Can we identify that who downloaded our application from playstore? I am checking into my developer console there is no option provided i think. Also can we check that if a user has downloaded our app multiple times from play store through our developer console ?
I've checked on my own dev console and I don't believe there is one built in.
There is no real way unless you ask the user to register their information for the app. Also, I believe it would be a privacy issue and a hassle with Google if they kept track all the downloading information for each of its users.
Related
After generate signed APK (Release Version 1.0) ,i tried to test it in my phone but i get this message
Play Protect doesn't recognize this app's developer. Apps from unknown developers can sometimes be unsafe.
i don't know why i get it , i have released to many apps without problem, but in this one i get this message , i tried to create a new key-store also i tried to create a new project with different package name but i still facing the same issue.
How can i fix this?
I think it is just because you tried to install your app directly from APK, and the device or Play Protect can't verify your developer's ID. You can try to upload your apk to Google Play Store then install it from there to see if the problem still persists or not.
Google Play protect recognizes the developer from the signing key the app is signed with. You can learn more about App Signing here. Google Play protect gets this information from the key used to publish the App in Google Play.
Most new apps are enrolled in Google Play App Signing (Help article). You don't say whether yours is or not, but I suspect it is. That is a good thing - it lets Google Help you if you lose your signing key or it gets compromised.
To see what the experience will be for your users, the best thing to do is use an Internal Testing Track when you publish your app during development. The release process is almost instant. And it lets you get the exact same experience your users will get, as the app is downloaded from Google Play, signed with the same key, etc.
You can find more about Internal Test Tracks here.
I have set up an internal testing channel on the Google Play Store. I have added a few testers for my app but could not find a way to check if a particular tester from the list has installed the app or not.
I think this can be found out in Appstore.
We would like to know who has installed the app.
I attempted using the firebase analytics dashboard and play console dashboard for the app as well, app statistics etc, but with no luck.
Is there a way to find this in Playstore?
The best way to distribute an Android or IOS application for testing to users is through Beta Crashlytics.
From there you will be able to see exactly who installed your application and who didn't.
It will let you know from your Fabric panel who has installed the app.
See documentation here on how to distribute your apk.
Google Play does not provide this information. Any feature like this would have to be carefully evaluated on how it affected user privacy.
The signup for internal testing requires the Google Play email address the user will use to install the app. While I have never found anything more than a count of testers who installed, you can retrieve the current account of the user using the app. It isn't exactly a neat and autonomous process, but you could craft a means to compare the list of potential users to the installed account.
The permission required is GET_ACCOUNTS and then you would use AccountManager to retrieve a list of accounts and iterate through them to see if any match a list of testers.
I think I followed all steps which I have found so far but the download link for my alpha test isn't working.
I uploaded the app 3 days ago, created a google group and added the group to the list of alpha testers.
I invited a few members and the app status shows published, after clicking on the link I can signup as alpha tester, but when I click on "Download from the Play Store" the error message "We're sorry, the requested URL was not found on this server" comes.
Did I miss an additional step? Do I have to grant some special rights to the group members somehow?
--- update can this be caused by the permissions of the app?
under the apk info in the developer console I can see:
functions:
android.hardware.LOCATION
android.hardware.location.GPS
android.hardware.location.NETWORK
android.hardware.TOUCHSCREEN
permissions:
android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION
android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION
android.permission.INTERNET
-----UPDATE2
Well I don't have any idea what changed but now the download link is working for my alpha testers.
For me, it resulted to be a cache problem so deleting the cache in Setting > Apps > Google Play Services > Storage > Clean Cache and deleting chrome's cache, did the trick.
If your app is published in alpha or beta version :
it won't be shown in search results,
use the link that google play sent you in the group of testers in order to open it in Google Play application.
(see edit below)
You can also open this URL : https://play.google.com/apps/testing/APP_PACKAGE with a browser if the email configured in your phone is a member of the google testers group.
i don't think permissions in manifest can hide an app of the store !
EDIT
After you have uploaded your APK file and published it to Alpha or Beta version, you will see a link "manage testers group" or something like that. Click on that link ... you will be asked to add a google group of testers, below the popup you will see a message like this : "share this link with you testers group". Copy that link and send it to the group by mail.
