this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2024
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Is there any closed source android app that you wish had a good open source alternative? (programming.dev)
submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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I'm currently looking to develop an open source app that can help somebody. I'm currently out of ideas, so I'd like to heard if from you guys.

Sorry if it seems to lazy to ask for ideas like that, I just thought that I could do it since the result will be a free app.

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Signal I suppose would be the closest analog

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

No, I'm not looking for an alternative. I'm looking for an open source client that let's me talk to folks on WhatsApp.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I see, fair enough. I don't know if you'll have any luck with a FOSS third party client which does t violate their TOS. There was something on fdroid years ago, a wrapper that effectively allowed you to use WhatsApp Web on another phone (or perhaps even the same one), but it ultimately requried the use of the official clients

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

If you use one of those WhatsApp web apps, you still have to use the closed source app. It doesn't solve the problem

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Yes, I already aluded to this. Point being, I don't think you'll find a viable FOSS front end since it would violate their TOS.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Most people don't care about violating ToS. Its not a risk to an open source project.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It is to

A: the continuity of said project (DMCA) and B: to the individual end users.

You can use FOSS clients for things like Discord or the Google play store but you still run the risk of getting banned.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Shit, I get banned by their shitty ML algos when I do comply with their ToS. I don't think most people care about the risk of having to create new accounts, since they're already forced to do so already.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Ordinarily I'd agree, but for now, WhatsApp is tied to your phone number. I'm not sure if you can use some kind of service to create alias numbers but for many people, that's a big blocker when it comes to making another account following any kind of infraction.

I don't think meta would shift in requiring a phone number per account either,

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Oh, I don't have a phone number. I just use a temp one online.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

That works. Which service do you use ooc?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Juice SIM or MoneroSMS. It doesn't work, though. Only tried once, but the account was banned a few hours after creation :(