XMPP

Daniel Gultsch, developer of the Android XMPP chat app Conversations, has announced the app is leaving Google Play and is now free. Previously the app was paid on Play while free via F-Droid, a split tied to Google's policies on donation-funded apps. Gultsch explains his reasons for the split and what it means for the app's future funding and distribution.

Daniel Gultsch, developer of the Android XMPP messaging app Conversations, has announced the app is no longer being distributed through Google Play, explaining the decision in a post titled 'Breaking Up with Google Play'. The move has drawn attention on Hacker News and across the fediverse, where users are debating the practicality of leaving major app stores and what it means for open-source, privacy-focused messaging apps.