Private enterprise Android market

[Piwaï]

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

[Maps.Huge.Info (Maps API Guru)]

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?"

[Fred Grott]

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..

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[Piwaï]

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:
> 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 Developerhttp://mobilebytes.wordpress.com<http://mobilebytes.wikidot.com/>
> googlewave: fred.gr...@googlewave.com
> Chat Google Talk: fred.grott Skype: fred.grott
> Contact Me [image: Linkedin] <http://www.linkedin.com/in/shareme> [image:
> Twitter] <http://twitter.com/sharemefg> [image:
> Wordpress]<http://mobilebytes.wordpess.com>
>
> --- @ WiseStamp Signature <http://www.wisestamp.com/email-install>. Get it
> now <http://www.wisestamp.com/email-install>

>
> On Wed, Dec 2, 2009 at 4:02 PM, Maps.Huge.Info (Maps API Guru) <
>
> cor...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > 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?"
>
> > --
>
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> > "Android Discuss" group.
> > To post to this group, send email to android...@googlegroups.com.
> > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to

> > android-discu...@googlegroups.com<android-discuss%2Bunsu...@googlegroups.com>
> > .

[OMA]

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!

[Octavio Molano Anta]

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

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

[Chris Stratton]

On Monday, May 23, 2011 3:01:42 PM UTC-4, OMA wrote:

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

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.

[Octavio Molano Anta]

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

[Chris Stratton]

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

[Octavio Molano Anta]

2011/5/23 Chris Stratton <cs0...@gmail.com>

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

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

[Chris Becker]

On Mon, May 23, 2011 at 4:30 PM, Octavio Molano Anta
<octavio...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 2011/5/23 Chris Stratton <cs0...@gmail.com>
<snip>

>
> 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.

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

[Octavio Molano Anta]

Could you not just Push an "Update Available" message through the app?

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

[String]

On Monday, May 23, 2011 10:58:25 PM UTC+1, OMA wrote:

Could you not just Push an "Update Available" message through the app?

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).

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

[Octavio Molano Anta]

2011/5/24 String <sterlin...@googlemail.com>

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

Great!

 

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.

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

[Célio Vasconcelos]

There is a new nice service called PushLink https://www.push-link.com

PushLink is a private APK service to keep you enterprise application updated easily.

Check it out! It is FREE!