I just got my Samsung Galaxy S9+ with /e/ OS preinstalled.
Right to the beginning: I really like the idea and philosophy of open source software, but sometimes I lack some basic knowledge about software and how to ensure its integrity because I never programmed myself.
/e/ OS comes with the appstore Apps preinstalled. According to the FAQ the APKs are from CleanAPK.com.
Is this a safe source? As far as I understand it, an untrustworthy appstore is a huge risk. Maybe they modify the APK of famous apps to track user or install malware and we (the user) have no chance to prevent it or even know it.
Sure, the google play store could modify the apps as well, but if it becomes public it would be a disaster for google.
So how do I know that CleanAPK has no bad intensions or turns bad in the future? Is there a way to ensure the apps are the same the developers created or do I have to trust them?
Which appstore do you recommend as an alternative (not necessarily open source)
Bonusquestion: I want to use fDroid as well (because I trust them that they dont manipulate the apps, I guess?) but it is not available in the appstore. So I downloaded the APK directly from there website. But as far as I know, APKs dont get updates automaticly but I have to download always the newest version from their website. Is there a way to always get the newest version of fDroid without downloading it from the website?
greetings
jakob