The proliferation of app stores for mobile devices has been one of the most relevant features of the digital age. Currently, most mobile operating systems, including Android, have their own app store. However, many people are looking for alternatives to these stores due to the lack of privacy and control they offer. This is where Accrescent comes in, a new Open Source application store for Android that is presented as an alternative to conventional stores.
What is Accrescent?
Accrescent is an Open Source application store for Android that is presented as an alternative to F-Droid, the quintessential free application store. This new store is in its initial stage of development and is characterized by offering secure applications, protected by signatures, latest version checking, unattended updates and APKs divided by devices.
One of the main features that stands out about Accrescent is that does not require a user account for usewhich guarantees the privacy of users.
Accrescent Features
Although at the moment there are not many apps in its database (it only has those shown in the screenshot above), its philosophy promises, these being its main characteristics:
- Secure installations and applications.
- Checking the latest version of the applications.
- Unattended updates.
- APKs divided by devices to ensure compatibility.
- It does not require a user account for its use, which guarantees the privacy of users.
Advantages of Accrescent
One of the main advantages of Accrescent is that it offers a high level of privacy for users, since it does not require a user account for its use. In addition, it focuses on offering Open Source applications, which guarantees transparency and user control over the applications they install. Another advantage of Accrescent is that it has been designed for and targeted at recent versions of Android, such as Android 13, allowing for automatic updates without the need for superuser or root privileges.
On the other hand, Accrescent is a simple and lightweight application, with a size of just 4 MB, which makes it easy to download and use. In addition, its design respects the Material You guidelines, which makes it intuitive and easy to navigate.
Using signed repository metadata and pinning application signing keys help protect against tampering and malicious applications. Pinning the minimum version helps mitigate the risk of an attacker delivering outdated versions of applications with known vulnerabilities. Name and icon verification makes it more difficult for attackers to trick users into installing a malicious imitation app.
Support for unattended updates with or without privileged OS integration and split APK support saves bandwidth and makes updates seamless for users. No remote APK signing ensures that developers maintain control over their app signing keys, which helps prevent unauthorized modifications to their apps.
Pinning TLS certificates helps mitigate the risk of a man-in-the-middle attack, and the lack of user accounts makes Accrescent more accessible and private to users. However, developers still need to create accounts in the Developer Console to publish their apps.
Accrescent Limitations
While Accrescent has several advantages, it is still in its early stages of development and has some limitations. In its current state, the store is limited in terms of the number of applications available and the information it provides about each of them. Also, its design is very simplistic, which can be limiting for some users who are looking for more options and features.
You can try it in accrescent.app, where the link to Github is.
