Open source and paid distribution can share the same project.
The RETUI Launcher stays free to inspect and install from GitHub. The Play Store version is paid because it offers the easiest route and gives people a direct way to support the work. Neither choice needs a fake story about one build being the “real” one.
The Play Store is the easy route
The Launcher listing is the normal consumer release: install it through Android's familiar store flow, receive updates there, and support continued development through the purchase.
That payment is not buying secret source code. It is paying for convenience, the official store route, and the decision to back the project. I think that is a healthier arrangement than making the open version deliberately worse.
GitHub is the direct route
GitHub holds the public source, issue history, and release files. The Launcher APK is available there for free, and Files and Keys publish their own releases from their own repositories.
This route expects more from the person installing it. Android may ask for permission to install from the browser or file manager, and updates do not arrive through the Play Store. In return, the source and the build trail remain visible.
LauncherFree direct APK and source from the RETUI Launcher repository.
FilesStandalone file-manager APK from its own GitHub Releases page.
KeysStandalone keyboard APK from its own GitHub Releases page.
Firebase is a testing room, not another storefront
Launcher preview builds can go through Firebase App Distribution when a fix or device-specific change needs validation before a wider release. Access is invited, and the build may change quickly.
That channel is official, but “official” does not mean “stable.” A tester is helping find the rough edges. If you need the quietest everyday experience, use a normal release instead.
Support follows the build you chose
Store releaseThe primary supported path for ordinary Launcher installs.
Official GitHub releaseA project release that can be reported and investigated, with sideloading differences kept in mind.
Firebase previewSupported as active testing. Roughness and follow-up questions are part of the arrangement.
Self-built or forkedCommunity and best-effort help. A changed source tree or local build environment cannot carry the same support promise.
When reporting a problem, include the app, version, installation channel, Android version, and what happened. “RETUI broke” is much harder to act on now that RETUI names more than one application.
Public code is not a support loophole
Open source makes it possible to inspect, learn, modify, and build. It does not mean every private fork becomes an official release, or that maintainers can reproduce every change made outside the project.
The channel labels are there to keep expectations humane. They make room for experimentation without pretending that a preview, a store build, and a modified APK carry the same risk.
Choose the channel that matches how much convenience, experimentation, and responsibility you want. The project remains open either way.