What's your experience distributing Android apps outside of the Android Market? Which alternative markets an Android developer should consider? Any success/horror stories?
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We going to develop commercial application that will run on Android platform and now I'm thinking about distribution model.
Application itself will be of no use to regular Android user and will be installed only by people who know why they need it. Application will authenticate with server prior to launch.
We as a company will charge application users monthly fee and will track usage, etc via our servers.
So, I was wondering if there "locked" portion of market for this kind of stuff? Or, do I release app as a free one and if random people download it - they just won't be able to use it?
What is the best way to do that? Can I install application by giving users our URL?
I'm trying to make it as easy as possible.
How do I distribute my app to some friends who have G1s (yea, I'm looking at you, Scott!) for QA testing and feedback? My app certainly isn't ready to be put into any of the marketplaces. I don't have a problem giving out the source code, but I'd prefer to give him a nice binary file to install. Besides, I can see problems with keystore.debug and compiling and the like.
View 3 Replies View RelatedI was wondering if anyone has ever been able to distribute their app in a bundle with an emulator?
The reason I want to do this is that I have some friends who don't have android phones, but I'd like them to be able to play with my app so that they can give me feedback. I've previously sent them screen casts, but I'd really like them to be able to get interactive with the app.
Now I could ask them to get all installed with the whole android framework, eclipse etc,. but some of them are not so technical. Ideally what I'd like to be able to do is create a package that is the android emulator with my app and perhaps 1 or 2 other related apps pre- installed, so that they can download it, open it and run it interactively on their computers?
Has anyone ever tried this?
So far I found that I can run the emulator standalone, and I assume I could probably send them just that and it would run. However the adb tool is needed to install apps. I could send them that too, and ask the to run an 'adb install myapp.apk' from the command line, but at the moment I can't even seem to do that myself.
Running the emulator standalone, the adb tool can't seem to see it:
samuel-josephs-computer-2:tools samueljoseph$ sudo ./adb devices List of devices attached
I just get no list of devices ...
I have previously used the adb tool to install apk files, but that is after I had started the emulator from eclipse - of course even then I always have to restart eclipse and the emulator two or three times before I can get the connection (I am on OSX 10.5.6., eclipse 3.4.1) ...
Can you buy apps form the market on your PC? All the ones I click on to buy want me to enter my info on the phone and it just seems like it would be easier to do on the PC. BTW what happens when i buy a app for my current phone and then later get a new phone? Will the app have to be re-bought?
View 6 Replies View RelatedThe Market is great. Use your phone, find your app, and install it with one click. (Hope THATS not patented!) But what about folks that live in countries not supported by the Android Market? Or devices that don't support the Market? Or the simple fact that some great stuff just isn't IN the Market? Get ready to open up a new tab on that browser and let's go for a spin.Before we get started, we do need to make sure our phones are set up to find and install apps that are downloaded from other places. Enabling non-Market applications is easy. Let's do it now.Using apps that aren't from the Market.Open up your settings by clicking the menu button or digging into your app drawer and selecting settings.Flip through the list and find the Applications section.
You'll see an ominous looking section called Unknown sources. We need to check that box. Now before you go all clicky, prepare yourself for what you're going to see. A pop up is going to appear that warns you about how vulnerable you're going to be by installing apps that aren't from the Market. What that pop up isn't telling you is that Google allows any application into the Market without a review process. I'll leave the discussion about the good and bad of this for another time, but anyone could write a nasty app and put it on the market just as easy as hosting it somewhere else. Google is just being diligent and covering themselves, and I don't blame them. Just be careful what you download, and where you get it from and you should be OK.
Is it possible to buy apps from the market from your desktop rather than through the phone without going through the handset browser?
View 5 Replies View RelatedI know I can search one application from Android market by viewing the following URL: market://search?q=pname:<package> I actually have a few application published, but want to limit my query to return 2 applications. How do I do that?
View 2 Replies View Related3 applications now will not download from the Market. The say that they are starting to download, but don't...ever. What gives?
View 3 Replies View RelatedI can't buy apps on the market, because I live in Luxembourg. I know about SlideMe which is an alternative for me to be able to buy some apps. I want to pay for some apps that I like and do not want to download them on some warez site. Does anyone know about an Internet site or a better alternate Marketplace than SlideMe where I can buy apps for my Hero?
View 5 Replies View RelatedThis seems like an odd question, but how do I search for apps on the Android Market website? I don't have an Android phone yet, but I soon will. I want to see what apps are available for the Android phones. How do I search for them (looking for SplashID and a few other from my Palm days).
View 5 Replies View RelatedI'm new so I'm probably missing something here but I can't seem to buy any apps from Android Market. I'm using a google apps domain which is synced to my Incredible. I registered for Google checkout this morning and I can login to google checkout using my domain.com email address. I go to buy an app and it asks to log in to my google account. I enter my info and it shows me that my calendar, contacts, and email are syncing. It takes me back to the buy button which puts me into a loop.
View 2 Replies View Relatedis there some way to retrieve the manifest.xml of an application from the market, without installing the application? I think the official Market Application somehow get this file (or at least parts of it) to show needed permissions, etc. before installing. I'd be interested in seeing the IntentFilters defined by applications and their activities and processing this information in my application.
View 6 Replies View RelatedIs it already possible for people outside US and GB to sell applications on the market? Because i want to set up a merchant account and on the form it is only possible to choose between US/GB for my location!?May this is only possible when we will receive the android update (market is then no beta version)?
View 7 Replies View RelatedI have a Droid Continuum and I am wondering where the apps are stored that I download from the marketplace.I checked the downloads folder in my SD card but nothing is there.It is obviously somewhere in the internal files of the phone.But where exactly are the downloaded apps stored? I checked the /data folder and i found nothing there.so it must be somewhere else..If anyone has the answer, it'd be great...I found the system apps, just not the downloaded ones.
