Intercept URLs, remove tracking, and redirect to privacy-friendly frontends.
About this app
Android app that intercepts social media URLs and redirects them to alternative frontends while removing tracking parameters. No apps or accounts needed to access the content shared with you.
Alternative Frontends
Bypass closed ecosystems and access a more open internet - with a less cluttered web experience. Sidestep supports several major platforms with configurable alternatives:
• Twitter/X → Nitter
• Reddit → Redlib
• YouTube → Invidious, Piped
• Google Maps → OpenStreetMap
• IMDb → LibreMDB
• Medium → Scribe
• Wikipedia → Wikiless
• Goodreads → BiblioReads
• Genius → Dumb, Intellectual
• Tumblr → Priviblur
• UrbanDictionary → RuralDictionary
• Imgur → Rimgo
• GitHub → GotHub
• StackOverflow → AnonymousOverflow
Flexible Configuration & Smart URL Cleaning
Automatically removes tracking parameters from all URLs:
• UTM parameters (utm_source, utm_medium, etc.)
• Platform-specific trackers (Twitter s/t, YouTube si, Instagram igsh)
• E-commerce tracking (Amazon, affiliate links)
• Analytics parameters
Granular control over how URLs are processed:
• Unshorten URLs: Automatically resolves shortened links (bit.ly, t.co, etc.)
• Remove Tracking: Strip analytics and tracking parameters
• Immediate Navigation: Automatically open the processed URL in your browser
• Clean Only Mode: Remove tracking without redirecting
• Clean & Sidestep Mode: Remove tracking AND redirect to alternative frontend
• Custom Redirects: Add your own domain mappings
• Instance Picker: Fetch live, healthy instances sorted by uptime
Tracking-proof
• Previews fetched via DuckDuckGo (optional)
• No Data Collection: Zero analytics, zero tracking
• Local Processing: All URL cleaning happens on-device
Licensed under AGPL-3.0-only, by blankdotdev.
What's New in v1.2.5
Imported from the F-Droid repository index.
Version history
Mar 29, 2026 · 2.4 MB · Android API 24–36 · code 17
Imported from the F-Droid repository index.
SHA-256 8eec7437cfda087acdf25944427dcd427bd7400746b86192686bfa16f790ad0b
Will it run on your device?
78%
- Runs on a broad range of modern Android versions.
- ABI coverage is focused on newer 64-bit devices.
- Aligned with the latest Android target SDK expectations.
Installation Guide
Open Settings on your Android device
Go to Security → Unknown sources (or Install unknown apps)
Enable "Allow from this source" for your browser or file manager
Open the downloaded APK file from your Downloads folder
Tap "Install" and wait for installation to complete
Launch the app from your home screen
Make sure to re-enable Unknown Sources restrictions after installation for security.
How to install this safely
How to verify the file you downloaded
Before you install anything, confirm the file is the one described here. On a computer, run shasum -a 256 your-download.apk (macOS or Linux) or certutil -hashfile your-download.apk SHA256 (Windows), then compare the output character-for-character with the SHA-256 on this page. If a single character differs, the file is not the build we recorded — delete it.
What the signing certificate proves
Every Android app is signed with a private key that only its developer holds. The fingerprint on this page is a hash of the matching public certificate, and it proves continuity rather than identity: it tells you a build came from whoever signed the earlier ones. Android enforces this at install time — if a package claiming to be com.blankdev.sidestep is signed with a different key, the system will refuse to install it over your existing copy. A fingerprint that changes between releases is worth pausing on, because a repackaged app that has been modified by someone else cannot keep the original signature.
How to roll back to an earlier version
No earlier build is on record for Sidestep, so there is nothing to roll back to yet. When a second version is published, this section will explain how to move between them safely.
Why we list sources instead of hosting everything
The official store channel is almost always the right choice: it updates automatically and carries the publisher's own distribution guarantees. A direct APK is useful when a device has no store access, when a rollout has not reached your region, or when you need a specific version — and only when the publisher has authorized that copy. APKBrowse does not list pirated, cracked, or unauthorized rebuilds of Sidestep, and a listing is removed when the evidence for it stops holding up.
Get Sidestep
Every source we list for com.blankdev.sidestep is legality-reviewed. Pirated or cracked builds are never offered.
Other sources
F-Droid listing
officialF-Droid builds this app from source and signs it. This is its official listing, with older builds and full release notes.
Source code
verified publisherThe upstream repository this build is compiled from.
We check legality and signature continuity, but device behaviour still varies. Install at your own discretion.
App Information
Security Verification
We record provenance; we do not run malware scans. Verify the hash yourself before installing.
SHA-256 Hash
8eec7437cfda087acdf25944427dcd427bd7400746b86192686bfa16f790ad0b
Signing certificate
d5699817ccce5ff60b8c4b1afaa7e8a861e3a6eac0bf40c6fcea210efc574056
Permissions Required
What each permission lets Sidestep do. A highlighted one is worth a second look — not necessarily wrong, just worth asking whether this app needs it.
Previous Versions
No earlier build is on record — this is the first release we have listed.
The signing certificate fingerprint for this release is on record, so a build that does not match it did not come from this publisher.
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