+[29] | 2.3+ | |
| EnigmAndroid | Simulation of the Enigma cipher machine | No | Yes | GPLv3+ | 3.0+ | |
| Galaxy Zoo | Classify galaxies in crowdsourced astronomy project | Yes | Yes | GPLv3 | 3.0+ | |
| GCompris | Educational activity suite for children aged 2–10 | Yes | Yes | GPLv3 | ? | Member project of KDE |
| GNU Octave | Scientific programming language syntax with built-in plotting and visualization tools | ? | No | GPLv3 | ? | [30][31] |
| micro:bit | Interact with a micro:bit device via Bluetooth | Yes[32] | No[33] | Apache 2.0[34] | ? | Developed by Samsung.[35] Depends on proprietary Google frameworks.[33] |
| SageMath | Client for mathematical software | Yes | Yes | GPLv3 | 2.0+ | |
| Sugar environment | One Laptop per Child learning platform | Yes | Yes | Apache 2.0 | 2.3.3+ | Ported as Sugarizer. |
Security[edit]
| Application name | Description | Availability | License | API[a] | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Play | F-Droid | |||||
| Bitwarden | Password manager | Yes | Yes | GPLv3 | 4.4+ | |
| Haven | Monitoring system to protect against evil maid attacks | Yes | Yes[36] | GPLv3 | 4.1+ | Developed by Edward Snowden under the auspices of The Guardian Project, and Freedom of the Press Foundation[37] |
| KeePassDroid | Password manager | Yes | Yes [43] | GPLv3 | 1.5+ | Port of KeePass |
| PasswdSafe | Password manager | Yes | Yes | Artistic License 2.0 | 1.6+ | |
| Prey | Anti-theft and monitoring | Yes | Yes | GPLv3 | 4.0+ | |
Utilities[edit]
| Application name | Description | Availability | License | API[a] | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| APK | Google Play | F-Droid | |||||
| Barcode Scanner | Barcode and QR Code reader | Yes | Yes [44] | Apache 2.0 | 4.0.3+ | ||
| Impress Remote | Presentation remote control for LibreOffice | ? | Yes [45] | Yes | MPL2[38] | 2.3+ | |
Notes[edit]
- ^ abcdefghijklThe API column is used to describe which versions of Android each individual application is compatible with. If API column shows '5.1' then the application is compatible with Android version 5.1 or higher; 'L7' or 'L14' mean specific Android API versions.
See also[edit]
- F-Droid, client and app store for open-source applications
References[edit]
- ^'Learn About Brave and Our Team - Brave Browser'. brave.com.
- ^'Add Brave to F-Droid'. GitHub.
- ^'andDevW/getChromium'. GitHub.
- ^'getChromium - F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository'. f-droid.org.
- ^'Fennec F-Droid'. F-Droid. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
- ^'Firefox'. f-droid.org. F-Droid. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- ^'Firefox Klar'. f-droid.org. F-Droid. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^'Firefox Klar'. f-droid.org. F-Droid. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
- ^'Guardian Project Fdroid repo'. guardianproject.info. Guardian Project. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ^'F-Droid wiki page on known repositories'. f-droid.org. F-Droid. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ^'Briar on F-droid'. https://briarproject.org/fdroid.html.External link in
website=(help) - ^'Index of /repo/'. f-droid.i2p.io.
- ^'Ring - Apps on Google Play'. play.google.com.
- ^'Ring - F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository'. f-droid.org.
- ^'Guardian Project Fdroid repo'. guardianproject.info. Guardian Project. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ^Greenberg, Andy (2 November 2015). 'Signal, the Snowden-Approved Crypto App, Comes to Android'. Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
- ^'FOSS gradle build flavor · Issue #6568 · WhisperSystems/Signal-Android'. GitHub. Retrieved 2017-10-12.
- ^'Telegram-FOSS-Team/Telegram-FOSS'. GitHub.
- ^https://f-droid.org/en/packages/de.tutao.tutanota/
- ^mpfau (12 August 2014). 'tutanota/LICENSE.txt'. github.com/tutao/tutanota. Tutao GmbH. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- ^RetroArch / COPYING. github.com. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
- ^ abcd'pelya/commandergenius'. GitHub.