Sorry I am writing with SO android app, I can't paste screenshots therefore ... may be tomorow ;-)
Hope it's ok.
I don't have any idea what changed but now the download link is working
You issue was just the publish delay -- it takes some time for Google Play servers to pick up your submission (for any publishing operation, even with alpha builds), usually under 24 hours.
Try opening the link on both your test device and in a desktop browser.
I was able to sign up as a tester from the device, but not install the app (said not found), but going to the desktop browser was able to use google pay to install it remotely to the device.
Make sure its the url in the form https://play.google.com/apps/testing/{your.namespace}
Sign in to your Goole Play Console.
Select your app.
On the left menu, Select Release management -> App releases.
Select Manage Alpha or Manage Beta.
Manage testers, click on right side down arrow.(Just below CREATE RELEASE)
Choose a testing method: select Closed Beta Testing.
Next Create list or select the name of your list.
Feedback Channel: Enter your email to get feedback from testers.
Copy Opt-in URL and send it to your testers.
Now once you completed, Google Play servers takes time for any publishing builds alpha or beta. For me it takes 15-20 minutes to available.
Sometime clear cache of your browser and refresh link. will work.
Once link is available, Open it in your testing device and click on below link
Download the *APP NAME* app on Google Play
Press the Update Button. After installation you can test it.
How authorized testers turn on internal app sharing
Before authorized testers can download apps using internal app sharing, they need to turn on internal app sharing on their Google Play Store app.
Open the Google Play Store app Google Play.
Tap Menu Menu > Settings.
In the “About” section, tap the Play Store version 7 times.
After the Internal app sharing setting appears, tap
the switch to turn on internal app sharing. Tap Turn on.
I'm having the same problem, the link simply doesn't work, 36 hours after publishing. Might as well not even provide the alpha/beta features if it's going to be like this.
Anyway, I'm sharing some information provided to me by Google Support, hoping it'll be helpful:
Ensure that you have added a valid Google Group email or Google+ Community URL to the Developer Console and that you are included in the group/community. Once the group/community has been added, the name of the group will display in the “Manage list of testers” link in the testing tab. (Please note when adding a Google Group you need to enter the email address and not the URL).
If you wish to use a Google Group in a Google Apps domain, the Developer Console and Private Channel must be enabled for your domain in the Google Apps Control Panel.
An app must be published for several hours before the opt-in link will become available to testers.
Currently, testers must have only one account on their device. Devices with more than one account will receive the production version of your app. (Please note this requirement is temporary. Stay tuned for updates).
If you followed the mentioned instructions and it's still not working, in 2019 make sure to also check the following:
1) Make sure the testing group is selected, but is also active:
2) Ask your testers to log out of their google account, then to clear the cache of their browser. They should then close/re-open the browser and log in into the invited email address.
There are several causes for the internal/alpha testing link not working:
1-You are on a different google play account
2-Your email is not added at the email list for testers
3-Go to google play console> your app > app releases > internal test > make sure list name is check as if not the testers will not have access to the app
Hope this helps to solve the issue
One of the causes of that issue might be its availability in (one) particular country only. (USA, usually).
In that case you just should go to the app details and allow its distribution to other (local) stores.
My problem was that even though I deinstalled my release version the link from internal testing brought me again to the release version. This fixed it.
I had this problem if I was logged in with multiple different Google accounts. I opened a new private browsing window and logged in with the account that I wanted to use as an alpha tester, and then the download link worked.
I got the same issue, seems a bug. Solved by:
1.Click "unpublish".
2.Wait for a while, click "re-publish".
Then my App became available in a few minutes.
In my case I was listed as tester in several list (alpha and internal test).
I had only joined the alpha testing channel and I had no way to access the app via the link nor via searching the store.
And as soon as I also joined the internal test channel.
The link to the app magically started working.
So I guess the rule is: you need to make sure you have joined the most privileged testing group that you're invited to.
Also make sure the app, you're going to test, is uninstalled from your device.
I've just put a Bêta APK of my app on the Developer Console. I've also created a Google Group and invited the people that can download the Bêta version of the app.
