Simple Mobile Tools apps

For anyone using any Simple Mobile Tools app be aware that they were sold few days ago (4 dec 2023) to a very privacy unfriendly company:

https://github.com/SimpleMobileTools/General-Discussion/issues/241

Is suggested to remove them or stop updating them.

BTW the company is an israeli publisher that buys apps and fills them with ads asking weekly fees to avoid them...

Someone has made an alternatives list: https://libreddit.nullnet.services/r/SimpleMobileTools/comments/18929pq/simplemobiletools_was_sold_alternatives/

One of the dev of SMT has forked them: https://github.com/FossifyX

And another group of dev announced a fork too: https://github.com/goastian

News Source on Telegram: https://t.me/Libreware/1210

123 points · 19 comments · view on lemmy.world

19 Comments

LWD@lemm.ee · 29 pts · 2y (2 replies)

deleted

dsemy@lemm.ee · 15 pts · 2y (1 reply)

They did not ditch WebKit for Blink, they ditched it for Gecko (Firefox), which is a good thing IMO.

LWD@lemm.ee · 4 pts · 2y

deleted

shortwavesurfer@monero.town · 20 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Once the fossify apps are on fdroid i will be moving to them

Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone · 7 pts · 2y

Same.

I use simple calendar widget's agenda and monthly planner. Glad to hear they are being forked.

niisyth@lemmy.ca · 14 pts · 2y (4 replies)

FFS, I moved from Quickpic for the same reason and now Simple Gallery Pro.

Ugh

ragica@lemmy.ml · 6 pts · 2y

Aves is really good. Used Simple Gallery Pro for years and it was great. But switching to Aves is painless for me.

e_mc2@feddit.nl · 4 pts · 2y

Yeah, exactly the same here. Oh well, time to switch again.

Predator@feddit.uk · -1 pts · 2y (1 reply)

FWIW, QuickPic Pro ad-free is available by Cheetah Mobile the company who bought it. Also a modded fork of the last verion before it was bundled with ads is available from github.

niisyth@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 2y

Cheetah Mobile aren't exactly well known for their business ethics. Partly why a lot of folks bailed.

kpw@kbin.social · 13 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Anyone knows what F-Droid will do? Will they switch over to a fork? Maybe the people who installed it via F-Droid don't have to switch at all. @fdroid

possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 2y

I don't think they need to do anything. As long as an app meets the F-droid rules it should be fine. Only time will tell of the F-droid version becomes unmaintained

inson1@lemm.ee · 2 pts · 2y

They stoped the updates That is enough for now

inson1@lemm.ee · 3 pts · 2y
ShroOmeric@lemmy.world · -19 pts · 2y (4 replies)

Israeli, why I'm not surprised?

Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca · 12 pts · 2y (2 replies)

Because you seek to inject politicized drama into every aspect of your life?

ShroOmeric@lemmy.world · -11 pts · 2y (1 reply)

Or bacause I actually read the news

Darkassassin07@lemmy.ca · -1 pts · 2y

Lmao, like any of us can avoid this topic, particularly online...

muntedcrocodile@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 2y

They don't have the greatest track record when it comes to using spyware.