APK Plugin Gone

[Martin Johnson]

I've downloaded droidscript several times over the years, and every time I've installed it on a new device I've had to purchase the apk builder for roughly $5, but now I don't even see an option to do this. 

Are they trying to force us to pay the subscription?

I only use droidscript because it is fast and convenient, but Android Studio, React Native and Xamarin are all free so I can't see anyone actually paying a subscription just to build APKs. 

[Right2TheV0id]

I believe that the original reason of the removal of certain plugins was a technical limitation.

They went from the app plugin's menu, then to the playstore, then Android 10 introduced scoped storage so they came back to the the app...

There are ways to install it (or them):

By manual download -> https://groups.google.com/g/androidscript/c/1LZ6fdAxySM/m/Zxq8PXwDDwAJ

Or using the wifi ide debug view -> https://groups.google.com/g/androidscript/c/IbDnSYUWpwo/m/QoBe1ctkBgAJ

(Here it will be !addplugin apkbuilder)

But even if you'll be able to install all of them, they'll only work if you purchased them in the past (or if you are/go premium).

And there is actually no possibility to buy official plugins independently.

My guess is that the purchase method has been (temporarily) unavailable due to the changes made to install the plugins, but I also suspect that it has finally been abandoned against the premium subscription (probably more convenient to implement and more lucrative on the long term).

So for the moment, to "purchage" apkbuilder, premium is the way to go.

If you already bought it in the past you can install it again and use it right away (you have to use the account which was used for the purchase).

But even here you'll be stucked with apks and won't be able to build aabs:

https://groups.google.com/g/androidscript/c/C_Aj5QApdD8/m/9nyFOfNpAgAJ

To conclude I'd say that even if I understand the need to have a regular income to make the project live, new users (especially young ones) won't go premium.

And being unable to create an APK out of DS projects can be off-putting for many new and casual users.

I hope it will change in the future

[Alan Hendry]

HI,

I also bought the builder (years ago). 

I only had to buy it once, and then it applied to all devices where I used the same ID in Google Play.

The builder originally supported making APKs, then Google brought out AABs, and now Google Play wants AABs for new apps.
DS therefore upgraded the builder to make AABs but it seems you have to be Premium to build AABs.

(If you are Premium then the builder appears in the list of Plugins you can get, 
if you only bought the builder then you can download it and install from http://androidscript.org/apk/).

DS itself and your apps run on Android only. 

Have you seen https://enjine.io/?
It will be similar to DS, and will support Android/iOS/Windows/etc.

Beta versions of DS include "hybrid" which is a test bed for the enjine.io interface. 

There's no target date.
According to https://enjine.io/index.php/pricing/ it will be free for Students and Hobbyists (with Ads)
(not clear if that includes a builder).

I tried Android Studio and Xamarin initially. 

The objects and methods in DS seem to make it at least 10 times easier to learn/write/test/debug
particularly if you already know javascript).

Regards, ah