Navivox and F-Droid

F-Droid is the open-source Android app store: closer to a Linux package manager for Android than a commercial app mall. That makes it culturally aligned with Navivox users who already live in Termux, self-hosting, privacy tooling, local AI, and OSS Android workflows.

Navivox should treat F-Droid as a first-class distribution target, not an afterthought. The same operators who install Gormes from Termux are the people most likely to trust an Android companion app that is reproducible, open-source, and usable without a Google account.

Current status

Navivox is not documented as published on F-Droid yet. Until repository build metadata, release artifacts, and store listing evidence exist, describe F-Droid as a distribution target rather than an available install path.

Use the current Gormes/Android path today:

Install and operate Gormes from Termux.
Configure the Navivox HTTP/WebSocket gateway with gormes setup gateway.
Pair the Android app using the token-redacted connect information or the generated QR image.

Why F-Droid fits

Open-source users already search F-Droid before Google Play.
Privacy-first users expect no Google account dependency for core workflows.
Termux users understand local services, wake locks, SSH, Tailscale, and self-hosted endpoints.
AI tinkerers are more likely to accept a companion app that pairs to their own Gormes runtime instead of a hosted SaaS backend.
F-Droid packaging sets a public expectation that the app build is auditable and reproducible.

Audience fit matrix

Audience	Why F-Droid fits
Termux users	Already treat Android like a Linux workstation and expect package-manager-style installs.
Self-hosters	Prefer companion apps that pair to their own services instead of opaque hosted accounts.
AI tinkerers	Want inspectable local tooling before trusting an assistant on a phone.
Privacy-first users	Avoid Google-account-only distribution and look for explicit permission boundaries.
OSS Android users	Discover tools through source-available, reproducible, community-reviewed channels.

Channel strategy

Channel	Role	Use when
F-Droid	Primary trust channel	Launching to open-source Android, Termux, self-hosting, privacy, and developer-tool users who already expect auditable builds.
Google Play	Later reach channel	Expanding beyond the OSS Android audience after the app has release evidence, policy fit, and a support model.
Direct APK or GitHub release	Test and fallback channel	Capturing early smoke evidence, hashes, and operator testing before a store listing is ready.

Do not treat Google Play as the first proof that Navivox belongs on Android. F-Droid is the audience-fit proof: open-source Android users can inspect, build, and install it without a Google account.

Why not start with Google Play

Google Play is useful for reach later, but it is a poor first proof point for Navivox.

Store policy review can mistake self-hosted gateway setup for an unfinished app.
Privacy-first users may distrust a Google-account-only install path.
Commercial-store screenshots and copy reward broad consumer positioning, not developer-tool clarity.
F-Droid lets the first audience validate source, builds, permissions, and gateway pairing before a mass-market listing.

Listing copy guardrails

Use this message shape for F-Droid-facing copy before the listing is real:

Short summary: Navivox is an open-source Android companion for a user-owned Gormes runtime.
Audience: Termux users, self-hosters, AI tinkerers, privacy-first users, and OSS Android users.
Promise: pair the app to your own Gormes gateway over HTTP/WebSocket; do not imply a hosted SaaS assistant.
Avoid saying: one-tap install, no setup required, hosted cloud assistant, or available on F-Droid.

Permission and privacy guardrails

Ask for only the permissions the pairing flow needs.
Explain network access as communication with a local or user-configured Gormes gateway.
Do not bundle analytics SDKs, proprietary crash reporters, ad networks, or account trackers.
Document any broad-looking permission before release review so F-Droid users can audit the tradeoff.
Screenshots must not show real gateway URLs, pairing tokens, chat payloads, workspace paths, or provider names.

Privacy policy and data safety checklist

State that Navivox talks to a local or user-configured Gormes gateway over HTTP/WebSocket.
Explain that pairing tokens, gateway URLs, profile names, and chat payloads stay user-controlled and must not be uploaded to a hosted Navivox service.
List any on-device storage for gateway settings, profile metadata, cached messages, logs, or crash reports before submission.
Declare that the F-Droid build has no analytics SDKs, ad networks, proprietary trackers, or third-party account requirement.
If optional diagnostics ever exist, make them opt-in, redacted, and documented before store review.

Metadata readiness checklist

Keep the listing title, summary, and description focused on a user-owned Gormes companion, not a generic chatbot.
Record the source repository, license, app ID, release tag, and build commit beside the listing copy.
Prepare icon, screenshots, feature graphic, and alt text that show setup with placeholder endpoints only.
Name Termux, self-hosting, privacy, local AI, and OSS Android in the long description so the right users recognize themselves.
Keep Google Play language out of the F-Droid metadata except as a later reach channel in internal strategy notes.

Build and artifact evidence

Build the candidate app from a clean public checkout at the same tag and commit named in the listing notes.
Record the Android or Flutter build command, SDK versions, dependency lockfiles, and any reproducibility caveats.
Publish the APK SHA-256 beside the release tag, commit, and install smoke result.
Mark direct APK or GitHub artifacts as test/fallback evidence until F-Droid metadata and source-build review are complete.
Keep debug, unsigned, locally patched, or secret-bearing APKs out of the F-Droid handoff.

Screenshot review checklist

Show the expected path: Gormes running in Termux, Navivox pairing, then a local gateway conversation.
Use placeholder gateway URLs, fake pairing tokens, demo profile names, and sample chat payloads only.
Add captions or alt text that explain the app pairs to a user-owned Gormes runtime.
Avoid Google Play badges, hosted-account claims, cloud-assistant screenshots, and generic chatbot positioning.
Keep every screenshot reproducible from public fixtures or redacted demo profiles before submission.

F-Droid submission handoff checklist

Link the source repository, license, release tag, build commit, APK SHA-256, and clean install smoke result in one handoff note.
Include F-Droid metadata status, screenshots, permission rationale, and first-run pairing copy for reviewer context.
Name any reproducibility caveat or non-free dependency risk before opening the submission request.
Keep Google Play, direct APK, and GitHub release notes labeled as adjacent channels, not proof of F-Droid availability.
Track reviewer questions and follow-up fixes beside the handoff so availability claims wait for accepted metadata.

First-run pairing acceptance checklist

The first screen should say Navivox connects to a user-owned Gormes gateway, not a hosted account.
Show Termux as the recommended operator path and pair through gormes setup gateway or the generated QR/connect information.
Require users to confirm the gateway URL, profile name, and token source before the first conversation.
Keep setup failure copy actionable: start Gormes, check HTTP/WebSocket reachability, regenerate redacted pairing info, or retry on the same network/VPN.
Do not promise no setup, one-tap onboarding, Google-account sync, or cloud chatbot behavior in the listing or first-run flow.

Release gate before claiming F-Droid availability

Do not say “install from F-Droid” until all of these are evidenced in the repo or release lane:

Android build flavor for the public Navivox app is reproducible without private services, secrets, or proprietary SDK requirements.
App metadata, icon assets, license, screenshots, and summary copy are ready for an F-Droid listing.
The app’s first-run flow explains that it pairs with a user-owned Gormes gateway over HTTP/WebSocket.
No token, URL, workspace path, session payload, or provider secret is bundled into the APK or screenshots.
A release checklist records the exact commit, tag, artifact hash, and install smoke evidence.

Positioning rule

Google Play can still matter later, but F-Droid is the trust-building channel for the first open-source Android audience. Lead with the OSS/self-hosted story: Navivox is the Android companion for a local Gormes runtime, not a closed cloud assistant app.