I have an app written in Adobe Air (actionscript3) then packaged as an APK for the moto xoom (android os, using flashdevlop).
We are looking to host both the install and update. There are no issues with selecting unknown sources. And installing from web works but i cant seem to find anyway to set it up to find updates thru my server or the correct way to push those updates. Thoughts or links, google has failed me?
UPDATE
I forgot to make clear i need it to work thru the built in update checking so it will auto update if the device is set to do this. By default either the app or device is checking for updates somewhere. I want to change where it checks for that update and what format/syntax its expecting.
The built-in update check is the Android Market app, pinging the Android Market server to check for updates. Since you're not distributing your app through Market, there's no way for you to take advantage of its update mechanism- You'll have to write your own (Amazon's market app, by way of example, does this).
Essentially you'll have to set up some sort of alert mechanism (check for updates on app startup, maybe), download the APK, and fire an intent to have the user explicitly state they want to install the app. Auto updating (downloading and installing the APK without the user doing anything at all) isn't possible outside of Android Market, for security reasons.
For more information on how to fire the "install" activity, check out this thread.
It sounds like a good case for cloud to device messaging....to notify the user of the update
is available...
http://code.google.com/android/c2dm/
I think they will still have to download/install it.....You can help them by making the download/install feature of the app it self.....
okey... i think you have a few web services right... create a update webservice that takes in the user version and sends it to you.. you can cross reference it and if the user needs to download a new version they get directed to a browser ... where you can poit to where you host the files... you can put in a menu item in the app to say allow the user to check for any upgrades... version number of the app can be got easily... check google or get back to me if you still are nunable to find any...
Related
I have to develop some specific software, which sometimes can't connect to the App store, but I will have to send some updates. this software can be restarted but it needs to check for updates itself and download it, so I am looking for ways to update like Facebook is doing for example. Change its own package and restart, but I could not find any helpful information or SDK to do so. What is the right way to do so? How can I achieve that.
edit: I have seen some solutions. One is having 2 apps (1 updater and 1 main app, it is ok but I am looking for a bit more flexible ways if possible). And SDK-s just send you to the download page, but I need my app to download and install it itself (This software will be used as a middlware controlling app for IPTV devices, so there is no security issues in terms of not notifying user about update, I'll handle it with popups)
There is an API in android for update apps. It is called In-app Updates.
Basically, it has two options:
Flexible: The user choose if he wants to update the app or not
A user experience that provides background download and installation with graceful state monitoring. This UX is appropriate when it’s acceptable for the user to use the app while downloading the update. For example, you want to urge users to try a new feature that’s not critical to the core functionality of your app.
Immediate: The app shows a screen where the user must be update the app
A full screen user experience that requires the user to update and restart the app in order to continue using the app. This UX is best for cases where an update is critical for continued use of the app. After a user accepts an immediate update, Google Play handles the update installation and app restart.
In your case, you can use the "Inmediate" option
References:
https://developer.android.com/guide/playcore/in-app-updates
I 'm starting to build an Android app that can self-restructuring. It means this app can change its behavior after an "update". But it's not similar to common update because I don't want to publish to market and some reasons below. The idea is the app check version through server, if it's old, then download a file to proceed update.
This is not an overwritten installation, only some parts of the app is changed, not all.
The app have to keep working during updating.
The download and update process must be silent, there must be no notification, pop-up or asking permission (option)
Please tell me if it 's possible and give me advice, approach, keywords, ideas or somethings helpful. Do I have to intervene system, OS or anything?. I tend to make the phone as a sensor device
There is no direct way of achieving this.
You need to download whole new apk. You can't just download few part of it.
but what you can do is download app in background without user interaction.
Now to install this user has to allow installation as per security standards.
PS: If you just want to perform different action. You can download stuff n place in external/internal storage and through api call changes perform desire actions.
There are apps that doesn't use play store for updation eg. Dream11, famous cricket app.
fantasycricket.dream11.com/android-desktop.html?utm_Source
I have a problem with updating an Android app. My requirements to the application are:
It must work constantly (24/7);
Updating should also be automatic, with no user input.
I uploaded the application to the developer console to conduct beta-testing. Then, I installed it on the tablet (I used URL).
Then, I uploaded the update, but the application does not start the updating process automatically.
There are no added additional permissions. The "automatic updates" are turned on in Play Market settings.
4 days have passed. If I go to the app's page in the market, I see that an update is available, but it does not start the download process.
The question is: what may be the problem? Why does the app not update?
Is it possible that the app gets reinstalled instead of an update (thus requiring some user input to proceed)?
Thank you in advance!
in Google play store app, open side menu, go to settings, enable auto update apps. It should do the trick
The Google Play auto update solution does not seem to work, when the app is always running. The way to achieve it through enterprise management tools.
I have developed an android app which keeps runing continously for days. Now i normally keep making updates of this app and i want that all the phones running my app should somehow be able to auto update my app installed in them.I have not yet released my app in the market.In my app i have already developed push notification feature if that helps ? Any ideas ?
you could use a server and get the app to check for new updates and download accordingly.
Not sure if this is what you're looking for.
If the app is on the Android Market (now Google Play Market) then there is no way to force the user to update. Like DCSoft said, you could have your app check some server to see if an update is available. At that point you could either bug the user until they update, or you can prevent the app from functioning until it is up to date, but that's about it.
You can use https://github.com/commonsguy/cwac-updater
It's really easy and fits your need.
I used it many times.
You can use services in android to check if there is any update in the service, if so trigger the service, to update the stuffs, else destroy it.[User might not come to know about this]
Is this what you wanted?!
Vishnu, assuming you don't want to use the Google Play auto-update feature, you will need an Updater. In two of the companies I worked for, we had a similar problem with both Windows Mobile 6.x and Android apps - no Google Play allowed for security reasons - and I used this solution in both cases successfully:
The main app check if it's updated, against a Web Service. It receives the current version & the URL from where to download the new version, if necessary. The main app then starts the Updater app, passing the URL, and quit.
The Updater download 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.
In one of our projects where we are implementing an application using Android/HTML5/JavaScript there is a requirement for having an Android Auto update kinda feature which is as described below:
Update Native version: The Native version of our application should be easy to update. New versions should be possible to “push”, or at least notify, the user of. Does this require that we publish it to the Android Market?
As of now Notification of the new version can be send to the device but we need an approach to automatically download the new version and install ie., either update the existing version or overwrite it. Hosting the new version in Android market is the last option according to the client
If someone/somebody has earlier come across or implemented such a feature, could you kindly reply back.
If you are using the Android market , the best solution is to just notify the user that an update is available. Depending on the update or Application you may decide not to allow the user the access the app if an update is available.
You will always need to push a new APK to the market , the user may setup the auto update feature but I believe there is no way for an app to force the setting.
Any method which will allow the app to auto update would either need more privileges from users or a routed device , which I guess is not a big enough percentage of users to try the feature.
The android market allow to auto-update applications. Is you want to do it without using the android market, your users will have to enable apk install from unknown sources and they will have to confirm each installation (unless their phones are rooted I think)
There is a nice service called http://push-link.com
This hosts you APK and manage updates. You can choose how the user is going to be notified and see the progress installation of all version.
Cheers...