Per the GitHub readme:

This app is discontinued. The last release on Github and F-Droid will happen with the December 2024 Syncthing version. Interactions (issues, PRs) are limited now, and the entire repo will be archived after the last release. Thus all contributions are preserved for any future (re)use. The forum is still open for discussions and questions. I would kindly ask you to refrain from trying to challenge the decision or asking “why-type” questions - I wont engage with them.

The reason is a combination of Google making Play publishing something between hard and impossible and no active maintenance. The app saw no significant development for a long time and without Play releases I do no longer see enough benefit and/or have enough motivation to keep up the ongoing maintenance an app requires even without doing much, if any, changes.

Thanks a lot to everyone who ever contributed to this app!

This is extremely disappointing news. I have been using the Syncthing-Fork version, but since it is based on this app, this may be the end for that app as well.

  • Damn, this is actually critical for me. I use it to sync photos, files, and password vaults between my devices.

    Kind of wondering if it’s worth getting into Android development now…

  •  LiveLM   ( @LiveLM@lemmy.zip ) 
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    7 hours ago

    It’s amazing how Google Play keeps imposing more and more restrictions to the point they’re killing legitimate apps, yet won’t stop actual malware from being published.
    Legit, some days ago one of my coworkers had installed some “water reminder” app that was pure malware, didn’t even have a icon on the homescreen, just opening random ads. Reported multiple times, I’d tell y’all the name if I could remember it

  •  m-p{3}   ( @mp3@lemmy.ca ) 
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    15 hours ago

    Hopefully Syncthing-Fork will still be maintained somewhat, and remains available through F-Droid…

    Google holds way too much power and takes too many arbitrary decisions… including the absurdity of asking for a absurdly expensive and time-consuming security audit for Google Drive access, which as far as I’m aware is not a thing for other cloud storage services like Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.

  •  helenslunch   ( @helenslunch@feddit.nl ) 
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    14 hours ago

    The reason is a combination of Google making Play publishing something between hard and impossible and no active maintenance. The app saw no significant development for a long time and without Play releases I do no longer see enough benefit and/or have enough motivation to keep up the ongoing maintenance an app requires even without doing much, if any, changes.

    1. Why not just publish via F-Droid or even just to Github to be installed via Obtainium?

    2. What does “without Play releases” mean? What “active maintenance” is the developer expecting?

    • They already publish on F-Droid. It sounds like it was just a lot of built-up frustration from the last several years of Google blocking apps that require storage permissions and making it difficult to get restored to the Play store.

      This was the bug from the last removal. They were going back and forth with Google unproductively for months. Hopefully the existing fork (which was also taken down from the Play store) can keep going on F-Droid.

      •  helenslunch   ( @helenslunch@feddit.nl ) 
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        10 hours ago

        They already publish on F-Droid.

        I understand that. What I don’t understand is why they’re abandoning the project altogether instead of just not publishing to Google Play anymore.

        This was the bug from the last removal

        Sounds like just Google being a typical corporation and having all of their responses returned by offshore workers paid $2/hour to reject applications they don’t understand.

    •  Hirom   ( @Hirom@beehaw.org ) 
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      13 hours ago

      He gave a reason, and said he’s not going to answers why questions, so your guess is as good as anyone else’s.

      We should be thankful that this person maintained the app and put up with Google’s bullshit for so long.

      If you find this app helpful, consider supporting whoever is willing to take over maintaining the app or a fork.

  •  NekuSoul   ( @nekusoul@lemmy.nekusoul.de ) 
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    14 hours ago

    That’s a bummer. I’ve been using the forked version as well, and even that dev has been annoyed with Google Play enough that it’s only released on F-Droid nowadays.

    Personally, I don’t think it’s an issue only releasing only on F-Droid, because the people interested in Syncthing wouldn’t be deterred by that if they’re not already using it, but I totally get why that might sap the last bit of motivation the dev has.