Non-Google release

[Tamriel]

I don't have google play and would love a release on F-Droid, an APK-Download or such.
I would pay or donate for it.

[Hyroniem]

Since Dictate is fully open source, you don't have to wait for an official APK release to use it outside Google Play — you can build it yourself for free using GitHub Actions. This doesn't take anything away from buying it on Play Store (that's still the easiest way and it directly supports @DevEmperor's work), it's just an option for anyone who genuinely can't use Play Store.

Here's a step-by-step way to do it, no coding knowledge required:

1. Fork this repository — click "Fork" at the top right of this page, so you get your own copy under your GitHub account.
2. Enable Actions on your fork — go to the "Actions" tab of your fork and click the button to enable workflows (GitHub turns this off by default on forks).
3. Add a workflow file — in your fork, click "Add file" → "Create new file", name it .github/workflows/build-apk.yml, and paste this in:

name: Build debug APK

on:
  workflow_dispatch:

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Set up JDK 17
        uses: actions/setup-java@v4
        with:
          java-version: '17'
          distribution: 'temurin'

      - name: Grant execute permission for gradlew
        run: chmod +x gradlew

      - name: Build debug APK
        run: ./gradlew assembleDebug

      - name: Upload APK
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: dictate-debug-apk
          path: app/build/outputs/apk/debug/*.apk

4. Commit the new file directly on GitHub's website.
5. Go to the "Actions" tab, click on "Build debug APK" in the left sidebar, then "Run workflow" → "Run workflow" again to confirm.
6. Wait a few minutes for it to finish (green checkmark).
7. Click on the finished run, and under "Artifacts" at the bottom you'll find a zip file — download it, unzip it, and you'll have the .apk inside.
8. Transfer that .apk to your phone and open it to install (you'll need to allow "install from unknown sources" once).

This is entirely free — public repos get unlimited GitHub Actions minutes. One thing to know: this produces a debug build, signed with a different key than the Play Store version, so it won't be interchangeable with a future Play Store install on the same device without uninstalling first.

[DevEmperor]

Thanks for asking, and thank you @Hyroniem for writing out the whole build — that is genuinely
useful and it saves me writing it myself.

Let me be straightforward about where I stand, because I think it is a fair position and I would
rather say it plainly than leave it implied.

Google Play is where I publish. It is one channel I can keep current, where updates reach
everyone at once and where the signing key is looked after properly. Keeping a second distribution
running in parallel — release builds, hosting, keeping it in step with every version — is more work
than I can carry alongside actually building the app, so that is the choice I have made.

But Dictate is open source and I mean it. The whole source is here, the build works, and nothing
in the licence or in my intention stops you from building it and using it. If you can't use Play, or
simply don't want to, please do fork it and build your own APK — @Hyroniem's walkthrough above is
exactly the way, and it costs nothing. I have no problem whatsoever with someone using Dictate
without ever paying for it that way. That is what publishing the source means.

The one thing I can't do is be the distribution channel by hand — sending people APKs one at a time
isn't something I can keep up with, and it would quietly become a job. So: build it yourself with my
blessing, or get it from Play if that's open to you.

One small note on the workflow above, so nobody loses an evening to it: I build this with JDK 21.
If the setup-java step's 17 gives you a Gradle or AGP error, that is the line to change.

And @Tamriel — thank you for offering to pay for something you could have just asked for. That is
kind, and it is not lost on me.

[Tamriel]

Hyroniem: Thanks for that guide!
DevEmperor: I am thankful for your blessing to set it up ourself and also for your appreciation! And of course that you share this software open source :)