If you lean toward open source or simply want an Android setup that attracts less attention from big tech, you already know how tedious it can be to keep sideloaded apps up to date. The Play Store works, but it dictates the terms. F-Droid is a fantastic Google Play Store alternative, but it often lags behind developer releases due to its signing processes.
That is where Obtainium earns its place. It is not an app store in the usual sense. Rather, it functions as a direct update tracker that goes straight to the source. By pulling updates directly from developers’ releases, whether on GitHub, GitLab, F-Droid, or their self-hosted websites, Obtainium delivers updates the moment they are published.
- OS
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Android
- Price model
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Free (open-source)
Keep sideloaded apps up to date with Obtainium. It tracks releases from GitHub and other sources, so you get updates without relying on app stores.
Obtainium lets you install and fetch updates directly from the source
Farm-to-table software delivered straight to your phone
To add a new application (I tested this with AnySoftKeyboard from its GitHub page), navigate to the “Add app” screen and paste a source URL. Obtainium immediately interrogates the repository, extracting version information, package identifiers, and releases’ metadata. It then presents you with the app’s current status: whether it’s installed, what version is available, and if installed, when the last update check occurred.
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If you’re migrating from another setup, there’s no need to add every app manually. The Import/Export section lets you bulk-import apps from a URL list, a file (such as an OPML backup), or even directly from your GitHub starred repositories. This means you can start interesting projects on your desktop and have them ready to install on your phone the next time you open Obtainium. Exporting is just as seamless. You can back up your entire app configuration, making it easy to move your data to a new Android phone or share your curated app list with others.
There are a few minor considerations. You’ll need to enable installation from unknown sources for Obtainium, and it’s up to you to vet the sources you add, which is a good practice when installing apps from safe APK download sites. But if you’re already comfortable sideloading apps, these steps are familiar and won’t slow you down.
Obtainium gives you granular control over every installation and update
Fine-tune your update strategy down to the individual app
Where Obtainium really separates itself from the Play Store is in the level of control it hands you. Unlike typical app stores that shove a single “stable” version down your throat, Obtainium assumes you know what you want and lets you fine-tune every detail.
When adding an app source, you can choose to include pre-release versions, roll back to older releases if the newest one misbehaves or causes slow phone performance after an update. More than that, you can also filter release titles with regular expressions, or even reconcile version numbers with what Android already sees on your device. For GitHub sources specifically, you can enable fallback mechanisms, verify specific tags, or filter APKs automatically based on your device’s CPU architecture to prevent installing incompatible binaries.
You can also mark apps as Track-only, which lets Obtainium notify you of updates without downloading them. This is perfect for apps you prefer to update manually or through another store, giving you full autonomy over your app ecosystem.
There’s a lot you can tweak in the settings
Obtainium doesn’t believe in dumbing things down
The Obtainium settings menu is quite extensive, and while you can get along fine without diving in, a few tweaks are worth exploring. For example, you can adjust the background update interval (set to six hours by default) so the app doesn’t constantly poll for new versions. Battery-conscious users can flip toggles to skip background checks when not on Wi-Fi or while the device isn’t charging. You can also have Obtainium check for updates whenever you open an app’s detail page, making sure you see the latest info before deciding to install. There’s even an option to automatically remove apps that you’ve uninstalled outside Obtainium, keeping its tracking list perfectly in sync with what’s actually on your device.
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Obtainium also supports advanced installation workflows beyond basic APK downloads. Integration with Shizuku or Sui unlocks privileged installation capabilities, while AppVerifier lets you share newly downloaded apps for verification before installation. You can configure GitHub personal access tokens to bypass API rate limits or route requests through proxies for added privacy.
Even though appearance isn’t its primary focus, Obtainium offers thoughtful customization. You can choose a pure black theme for OLED displays, leverage Material You for system-wide design consistency, or apply custom accent colors. Apps can be grouped by category or pinned for easy access to those requiring frequent attention.
Obtainium isn’t for everyone, but maybe it’s for you
If you’ve ever gotten annoyed watching app updates crawl through the Play Store, or if you’re a regular user of open-source apps, Obtainium is a breath of fresh air. It connects you straight to developers’ release cycles, cuts out the go-betweens, and wraps it all up in a clean, thoughtfully designed interface that’s easy to use.
