This Google Play Store alternative is a literal safe haven for FOSS apps

Android isn’t just about the apps available on the Google Play Store. The thing that makes Android an exciting OS is that it is open-source in nature. Because the platform allows it, anyone with a clever idea and some coding skills can build an app and share it with the world. When you buy an Android phone, you aren’t just buying a phone; you are gaining access to a massive, unrestricted ecosystem.

By sticking only to the Google Play Store, however, you are missing out on a whole world of incredible apps hosted on alternative app stores, like SafeHaven, one of the most reliable places outside Google’s walls for interesting apps.

Ditch the Play Store

SafeHaven is the FOSS app store you actually need

SafeHaven is a free and open-source software (FOSS) Android app store built around a single idea — providing people with complete transparency when downloading a third-party app. It lets you see where the app comes from, who made it, and whether it is free of viruses or any malware before you install it.

While there are multiple other third-party app stores for Android, SafeHaven brings something different to the table. SafeHaven reminds users that they own their phone. They should not have to trade personal data just to download a simple calculator or an offline music player.

Every app you find on SafeHaven is open-source, meaning the code is available for anyone to inspect. The transparency guarantees that the apps are free from hidden trackers, paywalls, and intrusive advertisements (which can be so irritating).

I’ve been using a lot of open-source apps on my phone, and some of them literally put Google’s defaults to shame. If you have tried to de-Google your Android phone, you probably used F-droid. While F-droid is a legend in the FOSS community, its user interface feels dated, and updates aren’t instantaneous.

SafeHaven kicks off with a sleek, modern UI. It pulls apps directly from GitHub repositories and other reliable FOSS sources. This means you get the latest available updates the moment developers release them.

The problem with every other App Store

It's worth understanding why this even matters

The official Google Play Store hosts millions of apps. However, not every app present there is safe to use, and a meaningful chunk has been caught hiding malware, stealing data, or running adware in the background. Google removes such apps, but by the time it does, millions are already affected.

SafeHaven tries to bring some changes to this approach by being transparent and trustworthy. Every listed app tells you if the source code is linked, if the developer has proven they actually own the repository, if the APK has been scanned, and when it was last time it was checked.

Everything is first checked and then published, not the other way around. Additionally, SafeHaven rescans apps after they are already live. This ensures that the app is virus-free if a malicious update sneaks in or if a new threat signature is flagged. Developers are asked to place a .safehaven file in their repository during setup. This is a simple verification method; you can’t link a repo you don’t control.

Also, not every app has a verified developer behind it. SafeHaven keeps such apps separate from the developer-verified ones. This way, you know what you're downloading on your phone.

Get started with SafeHaven

You’ll need to sideload it

SafeHaven isn’t an app that you can download from the Google Play Store. You will need to sideload it. If you haven’t done this before, first you need to turn on the Enable Unknown Sources option, which you can do by heading over to Settings -> Apps -> Special App Access -> Install Unknown Apps. Then you need to choose the file manager or browser app you will use to open the app.

Now, head over to the SafeHaven GitHub releases page and get the APK file downloaded on your phone. Open the downloaded APK and install it with the file manager or browser that you gave access to install unknown apps. SafeHaven app store is ready to use.

However, a quick note. SafeHaven is still in its early development. The app catalog at SafeHaven is nowhere near the size of the list of apps you see on F-droid or the Play Store. But it is the framework with which SafeHaven operates that no other Android store offers.

If you are already a person who thinks carefully about the Android permissions you grant to apps, SafeHaven will make you feel at home. The whole store is designed for people who ask questions before clicking install.

A small project making a big argument

When installing an app, we have to argue about a lot of things — is the app store trustworthy? Which permissions will it ask for? And whether sideloading itself is safe or not? SafeHaven is a small project, but it aims to bring transparency to everyone and show that it isn’t a premium feature. I’ve been using SafeHaven on my second phone and checking back on it regularly to see how the catalog grows. The Google Play Store isn’t going anywhere, and neither is the question of whether we should trust it so blindly.