🌐 https://kifossk.shinydiscoballs.dev
kiFOSSk is a minimal, privacy-focused Android kiosk browser for displaying remote dashboards (ADS-B flight trackers, Home Assistant, Grafana) on dedicated hardware. Built with zero Google Play Services dependencies — runs natively on AOSP, GrapheneOS, and standard Android.
What's New:
- Fixed waiting screen not appearing when the target URL is unreachable on older WebViews (Issue #2)
- Fixed screen timeout ignored even when "Prevent screen timeout" was disabled (Issue #3)
- Added 20s navigation watchdog and blank-render detection as backup layers
- WebView cache disabled during error recovery; subresource errors no longer trigger the waiting page
Full Changelog → | Download APK | F-Droid | ☕ Ko-fi
- Home Launcher Mode: Boots automatically — no Device Owner privileges needed.
- Lockscreen Bypass: Skips lock screen on startup via
setShowWhenLocked(). - WebView Kiosk: Fullscreen immersive mode, back button disabled, long-press for settings.
- Gesture Protection: Long-press anywhere with 10-second cooldown. WebView context menu fully disabled — no text selection, no "Copy/Share" popups.
- Auto-Refresh: Configurable intervals (10s–15min). Pauses when backgrounded.
- Network Resilience: Automatic retry with exponential backoff, plus a friendly waiting screen when the host is unreachable — no blank screens, no manual refresh.- Privacy First: No analytics, no telemetry, no internet permissions beyond your configured URL. Three permissions total:
INTERNET,ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE,REQUEST_IGNORE_BATTERY_OPTIMIZATIONS. - URL Sanitization: Only
http/httpsallowed — blocksjavascript:,file:,intent:,content:,data:. - Zero Dependencies: No Google Play Services, no Firebase, no analytics SDKs.
Install from F-Droid for auto-updates on new releases.
Install and auto-update via Obtainium. Obtanium pulls releases directly from GitHub.
Add kiFOSSk using this URL: https://github.com/ShinyDiscoBallsDev/kiFOSSk
- Download
kiFOSSk-vX.Y.Z-release.apkfrom Releases - Open the APK on your device and enable "Install Unknown Apps" when prompted
- Tap "Install" (Play Protect may warn about unauthorized developer. Tap "Install anyway")
Samsung/One UI: Play Protect can silently block installation. Go to Play Store → Menu → Play Protect → Scan → Details → Allow anyway, then retry.
git clone https://github.com/ShinyDiscoBallsDev/kiFOSSk.git
cd kiFOSSk
./gradlew assembleRelease
APK at: app/build/outputs/apk/release/kiFOSSk-X.Y.Z-release.apk
- Long-press anywhere on screen for 2 seconds to open Settings
- Enter your dashboard URL (e.g.,
http://192.168.50.152:3001) - Tap "Set as Home Launcher" and select "Always" (battery exemption is requested automatically)
- Reboot, app launches automatically
Auto-Refresh: Toggle in Settings and pick an interval (10s–15min). Pauses when backgrounded.
Switching launchers: Long-press → Settings → "Switch to Different Launcher". The lockscreen will appear once. This is expected Android behavior.
kiFOSSk runs on any Android 7.0+ device. Most work without additional configuration.
| Device | Notes |
|---|---|
| Pixel / Stock Android | Works out of the box. May need to exempt from Adaptive Battery. |
| GrapheneOS | Fully compatible. Disable hardened lockscreen for bypass to work. |
| OnePlus / OxygenOS | Zero manual configuration required. Verified post-factory-reset. |
| Samsung / One UI | Remove from Sleeping Apps, add to Never Optimizing. Play Protect may silently block install — see sideloading note above. |
| Xiaomi / MIUI | Enable Autostart, set Battery Saver to "No restrictions" in both Settings and Security app. |
| Custom ROMs | Generally good — check your ROM's power management settings. |
Universal tip: If the app doesn't launch on boot, verify Home App assignment and disable battery saver.
kiFOSSk includes automated UI testing across 12 AVD configurations (API 24–35, phones, tablets, and foldables) running in parallel. This harness caught and convicted the v1.1.1 back-navigation bug and verified the v1.1.2 fixes. Need kiFOSSk tested on a specific device model? Open an issue, I'll add it to the test matrix.
| Issue | Severity | Workaround |
|---|---|---|
| Lock screen may appear after Android system updates (not normal reboots) | Low | Unlock and reopen app |
- Multi-dashboard cycling with configurable intervals
- Enhanced menu with About page and direct issue reporting
- Quad-grid split-screen view for tablets (far future concept)
No timelines. Solo dev cooking in her free time. ⭐ the repo to follow along.
- Fork → feature branch → commit → push → PR
- Bug reports and feature requests welcome via Issues
kiFOSSk is and always will be free and open source. Donations help cover development time and device testing.
MIT License — see LICENSE for details.
Created by ShinyDiscoBallsDev