{"title":"atvari","subtitle":"atvari GmbH is a software and cloud engineering consultancy based in L\u00fcneburg, Germany, specializing in Nix and Rust.","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"application\/atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/atvari.eu\/atom.xml"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/atvari.eu"}}],"icon":"https:\/\/atvari.eu\/apple-touch-icon.png","logo":"https:\/\/atvari.eu\/images\/logo.svg","rights":"Copyright \u00a9 atvari GmbH","author":{"name":"atvari GmbH","email":"hi@atvari.eu","uri":"https:\/\/atvari.eu\/"},"generator":"Zola","updated":"2026-10-26T00:00:00+00:00","id":"https:\/\/atvari.eu\/atom.xml","entry":[{"title":"Bringing SpamBlocker to Google Play","published":"2026-10-26T00:00:00+00:00","updated":"2026-10-26T00:00:00+00:00","author":{"name":"Felix Schr\u00f6ter"},"category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"announcement"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"open-source"}}],"link":{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/atvari.eu\/blog\/spam-blocker-google-play\/"}},"id":"https:\/\/atvari.eu\/blog\/spam-blocker-google-play\/","content":"

\ud83d\udcf1 SpamBlocker is now available on Google Play<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

SpamBlocker<\/a> is an open source call and SMS blocker for Android, developed by aj3423<\/a>. It filters calls and messages using priority-based rules, offline spam databases, STIR\/SHAKEN attestation, and machine learning, and it can report spam automatically so that the shared database keeps improving for everyone. No tracking, no ads, MIT licensed.<\/p>\n

Until now, the app was distributed through GitHub releases<\/a> and F-Droid<\/a>. Both remain first-class ways to install it. Google Play simply adds the place where most Android users look first, which makes it available to a larger audience and easier to recommend to people who have never sideloaded an APK or set up an F-Droid client.<\/p>\n

Why this cooperation<\/h3>\n

atvari GmbH is the publisher of record for the Google Play listing. We handle the store-side requirements, serve as the legal contact for Google and for users of the Play variant, and make sure updates keep flowing through the store.<\/p>\n

That is the whole scope. SpamBlocker remains an independent project: development, roadmap, and release decisions stay with aj3423<\/a> and the project's contributors. We don't interfere with how the app is built or what it does. The Play build comes from the same open source codebase, under the same MIT license, and the other distribution channels are unaffected.<\/p>\n

It also fits a principle we keep coming back to on our Open Source page<\/a>: open source is the ground we stand on. The useful thing to do with a good project is to help it reach more people, not to take it over.<\/p>\n

Same app, same privacy<\/h3>\n

The Play variant is free, just like the F-Droid build. It contains no tracking, no advertising, and no telemetry. Every line of code is still public and auditable.<\/p>\n

Because Google Play requires a separate application ID, the Play build is published as spam.blocker.googleplay<\/code>. It can be installed alongside the existing spam.blocker<\/code> app, so you can try it without uninstalling your current setup. If you prefer direct, reproducible builds or update through Obtainium<\/a>, nothing changes for you.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the testers<\/h3>\n

Before an app can go into production on Google Play, Google requires a closed test with a minimum number of testers over a sustained period. We asked the community for help, and the response was great: testers joined the Google Group, installed the build, and kept it running for the required two weeks. Thank you, this launch would not have happened without you.<\/p>\n

Get SpamBlocker<\/h3>\n