I am developing an Android application where I want people to buy a licence, and based on that licence I will need to push plugins to my application.
e.g. if the licence maps to 3 plugins (or premium features), I want to push only those 3 to the application at run time. Since it's not possible to change the APK like this AFAIK, and I don't want to include all the features in a single APK.
How can I maintain multiple versions of the app, like a premium app and free app without maintaining multiple apks?
Best Regards
Plugins are nothing but APKs without a launcher activity AFAIK. Just take the example of the Facebook. How does the application know whether you have their Pages Manager or Messenger installed ? I can only think of one way of achieving this so-called Plugin Based Architecture i.e. Create multiple APKs, one for each plugin, acting as a stand-alone application. And check if the package exists at Runtime with the Main APK.
public boolean isPackageExisted(String targetPackage){
List<ApplicationInfo> packages;
PackageManager pm;
pm = getPackageManager();
packages = pm.getInstalledApplications(0);
for (ApplicationInfo packageInfo : packages) {
if(packageInfo.packageName.equals(targetPackage)) return true;
}
return false;
}
If not downloaded and install the package if it meets your criteria.
How do I make sure that only my "master" apk is able to call the functions in the plugin apk?
You can do that by adding this to your Manifest file
android:protectionLevel="signature".
You can read about it more here.
Hope this helps.. :)
Related
I have a 3p appstore app which installs other apps. From my app, installing both single and split APKs are supported.
For apps with split APKs, during install time, I only install the required APKs like only the APK for the selected language on device.
Now when the device language changes, I want to install the new language APKs for all the apps which my app has installed. Before triggering install, I need to first check if that language APK is already installed or what all APKs are installed for a specific package name.
In Android, I didn't find any APIs which can give me if some language APK is installed or the info about all the installed APKs. Any way to get this info?
Edit-1: I cannot use Play core libraries. I am looking for a way using the classes from Android.
This is not possible.
Using the package names of the apps you have installed, you can get all the split APKs from PackageInfo.#applicationInfo but doesn't provide any additional info about that.
Playcore has some classes like SplitInstallManager which has methods getInstalledModules, getInstalledLanguages etc which can be used to get installed APKs but not sure if you can get info about other apps too.
Code:
public static boolean isConfigInstalled(PackageManager pm, String pkg, String conf) throws PackageManager.NameNotFoundException
{
// get application info for installed app
ApplicationInfo ai=pm.getApplicationInfo(pkg, 0);
// get installed split's Names
String[] sn=ai.splitNames;
// check whether if it's really split or not
if (sn != null && sn.length > 0)
{
// search installed splits
for(String n:sn){
// check whether is the one required
if(n.equals("config." + conf)){
// yes, it's installed!
return true;
}
}
}
// couldn't find!
return false;
}
How to use:
Just pass the package manager that you get by context.getPackageManager() along with the App's package name and the language code
Example:
PackageManager pm=getPackageManager();
String pkg="com.snapchat.android";
String languageCode="ur";
if(isConfigInstalled(pm, pkg, languageCode)){
System.out.println("Snapchat has Urdu Installed!");
}else{
System.out.println("Snapchat doesn't has Urdu Installed!");
}
Output:
Snapchat has Urdu Installed!
I want to prevent launching of task manager and Settings applications in my application. For this, I tried to obtain currently running application and checked whether their package name is allowed or not .If it is not allowed then show a new activity.
When work out it is show that the package name of default android Settings application is com.android.settings. Now I have some doubts
Is the Settings application has package name com.android.settings in all android versions? If not, which are they?
How to find package name of Task Manager?
try this
private String querySettingPkgName() {
Intent intent = new Intent(android.provider.Settings.ACTION_SETTINGS);
List<ResolveInfo> resolveInfos = getPackageManager().queryIntentActivities(intent, PackageManager.MATCH_DEFAULT_ONLY);
if (resolveInfos == null || resolveInfos.size() == 0) {
return "";
}
return resolveInfos.get(0).activityInfo.packageName;
}
For this,I tried to obtain currently running application and checked whether their package name is allowed or not .If it is not allowed then show a new activity.
