Skip to content

Museum of a broken API

F-Droid

Open source

Warns against using a system usage stats API

Version
0.8.1
Size
3.1 MB
Updated
Mar 30, 2024
Get from Download APK (v0.8.1)
Signing certificate on record

About this app

Please install usageDirect instead of this app if you are interested in system usage statistics.

This app reflects my experience with the usagae statistics API from a few Android versions ago. It may no longer be current and this app is no longer being maintained.

The Android system collects app usage statistics in the background; however, native Android contains no way to read out this data properly. That is why I wanted to create a tool to display it. Unfortunately, I had to learn that this data source was riddled with bugs and highly unreliable.

Thus, I converted this application into a museum. It exhibits aggregated usage statistics per day for usually the past ten days, per week for the past four weeks, per month for the past six months as well as data aggregated by year. As a special exhibition, it can display this data as charts.

Design-wise, the app comes in the style of the settings app to highlight that this API is a part of the Android system.

An included Guide to the exhibition names some of the issues you can expect to find on your tour.

Licensed under GPL-3.0-or-later, by Fynn Godau.

OfficialSignature VerifiedOpen Source

What's New in v0.8.1

Imported from the F-Droid repository index.

  • Sunset 'Museum of a broken API' with a few translation updates.

Version history

v0.8.1Latest
Signature continuous

Mar 30, 2024 · 3.1 MB · Android API 2128 · code 10

Imported from the F-Droid repository index.

  • Sunset 'Museum of a broken API' with a few translation updates.
PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS

SHA-256 6b5d4304c093e623af6719ef036171e623851a38b05245624321350b69c5e3f4

v0.8
Signature continuous

Aug 29, 2021 · 2.4 MB · Android API 2128 · code 9

Imported from the F-Droid repository index.

  • Graph improvements and other fixes.
PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS

SHA-256 caa0c8c6beade3fa5fd4a6b724b3999fe6f47635f925fa1cdb962435df5f0bb4

v0.7
Signature continuous

Jun 1, 2021 · 1.1 MB · Android API 2128 · code 8

Imported from the F-Droid repository index.

  • This app is now a museum.
PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS

SHA-256 3b8ec38074d38a3fe689e76574ef38ada1b5cb1ce1fd06b6409a7b888306ae4c

Will it run on your device?

CompatibilityLikely to run

73%

  • Runs on a broad range of modern Android versions.
  • ABI coverage is focused on newer 64-bit devices.
What changed in this release
Size delta
+0.7 MB
Added permissions
None
Removed permissions
None

Installation Guide

1

Open Settings on your Android device

2

Go to Security → Unknown sources (or Install unknown apps)

3

Enable "Allow from this source" for your browser or file manager

4

Open the downloaded APK file from your Downloads folder

5

Tap "Install" and wait for installation to complete

6

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 godau.fynn.usagedirect.system 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

If the current release misbehaves, 0.8 is the last build before it. Android will not install an older version code over a newer one, so you must uninstall Museum of a broken API first — which clears its local data unless you have a backup. Reinstall the older APK only if its signing fingerprint matches the build you already trust, and check the API range: an older release may target an Android version your device has moved past.

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 Museum of a broken API, and a listing is removed when the evidence for it stops holding up.

Get Museum of a broken API

Every source we list for godau.fynn.usagedirect.system is legality-reviewed. Pirated or cracked builds are never offered.

Other sources

F-Droid listing

official

F-Droid builds this app from source and signs it. This is its official listing, with older builds and full release notes.

Source code

verified publisher

The 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

Developer
F-Droid
Category
Productivity
Android
5.0+
Architectures
Version
0.8.1 (code 10)
Size
3.1 MB
Updated
Mar 30, 2024
Package name
godau.fynn.usagedirect.system

Security Verification

File integrity
SHA-256 recorded
Signing certificate
Fingerprint on record
Official source
Download APK (v0.8.1)

We record provenance; we do not run malware scans. Verify the hash yourself before installing.

SHA-256 Hash

6b5d4304c093e623af6719ef036171e623851a38b05245624321350b69c5e3f4

Signing certificate

bd3953ae6cb4c6bf179c39013e91b59a7e1e7f77081843c5706a89633206c2f4

Permissions Required

PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS

Previous Versions

Signature verified

The signing certificate fingerprint for this release is on record, so a build that does not match it did not come from this publisher.

Report a problem with this listing

A listing is only as good as its corrections. If a source is broken, a signature looks wrong, or this app should not be here, tell the moderation team.

Report a problem