IzzyOnDroid Archive

IzzyOnDroid is a repository of free Android apps that works like F-Droid and is run by a maintainer known as Izzy. It collects apps that are not in the main F-Droid repository and serves them as the developers’ own official builds. Below is how apps get in, how files are verified, and how to add the repository.

Izzy Hunts Through GitHub, GitLab And Codeberg For New Apps

Izzy periodically checks these three code hosts for projects that publish an APK file but are missing from the main F-Droid repository. Developers and users can also suggest an app through the Codeberg issue tracker. Nothing goes in automatically. The site describes a manual review of each candidate, which includes a look at its permissions and the results of scanners.

This approach has an upside for developers as well. An app maker who already posts signed APK files on GitHub does not have to meet the stricter build rules of the main F-Droid repository to reach F-Droid users. For readers it means more choice, with the catch that the app was built by the developer rather than rebuilt by the repository.

A Changed Signature Gets An App Thrown Out

Every APK keeps the signature its developer gave it. The repository records the signing key when an app first appears and compares it on every update. If the signature does not match, the file is left out and Izzy gets a warning. This makes it harder for a swapped file to slip through. The page also notes that some APKs include Google-applied signing blocks, and those are flagged for review.

In practice the key check is simple to picture. The first time an app appears, its signing key is written down. On the next update the new file has to carry the same key. A mismatch stops the file and Izzy hears about it. That does not protect against a developer who goes bad, but it does protect against a swapped file.

The Rules For Getting Listed Come To Three Checks

• The app must be useful
• It must have been updated within the last 12 months
• It must pass a manual look at permissions and scanner results

The page does not state how many apps the repository holds, so no total is given here. To add the repository, enter https://apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/repo in your F-Droid client. You can also check the fingerprint shown on the official page before trusting it.

Where To Start Before You Trust Any Extra Repository

The safest way to install an app is still its official store listing, and the main F-Droid repository is the next stop for open source apps. Add an extra repository like this one only for apps you cannot find there. Compare the fingerprint on the official page with what your client shows, and ignore mirrors or lookalike sites that do not come from apt.izzysoft.de. Keep the list of added repositories short, since each one is another source you have to trust.

The page also points to the Codeberg maintenance repo and an App Inclusion Policy for anyone who wants to read the full rules or suggest an app. Reading that policy before you rely on the repository is a good idea, because it shows what the maintainer will and will not accept.