Sorry, I was unaware fdroid third party repositories existed and that they weren't subject to the same criticism as the official fdroid repository. Thank you for clarifying.
So basically the main options for this approach is to copy the link
( https://releases.threema.ch/fdroid/repo/ ) into Obtainium, Fdroid app, or Neostore etc...
Are any of these options better or worse, or is it just personal preference at this point?
Have also noticed that the fingerprint that's provided in the link does not match up in the Appverifier app.
Is this because they are different numbers or formats?
Is checking checksums, fingerprints or signatures a necessary step? (don't fully understand what they are)
Thanks again