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Comment by OfSanguineFire | Hacker News Reader

Signal being restricted to F-Droid would be the end of the app as any kind of mass phenomenon. Sure, like my fellow nerds here on HN, I use F-Droid. But none of the ordinary friends and relatives I managed to convince to install Signal, since it was free from the Play Store with just a few taps, would continue using the app if it were relegated to that repository they have never heard of.

Signal’s developers have spoken on a number of occasions about how their aim is to ensure encryption for the masses, not a techie elite.

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Yeah, I communicate with way too many people on iPhones who will simply not switch to Android. If it disappears from the Apple App Store we will have to use a different messenger.

I mean if the choice is between "installing black box MITM to signal", "pulling it from the EU google play store and requiring users to download the apk manually", and "pulling it from the EU google play store and allowing users to use fdroid" then the choice is obvious.

Mass adoption can continue elsewhere if the EU chooses to go down a route that would make play store support in the EU non-viable.

Their reasoning for having it Play Store only is that Google does not require app developers to provide their signing keys/sign the APK themselves. Now this is no longer the case as Google changed their policies.

NOTE: F-Droid does not require app developers to share their keys, instead they build the application themselves and sign it with their keys -- something Signal is not a fan of.

tl;dr their rationale no longer applies.

I have also seen the preference for installing from Play Store explained as being that users are safer if they use default setups and do what everyone else is doing. For users who are not savvy, going the sideloading route can expose them to risk.

For me this line of thinking doesn't make a lot of sense. The Google Play option will always exist as it is a prerequisite for widespread adoption on Android. Also arguably, you're safer on F-Droid due to the level of vetting on that platform; so providing Signal on it is a good endorsement for general user safety and privacy.

Either way, this isn't about only offering the application on Google Play or only on F-Droid; but providing the option for both. Non-tech savvy users will always pick the more familiar and easy option on average, Google Play.

How is providing a F-Droid repo the same as being restricted to only being available via F-Droid?

It was in reply to:

> If push comes to shove they'll be fine and pressure to black box signal in the EU is unlikely to hold up if they can just move users to another app store.

Yes but the assumption is that "push comes to shove" and they have to choose between pulling it from the EU play store and installing black box MITM software.

Having relatively easy alternatives in place would reduce the leverage the EU has to actually practically enforce this and hopefully pressure them into at minimum non-enforcement and preferably walking back the obviously unenforceable legislation.

But if it looks like they could practically force out Signal and co or force them to adopt this MITM if they want to continue existing, then they might be more likely to pursue it.

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