Application names on Google Play don't need to be unique, and it's possible to request Google to remove violating apps through trademark claims or DCMA. What's not really clear, however, is how it works with package names.
What if I'm developing "the Google app" (forgive me for a silly example) but somebody beats me to registering com.google?
Can I prevent this from happening by uploading a signed, though unpublished APK to Google Play? Or do I actually have to publish the empty app?
Can I request Google Play to remove the existing app with its package name (and allow me to take it) because they've illegitimately used "google" in the package name?
Another question appears here on Stack Overflow, but doesn't really address package names.
Yes. Just make a build of the app, sign it, submit it to your account, but Save, don't Publish. You've then reserved your package name, but nothing is publicly visible.
You can make a Copyright claim, whether you get anywhere is another matter...
Most normal people won't care or even notice what's in the package name, so for me I'd be more concerned about the branding and whether someone else were using a copy of my branding to promote their own offering.
Related
We currently use a app creator that creates the app package for us. They use an app name convention that have their domain name in the url, ex: com.theirname.ourapp
We are working on a new native app, and will stop using the app creator that we must pay monthly and also did not cover all our needs.
My question is: Do they own the "com.theirname.ourapp" package name? or could we deploy the new app using the same name? We have almost 100K installs, and will not like to star fresh with a new package name. Could they ask or force us to stop using "their" package name?
Thanks,
Luis
The package name is the smaller. The problem i can see is the key. When you create an app you need to generate de APK. APK is the package to install the app id all devices, but the updates need a new one APK signed with the same key. The package you can change and sometimees give you problems, you nd to be carefull with that, but the key always has to be the same. The key has a passwords and then you need to know too.
In the wide world of Android, no-one owns the package name, ignoring legal questions like trademark or copyright. If you are interested in these then you should consult a lawyer, not stackoverflow.
However, in the world of Google Play, the most popular app store on Android, then each package name belongs to a developer account.
If you generated the app with the App creator, and the app creator uploaded it to Google Play, then it will be associated with their developer account. You will also have other propblems, like it being signed with a signing key that they own, not you.
if you generated the APK file with the App creator, and then downloaded it. Then you uploaded it to Google Play later, then the package name is associated with your developer account. You might still have problems with the signing key, unless you signed it yourself.
Any responsible App creator should let you transfer ownership, and also be prepared to let export the signing key. If they don't this is a problem. If this turns out to be the case, you might want to contact Google Play developer support to see if they can help you. I don't know what would be done in this scenario. If this is the case then I'd also share the name of the App creator in your question as a warning to other App developers.
There's a developer interested in purchasing one of my apps (the only one that actually have users), meaning I would need to send him the original source code, the keystore and request Google for a transfer following this link: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6230247?hl=en
The issue is: all my apps use the same certificate from the same keystore.
So my question is: Would it be possible for the new developer to hijack any of my other apps?
I believe that the answer is "No. A device would allow another apk signed with the same certificate and with the same package name to update on the device, but Google Play wouldn't allow the developer to upload another app with the same package name as any of my other apps".
But I'm not sure on that and I would like further tech details on it.
As I said, the other apps I have are not important and I could just as well unpublish them. But I rather not, and even if I do, the question is still valid.
ps.: yeah, now I've learned that I should have 1-certificate per app.
The package name of your application is unique in the Play Store. It is how devices (and the Play Store) identify your application, and thus must be unique and cannot be changed. Android will not allow your users to install two applications with the same package name.
However, giving your keystore to another developer is still risky. The Play Store employs two gates when updating an application:
First, you must have access to the account that owns the application.
Second, you must have an APK signed with the correct keystore
By giving someone access to your keystore, you remove one of the two security checks. If the new owner of the application where to gain access to your developer account, they could re-publish the other applications as well. There's also the risk of this new owner selling the keystore and application to someone else in the future who might do the same thing.
Theoretically if your account is secure, then your other applications are also safe from hijacking.
Whether this risk is acceptable is up to you.
They could sign an APK and encourage your existing users to sideload it. When sideloading, the app isn't going to be able to know if it came from you or them. But the Play store itself won't let them upload an app that you haven't transferred to them.
Normally, part of the agreement when the buyer buys and app that using a key used by other apps would include a small snippet that the buyer must protect the key. This agreement would be bilateral anyways, since you could in theory hijack their users by sideloading a signed APK.
Would it be possible for the new developer to hijack any of my other
apps?
No way in the world its possible for him to do anything to any other of your apps unless you give him your keystore.
Your keystore is the key to all your applications and you should never share it with anyone. Having an app signed with your keystore in my developer account would never ever let me do anything to your own apps.
