Signal isn’t on F-Droid out of the box, I don’t think, but it is in the Guardian repo and probably in a few others as well. I downloaded the Signal apk directly from their website, and that version does auto update and has for quite some time.

EDIT: if you’re worried about it, I suppose you could uninstall it and then download it from them directly (be sure to verify the certificate), after which it will prompt you to update it periodically from the app itself.

Even better, you could think about switching to Matrix.

Not clear on where you installed it from…?

https://github.com/bpc-clone/bypass-paywalls-firefox-clean

However, I would suggest that if you do decide to use this that you pick one or two of your favorite periodicals and either donate or subscribe to them. The Guardian and your local paper might be two good choices.

Also, if you have uBlock, turning off javascript can sometimes defeat a paywall.

Lemmy ML got slow and gummy right after I posted this, should I delete, or am I just being paranoid? And at least three downvotes; should I not have asked?

I agree! I don’t use Proton’s VPN or their password manager for that reason. The equivalents I had in place already were fine and I didn’t feel the need to switch over everything, just some things.

You could look at infomaniak, but I didn’t have the best experience trying out (or even getting started with) their services. Finding a provider that has all of Proton’s apps is going to be tough (or at least it was from me while I was looking to escape from Tuta). Good luck, tho.

EDIT: Infomaniak is on F-Droid!

EDIT EDIT: Infomaniak is only available in Europe! Infomaniak is only available with a European phone number, so using a VPN won’t help! 🙁👎