I noticed there are no third-party keyboards in Jolla Store.
Why is that?
Also, there are many more applications in other “stores” (Chum, OpenRepos).
Why is that?
I saw old threads mentioning some APIs not being allowed by Jolla at the time in the Jolla Store.
Is this still happening today?
If so, why?
Is there an official list of restrictions imposed by Jolla on what is allowed in the Jolla Store?
Please read the documentation. If you still have questions after reading the docs, or if you notice any inconsistencies or other errors, please ask again.
Thank you for the link!
That information clears up some things.
What does “API must already exist in our repositories” mean? ( API Checklist | Sailfish OS Documentation )
The question about keyboards still stands.
Why are there no other keyboards in the store?
I have an assumption based on the information from the link you gave me, but it is not stated explicitly.
I assume it is because of privacy based on this API rule: “API must not expose sensitive user data”.
I’m actually not interested in other keyboards, but I am interested in customizing the official keyboard.
I saw customizations exist, but not in Jolla Store.
Why is keyboard customization not allowed?
I have assumptions about this as well, but assumptions are basically endless and not useful.
It means exactly what it says. If someone wants to add a new API to the list of allowed APIs, and the API does not exist in Jolla’s repos, it has to be added to the repos first. Does that make sense to you?
Answering that question properly would require more time and energy than what I have right now. Hopefully someone else can answer. If not, I’ll try to give you an answer later.
Exactly - just what mr. Fordsworthe said 
I’m sure you have read this post before create this topic.
This is one point here.
The store is for apps only, not for changing the os.
A good point to use SailfishOS is the reals access to the system. You can deal as admin w/o special rooting magic. So you can play on your device every day. If you find a great new trick you can publish it at e.g. OpenRepos.
Of course. But you can help yourself with some search here or in the older together.jolla.com forum (e.g. see here or here)
This is what chatgpt told me:
Keyboard modifications are not permitted in the Jolla Store primarily due to concerns about system integrity, security, and compatibility with Sailfish OS updates.
Sailfish OS’s keyboard layouts are deeply integrated into the system. Modifying or adding new layouts typically involves altering system files, such as those in
/usr/share/maliit/plugins/com/jolla/layouts/and configuration files likelayouts.conf. These modifications can conflict with system updates, potentially leading to broken functionality or overwritten customizations. Additionally, some custom keyboards may require additional fonts, which can further complicate system stability.Furthermore, Sailfish OS has implemented sandboxing for applications to enhance security. Disabling sandboxing is not allowed for apps distributed through the Jolla Store, limiting the ability to implement custom keyboards that require elevated permissions or direct system access.
While developers can create and use custom keyboards on their devices by enabling developer mode and manually installing them, these cannot be distributed through the Jolla Store due to the potential risks and conflicts mentioned above. Instead, such customizations are often shared via community platforms like OpenRepos, which operate outside the official store’s restrictions.
I think that is actually quite a good answer!
Apart from keyboards, i think the question was more like, why the official store is so damn restrictive that almost every dev decide to publish on openrepos and not on jolla store?
(apart from apps with less functionalities of course)
Just my two cents but considering is what i think, probably that was the intent of the main question too…
This is very easy to do, I did it successfully and I’m not a coder, only hobbyist. What do you want to change?
exactly, and therefore i install most software from openrepos/storeman and chum, so where’s the problem ? Everyone can do this easy way.
So, you are telling me that you are assuming the text full of assumptions generated by the text autocomplete system called ChatGPT is a good answer?
That is not really of much help.
I already had assumptions. I don’t need more assumptions.
More assumptions from you and from chatgpt don’t really help.
I was looking for some answers.
You know, if you are in a bad mood, you can just not post a comment.
Nobody is forcing you to post comments to questions for which you are not in the mood to answer.
Why this attitude? Ville didn’t assume. He’s Jolla Sailor as written in his profile.
First and foremost I am interested in Jolla’s ecosystem to become viable.
I have been hoping for this for more than a decade now (ever since the original Jolla phone kickstarter).
That’s why I am using the phone as much as possible as a regular user, not as a tinkerer.
I am not interested in DIY customizations (but thanks for offering to help).
I am interested in an official Jolla-provided system to make such customizations and improvements, so regular users can find (ideally) everything they need in the official Jolla store.
you can make it yourself as a tinker / hobby hacker. I have done so and now it works satisfying for me.
believe me, i’m 6 years with Jolla, then you better wait for Godot.
Yes, overall that is the root of the question.
But I can assume the reasons for some of the limitations.
I am interested in actual concrete information, so I don’t have to assume.
That is why I started the discussion with concrete examples (keyboards, for example).
I’m not looking for a general philosophical debate about general OS security principles. I’m actually interested in knowing the reasons for the restrictions that Jolla chose to enforce and what those restrictions are exactly.
I’m interested in knowing what exactly are the dangers they are trying to prevent by enforcing those restrictions.
And yet you add more of your own (assumptions) and reject valid and helpful answers.
While that text may have been generated by ChatGPT, it was then reviewed by a knowledgeable person for correctness and helpfulness specifically for you.
Basically the best that can happen to such a text.
To become viable means to become commercially successful.
To become commercially successful, it must be good enough for regular people (not just hobbyists) to be willing to spend money in the ecosystem (pay for the OS, pay for expensive phones, pay for apps, pay for services, whatever, as long as there is money to be made).
Sure, hobbyists can be a valid starting point, but eventually Jolla must make the transition to regular people.
Regular people don’t tinker; they need a convenient and large enough store from which to install what they need.
And restrictions for the store must be carefully chosen not to hinder adoption of the OS by regular users.
That generated text does not have any useful information.
Why are keyboards implemented in such a problematic way?
Why do fonts cause system instability?
Why are they not changed to a more stable system?
Are there plans to improve the current situation?
Etc.
Those are the useful details.
A generated text and someone who is not in the mood to answer (as they said themselves in their previous reply, although it was already obvious without any confession), but says “I think that’s a good answer” does not instill any confidence in Jolla and their plans for the ecosystem itself.
Maybe i’m a should-be Apple user in disguise, but i’d argue that custom keyboards (including readily installable ones) is tinkering and indeed regular users should not need to concern themselves with that.
I don’t disagree.
But even Apple realized they should open up their system to third-party keyboards.
Changing the keyboard is one of the things that many (by no means a majority, but many) regular users do.
For years and years Apple didn’t have swipe gestures for many of the languages.
You were practically forced by Apple to go to a third-party keyboard.
There are also more serious issues, like not having the languages for millions and millions of people using small languages, some with specific writing systems.
Also many users like to have pretty keyboards with flowers and whatnot.
Also many users have vision and/or motor issues and cannot use the system keyboard.
Keyboards are one of those things where you absolutely need to allow third-party options, either as full third-party keyboards OR as plugins for the system keyboard.
Offtopic: your profile picture hurts my eyes. Microsoft was the reason Linux phones from Nokia were killed and you have a Windows phone as profile picture in a forum about an os created by ex Nokia employees
It is a picture of a beautiful Nokia Lumia 720 and, frankly speaking, it’s none of your business what I use as my avatar.
Go be offended and off-topic somewhere else.