On the Android Compatibility page it is stated that:
Once you've built a compatible device,
you may wish to include Android Market
to provide your users access to the
third-party app ecosystem.
Unfortunately, for a variety of legal
and business reasons, we aren't able
to automatically license Android
Market to all compatible devices. To
inquire about access about Android
Market, you can contact us.
Does anybody know what the actual procedure is to get Android Market on you own device, assuming the CDD is followed and the CTS is passed. Specifically I would like to hear from someone who have experience on licensing the Android Market?
Also, I hear that Google has relaxed the restrictions on licensing the Android Market after version 2.3, but I cannot find any sources supporting this statement. Does anybody have additional information on this?
Thanks
It's very easy, on the page you linked to (http://source.android.com/compatibility/index.html), there's a Contact Us link on the left side. You will find all the contacts information at http://source.android.com/compatibility/contact-us.html
Good luck!
Related
All,
I am looking at building a proprietary app for all platforms. One of the things I found with apple was they have a developer program which we can use to build, debug, distribute and update apps without putting it out on the store. This seems pretty cool even though it comes at a cost ($299/year).
Is there something similar for android where we can update and distribute apps for android without having to go through the play store? I see my phone has an option to install third party apps but there is also a restriction from my carrier (ATT/USA) that totally make it useless because i cannot install apps from outside the play store.
PS: please suggest the appropriate tags for this question too. I am not sure if the current tags are appropriate
Google offers an excellent developer program - and it is free!
http://developer.android.com/index.html
They offer GUI based editors for free - Studio and Eclipse based - Studio is new and simple - but Eclipse is mature and if you already know it a popular choice.
So far, I used the regular SDK in most projects, and used Google API SDK only when the project will utilize some of Google's feature.
I am now wondering is there a good reason I should NOT always use Google API SDK?
There are devices without Google services installed. In this case the Google API is not available. By not using the Google API SDK, your app can still run on these devices.
E.g. consider the Kindle Fire, it doesn’t have the Play store installed, as well as various low-budget tablets and Chinese phones. Custom builds from the open-source code such as Cyanogenmod also don’t have the Google apps installed (although many users add them manually).
Although Android itself is open-source, the Google apps require the vendor to get a license from Google. I know this because custom builds were asked by Google to not include their apps. Also having their own store instead of the Play Store is attractive for some manufacturers because then they get a share of the revenue instead of letting Google have all the profits. This is why not all devices have them.
One potential reason is this: why should you include something if you aren't using it? When you write a new class, do you import the entirety of the Android framework? No, you wouldn't, because at worst it could cause problems in your code, and even in the best case it takes up extra space in your resulting APK.
I'm not sure how much additional space would be taken up in memory/storage by building your app using the Google API SDK, but I can't imagine it's 0, and in mobile development you can't really afford not to be judicious with resource usage.
I am an Android OS developer. I have a tablet in development that I'm in the process porting Android ICS to. Now I want to install Android Market or Google Play. This system is under development, not distributed and not licenses / approved by Google yet.
I see plenty of Q & A about how to install Android Market on an emulator. I'm pretty sure I can use that same procedure to install Android Market on my development system. But that's not my question exactly.
I have a hunch, and I can see others have speculated as much, that installing (side-loading) Android Market without Google's permission is not legal. My question is, as a developer, how do I apply for or obtain or get approval from Google to download and install Android Market or Google Play on my development system? Believe me, I've searched around the Android development website aplenty.
installing (side-loading) Android Market without Google's permission is not legal
Correct.
how do I apply for or obtain or get approval from Google to download and install Android Market or Google Play on my development system?
Quoting the documentation: "Google Play is only licensed to handset manufacturers shipping devices. For questions about specific cases, contact android-partnerships#google.com".
I am also developing a tablet, got the same form but no response from Google, I'm interested in hearing if you got any.
What is happening right now, I decided to implement Slide Me as the end user app store, it is possible to brand it with your name and icon.
It works well on my test devices so I recommend it if you're just looking for a market application, give it a try.
Though, there are a whole lot more markets (and cheaper one too) out there.
Fellow developers,
as you see it at Engadget, a company developed 'Alien Dalvik', a middleware enabling Dalvik runs on any other platform like Meego.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/08/myriad-alien-dalvik-runs-android-apps-on-any-phone-starting/
If the middleware got ported to other platform, let's say MeeGo, then what channel do users get application downloaded at? Android market?
the original apk can't be supported on the alien dalvik. the apk must be repackaged. http://www.myriadgroup.com/software/android/myriad%20alien%20dalvik.aspx?sc_lang=en
There doesn't seem to be enough publicly available information to make a solid determination yet, but I would say: not Android Market, because that's only (legally) available to Android partners on Google branded devices.
There are other Android app marketplaces with different policies. Wait and see.
I published several free and paid app in the Market. I recently get
several complains from customers about not finding my app in the 2.1
Market. Even if they have bought them before, they can't find it in
the market or their download list after updating to 2.1.
Can anyone tell me what the problem is? My apps only require minimal SDK 3..
Thanks a lot!!
Update:
It looks like that they are not shown because they have copy protection enabled. Is this a bug in the Market?
I am having this difficulty also using my ROM OpenEclair (www.openeclair.org)
This only occurs on 2.1, but if it is a custom ROM - they may run into the trouble that the dev is using a Market from 1.6 instead of 2.1
Another possibility is using a 2.1 Market from a diff phone (such as the Droid Eris's Market on a Dream/Magic)
I think I found the answer and it has to do with recent changes in Google market filters on Jun 1st, 2010. Take a look at the following link:
http://developer.android.com/guide/appendix/market-filters.html
I found in my case that the app was hidden in some phones since I had included the following entry in my manifest:
It is because copy-protection is depreciated. Every build or release needs to be whitelisted by google as secure enough to have copy-protected apps. That way they can "ensure" it wont be copied.
From:
http://developer.android.com/guide/publishing/licensing.html
"Replacement for copy protection
Android Market Licensing is a flexible, secure mechanism for controlling access to your applications. It effectively replaces the copy-protection mechanism offered on Android Market and gives you wider distribution potential for your applications."
Use the licensing instead in order to hit a larger audience or customer base.