- ^ ab'COPYING'. sourceforge.net/p/sc2/. The Ur-Quan Masters Git Repository. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
- ^The Ur-Quan Masters licensing
- ^Popcorn Time Foundation. android / LICENSE.md. git.popcorntime.io. Retrieved 19 August 2015. Archived September 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- ^Gardner, Eriq (3 November 2015). 'MPAA Touts Big Legal Success Against Popcorn Time'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^Hartman, Derk-Jan WikimediaMobile Pulling the Commons app lists.wikimedia.org. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
- ^'Commons mobile app'. commons.wikimedia.org. Archived from the original on 16 September 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- ^Anderson, David Pope (8 August 2008). 'boinc / COPYING'. github.com. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
Rom Walton (7 November 2015). 'boinc / README.md'. github.com/BOINC/boinc. Retrieved 25 November 2015. - ^Corbin Champion. 'corbinlc/octave4android'. github.com. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- ^Thomas Treichl (21 October 2013). 'Octave on Android'. Octave Maintainers mailinglist. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
- ^'micro:bit application page on Google Play'.
- ^ ab'Request for adding the official BBC micro:bit application'. 2018-07-26. Retrieved 2018-07-28.
- ^'License text in source code repository'. Retrieved 2018-07-27.
- ^'Samsung Launches the Official BBC micro:bit App'. 2016-02-17. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
- ^'Guardian Project Official App Repository'. guardianproject.info.
- ^https://freedom.press/news/introducing-haven-open-source-security-system-your-pocket/
- ^F-Droid - Impress Remote. f-droid.org. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
External links[edit]
There are a number of third-party maintained lists of open-source Android applications, including:
- Android Open Source resources and software database
- F-Droid Repository of free and open-source Android software
- PRISM Break – curated list of security focused open-source alternatives to mitigate some threats of PRISM, XKeyscore and Tempora.
- Droid-Break – curated list of general purpose open-source alternatives. Inspired by PRISM-break.
- Free Software Directory – community-maintained directory of Free and Open-source software
Android does include some proprietary components, intended to improve functionality and user experience, but its base is the Linux kernel which puts Android in the category of open source software. The stock Android ROM has been a wellspring of various custom ROMs developed by third parties.
Also Read: 13 Best Free And Open Source Software For Windows 10 Every User Must Know
You might have heard about CyanogenMod which later transformed into LineageOS. MIUI developed by Xiaomi, Paranoid Android, Resurrection Remix, etc. are other custom ROMs. People install these custom ROMs on compatible smartphone and tablets after enabling root access on the devices.
Moreover, there are millions of apps and games available for the Android operating system. But a set of open source Android apps would likely complement in the open source nature of the mobile operating system. You can also check out our list of open source apps for Windows.
Best Free And Open Source Apps For Android in 2018
1. Orbot – an Android version of Tor
If you’re a big-time fan of the Tor Browser, then it won’t take much time for you to start liking Orbot. Similar to Tor, it behaves as the anonymity cover for your Android device. Developed by The Tor Project, Orbot first came into existence in 2008.
When you enable the Tor proxy using Orbot, it suggests you to use an app called Orfox – an open source web browser which borrows its source code from Tor Browser. Using any other browser won’t hide you behind Tor’s proxy.
There is an Apps VPN Mode which allows the apps on your device to connect to the web using the Tor network. However, Orbot requires a rooted device to work with full potential.
2. Firefox for Android
Firefox web browser is one of the best open source app for Windows. So, it would have been surprising if Mozilla didn’t make its open source app for Android the best. With the release of Firefox 54, the open source web browser brings multi-process, with up to four content processes, to the masses as an effort to improve performance and responsiveness.
Also Read: Android Smart Lock: 8 Hidden Ways To Unlock Your Android Smartphone
3. Prey – find your lost device
You can use this open source Android app to track your missing device. I have written about Prey project earlier, and it’s available for other leading platforms also. The registered devices can be tracked using a web interface when they get lost.
Among many features offered by Prey, you can track device’s location, erase data, retrieve files, and even take a screenshot of the person remotely. Inevitably, an active internet connection on the lost device would be required to fetch the latest data.
Prey is available in both free and paid versions. Obviously, the free version is limited in some sense, but you can live with it if you want to track one or two devices at a time.
4. Signal – have encrypted conversations
Singal is a great open source Android app which enables end-to-end encryption for instant messages and voice calls. NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, who sparked global debate over privacy, has promoted the app in the past.
The app was first released in 2014 by Open Whisper Systems, and it’s also available for the iOS devices. The Signal Protocol which is the USP of the app was developed by Open Whisper’s founder Moxie Marlinspike and Trevor Perrin in 2013.
The protocol enables the end-to-end encryption in the Signal app, and it is also used in other popular instant messaging apps including WhatsApp, Messenger, and Google Allo.
5. VLC For Android
Do I need to tell you what is VLC and what is its use? For Windows OS, the open source media player is the default on most computers. On Android, MX Player might have left behind VLC, but still, it’s loved by millions of users.
The Android open source app is free to download, and it can play all the formats that it’s desktop brother does. It even outperforms MX Player when it comes to audio format support. Sadly, MX Player can’t play AC3 audio due to licensing issues.
