Develop Reference

Auto-Update Enterprise (intern) Apps

So, is there a realiable way to update enterprise/intern apps remotelly?
I work in a company that spreads across my state, including some areas that the access is dificult, so I can't send someone to locally update the app everytime there's a new release.
I'm working with Android/Java at the moment, and we also use Azure DevOps to store the repositories.
I tryied App Center from Microsoft but didn't understood if that could help me update my app or not.
Also, we don't want to publish the application to the PlayStore and make it public. Unless, of course, if that's the only way.
Thank you for your time reading this, I will keep searching something related to this and also share here any solution that I can find.

There's different ways to do so I'll say some but there's definitely more.
You can use Push-link, read about it it does more or less what you are looking for.
Perhaps could work uploading the .apk to Google Play and just publish it for beta testers, here's an old Google Play Private App Guide pdf and perhaps it doesn't work anymore but give it a try.
Also what you tried with App Center perhaps what you are looking for is Distribution In-App Updates
Note: This is not recommended to avoid by passing Google Play to distribute an app

Is there any way to determine whether the same individual who have visited your website also downloaded and installed your phone app?

Currently, I'm looking to see if there is a way to sync the information we've obtained through an online site with the information we use on a phone application.
All I need to know is that the user that visited our site is the same user that is using our phone application, No stats and preferably no one needs to enter a thing.

You won't get that from Apple, because of their history with privacy concerns, but you could do something like generate an identifying number in your app, that your web site asks for, that would tie the two together. Of course, you'd have to make allowances if your app is deleted from the device, then re-installed, to either make sure you're generating the same number, or other such solution as befits your requirements.

The first thing that would come to my mind is Google Analytics, available for different platforms and services (i.e. Youtube, etc). You would have to go through Google Analytics API to figure out a way on how to track a particular customer visit across several location/platforms.
See Hello Analytics example of Google Analytics API
See Data Feed API

Ok, so far I've answered my own question for androids. Apparently you can pass a referrer param through google play which actually allows your app to receive the parameter and they even have an app that test this functionality.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.stevemiller.android.referrertest
now I have yet to test this, nor is it a possible solution for iOS.

Possibility to host and serve Mobile apps from my own repo ?

I saw sites like rhogallery (http://rhohub.com/), testflightapp.com helping developers to test their app before it goes for app store or marketplace.
I would like to know whether Apple/Android allows (with legal permission) us to setup our own Repo like this?
Our need is to host and serve mobile apps while we dont want that to be made publically available on App store/Marketplace.

Old question now but would be useful for somebody searching for this. From what I know, you can install third part apps from places other than the app stores but by enabling that particular setting from your phone

Android app - publish but not make it accessible through android market search

Here's the scenario i am trying to achieve:
Publish/have an app in the Android app store
However - i do not want it to be searchable through the android market search, etc.
The only way people can access the app is if i give them an explicit link to download
Is above possible? If so - how? All FAQs/instrucitons i have seen publish & make it searchable for the whole world - but i want it only accessible through #3 above.
Thanks.

Try this site https://www.push-link.com/, you can upload apk on your private account and only can be accessible thorough automatic generated link and QR code. This service contains user notification on new versions and bug reports.

Two things that are problematic with the link to an APK approach:
Some of the devices out there (I m only aware of the Motorola Atrix) don't have the "Unkown Sources" option, meaning that this won't work on them.
You loose the ability to auto update the app if you want.
I would recommend adding a login process where only your users will have access to the actual application. This way, you still have the Market advantages and only those people can activate the application.
The main disadvantage is that the application will be open to search in the Market, but as far as I know, this won't be a problem since people will immediately uninstall it since they won't be able to activate it.

In your case, what I do is, I dont upload the application to the Market and distribute it from my server.
I mean this is simple, sweet and it also saves my $25 for the market account...

Don't do this. Just publish the APK to your own website, then give the users the URL to the APK, they can download and install it directly. The only thing they'll need to do is ensure that Menu-Settings-Applications-Unknown sources is ticked.

PayPal Donations on Android Apps

I am currently developing an application where I want to be able to have an option to allow the user to donate money for the app. Is there a particular way about doing this for android. I have tried looking at google but it mainly shows about paypal donation buttons for websites

I think it should be possible.
There's a similar discussion on Google Groups which basically says that donations are allowed as long as you don't offer additional functionality for that money.
Meaning no functionality is enabled after the donation is made.

Like #alocaly said, you're unable to recieve donations through a system different from android market payment or ads inside the application.
However, it is still possible to have your application on the Internet by free and with a donation button. The difference is that you cannot post it on the Android Market, so you'll have to do some extra work:
Upload to a webserver, so it can be downloaded to your phone.
Create a website (or post your application to another "illegal" market), so people can find your application.
Use some sort of advertising to let people know your application (Twitter retweets, community ads, GoogleAds, SEO, whatever)
Manage some kind of update system. Since you don't rely anymore on the Android Market, you don't have an automatic updating method (Android Market updates applications when you post a new version of it), so you should have a small class that checks a website looking for a new version (it's not that hard) and downloads a new version when there's one available.
Make work the Paypal button like #Tim said
However, you are able to do something that I've see out there: create a free version of your application and post it on the Android Market, and post another version of the same application called "Same program name (Donation)", costing some money. When someone wants to donate you, they'll only have to buy this version.
I hope it helps

I don't know what importance it has, but I think that the chart / terms of services we sign as android developers don't allow the usage of this kind of monetization.
As this is a subject that is changing a lot in Android world, with the soon to come API to pay in apps, I'm not sure it still has any importance, but you should still be aware of that.

Maybe you should take a look at this post, which explains how to integrate Paypal payments into an Android App witout leaving the App itself: How to integrate paypal donate in android app?