I've using FDroid for some time now, but now it says "it was developed for an older Android version (I'm on 14) and can't update automatically"
I read that FDroid Basic was recommended for newer phones, so I installed and copied my repos (still have both apps) but it doesn't recognize my installed apps. Am I missing something?
It will recognize your apps once they get one update and then they will begin auto-updating again like they were. But fdroid itself is increasing its Android versions to catch up. I think it's targeting Android 10 or 11 now when it was targeting like Android 6.
It recognises the apps installed, from whatever repo you use. Shows recommended update based on that. So many options. Comes with dozens of repos ready to go and incredibly simple to enable/disable.
NOTE: The Basic version of F-Droid Client has a reduced feature set (e.g. no nearby share and no panic feature). It targets Android 13 and can do unattended updates without privileged extension or root.
I don't see the target version varying between them, I found both to be 1.21.0 on Android (I have enabled unstable updates), and both indicate they support android 6.0+. So if you have LOS or plain android on a version 6.0 or beyond, f-droid should be able to install and work on them.
I use F-Droid since it comes pre-installed and with privileged extension set by default on LOS for MicroG, so I don't find it particularly appealing to install F-Droid basic instead, but if that were not the case, I'd go with F-Droid basic, given I don't set F-Droid to serve nearby devices on any phone, and I haven't ever thought of using the panic feature. I'm using LOS4uG 21, meaning android 14. with no issues, so perhaps 1.21.0 already target android 14, and not just android 13.
So I believe both, the basic and the not basic versions of F-Droid target the same version, and support the same versions, the difference is in basic with a couple of less features. But you can always take a look at the version, and there you can tap on the specific version to see what versions of android are supported.
Tbh the privileged extension might be a security issue, but people expect automatic background updates. I am the manual updater for my Girlfriend, which is... not a really cool job.
Especially awesome as nowadays you never know when Playstore apps you update are silently implementing Play Integrity check, where GrapheneOS would then fail and the app wouldnt launch anymore. Backing up APKs before every update sucks.
I agree ! I just pointed out the actual differences. And if you use LOS4uG, you have several options, keep F-Droid as it is, keep it and remove the privileged extension, remove it in favor of the basic version, and on top of the last option see if the unattended updates can be opted out/in.
Tried Neo, didn't like it enough, FDroid seemed cleaner and simpler.
I might try droidifyin the future, but it kind of annoys me that everyone is suggesting other apps instead of answering my question. I'm not asking for a replacement, I just want FDroid to work.
Read about how Android SDK versions work. There is a minimum SDK and a target SDK.
The SDK is a set of libraries shipped with the OS, so if people use outdated Android versions (which especially since Android 11 seems to be horrifyingly common), apps with a higer minSDK than what is shipped will not run.
F-Droid targets outdated Android versions, for sustainability and stuff.
F-Droid Basic targets the latest SDK and runs very fine. I use it for browsing apps and adding repos. For installing I use Obtainium, as otherwise I would rely on IzzyOnDroid a ton, which makes no sense.
Obtainium has more attack surface though, and no support for Mirrors. You will need a Github Account and API key if you have many Apps. You can use it to download F-Droid apps too though.
I explained why you would want to use F-Droid Basic. Why it wouldnt recognize your installed apps I dont know, did you look in the "installed apps" section or just updates?
IzzyOnDroid collects Github releases that you would otherwise get with Obtainium. F-Droid builds them on their own so you couldnt update from one version to another as signing keys dont match