I build an android application but I want that when I give it for testing then user can not copy it and that apk should not be installed on other devices?how is it possible .can I protect that apk?
Get the device ids of the devices you are going to test and just check to see if the current device is one of the devices you want.
There are online services that provide you ability to upload application and use it via browser, for example appsuffer.com. Also HP provide ability to upload application to the real devices in they network and test your apps online on remote devices. I thinks this is one of solutions if you don't want to share you code with testers.
Related
I am developing an app specifically for my dad's phone which is in a different country than I am. So far, I have only run the app through Android Studio's GUI build and run buttons. But this only works for my local test phone, not for his device - since it's not physically in the same place.
What are my options? Obviously, I can publish it to the Play store and he can download from there, but this presumably involves a lot of overhead paperwork. So this is not ideal. Is there an alternative?
Do I already have a built APK that I could simply send to him in an email for him to install with a few taps? If so, where can I find it? Or what do I need to do to get there?
Alternatively, could I do wireless ADB install by connecting to the phone's IP as I do when I'm on the same WiFi network? Is this possible as long as the specific port is forwarded by the router? Or do I need to do anything else?
Just setup an internal or closed test track; you don't have to publish these and newer versions would be automatically updated. With Crashlytics you can see the remote crashes... "Install from Unknown Sources " should also work with Crashlytics. I've recently setup Firebase App Distribution
:
Firebase App Distribution makes distributing your apps to trusted testers painless. By getting your apps onto testers' devices quickly, you can get feedback early and often. And if you use Crashlytics in your apps, you’ll automatically get stability metrics for all your builds, so you know when you’re ready to ship.
Alternatively, you could share the code through eg. GitHub, Cloud Source Repositories, Bitbucket.
is it possible to create an android application that is meant only for internal use? Basically a private application not meant to be installed by non-approved phones?
If so what is the basic process of deployment? How do you get the app on the employees phone's?
thanks!
The easiest way is to email it to them. Any email with an .apk attachment will get an "Install" button that you can tap to install the app.
Installing from non-market sources needs to be enabled -- which is a bit of a security risk -- but the user will be prompted to turn that on if they need to, and even given a button that will take them right to the appropriate settings page. The whole process is really quite slick. :)
Alternatively, you can copy it to the phone (e.g. after connecting the phone in USB storage mode) and then use a file system app to locate the file and install it.
Emailing it is the easiest way, however.
Edit: I'm assuming you meant private as in "only sent to certain individuals" and you're not actually looking for a method that will prevent the apps from being run on non-approved devices should they end up on one.
There's a proper way to do it now: Google Play Private Channel for Google Apps. You publish app on Private Channel and then send invitations to users. It won't be seen by other users of Google Play.
Option 1
Using Google Play Private Channel is probably the best way, but is useful only for Google Apps users.
Option 2
You can use new Developer dashboard options that let your app be in Alpha or beta phase and is available to only selected google accounts (using groups or google plus circles). Your app can stay in beta indefinitely so not become visible to other users. if you like this method you can also use services like TestFlight.
Option 3
Mail distribution is also ok it's even mentioned in documentation which I find a little bit odd, but I would advise you to use some file storage like Dropbox and just distribute the link to selected people.
Two major ways:
You can either use the non-market application installation method, or adb from a connected PC to install an apk which you distribute as a bare file. The downside is that anyone in possession of the apk can install your application.
Alternatively, you can distribute the application through the android market, but make it require an account on a server you control in order to do anything useful. The upside is that possession of the apk doesn't get an unauthorized user much; the downside is negative ratings from confused randoms, and that you've made your apk very available for interested parties to know about and decompile. (There is or was also a way to put an app on the market but not list it so it was only accessible via a full url, however don't rely on that)
Yes. As of right now I use such a method, I have to manually load the app on the phone, however other techniques can be used. Once loaded the app checks the main server to see if it is up to date. If it is not, it downloads and installs the new version of itself.
If you go to your eclipse workspace and go to yours app's folder, in the bin folder assuming you develop with eclipse, you will find a .apk file somewhere in there. Copy it to the phone and then use something like EZ File Explorer (or something like that) to access your android filesystem, click on the .apk and it will install and be ready to use.
For development and testing purposes I would like to install a (signed) apk on some different Wear OS-devices.
With android studio and ADB this is possible for devices in my local (wifi) network area.
As the app is not in a publishable state yet (it is still under development) I do not want to upload it to Google Play Store - I want some friends only to download and install it on their own wearables.
On phone or tablet devices this can be easily achieved by hosting the apk-file on a web server. By downloading it on the mobile device from there it can be installead just by accepting a security exception.
