Some More App Recommendations
They Really Should Make "Data Not Collected" an App Store Filter...
Following on from a prior post, here are some more app recommendations with privacy in mind:
Anytime Podcast Player - This has been my daily podcast app for a few months and I find it easy to use. While it doesn’t include CarPlay or Android Auto functionality, it can be controlled via the “Now Playing” widget (on iOS, at least), with limited controls. It’s good as a “set and forget” podcast app.
Infuse - I started using this app after getting tired of VNC’s finicky SMB handling. It can retrieve metadata, organize media, and does a great job streaming local files from SMB, NFS, FTP, and WebDAV sources. It collects Diagnostic data, but claims it’s not linked to your identity, so buyer beware.
Home Assistant - This is more an entire ecosystem than a single app, but I’ve had fewer headaches with Home Assistant than with Apple HomeKit and that’s saying a lot. To get started with building one of your own, head over to Incognito Cat for a comprehensive series.
CoMaps - An open source fork of Organic Maps that uses map data from the OpenStreetMap project. One feature I like about CoMaps is the CarPlay app and offline driving directions. Tip: Download the maps for your destination and your route before heading out!
ReadEra - This is my go to ePub and PDF reader and I’ve imported (as in “told it where to look in my file system”) my entire library into it. Readera includes lots of features such as color mode, font face, line spacing, page flip customization, and text to speech using local system voices.
Give some of these apps a try, if you’re so inclined. When evaluating a new app, the first thing I look at is what kind and how much data it collects, and these collect no or minimal data. While these may not be the most user-friendly apps (FOSS in general, really), they’re much less likely to sell you under the table.