Anybody can have apps publish in plays store with different keystores.
I have 3 apps already in google play. I would like to change the publisher name from my name to my company name. I have read previous discussions on how to change the name in the developer console.
My question is, after changing he name do I have to re-sign the app, get a new certificate, make any changes to the binaries or republish the apps? The Google support doc seems to suggest I may need to transfer to a different developer account which may involve all these steps.
I'm hoping that is not the case, all I need to change is the publisher name (only) - all the other credentials will be the same. I'm hoping the name change will propagate to the 3 apps without having to change anything and any future updates will get the appropriate notification etc. Any help would be appreciated.
My app is not yet in production. But I just released it to public alpha (no users yet). Anyway, I realized that I signed my app with the wrong key and I need to change that. What are the consequences. Does that mean I can no longer use my package name, my app name, what do I lose? Or will I be able to simply keep absolutely everything except the apk. thanks for any detailed help and loophole avoidances.
Per the Things that cannot change blog post:
Just as important as the manifest package name is the certificate that application is signed with. The signing certificate represents the author of the application. If you change the certificate an application is signed with, it is now a different application because it comes from a different author. This different application can’t be uploaded to [Google Play] as an update to the original application, nor can it be installed onto a device as an update.
Therefore if you'd like to change your signing key, you will also need to change your package name. Everything else can stay the same.
I create a new app in my Google play account. I did not publish it yet. It is just ready to publish.
Is there any way to delete it permanently from my account since it is not published yet?
I can not find any remove or delete button. I read here and here, but I couldn't find any delete button.
What about if the app is published only to alpha, or perhaps beta - in those cases can you reuse the package name?
There is not possible to delete an application from google console but you can request to delete an app.
https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/contact/publishing
There is an unofficial delete which might possibly be a bug/glitch in the old android developer console. The instructions are below.
Switch back to old developer panel
Select application for deletion and make sure that it's description and all necessary publishing components are filled out. (you may use fake info)
Save application as a draft. DO NOT PUBLISH
Select the APK tab
Press delete on the current activated APK and your draft application should be deleted. You might need to press "Switch to advanced" for this screen to show.
CRUCIAL - Application must not have been published before.
You can delete an app anytime before it is published. Note this answer was given before the OP specified that his app had not yet been published.
After it has been published, it "owns" its unique packagename forever in the Google PlayStore app naming hierarchy like com.yourdomain.yourapp.
There is no "deleting" this packagename after publication. That would cause mayhem.
Google Analytics, for example needs this permanent unique id. Hostile developers could take over your packagename by forcing you to delete it with bad review attacks.
The package name itself is not really a public-facing asset. If all you want to do is "reboot" your app (ie start again with zero downloads and reviews) then just unpublish (retire) the old packagename and republish the apk under a new packagename.
The right way to publish your app is using the alpha and beta streams in the dev console which do not retain reviews.
The only problem with this is the rule about once an app (package) is priced as free, it remains forever free, meaning you have to republish under a new package name to price a free beta.
Paid betas are only possible if you already have successful apps.
PlayStore publication policies are in constant flux (there is now a manual review policy). You may wish to take your concerns to them directly - they do respond.
I am sure every developer wants to delete and republish an app after finding out that it won't run on device X, because device X manufacturer has tweaked Android, causing device X owners to give the app unfair reviews.
This is also a way to avoid giving people free upgrades to your apps forever, which is not realistic, esp. given piracy stats. Owners often reboot to start fresh after a major upgrade.
You may want to adopt a packagename with a major version codename baked in, like the big boys do it (mountainlion, xenial, marshmallow, etc) like com.yourdomain.yourapp.codename.
X is usually Samsung
Not. there is no way, you only can unpublish and make it invisible for users but in the developer console you will se ever and ever
The responses above are outdated. The Developer Console offers now a "Delete app" link, right below the name of the application (for applications that have never been published).
More info: How to delete the published app from developer console android
Try contacting google play support from the following link:
https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/contactflow?hl=en
Publishing apps on google play
Error when publishing an app
Email Support
Fill in the required fields, and tick the option for
Request for app deletion
As said earlier, app which has never been published only can be deleted.
If you wish to release a new version in the same name, go to All Applications -> Select (old) App -> Go to Store Presence -> Go to store listing. Towards the top field rename your old version. Submit the changes and you are good to create an app using the existing name.
If you app hasn't been published then you can click the Delete button on the All Apps page. It looks like a trash can.
Just to test it out again I created a new app called "Delete me" and the icon showed to to allow me to delete it. None of my published apps are deleteable, though.