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Working with Lollipop, I have a device-owner app that is installed with NFC at provision time.
What I need now is to handle automatic updates for my App, from Google Play to rely on the standard Android App update system...
So far I can imagine 2 ways to get this done, but don't know how to handle any of them :
in my NFC install constant EXTRA PROVISIONING DEVICE ADMIN PACKAGE
DOWNLOAD LOCATION install the App directly from the Play Store instead of the url on my own dev server. However
this constant need to handle the url of an apk file, and I did not find any
official way to get apk install direct from Play Store ? (as it will
be a production App in the future I'm not interested in hacks)
keep installing the apk from the dev server, but then allow the App
to update itself with its little brother located on the Play Store
with the same package name. To say it an other way: Would this be possible to install a v1 apk from a custom location, then put a v2 on the PlayStore... and let the magic come true ?
I'd be glad to hear if anyone could share experience about such procedures. Thanks for reading!
EDIT after #Stephan Branczyk suggestion I could make some more testing, here is what I did and the results:
1 - In the NFC provisioning I replaced the apk url with
snep://my.app.packagename without luck ; it just gives an error
without much explanation.
2 - I replaced this url by such a PlayStore link :
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=my.app.packagename but
it gives a checksum error whether I use the checksum locally
computed, or the checksum given on the GooglePlay apk details. It looks not so far from the goal but I could not make it work.
3 - Finally I came back on my first solution, a self-hosted apk
versioned 1... but this time I tried to put on the PlayStore a newer
version 2 of the app with the exact same packagename... That led me
to strange things:
At first my App did not appear anywhere in the local PlayStore App,
but when I searched for it in Google Play, it showed up with the green
"installed" badge, and it proposed me to make an update... So did I.
Then, after this first manual update, the App is in v2, nice, and
better: it appears well listed in my PlayStore.
Optimistically, I uploaded a v3 of the App... just to see if my
PlayStore would automatically update my app (as is does for all the
other ones), but sadly no luck : even if my app is still listed in the
playstore, and proposing the "update" button... it never
updates by itself as it should ; I still need to click on it manually.
Isn't it a strange behavior ? If some have ideas about it, I would really need to be able to rely on the Play Store functionalities but so far no luck, and I cannot believe that Device-Owner app distribution is not compatible with PlayStore ?
Just in case, FYI here is the kind of provisioning code I'm using:
try {
Properties p = new Properties();
p.setProperty(
DevicePolicyManager.EXTRA_PROVISIONING_DEVICE_ADMIN_PACKAGE_NAME,
"my.app.packagename");
p.setProperty(
DevicePolicyManager.EXTRA_PROVISIONING_DEVICE_ADMIN_PACKAGE_DOWNLOAD_LOCATION,
"http://www.example.com/myDeviceOwnerApp.apk");
p.setProperty(
DevicePolicyManager.EXTRA_PROVISIONING_DEVICE_ADMIN_PACKAGE_CHECKSUM,
"U55o3fO0cXQtUoQCbQEO9c_gKrs");
ByteArrayOutputStream bos = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
OutputStream out = new ObjectOutputStream(bos);
p.store(out, "");
final byte[] bytes = bos.toByteArray();
NdefMessage msg = new NdefMessage(NdefRecord.createMime(
DevicePolicyManager.MIME_TYPE_PROVISIONING_NFC, bytes));
return msg;
} catch (Exception e) {
throw new RuntimeException(e);
}
Write your package name as an AAR record in the tag.
To confirm that this functionality works, use this app to write the tag with.
You need to set Base64 encoded SHA1 or SHA256 (from M forward) of the apk in the
EXTRA_PROVISIONING_DEVICE_ADMIN_PACKAGE_CHECKSUM
field when provisioning through NFC otherwise the provisioned device will not accept the URL for download.
Also see this answer for properly encoding the checksum.
I'm trying to find a solution to do a remote update of an APK to 80 tablets. This should preferably be as automated as possible and if this can happen completely in the background without any user input that would be great. Basically what the Playstore currently do which I unfortunately can't use.
Is something like this possible without rooting the device? Any suggestion on libraries/ services that does this?
I'm running Android 4.1.1 and they will all be connected to a Wi-Fi.
You can download the new APK file to SD card, then call this to install it:
Intent shareIntent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
shareIntent.setDataAndType(Uri.fromFile(new File("path-to-APK-file")),
"application/vnd.android.package-archive");
try {
context.startActivity(shareIntent);
} catch (Throwable t) {
// handle the exception here
}
There is only one thing not automatic: the final step. The system will ask the user to confirm installation.
About the MIME type of APK files, here's the wiki page.
No, in the background isn't possible without rooting or having the device's signing key at least as a standard Android APK update. The only semi-reasonable way I can envision something similar to this working is for your app to always check for/download code to run which you load using a class loader. This would be a significant amount of work and not easy.
However, if you're willing to live with some user interaction, it really shouldn't be that hard (though it'll still take some building of infrastructure). Keep a web service that returns the latest version number, compare with the current version number and download the new APK as necessary. Installing an APK programmatically has been covered in many SO questions.
I've searched and cannot find this, though mainly a challenge of knowing what to search for, I'm sure it's been asked before.