Also Read: 6 Best Open Source Linux Media Players You Need To Try In 2017
6. DuckDuckGo – a Google Search alternative
Open Source Apps For Android
Google might be the best search engine on the planet, but there is a Duck which says it’s better than Google because it doesn’t track people. Well, DuckDuckGo’s argument might compel people to give it a try but replacing Google would be a next to impossible task as their presence in our lives is far greater than Google founders would have imagined.
Anyways, the search engine is available for Android as an open source app, and you can use at times when you don’t want a cookie from Google.
7. Kiwix – get Wikipedia on your Android
It’s hard for someone not to like Wikipedia. The free online encyclopedia offers content in languages most of us don’t even think existed in the world. Wikipedia has its open source app for Android which is developed by the Wikimedia Foundation. But there is another open source app called Kiwix. It’s an effort by Emmanuel Engelhart and Renaud Gaudin to make Wikipedia accessible without the internet.
After launching in 2007, Kiwix initially focused on making Wikipedia articles offline. But in later years it started including content from other platforms maintained by the Wikimedia Foundation.
Although the Wikipedia app can make the articles offline, Kiwix downloads complete Wikipedia at once in a compressed ZIM format, if you want to try the offline experience. The ZIM file can be downloaded from their PC website as well and then copied to the Android device.
Other than Android, the open source app is also available for iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and as a web extension for Chrome and Firefox.
Also Read: How To Download A Website For Offline Access Using HTTrack?
8. SpeedMeter – know how are you moving
One of the features I liked about Nokia’s Here Maps if you can recall it, was it could track my speed while walking, running, or traveling on a bus or train in real time. Even, Google Maps is capable of doing so, but it doesn’t display this kind of information.
If you feel like tracking your speed sometimes, you take the help of this open source Android app called SpeedMeter.
This gaming project is easy to operate and understand by the users. Player has to move the direction of the snake by using Left, Right, Up, Down Arrow Keys and Backspace key to Pause the game/return to the main menu. From the settings: Graphics resolution can be maintained and difficulty level, as well as sound level, can also be maintained. The more you eat food, more you’ll get score points. Snake game in c code. It is a common game where the player has to eat Food which will be available in different Coordinates.
9. Amaze File Manager – open source file explorer
Your quest for an open source file manager app can surely end with Amaze. It has great looks, simplicity, material design, root explorer, other loads of features, and above all, its free.
It uses other apps on the device to open media like images, videos, etc. One thing I didn’t like is one can’t swipe between consecutive images. You have to go back and open the next image instead. The same is the case for video; you can’t open the next video directly.
Anyways, every app has some cons. You can give Amaze File Manager a chance. I have high hopes it won’t disappoint you.
10. AdBlock Browser – stop annoying ads
You might be familiar with the browser extension Adblock Plus. For Android, AdBlock Plus is available in the form of an open source web browser to enable blocking of unwanted advertisements. Because intrusive adverts suck, you know better.
Earlier, Adblock Plus was available as a system-wide app which routed the traffic coming to your device through a local proxy server (set up on your device), where it filtered all the ads before showing the content on the screen. On unrooted devices, Adblock Plus app could only block advertisements over WiFi connections.
Now, the ad-blocker is available in the form of a web browser. So, you don’t have to go through the tedious setup process. However, one thing you should keep in mind is there are websites which rely on ad-revenue and don’t display annoying ads. So, it’s advised to use adblocking software less often.
11. Lightning – a lightweight Android browser
How about a useful open source Android app that takes just 10 megabytes of your phone storage. Developed by New York-based Anthony Restaino, Lightning is an Android browser which comes with built-in support for Orbot proxy and I2P anonymity network. But you’ll have to download the Orbot app.
Open Source Android Applications
The addition of a number of privacy-related options might be of interest to the users who want to do away with unnecessary tracking while browsing the web. The only downside associated with Lightning is free version only allows users to open up to 10 tabs. If you want more, you’ll get the paid version which doesn’t cost much.
12. ProtonMail – send end-to-end encrypted emails
Source Code For Android Apps
Developed by the team of scientists at CERN back in 2013, ProtonMail might not need an introduction. The popular email service quickly became a popular name as it provides an easy end-to-end encryption for emails.
In addition to sending secure emails, ProtonMail’s simple open source Android app allows users to set self-destruction timers, send password-protected emails, etc.
So, these were some great open source Android apps you can try on your device. I’ll try to extend this list in the future.
Do you have any suggestion for our open source Android apps list? Drop your thoughts and feedback.
Open Source Android App Code
Also Read: 8 Useful “Google Play Store Tricks” And Features For Every Android User