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It's free on f-droid, though? https://f-droid.org/packages/eu.siacs.conversations/
Fdroid is not suitable for the average person. The average person can install an app from google play, but Fdroid is quite a jump in steps, not to mention all the warnings that Android gives them, all but telling them not to do it.
I wholly disagree with everything you just said, including that your friends and family by your own assessment are unable to rise above average skills. But you know them better than I do, of course 🤷
It's simple enough for me. And many of the people who have grown up with technology can probably work it out. But there is a huge difference in effort between the two.
Say my 70 year old uncle (that does not live nearby) needs to install Conversations.
Fdroid version
Please go to this fdroid website. Click the button to download the APK. Now when you get a warning that you aren't allowed to install software from this source for security reasons, click the button to take you to settings, then switch the toggle to allow from this source. There's a message telling you that your phone and personal data are more vulnerable to attacks and you need to take responsibility for any loss of data that results from this, but just ignore that. Now once you've installed it please go and disable it. When someone messages you a link to an APK you should never, ever install it. That's a common scam and it will put a virus on your phone. We need to reenable this setting so you don't accidentally do that since a link can just start the download.Next, please open the Fdroid app, and search for the Conversations app. For some reason I can't send you a link because the fdroid website doesn't seem to have an open in Fdroid button, I dunno why, maybe it depends on your phone or your browser, just search it up and make sure you install the right one.
Right, now when you click to install this, you're gonna have to go through all the above stuff about accepting the security risk of losing all your data again, because it's another app we are granting this permission to. Don't remove this permission though, we'll just leave this one open.
Installed that? Great, now depending on your phone it may or may not keep the app up to date so make sure you open Fdroid from time to time, click the button to update, wait for it to download the update, then tap the button to install and then tap the button to install (again). Make sure you remember to do this because security updates are important.
Now whenever you want to invite someone else in, make sure you send them these instructions so they don't go thinking they have to buy the Play store app.
Compare this to the Play store version when it's a free app
Hey here's a link, click it, and an app page will open in the store. Tap to install it.Maybe we should agree to disagree, but I do not think I can just leave people to invite other people and sort it out on their own. I'm gonna be spending my days hand holding people. Maybe my family is dumber than average.
Your family isn't dumber than average.
Uu tech folks tend to forget/overlook that most people are clueless as to how mobile devices work. I have IT friends who know practically nothing about the Android file system, or how apps store (but don't sync) data, for example. And these are people designing/implementing/supporting complex systems.
Most people can't be bothered if there's more than one or two steps. I can't walk my "70 year old uncle" through configuring an app on his phone, over the phone. The stuff he says he sees make no sense at all. I'm like "no, that's not what you should see, what did you click on"?.