I wonder if there's a way to update whole app without Play Store SDK(but download from my server).(Not only XML, but also all of code and configs)And without any pop ups to touch.
As far as I know, it's prohibited. One method that I know about update without play store is like this: Automatically install Android application
However, I guess Xiomi Applications achieved this feature(auto update).
I found this page
And it has Github Repository
It has SlientAutoUpdate Class and it's experimental. And it seems the device must be rooted to use command codes such as su.
Is there any way without rooting?
I want the users not to touch anything to update the app.
in THIS topic you have multiple samples for auto-update, but these still need some user interaction (at least "Install"/"Update" button click on some system screen)
but there is also another method for changing source code without reinstalling APK, so-called hot-fixing. check out these libs:
Tinker
AndFix
Amigo
worth noting: Google is forbidding using these hot-fix libs/ways. note that developer can release some APK and some day it may add some extra code only from its server side, users just runs again app. then dev may trick user to grant some new permission or turn on some feature (users trusts this app, is using it for a while) allowing to execute some not-friendly code (e.g. some virus, malware, ads etc.), which wasn't present at the moment of uploading APK to Google Play Store console (which is scanning all APKs uploaded as update, may refuse publishing)
Related
I 'm starting to build an Android app that can self-restructuring. It means this app can change its behavior after an "update". But it's not similar to common update because I don't want to publish to market and some reasons below. The idea is the app check version through server, if it's old, then download a file to proceed update.
This is not an overwritten installation, only some parts of the app is changed, not all.
The app have to keep working during updating.
The download and update process must be silent, there must be no notification, pop-up or asking permission (option)
Please tell me if it 's possible and give me advice, approach, keywords, ideas or somethings helpful. Do I have to intervene system, OS or anything?. I tend to make the phone as a sensor device
There is no direct way of achieving this.
You need to download whole new apk. You can't just download few part of it.
but what you can do is download app in background without user interaction.
Now to install this user has to allow installation as per security standards.
PS: If you just want to perform different action. You can download stuff n place in external/internal storage and through api call changes perform desire actions.
There are apps that doesn't use play store for updation eg. Dream11, famous cricket app.
fantasycricket.dream11.com/android-desktop.html?utm_Source
I am currently investigating ways of remotely updating an Android app installed on a number of devices. The app in question is to be used on phones which we will provide to a number of demonstrators as part of product presentations. For this reason we don't want to publish the app on Google Play to be available for the public at large.
I've read that you can restrict access to the device on Google Play, but only according to criteria such as location, device type, android version, etc. Another way is to set up a version for beta testing, for which you can select testers, however this is only available to those who are part of a Google group or a Google+ community (according to here).
I've come across another post which details how to install an apk programmatically, however it appears to install the apk automatically, ie it doesn't appear to check whether or not the update is actually a new version.
One idea I have in mind is to upload new version on a repository and broadcast to devices which have the app installed, of which we have stored device ids. Is this possible?
What we do is sync periodically to a remote server during data entry on the app. During this sync, we check to see whether the device has the latest version of the software. If it doesn't, the new apk is downloaded and the user is prompted to install the software.
This is accomplished using a separate installer app we created. We have a service that keeps the app alive in the background, so it looks like the user never actually leaves the app during the install.
Would be happy to post code on the installer.
You can see the self installer here: https://github.com/techartist/SelfInstall-Jelly-Bean/
You should try Beta by Crashlytics, it's email-based.
You should try beta or alfa testing in gplay.
Also you can hardcode the date of ending and not to open application after this date.
I want to sell custom apps so I need to know how I can privately publish them over the net without giving away apk file.
Is there a way that I can give the customer a password that he/she will use to install the app only once from a website
without getting the apk file? After the installation the access to the download should be cancelled.
You cannot install apps without using an APK file, unless the target device is rooted.
Even Google Play downloads APK files for applications. They are stored in /cache/download, which can only be browsed with root access. Once downloaded, they get installed in /data/app, which also requires root access to read.
Google Play alpha/beta testing
What you could do, as a workaround, is use the Google Play alpha/beta testing feature with a private Google+ Community. This will allow you to control who is able to download your application through Google Play, but it will not prevent them from rooting their device, and retrieving the apk.