Google gives you a link in this format :
https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.app.package
Normally you would give this link to the testers, and if they actually exist in the Google Group they can open it and click the button Become a Tester and would be able to download the bêta version of the app directly from Google Play.
The problem is that some contacts, even though they actually exist in the group and can click on the button Become a Tester... they can't get to the page where they can download the app. A message is displayed saying :
Not Found
We're sorry, the requested URL was not found on this server.
Some users can download the app and others can't, even if they exist all in the same Google Group. Does anybody have any idea ?
I encountered the same issue and it was caused by Google's multiple sign in (on desktop browsers).
I was signed in to my corporate account which I had authorised for testing, as well as my personal account which was not authorised. My corporate account is set as the default account, however when visiting the Play Store it was defaulting to my personal account (maybe because that's the one I use on my Android devices).
The problem can be solved by either authorising all signed in accounts for testing, or by signing out of unauthorised accounts.
I have a paid app in the Play Store (Profile Widget, in case anyone is wondering ;)) and I want to allow some users (friends, or people who do not have a credit card) to download it for free.
Of course I could just send them the APK, but they wouldn't get the updates automatically, and with every update to the app I would have to send them all the APK file again. And also, by using this method, anyone that had access to the APK file would be able to install the app for free.
I saw that by using the Android Licensing Library you could make some users bypass the License Check, but I want the app to show as "Purchased" for them in the Play Store, and I don't think this would do it.
I searched Stack Overflow but none of the solutions I found (like creating a separate APK and checking for its existence from the "real" app) handled the auto-update part.
Has anyone found a good solution for this?
Thanks in advance!
You can now generate and distribute promo codes to current and new users on Google Play to drive engagement. Under the Promotions tab in the Developer Console, you can set up promo codes for your apps, games, and in-app products to distribute in your own marketing campaigns (up to 500 codes per app, per quarter). Consider using promo codes to reward loyal users and attract new customers.
Reference:
1) http://android-developers.blogspot.in/2016/01/create-promo-codes-for-your-apps-and-in.html
2) https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6321495
The best solution is to have them buy the app, then refund their purchase. It would still show up as paid. Alternatively, you could give them the app, and license it via the LVL, and configure their email addresses as test accounts listing as purchased., but then they won't get updates.
I have the same problem, I've checked and from what I can see there is no analog to the Apple system (Give out a one-use code to download the app).
If you just give them the APK you don't get Crash/ANRs from them and they won't automatically get updates.
It is something that Google really do need to fix, sorry there isn't a better option.
(I have the same problem for my own device (you can't buy your own app), I had a crash that was rare in the app on my own phone, but I couldn't reproduce it at a computer and the logs had well cycled past the error by the time I did, Being able to get the crash report through the developer console would have saved me a lot of mucking around)
this is an updated and no credit card method.
You can create a free version of the same app in the play store,
but publish it in alpha release.
Then, you can create a google+ provate group of alpha testers and set it as the tester group for the alpha version.
Now add the 'free licensed' users to the alpha testing group and they have your free app.
To push updates, you will have to upload updates also to the 'free alpha', that's not gold, but I think is pretty close to the best you can get at the moment
This method has an issue. As long as licensing is per-App, you will have a different license key, and it may always return TRUE, so if the users share the apks, they may be able to let other people use the app, not totally sure about this occurrence, but you are warned, better if you are sharing the free app to trusted users.
You can set up a sale at price zero for the paid app and let your contacts know about it. Google allows up to 8 days of the sale at a time, but you can also set it up for a single day. This way, you may still get a few downloads from unintended recipients, but the 'problem' will be far more controlled than if you were to mail out APKs. Other problems like updates are also solved automatically.
You can upload in third party app stores like Amazon App Store, Aptoide , www.proapk.in to allow users to download paid Android apps for free.
For downloading the app as a developer: Google Playstore's official word on this, is that you must create a 2nd google account to download the app you are listed as developer for. That way the stats for downloads and terms are not breached. Spoke about same issue today (though its a while after the question was posted, others should see this with similar issues)
For giving it away free: Can't you just change the app to free at a given time then notify those people to hit it during a certain window?