Hi everyone!

I am currently working on enterprise private Android apps. That is to
say applications that are specific to the needs of a company, private,
and not intended to be available on the Android Market.

To be able to automatically deploy new applications/updates to all the
devices that belongs to the company, I need to create a kind of
private market. An application that would need to be first installed
from USB, but then would be able to install and update all the company
specific applications (and of course auto update itself).

I know this is technically feasible (see http://android.amberfog.com/?p=98).
But I also know it might take some time, and I hate writing code if it
already exists somewhere.

So my question is : do you guys know about any Open Source private
market application ?

Cheers,
Piwaï

If it was me, I would just add code to check "home" in the app itself.
It would be a fairly simple matter to do so and if an update is found,
link out to it with a webview to download. Installation from a webview
is pretty simple.

-John Coryat

"Radar Now!"

"What Zip Code?"

see openintents.org their code dose in fact check home for updates..just
remove the integration with market and have it check your own servers
instead..

Fred Grott
Android Mobile Developer
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On Wed, Dec 2, 2009 at 4:02 PM, Maps.Huge.Info (Maps API Guru) <

Thanks for your answers guys!

As stated, I actually know how to technically do this (see the link I
provided). I already wrote apps that can update themselves :-) .

The truth is, this kind of functionality requires taking into account
a lot of potential use case. Furthermore, if a company write a lot of
apps for internal use, they might want a specific app dedicated to
handling updates / install of new private apps. A private market.

So I was just wondering if this kind of app already exist in the Open
Source world... Seems not. Might be a good idea to start writing that
sort of project.

Cheers,
Piwaï

On Dec 2, 11:05 pm, Fred Grott <fred.gr...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi, I just subscribed because I'm also interested in this topic
(private "Marketplace" so private Android apps get automatically
updated).
I know this thread is from some years ago.
Has it gotten any easier since Dec, 2009?

I'm new to Android development (in fact, I'm developing my apps with
Adobe AIR),
so can someone explain how can this be accomplished?

Thank you!

On Dec 4 2009, 10:26 am, Piwaï <py.ri...@gmail.com> wrote:

Nobody knows about this? (private "Android market")

2011/5/18 OMA <octavio.mol...@gmail.com>

I expect it should not be too hard to find someone willing to develop one
for you.

But the problem is that you haven't really thought through how it should
work.

Do you just want to ACTION_VIEW packages either downloaded or as URL's and
trigger the system user install confirmation?

Or are you looking to make a new system application which is signed with the
key of your custom android build for devices which will permit flashing
such, and so can do installs without user intervention?

Or are you looking for a device management tool to deploy on your company
PC's to update usb-connected devices while (and only while) they are
connected?

Each is a very different task with different capabilities and complications.

What I need is an automatic update system so applications installed in any
number of tablets
update automatically over Wi-Fi (using a central server in the Internet).
The user should just receive
a message about a new version available, then s/he just confirms and gets
the updated application installed.
Just like in the Android Market. But we can't publish our app in the Android
Market, because
it needs of a private Intranet server to work, so the app would be useless
for everybody else.
Updating over USB would not be a good option, I think.
Where do you think I should start?

Thanks!
Octavio

Just send them an email with a link to the apk on your corporate server.  
If you want, have the server make them go through a login or only serve over
your vpn or coporate wifi.  Or have your app periodically check the server.

As long as you are willing (and able) to check allow non-market sources in
the device's settings menu, and have the users confirm the installation, all
you really need to do is point android at the .apk

2011/5/23 Chris Stratton <cs07...@gmail.com>

Well, I didn't know I could just open and install a downloaded APK from the
browser. In the iPad you certainly can't just
download a IPA file and install from the Safari browser (in a non-jailbroken
device). Even if the IPA file has the proper
provisioning profile for an ad hoc installation in the device, Safari
doesn't want to do anything with a downloaded IPA fle.
I can only install through iTunes. I've yet to find a method this simple for
the iPad. Anyway, that's off-topic.

The method you mention should be enough. I can just make an intranet page
linked in the tablet desktop containing
a link to the APK file (in case a new version is available) and instructions
on how to update (really easy: just click the link
and OK a couple of messages). It's easy and simple. The only downside is the
user has to manually check that page
to see if there's an update.

It's not as clean as straightforward as Android Market messages
automatically telling the user to upgrade
when powering up the device, but I guess replicating the real Android Market
is much more complex
than this approach and not really worth it.

Thanks for the suggestion!
Octavio

On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 4:30 PM, Octavio Molano Anta

Could you not just Push an "Update Available" message through the app?
 I'm not entirely sure how this in normally accomplished, much less on
AIR, but should be possible.  Otherwise, there is always the tried and
true email.  Cheers ~Chris

Well, I guess I could, but I'm not sure if an opened Android application can
be reinstalled
with this method, since in Honeycomb users can't close applications unless
using
a third party Task Killer (ideally, the app should autoclose when trying to
install the APK;
I'll have to check that).

Otherwise, there is always the tried and true email.

Yes, that's an option, too :)

Thanks again!
Octavio

No problem. The OS automatically shuts down the process of any app getting
reinstalled.

Also:

Well, I didn't know I could just open and install a downloaded APK from the
browser. In the iPad you certainly can't just
download a IPA file and install from the Safari browser (in a non-jailbroken
device).

Don't take this the wrong way, but I think you'll find that many things are
possible on Android which aren't on iOS. Speaking for myself, that's a major
reason behind my choice of platform.

String

2011/5/24 String <sterling.ud...@googlemail.com>

Great!

Yeah, I know Apple is extremely restrictive with anything, and don't give a
damn about developers
(we had to wait a month and a half just to be approved into their developer
program, and when
I emailed their support team about some issue, they also answered the mail a
whole month later!
plus they had the nerve to send a survey to find our how satisfied I was
with their
one-month-later delivered answer, which I didn't really need anymore;
sounds like a joke, but that actually happened).

But anyway, people demand software for iOS devices, so it can't be helped.

Octavio