The Google Play Store used to be my safe haven for app downloads. But with the recent wave of copycat software that slipped past its reviews, it doesn’t feel any safer than downloading directly from a developer.
Lately, I’ve been tracking other store releases on my Android devices with Obtainium, and it gave me the idea to set up my own updater.
I wouldn’t say I’m abandoning the Play Store’s catalog. But the alternative lets me update apps on my terms and offers me a timely schedule. Here’s the secret.
I enabled root-level reach without digging up my phone
Shizuku plants the permissions, while Obtainium harvests the updates
Shizuku has been around for years. Although I haven’t keyed into it as fully as other Android enthusiasts, I’m aware of its reputation.
As most power users would tell you, the app is the closest thing to root without rooting your phone.
Android apps run in a sandbox with a short list of permissions, while the ADB developers use on a computer runs with higher-level shell access. It can install apps, grant permissions, and change protected settings.
Shizuku starts a small background server with the same shell access, so phones act as their own computer. Approved apps send requests to the server, which carries them out.
I’ve never felt the need to try it because I’m a minimalist, and my needs don’t go beyond stock Android features and a handful of modded APKs.
But lately, I’ve become more adventurous with sideloading and have become tired of the Play Store’s lackluster system.
Developers often use staged rollouts, where updates reach only a percentage of users, which they can increase over time.
However, Google picks those users at random for each new release rollout, and it won’t notify us if there’s an app version in a staged rollout.
A patch may exist on the developer’s GitHub page for days while the Play Store says you’re up to date.
In contrast, Shizuku is a bridge that, when paired with Obtainium, gets a hands-free update engine.
On its own, Obtainium installs updates silently only on Android 12 or newer, and only for apps that target a recent Android version and apps it installed itself.
Every other update will stop at a confirmation prompt. With Shizuku as the installation method, Obtainium sends each APK to Android’s package manager, and the updates finish in the background without prompts.
You can cut the cord and keep the connection
Wireless debugging gives Shizuku a cable-free connection
You must install Shizuku and Obtainium to start self-hosting app updates. Shizuku is on the Play Store, but Obtainium isn’t.
You need to get it from its GitHub releases page or from F-Droid, so your browser may ask permission to install unknown apps. Allow it to install the APK.
If you’ve enabled Play Protect, disable it in the Play Store and re-enable it after installation. Otherwise, it may flag Obtainium as an unrecognized app and block the installation.
Shizuku needs Developer options activated. Because Android 11 added Wireless debugging to the menu, Shizuku can connect to the ADB service on the same phone without a cable connection to a PC.
However, the feature only works when the phone is on Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi provides the local address Shizuku needs to connect to, and mobile data doesn’t. So, connect to your router or a hotspot first.
Then go to Settings > About phone and tap Build number seven times until your phone says you’re a developer. Next, go to Settings > System > Developer options and turn on Wireless debugging.
Android asks you to allow the feature on the network you’re connected to. Tick Always allow on this network, so that your phone doesn’t ask every time you restart Shizuku.
Return to the Shizuku app and tap Pairing under Start via Wireless debugging. When Shizuku asks to post notifications, allow it.
Then go back to Wireless debugging in Developer Options and tap Pair device with pairing code. A six-digit code appears, and you’ll see a notification with a text box for you to enter it.
When successfully entered, return to Shizuku and tap Start. The top card should read “Shizuku is running,” which means you can now connect Obtanium and Shizuku.
Open Obtainium and tap the settings cog in the upper-right corner. Select Updates and scroll to the bottom of the page.
Then set the installation method to Shizuku. When the confirmation pop-up appears, tap Allow all the time.
If Obtainium says Shizuku isn’t running, check that your Wi-Fi is connected and Wireless debugging is still on. Android may switch it off when you leave the network. Then reopen Shizuku and tap Start.
To stop Android from closing the app, go to Settings > Apps > Shizuku > App battery usage and set it to Unrestricted.
Every app needs a home address
Obtainium only knocks where you tell it to
As much as you’d like it to, Obtainium can’t scan your phone and pull in your apps. You’ll need to do some manual work. You’re self-hosting after all, so you must carefully choose every public source yourself.
Usually, the app checks one web address per app every six hours. Apps without a public page, such as most banking apps, require you to use the Play Store for updates.
The Store only needs an app’s package name, such as com.whatsapp, because Google already hosts every app it lists.
Obtainium, by contrast, needs the address to the developer’s public releases page, where they post each new version as a file.
To add apps, tap Add in Obtanium’s main menu. Then paste a GitHub link and tap Add. Ignore all the other configurations. The defaults work for most apps.
Obtainium finds the latest release and offers to install it. Tap Install. From then on, the app checks for new releases in the background and installs them automatically.
The software also guards against fakes by saving each app’s signing certificate on the first install and warning you if an update arrives signed with a different key.
A copycat may copy an app’s branding, but not the developer’s key.
Shizuku stops every time you restart your phone. Open the app and Start it after each reboot to get it running again.
If you can’t beat Google, create your own way
Life’s much easier when you don’t let Android dictate every action on your device, even if it means a little manual labor.
Google is annoyingly an expert at designing its defaults to feel finished and convenient. It’s hard not to settle and think that doing anything yourself is any more dangerous.
But I’ve found self-hosting solves many of the small frustrations the operating system presents. It extends beyond updates and into how you organize your digital life.
One example is turning Google Drive into a self-updating knowledge base with Gemini Notebook.