On a Wear OS wearable, however, I do not find any possibilities to download and install apk's directly. So I wonder how I can distribute a Wear OS-apk to some restricted users groups without Play Store? Anybody's any idea?
Thanx,
Thomas
I would strongly advice you to use one of the internal test tracks that the Google Play Store provides.
It's already there and you're most likely familiar with the upload process
It's super easy to grant access to specific individuals or a group of
people
It can easily be promoted into alpha/beta/production when
you have a stable version
Big company X provides its employees with Android phones. Those employees don't necessarily own a Play Store account (gmail address required AFAIK).
At the moment, my alternative is to send a link to our .apk file, however the installation procedure might be quite complicated, not even mentioning the updates.
What's the best way to deploy my app to these phones?
Uchiha Madara is right, but it's not very convenient. They can also subscribe to Google Apps for Business ! Besides, if phones are Lollipop phones, you can very easily enable Android For Work, with pretty useful features to controll mass-hardware !
However, it's not the unique solution. You can self-host your apk file as you do, make a webservice and make your app able to communicate with to check updates ! The only problem is to teach users how to allow install from unknown sources (in security settings), which may be hard if they aren't very confortable with Android phones.
Other solution, some companies offer whole turnkey solutions, like PushLink
You could try HockeyApp to allow the users to install the application and know them about the updates.
http://hockeyapp.net/features/
My guess is you will have to use DropBox and they can download it as long as there is Wi Fi of course and ro to the settings > security and check Unknown sources so that it can install the apk from the internet, they can then go to their downloads folder and see the apk there, then install it onto their phones. Hope this helped!
Source: http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-install-apps-outside-of-google-play/
I think the best way to achieve your requirements is using Microsoft Intune.
Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service that focuses on mobile device management (MDM) and mobile application management (MAM). You control how your organization’s devices are used, including mobile phones, tablets, and laptops. You can also configure specific policies to control applications. For example, you can prevent emails from being sent to people outside your organization. Intune also allows people in your organization to use their personal devices for school or work. On personal devices, Intune helps make sure your organization's data stays protected and can isolate organization data from personal data.
is it possible to create an android application that is meant only for internal use? Basically a private application not meant to be installed by non-approved phones?
If so what is the basic process of deployment? How do you get the app on the employees phone's?
thanks!
The easiest way is to email it to them. Any email with an .apk attachment will get an "Install" button that you can tap to install the app.
Installing from non-market sources needs to be enabled -- which is a bit of a security risk -- but the user will be prompted to turn that on if they need to, and even given a button that will take them right to the appropriate settings page. The whole process is really quite slick. :)
Alternatively, you can copy it to the phone (e.g. after connecting the phone in USB storage mode) and then use a file system app to locate the file and install it.
Emailing it is the easiest way, however.
Edit: I'm assuming you meant private as in "only sent to certain individuals" and you're not actually looking for a method that will prevent the apps from being run on non-approved devices should they end up on one.
There's a proper way to do it now: Google Play Private Channel for Google Apps. You publish app on Private Channel and then send invitations to users. It won't be seen by other users of Google Play.
Option 1
Using Google Play Private Channel is probably the best way, but is useful only for Google Apps users.
Option 2
You can use new Developer dashboard options that let your app be in Alpha or beta phase and is available to only selected google accounts (using groups or google plus circles). Your app can stay in beta indefinitely so not become visible to other users. if you like this method you can also use services like TestFlight.
Option 3
Mail distribution is also ok it's even mentioned in documentation which I find a little bit odd, but I would advise you to use some file storage like Dropbox and just distribute the link to selected people.
Two major ways:
You can either use the non-market application installation method, or adb from a connected PC to install an apk which you distribute as a bare file. The downside is that anyone in possession of the apk can install your application.
Alternatively, you can distribute the application through the android market, but make it require an account on a server you control in order to do anything useful. The upside is that possession of the apk doesn't get an unauthorized user much; the downside is negative ratings from confused randoms, and that you've made your apk very available for interested parties to know about and decompile. (There is or was also a way to put an app on the market but not list it so it was only accessible via a full url, however don't rely on that)
Yes. As of right now I use such a method, I have to manually load the app on the phone, however other techniques can be used. Once loaded the app checks the main server to see if it is up to date. If it is not, it downloads and installs the new version of itself.
If you go to your eclipse workspace and go to yours app's folder, in the bin folder assuming you develop with eclipse, you will find a .apk file somewhere in there. Copy it to the phone and then use something like EZ File Explorer (or something like that) to access your android filesystem, click on the .apk and it will install and be ready to use.