Fortunately, for the users affected by your app, this will be unreliable.
Is the Settings application has package name com.android.settings in all android versions?
Not necessarily. More importantly, any given firmware can have any number of applications that modify settings, supplied by the firmware author. Some settings can be modified even without being part of the firmware, particularly on rooted devices.
If not,which are they?
You are welcome to make a list of all device manufacturers and ROM mod authors and ask them that question.
How to find package name of Task Manager?
There are any number of "task manager" apps included in devices, ROM mods, and available on the Play Store and other distribution points. You are welcome to make a list of all of them and ask their authors that question.
shell into the device using adb, and invoke:
pm list packages
this will provide you a list of pacakges. from there you will should see:
com.android.settings
final PackageManager pm = getPackageManager();
List<ApplicationInfo> packages = pm.getInstalledApplications(PackageManager.GET_META_DATA);
for (ApplicationInfo packageInfo : packages) {
Log.d("Packages", "" + packageInfo.packageName);
}
above code should help you
It's not totally clear what is the scenario.
I guess it is something along the lines of showing off devices to public but not have them f'up the device for others.
Maybe it would be better to do a whitelist instead of a blacklist. Meaning the shop should state which apps should be testable on the devices and then you start your activity if it is any other.
But this again will need maintenance: package names of popular apps may also change. You better provide a way of updating the settings of your app via an online service so you can change the needed packages without physical access to the devices and without having to download and install the complete app.
If you just need a device that goes through many hands and should not be tempered with I suggest using a modified device. I only know of Sonim: they provide a library (needs a Sonim provided hash key in your manifest to use that). With it you can prohibit the altering of many settings without preventing access to the whole settings app.
I'm new to Android developement (I know very basic stuffs), and there is a chance that soon I'll be tasked with porting a WP7 app to Android (fortunately, I can use MonoDroid...).
Now that app has a trial functionality (see here), which for WP7 means that I can check whether the user bought it (so I can enable additional features inside the app) or downloaded the free edition. I do not want the trial to expire, I want a "free edition" of my app to be limited to certain features.
Is there anything similiar for Android? (And can it be done on MonoDroid?)
I've looked at Google Licensing Service, but I don't see how that helps me.
I would go for two apps solution. One "real" application, which contains all the functionality. Second "key" application which only check licensing.
First application will check if the key application is installed. If the check is positive then display full content, enable all features. If the key application is missing the application behaves like free version.
It is also very important to check if the private key that signed both applications is the same. Without this check someone might create their own key application and unlock your functionality. To do so consider this snippet, which I took from this blog: http://www.yoki.org/2010/07/31/creating-a-freepaid-app-pair-for-the-android-market/
protected boolean isProInstalled(Context context) {
// the packagename of the 'key' app
String proPackage = "org.yoki.android.pkgname";
// get the package manager
final PackageManager pm = context.getPackageManager();
// get a list of installed packages
List<PackageInfo> list =
pm.getInstalledPackages(PackageManager.GET_DISABLED_COMPONENTS);
// let's iterate through the list
Iterator<PackageInfo> i = list.iterator();
while(i.hasNext()) {
PackageInfo p = i.next();
// check if proPackage is in the list AND whether that package is signed
// with the same signature as THIS package
if((p.packageName.equals(proPackage)) &&
(pm.checkSignatures(context.getPackageName(), p.packageName) == PackageManager.SIGNATURE_MATCH))
return true;
}
return false;
}
This approach gives you few advantages in flexibility:
separate paid areas. You can assign sets of features to different key applications. eg. app key1 unlocks additional game levels a1,a2,a3 and app key2 unlocks levels b1,b2
time licensing - instead of only checking the existence of key application. You can query it to check if the licence is still valid. That way you can achieve time licences.
Probably the best way for you would be to use in-app purchases
So one of my applications was rejected from the Amazon app store today. The reason was because inside my app, I linked to the paid version of the app on the Android market. Disappointing, but whatever, I guess everyone wants their cut...