You will get all the benefits of Google Play, and your customers wont notice any difference, once they've joined the Google+ Community.
Use alpha/beta testing & stages rollouts
The only thing i can think of is have the first activity that starts up create a large random string from the device's id and then send that string to your server ( assuming you have one ). If this is the first time your server receives a code for this app, let them in and store the code, then return a response of "OK" to your app, if its not the first time, check if this is the code you stored previously, if not return "NO", if it is the right code return "OK". then have your app shut down if it doesn't receive "OK" back from your server. This of course adds extra cost and requirements to your app...
If they have to install it on their devices, they have the apk already, and there is no need to root access though, you can retrieve the apk with ES File Explorer in a second. What is your concerns, your codes? Or something else?
I am planning to drop my app in Google Play(earlier Android Market) because of push notifications (whenever a new version) , security for apk and so on.And also since apk is secured with Google play(paid apks) i dropped of downloading the apk from my website (only authenticated people can download the apk)
Actually its a business app for particular users with username and login access. Everything was fine in the App with login and security mechanisms
I am thinking of a way to restrict the other users who are not from the list while installing itself.
My question is whether any kind of filter or authentication mechanism can we set while downloading the application from the Google play it should ask for a password or something like this to filter the unauthorized users to download the app..
My ultimate aim is i don't want the peoples to try it after downloading unnecessarily
Can anybody help who have tried all those in android market
Ok.. One thing after another..
Google propose their licensing mechanism. However app would need internet connection, which is disadvantage if otherwise it doesn't need it. If I got it right your does need to connect to server so this is not a problem for u.. It seems to me you are already familiar with this method.
Mechanism for password protecting downloading or visibility of apps on Google Play doesn't exist today..
You can identify users with IMEI (in case you don't consider using app on tablets, which doesn't have it), WLAN MAC, BT MAC address or some exotic combination of these methods, and you use this as authentication.
The best solution, from my point of view, is to allow people on market to download it. Your application is already using some mechanism of authentication (user/password) to server. So if 1st thing user need to do is login, and any functionality is disabled if that doesn't pass. If it pass, you already know who is your user and what privileges he has.
The thing is here that I am not so sure what are your concerns when user without login/pass download application if everything after that screen is disabled before authentication. User will download (if they find it..), they will install, try to use it, see that's not possible without credentials and uninstall it.
Hope it helped.. I will try to add few more links in a while..
I have an app written in Adobe Air (actionscript3) then packaged as an APK for the moto xoom (android os, using flashdevlop).
We are looking to host both the install and update. There are no issues with selecting unknown sources. And installing from web works but i cant seem to find anyway to set it up to find updates thru my server or the correct way to push those updates. Thoughts or links, google has failed me?
UPDATE
I forgot to make clear i need it to work thru the built in update checking so it will auto update if the device is set to do this. By default either the app or device is checking for updates somewhere. I want to change where it checks for that update and what format/syntax its expecting.
The built-in update check is the Android Market app, pinging the Android Market server to check for updates. Since you're not distributing your app through Market, there's no way for you to take advantage of its update mechanism- You'll have to write your own (Amazon's market app, by way of example, does this).
Essentially you'll have to set up some sort of alert mechanism (check for updates on app startup, maybe), download the APK, and fire an intent to have the user explicitly state they want to install the app. Auto updating (downloading and installing the APK without the user doing anything at all) isn't possible outside of Android Market, for security reasons.
For more information on how to fire the "install" activity, check out this thread.
It sounds like a good case for cloud to device messaging....to notify the user of the update
is available...
http://code.google.com/android/c2dm/
I think they will still have to download/install it.....You can help them by making the download/install feature of the app it self.....
okey... i think you have a few web services right... create a update webservice that takes in the user version and sends it to you.. you can cross reference it and if the user needs to download a new version they get directed to a browser ... where you can poit to where you host the files... you can put in a menu item in the app to say allow the user to check for any upgrades... version number of the app can be got easily... check google or get back to me if you still are nunable to find any...