View 3 Replies View RelatedThe official web site just show the top applications both free and paid, where or how could I see all the applications in the market?
View 4 Replies View RelatedI understand there are two ways to distribute one's apps: 1) through the Market and 2) directly to the user. Now that my app is in beta, I would like to give it to a few of my users to test. But how? What I read on the web talks about installing SDKs, tweaking with many options and using an auxiliary app; I deem these to be well beyond the ability or patience of my users. Is there an easier way? What's the EASIEST?
It would be best if the user can simply navigate to the link and download it using their android phone. Is this possible? I am trying to figure out how to instruct my users to download and install it painlessly. (taking the SD card out for intermediate installation is not painless and is prohibitively intimidating). this is a keyboard that you need to invoke, twice, after you install it. Once through Settings> Languages and Keyboards, and the second time through tapping and holding on the text field and selecting. Oh and it's called MessagEase-beta
Last week I published our first app to the Market, which is a game targeted to users in The Netherlands. Now that the G1 has been available over here for a couple of days, we have received feedback from several of our users. When I look at the developers console in the market however, the download count still shows 0.
Also on the device it is listed as <50. When looking around in the Market, I see that all applications targeted to The Netherlands are listed as having <50 downloads, even an application that received a lot of publicity. Have other developers noticed the same?
I don't know if this is a relic of the issues earlier this morning with the Market or if it is because I just upgraded to the new HTC Hero firmware, but I cannot see any of my applications on the Market, nor can I see several others that I have downloaded before or am familiar with. Are there still some issues with the Market or did HTC screw up yet again?
View 3 Replies View RelatedI was wondering what was with all these really awful bad spam apps. Theres like a million apps based on Korean chicks and all they consist of is a few pics etc. Shouldn't poor material like this be kept off the market?
View 10 Replies View Relatedthese last few days i wanted to download certain applications. i click install and the market tells me item to be downloaded. then i got to downloads and it says: starting download. and it remains like this forever and the download would not start, tried clear cache, uninstall upodates, clear data with no results...
View 49 Replies View RelatedAre there any plans to implement some sort of group/team to review the applications before they're released onto the Market?I've never written anything for iPhone but from what I've read there's at least some quality control in place an application has to go through some sort of review process before it's made available for public consumption, I believe.So why not do that here?Let's be honest there are some great programs out there, and there's absolute crap.some of these are borderline scams.I can think of a few apps that have great descriptions but when you download them, they're nothing more than slideshows or something similar.I've even seen the feedback for one of these applications which said that you have to wait 24 hours before it will work which is, as we all know, the time at which the sale is final and no refund is given.If that's not a dodgy practice I don't know what is.I know it's still an early stage in the game for the platform but it's got a lot of potential - we wouldn't be here if it wasn't, would we? The only way to draw more quality developers to the platform is to implement some sort of control. it seems like it's the wild west here.
View 20 Replies View RelatedAround the end of December or the first of January I will be getting a new Smart-Phone. In the past I've had some Nokia's, Palm's and some Blackberry's. To date, my favorite has been the Blackberrys, but being up for trying anything new/better I've been checking out the Android market. I've noticed what would appear to be some very nice phones that have the potential to meet my needs nicely. However, I've have also noticed one very odd situation in the Android market. The Android App Market appears to be very mysterious and secretive. All ads for Android devices tout the thousands of apps available, but no where are you able to see the full selection, unless you own an Android Device.
I find this very odd indeed. Places like Handango, Crackberry and others allow you to check out apps for just about any device. Additionally they have user reviews that give you some idea as to the quality of the app as well as it's price, if any. Such information provides a potential customer the ability to confirm that a particular device will meet his/her needs prior to making the investment. I would have thought that Google would be happy to provide a similar environment for potential Android buyers, but such is not the case. Kinda makes one wonder just how many apps there really are and how good they are.
Imagine, if you would, going into a diner and ordering a meal. You have no idea what's on the menu, how much it will cost or what the service will be like, but once you enter you will be obligated to pay for it. How long do you think that diner would stay in business? I haven't made up my mind yet, but in as much as I'm not very big on taking unnecessary risks and I'm not a very trusting person, it doesn't look good for Android. Can anyone explain why there's so much secrecy behind the app market and why they don't want potential buyers to see what's there before they make a decision to buy an Android phone?
OK, I've seen different reviews that mention apps that you really have to have, that should almost be standard apps from Android Market. So, what are the top 10 apps, that are the must haves from the AM?
View 1 Replies View RelatedHow do i find my applications market url on the android market ?
View 3 Replies View RelatedOk, I'm getting a little bit miffed over that I can't purchase applications from the Android Market. Is there any way of us who are not on the 'approved' country list to buy from the market?
View 1 Replies View RelatedI have had a free version of my app available for several months. With the new features I am about to release in the latest version, and with paid apps now possible, I intend to split the app into a free lite/trial version and a paid full version.I am aware that I must create a new app with a new signature for the full version b/c I can't change the current free app to a paid one.I don't mind this, but,is there any way I can transfer the thousands of feedback and ratings I have accumulated so far to the paid version even though it will have a totally new signature?
View 14 Replies View RelatedI just bought the droid x...I am looking to download some paid apps that I bought on my other droid. I cannot find Slingplayer, mlb at bat, espn radio.
View 2 Replies View RelatedI have upload some apps in android market. Now I want to show or redirect users to my other apps. They can easily see and download other apps. Please how to open other apps or how to redirect my app in application. If any sample code that is good for me.swan
View 1 Replies View RelatedHad my hero a few months and only just started to play about with it! I am unable to download apps through the market section. Any other way I can do it?
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