So now I'm left having to modify the application to change the Android market link to an Amazon app store link. Not really a big deal except for now if I do that I'm left with a discrepancy when I want to upload a newer version back to the Android market. After all, it would be rather dumb to link someone to the Amazon app store if they purchase the app from the Android market.
Now we all know that it is a pain supporting/managing multiple versions of the same app. Consequently my question becomes how can I link to both at the same time? Is there a way to tell where an app was downloaded from so I can code both links into the app and thus point the user automatically to one or the other? Secondly, is it against the Amazon TOS to give the user a choice (say I pop up a dialog instead and ask the user where to download from)?
Thanks all.
Edit: Direct from Amazon customer service "Re: Link to both markets" (I wish the approval process was as fast as these guys):
For the time being, we need any
linking to point back to the Amazon
Appstore only for market links.
Linking to your website is allowed,
just not other markets.
When pointing to other apps from
within your app, including up-sells,
completion of purchase must be from
the Amazon Appstore.
Good news! Apparently the latest version of the Amazon store finally sets PackageManager.getInstallerPackageName() to "com.amazon.venezia" to contrast with Google Play's "com.android.vending". This will be the easiest way to determine if your app is sideloaded, installed from Amazon, or installed from Google.
Here's what you can do:
Complete the preparation and signing of your application.
Install it on your test device
Use PackageManager.getPackageInfo
How to do this:
public static boolean isMarket(Context context){
boolean isMarketSig = false;
int currentSig = 1;
try {
Signature[] sigs = context.getPackageManager().getPackageInfo(context.getPackageName(), PackageManager.GET_SIGNATURES).signatures;
for (Signature sig : sigs)
{
currentSig = sig.hashCode();
Log.i("MyApp", "Signature hashcode : " + sig.hashCode());
// This Log is for first time testing so you can find out what the int value of your signature is.
}
} catch (Exception e){
e.printStackTrace();
}
//-1545485543 was the int I got from the log line above, so I compare the current signature hashCode value with that value to determine if it's market or not.
if (currentSig==-1545485543){
isMarketSig = true;
} else {
isMarketSig = false;
}
return isMarketSig;
}
public static void openStore(Context context){
if (isMarket(context)){
Intent goToMarket = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW,Uri.parse("market://d" +
"etails?id=com.jakar.myapp"));
goToMarket.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK);
context.startActivity(goToMarket);
} else {
Intent goToAppstore = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW,Uri.parse("http://www.amazon.com/gp/mas/dl/andro" +
"id?p=com.jakar.myapp"));
goToAppstore.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK);
context.startActivity(goToAppstore);
}
}
Basically, the hashCode() that you get from the app installed on your testing device will be the same one from the market. The hash code from the app store will be different because according to https://developer.amazon.com/help/faq.html, the app store signs the application with a signature specific to your developer account, so that will return a different value that what you actually signed it with.
Note: It works to open the market successfully, but I haven't yet deployed this method on the App Store, so I haven't completely tested it. I am confident it will work, but can make no guarantees, so if you use what I've suggested and it fails, please don't hold me accountable.
You can do the following things:
Check if the device based on its Manufacturer.
For ex: https://developer.amazon.com/sdk/fire/specifications.html
For writing reviews and opening the Amazon App Store use the following intent
amzn://apps/android?p=package_name
where p=Link to the detail page for a specific package name.
Ref: Amazon developer link.
https://developer.amazon.com/sdk/in-app-purchasing/sample-code/deeplink.html
As you said, you could use a boolean and then be forced to build your apps twice, so I bevelive it's not the best way.
The best way is to check if android market is installed and act accordingly: here.
Another even more complex way is to query the name of the installer of your app, using PackageManager.getInstallerPackageName. This needs extra work since the app can be installed by parallel markets even if you are on android device with android market installed, and also you must check if it's installed as debug/development (installer package name is null in this case).
What a hard way to do this. If you just want to open the market url, just check if the intent with the url for android market has any activity that knows how to handle it. If not, open up the amazon appstore with another intent.
