From Newsgroup: alt.privacy

On Fri, 5 Sep 2025 20:16:26 -0700, AJL wrote :

One of the problems is that Google is preventing us from building an APK
without each and every one of us registering ourselves as real developers.

So your choices are to either register or don't use a Google device. My above described Amazon tablet is such a non-Google device. It should run your non-registered apps just fine.

Hi AJL,

Good discussion. We can all learn from each other. As we're all different.

You said it well. What will "likely" happen, as I consult my crystal ball
with animal entrails wrapped around it, is either Google will change their mind, or, more likely perhaps, "Something Else" will solve the problem.

I'm assuming developers will come up with a universal developer account (or something of that ilk) which will allow us to be that universal developer.

Kind of like how we each are an account on the Google Play Store repository when we use Aurora to get the official exact actual real APKs from Google.

Sure, we can't pay for it as that universal user, but we can get free APKs.
My assumption is something like that will be available to us at that time.

All my other Android toys require Google to operate. Are there any other Android OS tablets out there that you can buy that work without Google?

Well, bear in mind I don't have a Google Account on my Samsung Galaxy.
And, if I could root it, I would have rooted it long ago (but I can't).

Based on a search result run just now, apparently the Groundhog Usenet
newsreader for Android was released under the GPL open source license and
its full source code is publicly available. The author, Juan J. Sanchez
(juanjux), published it on GitHub and stated that anyone is free to fork
and continue development. This means we can legally download the code, open >> it in Android Studio or another Java/Android build environment, and compile >> your own APK using the methods outlined in my recent tutorial.

That apk modifying stuff is beyond my pay grade.

Just to be clear, I have "apk-modifying stuff". That's different.
a. That's cloning
b. And that's editing the clone
c. And then you rebuild the edited clone
<https://xdaforums.com/t/tool-apk-editor-studio-free-apk-reverse-engineering-tool.3972529/>
<https://xdaforums.com/t/tool-clonemyapp-android-apk-cloner.4513777/>
<https://clonemy.app/>

Some day I may write a tutorial for others to clone/edit/rebuild an APK.
*APK Explorer & Editor*
<https://apk-editor.github.io/general/>
<https://f-droid.org/packages/com.apk.editor/>

But I've been using
Groundhog for many years now. I use it for Usenet reading only since the posting function broke around Android 9. But reading is a PITA with my
other Android newsreader PhoNews. So it's Groundhog until I want to
post, then I switch. I'm still looking for a good modern Android
newsreader but I think we both agreed that there isn't one.

Here is a copy-and-paste from one of my old logs about Android newsreaders.
1. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=at.cmg.android.phonews
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cmgapps.android.phonewspro
2. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.almarsoft.GroundhogReader
3. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.piaohong.newsgroup
4. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ken.android.nntpreader.pro
5. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noasy.newsreader
6. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=usenet.sinaapp.com

Some of those are no longer valid URLs but I'm just looking for the package names of all known Android Usenet news newsreaders (whether they're bad or worse) as once I know the package I can get the APK from mirrors such as https://m.apkpure.com/groundhog-usenet-reader/com.almarsoft.GroundhogReader https://www.appbrain.com/app/noasy-reader/com.noasy.newsreader

newsreader usenet news https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.noasy.newsreader

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.piaohong.newsgroup
Last update: Nov 2019.
Adware.
Author's web site is dead (usenet.sinaapp.com).

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=at.cmg.android.phonews
Reveals phone number and OS in headers of submissions.
Adware. Pay to get rid of ads (and that's all you pay for); see: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cmgapps.android.phonewspro Nags to have you rate the app.

Groundhog
Home site (http://www.almarsoft.com/) is dead.
No longer listed at Play Store. Available at: https://m.apkpure.com/groundhog-usenet-reader/com.almarsoft.GroundhogReader

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ken.android.nntpreader.pro Payware.
Last update: Oct 2014.
https://nzbget.net/download

Some Usenet providers have their own HTTP-to-NNTP gateway to let you
access Usenet using your web browser. For example, https://help.easynews.com/kb/article/368-how-to-get-easynews-on-your-mobile-device/.
There are also web-based forums that leech from Usenet using an
HTTP-to-NNTP gateway.

Yeah, there's Google Groups which have private web-based forums and
Usenet (newsgroups) mashed together. However, many Usenetizens filter
out Google Gropers due to all the spam, trolls, peuriles, and uber-boobs
that reside there.
http://twovoyagers.com/improve-usenet.org/

Read the reviews of each app at the Play Store. All the Android NNTP
apps are crap if you are accustomed to using NNTP clients on desktops.
For *read-only* web based search & read access to the automatically archived Android newsgroup, this is the URL you would use on a shortcut.
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android>

Before anyone gets their panties all twisted up that the word 'google'
is in the domain - just ignore that - it's _not_ Google Groups.

It's DejaNews.

There are many ways to create a one-tap shortcut to DejaNews archives.
<https://groups.google.com/g/misc.phone.mobile.iphone>
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.sys.mac.system>
<https://groups.google.com/g/alt.comp.microsoft.windows>
<https://groups.google.com/g/rec.photo.digital>
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.text.pdf>
etc.

One way is to use the free "Website Shortcut" app (but methods abound).
<https://i.postimg.cc/fTppT16Q/newsgroup01.jpg>
Website Shortcut, by Deltac Development (free, adfree, gsffree, rated 4.3)
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.deltacdev.websiteshortcut>

The main point is that while we can build an APK from source today, Google >> is trying to make that impossible -

It's a security thing IMO but we've been over that before. I just can't
see where Google will lose much cash over the sideload crowd. Maybe you should just join up and make some bucks selling your apps in the Play Store... 8-O

If I knew more about Android I'd go the simple mobile tools route.
I'd make a bunch of simple Android tools.
And I'd let everyone have it for free.

Much like IrfanView and VLC are for Windows PCs.
But I'm not that good.

SO for now, I will pray that God will deliver us from evil by
directing developers to come up with a solution to the problem.

I think the most straightforward solution is for a universal
developer account (much like what Aurora uses) but maybe that
would have its own inherent issues so I'll just wait for now.

What's great is we're all discussing it.
Years before it will take effect.

That's what well-informed people should be doing.
So kudos, to us!
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