How does an app deduce whether it is running on a "Google Android" device, or an AOSP device (e.g. Kindle Fire etc)?
You can try to enumerate an existing accounts on device using AccountManager class: getAccountsByType(), passing com.google as desired account type. If there is no accounts of this type, this mean either it is AOSP device or the user didn't create Google account yet.
If it is not enough for you, you can use PackageManager class and query some Google-specific package using getPackageInfo() method. For example, com.android.vending - Google Play app.
But pay attention that no one of these methods can guaranty you that target device is running AOSP.
This is not trivial, but most apps do not need to even care. If you do, then it usually means you need some unique features therefore it's simpler to check if certain feature is present or not, instead of what label is on the device. You may also check for presence of certain packages (like Google Play), but lack of it does not mean automatically it is i.e. Fire.
You can check whether you can open market urls by using an Intent.
Documentation on the intent's extras is here.
The Intent would look like this:
try {
Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
intent.setData(Uri.parse("market://details?id=com.example.android"));
//you can use any package identifier for the check.
startActivity(intent);
} catch (ActvitiyNotFoundException anfe) {
//There's no market installed.
//So you can guess that you're not on a device with Google experience
}
The downside of this method would be, that the user will be taken to the Play Store if it's available.
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'm developing a non-public Android app, i.e. the app won't be available in the global Android Market. The app will be installed on a limited number of clients, e.g. by using an apk file.
How can I enable an auto-update functionality in this app?
I see different potential options (I do not know if those are technically hard or even impossible to implement or if there are any existing functionalities that can be reused):
On each launch the app tests if a new version exists (by requesting a server), if so downloads the new apk and replaces itself with the new version.
Use (or develop?) a separated app or service that undertakes the update-check and replacement-process.
Use (or develop?) a private market app which has an auto-update option. This option is similar to the second one, but more generic: The market app would be connected to a repository, i.e. it would handle an arbitrary number of (private) apps.
I would prefer option one since the auto-update functionality is included in the app which needs less development efforts.
janjonas, in the company I work we had a similar problem with Windows Mobile 6.x, and we use pretty much the same solution pointed by EboMike:
The main app check if it's updated, against a WebService. It receives the current version & the URL from where download the new version, if necessary. The main app then start the Updater app, passing the URL, and quit.
The Updater do the download of the new program, via HTTP, showing to the user the % downloaded. The user can cancel the download anytime, in a controlled way, and the Updater can registry this cancellation.
Since the new app is downloaded, the Updater run the new app, and quit.
I think option one is the least amount of work for you, and actually the cleanest one too since it will go through the proper channel of using Android's built-in package installer which includes user notification and the option for the user to abort the installation if desired.
You already have it all outlined - check for a new version on a server (would be nice to give the user the option to turn that off), and if there is a new version, you could either just link to the URL with the APK (which will, IIRC, use the browser's download manager to download it), or you could download it with your app and then point the intent to your local file. Using the HTTP link is technically less work and cleaner - the more you let the operating system do, the better - unless there's a reason not to.
Enabling "Install non-market app" is still needed for any application outside the Google Play. If it not enabled, the installation process is going to ask for it and redirect the user to the Application Settings, and after that, the user can install the app.
Depending on your needs, you can delegate to a third part lib.
Some of the permissions we'll use to get this done are the following:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_SUPERUSER" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
Let me explain a bit... The last, WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE, is self-explanatory. With ACCESS_SUPERUSER we'll tell the system that we intend to use root privileges. READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE will be needed in the future in order for your app to read files on SD card.
Assuming that you have downloaded the file and that all those devices can be rooted (limited number of clients, not on Play, etc.), you could do this:
String filePath = Environment.getExternalStorageDirectory().toString() + "/your_app_directory/your_app_filename.apk";
Process installProcess = null;
int installResult = -1337;
try {
installProcess = Runtime.getRuntime().exec("su -c pm install -r " + filePath);
} catch (IOException e) {
// Handle IOException the way you like.
}
if (installProcess != null) {
try {
installResult = installProcess.waitFor();
} catch(InterruptedException e) {
// Handle InterruptedException the way you like.
}
if (installResult == 0) {
// Success!
} else {
// Failure. :-/
}
} else {
// Failure 2. :-(
}
Here might be a very lame method but for some companies, if you believe its applicable, this might be very easy to implement.
Create an password screen (passwordActivity) that asks a password to access the application.
Once the password is entered, raise a flag (set a boolean value from false to true using sharedpreferences)
Place the .apk file on Google Store.
Change the password once everyone installs the app, and release a new update on Google Play Store.
Since the software is going to cache the flag value, the password screen won`t show up even the password is change. It will only show up for new installations so might need to repeat the process.
Note: This method might better fit if there is not hundreds of users using the application. And don`t forget this method is also not secure. To sum up, if you are looking a way to keep the application private and have no security concerns, this is what I recommend.
Update app
Make sure that you already have your new apk download on location
void installNewVersion(String location) {
Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
intent.setDataAndType(Uri.fromFile(new File(location + "app-debug.apk")),
"application/vnd.android.package-archive");
intent.setFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK);
startActivity(intent);
}