/**
* Returns intent that opens app in Google Play or Amazon Appstore
* #param context
* #param packageName
* #return null if no market available, otherwise intent
*/
public static Intent showApp(Activity activity, String packageName)
{
Intent i = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
String url = "market://details?id=" + packageName;
i.setData(Uri.parse(url));
if (isIntentAvailable(activity, i))
{
return i;
}
i.setData(Uri.parse("http://www.amazon.com/gp/mas/dl/android?p=" + packageName));
if (isIntentAvailable(activity, i))
{
return i;
}
return null;
}
public static boolean isIntentAvailable(Context context, Intent intent) {
final PackageManager packageManager = context.getPackageManager();
List<ResolveInfo> list =
packageManager.queryIntentActivities(intent,
PackageManager.MATCH_DEFAULT_ONLY);
return list.size() > 0;
}
Another way is to build using ant. This way you can generate dynamically a java class with constants set to a value that represent the app market, and output different builds with ease. This however takes some learning but when you have it running, it's very easy.
I was also struggling with this, but decided that the instant success I'm seeing with my free app on Amazon warrants the time to create a second set of .apks when I make a new build. I went with the Amazon boolean flag for now, and create one common version, then a version incremented by one for the Amazon market. No other markets demand internal linking, AFAIK.
I eventually intend to code up a market chooser with a slick way to automatically figure out what to do, but there are a lot of variables - not just the market address of one app, but how different markets recognize the company name to find all apps. Some market apps hijack the main Android market protocol (e.g. Appslib and SlideMe if I remember correctly) but don't store the company name the same way. Then you need to decide where upsell links go - to the same market or to a common one (I only submitted my free app to most of the markets I use).
I am waiting for my paid app to be approved, but I am pretty sure it will be worth it to have it available on the Amazon market given how many downloads I've gotten for my free app.
Just refactor most of your project into a Project Library, and then create multiple projects (e.g., for each app store) that have only unique icon and string resources, their own package ID declared in the manifest, and then a main activity that extends the main activity that you have defined in your library.
That way, all the unique URLs can be provided by overriding, in each particular app project's activity, the virtual or abstract methods defined in your library's main activity. The library code that that displays these URLs can obtain them via a polymorphic call to each of those methods.
That way, each such specialized project will be very small, and maintenance will be mainly to your library, as described here:
Multiple Apps with a shared code base
I am trying to find a way to have plugins in an application.
My goal is to have a Core application, and offer plugins that can be downloadable on the market. (It can be anything, weather, radio player, etc...)
The plugins would not interact with each other, so the core application is more like a directory of multiple applications with kind of a SDK that the plugins use.
There is the Tic Tac Toe example in the Android doc, but the requires the main app to declare the external lib. My wish is that the core app detects the new installed plugins and shows them.
I found this other question but there is no answer.
Is there a way to do that?
Edit: There are also applications that can be unlocked by buying another app on the market. How do they work? I could not find anything interesting yet. You know what you find when you google "android unlock" :)
This is a little cleaner, so you don't have to use a try catch block.
Also, this avoids someone creating an app with the same name and manually installing it on their phone.
public boolean checkIfAllowed()
{
PackageManager pm = getPackageManager();
int match = pm.checkSignatures("your.first.package", "your.second.package");
if (match == PackageManager.SIGNATURE_MATCH)
{
Log.d("ALLOWED?", "signatures match");
return true;
}
else
{
Log.d("ALLOWED?", "signatures don't match");
return false;
}
}
You can use PackageManager to look for another application. If you know the package names of all of the 'plugins' then you can just check for each of them this way.
PackageManager pm = getPackageManager();
try {
ApplicationInfo appInfo = pm.getApplicationInfo("com.package.name.your.looking.for", 0);
//if we get to here then the app was found, do whatever you need to do.
} catch (NameNotFoundException e) {
//app was not found
}
if you want to decouple the main app from the plugins (using PackageManager.getApplicationInfo(package, int) MainApp has to know which package to search for) you can adopt this scheme:
at run time MainApp send a broadcast intent that every plugin has to listen to (by contract).
In response, every plugin send a direct intent to a component of MainApp that register information about available plugins and how to talk to them.
In this way, you don't have to update MainApp each time a new plugin is created.