Sideloading is one of Android’s greatest strengths. You can install apps directly from a developer’s website, a GitHub release page, or a community forum. But one of the biggest challenges with these sideloaded apps is updates. Unlike the rest of the apps that you get from the Play Store, they don’t update automatically in the background. This means you miss out on new features and improvements unless you keep checking for updates manually.
Obtainium is a free, open-source app that solves this problem. It’s basically an update tracker tool that pulls updates directly from the developer’s website, be it GitHub, GitLab, F-Droid, or any other. It brings the convenience of automatic updates to sideloaded apps.
- OS
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Android
- Price model
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Free (open-source)
Keep sideloaded apps up to date with Obtainium. It tracks releases from GitHub and other sources, so you get updates without relying on app stores.
Obtainium brings order to sideloading chaos
Finally, an update system for sideloaded apps
The way Obtainium works is quite simple. It doesn’t act like an app store but as a tool that helps you with app updates. If you install an app from a GitHub release page, for instance, Obtainium can track that exact page for updates without you having to do anything. The moment the developer publishes a new version, the app shows a notification, and you can get the latest version in seconds. Of course, you can also set it up to update apps automatically.
For Obtainium to work, you first need to add every app you’ve sideloaded on your phone. Luckily, that’s enough. Go to the Add app section and paste the source link of your app. It doesn’t matter if it’s a GitHub releases page, a direct APK link, or another supported source. After this, Obtainium takes care of everything. It checks the app version on your phone and compares it to what’s available at the source. Whenever a newer version is found, it updates it automatically.
Of course, adding all your apps takes some time at first, but it’s smooth sailing afterward. Also, if you’re coming from an alternative like Discoverium, there’s an Import/Export section, which lets you import all the apps from a URL list. You can even add apps you’ve starred in GitHub repository.
Once all the links are added, they’ll appear in the Apps tab. You can then pin important ones to the top or visit their page with a tap. And if the list of apps you’ve sideloaded is long, you can also group them in categories with labels. This isn’t necessary, but it’s handy for organizing apps.
Obtainium gives you complete control over updates
Update on your terms
Obtainium gives you complete control over what gets updated, when it happens, and how it happens.
Head to Obtainium’s Settings tab, and you’ll first see the option to set the update interval. By default, it checks for updates every 6 hours, but you can adjust that interval. Next, you can force it to download app updates only over Wi-Fi. And if battery life is a concern, there’s an option that allows updates only while your phone is charging.
Another handy option is automatic cleanup. When you uninstall an app from your phone, Obtainium automatically removes it from its list. This means you don’t have to worry about updating the list manually.
It gets even better. Obtainium lets you manage the update behavior for each of your apps. For instance, you can turn on background updates for specific apps while keeping manual updates for others. You can also opt into pre-release versions for specific apps, which is great if you love getting new features as early as possible. And if something breaks, Obtainium also lets you roll back to an older version.
And since Obtainium also lets you track apps without installing them, it’s also a great place for monitoring the development of your favorite apps.
5 Android subscriptions you can easily replace with free apps
I canceled multiple Android subscriptions after realizing free apps could replace them without losing features I actually use.
It’s ad-free and customizable
No ads, no tracking, no nonsense
The best thing about Obtainium is what it doesn’t have. Like most open-source tools, it’s completely free to use and without any annoying ads. There’s no upspell, no premium tier, or no artificial limitations. Also, there are no tracking scripts collecting data about you, so yes, privacy is also not an issue.
Obtainium has a clean interface, and you can customize it however you like. You can switch between themes, change the fonts for readability, and hide unimportant touch targets to simplify the app experience. There’s also the option to disable certain warnings if you already understand the risks of sideloading. And if you want fewer interruptions, you can turn off update notifications from the same menu.
The moment you step outside the Play Store, app updates become your responsibility. Some apps let you do this from the built-in settings menu, while for others you need to check for the developer’s website or jump between various sources like F-Droid, APKMirror, and so on. I like how Obtainium solves this problem, which is why it’s one of those open-source apps I can’t live without.
