Just a heads up for anyone using any of the popular Simple Mobile Tools suite of free and freemium apps. They have sold the entire suite as far as I can tell to ZipoApps, as confirmed by Tibor Kaputa, their creator. ZipoApps is a firm which describes itself as
The buyer's own description of themselves off their own website (quoted only for discussion)
We are ZipoApps, we acquire the best apps and take them to the next level.
We are a vibrant mobile apps technology company, with elegant solutions built on proven methodologies. Our mission is to find, evaluate, purchase and grow mobile apps. Growing valuable mobile apps is our passion, we unleash the potential and elevate any mobile app.
Source. Evaluate. Acquire. Evolve.
Becoming the world’s leading yielding apps company requires a team with exceptional skill sets.
Understanding how to monetize mobile apps isn’t an easy thing to grasp and that’s why the ZipoApps team consists of only the best industry experts.
With leading algorithm engineers, BI and AI developers and everything in between, we know how to source, evaluate, acquire and evolve any app, using unique technology.
It’s perhaps not a silly idea to assume that this means packing the apps they buy up full of spyware, adware, and other tracker junk, in my own personal view. Some other commenters have shared screenshots of the $15 ad opt out that users eventually get. I very much doubt that the buyer’s goals fit well with the /e/ Foundation or Murena’s mission statements - all my own personal view, of course.
Quick Q for the /e/OS team: is any of the core software built on any SimpleMobileTools code?
If you are a user, you may wish to:
- Do your own research, and not rely on my biased take
- Check whether you have any of these apps
- Review your auto-update settings
- Seek alternatives
This kind of enclosure buy out is always kind of a hazard with the entire app-based surveillance-capitalist ecosystem that /e/OS works to avoid. It’s a shame, though! Some of their stuff was OK (the gallery app in particular did a bit more than the /e/ builtin)
It has been discussed recently on Reddit, and the upstream issue number against project SimpleMobileTools/General-Discussion in GitHub is #241 (@Manoj I reeealy want to give links here!)