Where do you go to find suggestions of specific types of apps

[Yes]

I do not have a specific app in mind; I'm interested in learning where
to look for phone apps and their names so I can do more research. I'm
used to using alt.comp.freeware to find names and recommendations of
software but haven't really found a comparable newsgroup or forum for
mobile apps. In a.c.f I can describe what I'm looking for and other
people will chime in with suggestions from which I can start expanding
my searches.

John

[Chris]

Google play. Check the ratings and read the reviews from both ends of the
spectrum. A 10:1 ratio of 5 start to one star reviews is a good rule of
thumb for apps worth considering.

You can also look for "the ten best apps for x articles" on the web.

Asking on here is plausible, but threads are often hijacked by idiots. Use
your killfile.

[Harold Newton]

On Thu, 18 Jan 2018 18:25:49 -0000 (UTC), Yes wrote:

> I do not have a specific app in mind; I'm interested in learning where
> to look for phone apps and their names so I can do more research.

In addition to what Chris wrote, I find it useful to peruse F-Droid.

https://f-droid.org

There's a lot less bullshit marketing on F-droid versus Google Play,
overall, and the apps, overall, are simpler and more are ad free.

[Yes]

How does one add it so that the phone will display it on the
touchscreen along with Google Playstore? I've only been using a
smartphone for about a month now. FWIW, the phone is an LG M210
Aristo, T-Mobile version.

Thanks,

John

[Yes]

I'll look for "ten best apps" type of articles, though that's rather
hit or miss. I get interested in things off the beaten path and find
it quicker to first ask others in newsgroups or then search via Google
if I have an idea of what keyword(s) to use.

John

[Harold Newton]

On Fri, 19 Jan 2018 05:36:53 -0000 (UTC), Yes wrote:

> How does one add it so that the phone will display it on the
> touchscreen along with Google Playstore? I've only been using a
> smartphone for about a month now. FWIW, the phone is an LG M210
> Aristo, T-Mobile version.

It's simple to add F-droid. It's just an app. All you have to do to use it
is to enable it in the Google settings.

After that, it acts exactly like Google Play does.
In fact, I disabled Google Play long ago, and only use F-Droid.

Some F-Droid keepers are
* OSMAnd~
* NewPipe
* FTP Server (Free)
* Hourglass
* K-9 Mail
etc.

Here's a cut and paste of the setup from this site:
http://techbeasts.com/what-is-f-droid-and-how-to-install-it-on-android/

1. Download latest F-Droid APK.
2. Copy the downloaded APK to your phone.
2. On your phone, go to settings > security > unknown sources > tap the
radio button to allow.
3. Now launch F-Droid APK using a file manager.
3. Complete the installation.
4. F-Droid will now appear in the app drawer.
5. Launch F-Droid now.
6. Now you can install any application from F-Droid. F-Droid also manages
the updates for all the applications that are installed from its store.

Here are others:
https://www.maketecheasier.com/use-f-droid-to-install-open-source-android-apps/
https://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-install-apps-outside-of-google-play/

[Carlos E.R.]

Here is the best group to ask for android apps - you just have to filter
some answers, as in most high traffic groups ;-)

The other method is searching on the google play site on a computer;
find a bunch of plausible apps, then read the description and later the
comments.

--
Cheers, Carlos.

[Chris]

If you're new to the smartphone ecosystem, I'd avoid F-droid. You need to
enable untrusted software installs which could introduce malware onto your
phone.

[Harold Newton]

On Fri, 19 Jan 2018 14:33:49 -0000 (UTC), Chris wrote:

> If you're new to the smartphone ecosystem, I'd avoid F-droid. You need to
> enable untrusted software installs which could introduce malware onto your
> phone.

That's like saying that you should avoid reading books because they could
introduce errant ideas in your head.

It's a phone for heaven's sake.

If you have to be *afraid* of putting useful open-source software on it,
then you probably shouldn't be holding it in your hands in the first place.

It's shocking how crippled people are by their fright.

It's like never going outside in the dark, never walking in the rain, never
driving during rush hour, never watching a risque movie, and never reading
a book that isn't already authorized by Congress as safe to read.

Anyone who is that *afraid* of F-droid, should be just as afraid of deer
running into their cars at night or monsters in their closet.

Oh, and next time you park your car in a parking lot, when you get back to
the car, check the back seat and the trunk and underneath the car for
intruders who will kill you when you least expect it.

[Yes]

Thanks. D/l and added to my phone.

John

[Harold Newton]

On Sun, 21 Jan 2018 07:17:04 -0000 (UTC), Yes wrote:

> Thanks. D/l and added to my phone.

Some helpful information about F-Droid...

Bear in mind that Google Play is a farce, in some cases, where, for
example, the NewPipe on F-Droid is the real thing, while *any* NewPipe
clone on Google Play is just a for-profit re-use of the open source code by
some third party, unrelated to the the original (it seems) - because in all
cases I tested, the Google knockoffs added *ads* and other obnoxities, to
the real NewPipe code.

In other cases, the Google Play app is the payware to the F-Droid freeware,
the OSMAnd~ on F-Droid is the real thing, as is the OSMAnd+ on Google Play,
but the F-droid is free while the OSMAnd+ is not.

Likewise with FTP Server (Free) versus FTP Server (Demo) on Google Play.

Dunno about K-9 Mail though as I only use the New Pipe version as I remove
Google Play and anything that I could remove (I'm rooted) that was remotely
related to Google long ago.

If I *need* a Google Play app, I just download it with someone else's phone
and pick up the APK from them, which works 95% of the time, no matter what
the phone differences seem to be.