[Q] Copy-protected apps - do they work on SD CM7 installs? - Nook Color Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I have a related thread in Themes & Apps (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=13602929#post13602929), but my question here is more general:
Do copy-protected applications work on rooted Nooks, more specifically on the SD installs of CM7/Froyo/HC/etc?
I'm not sure how Google implemented authentication for the copy protected apps -- Google account based vs device based. When do these apps actually check for authentication? One-time deal, or periodically/randomly/set schedule by dev? I ask because I would like to know if an app I'm purchasing won't work if I don't have access to a wifi connection, or because I'm running off an SD card install and it's expecting to install itself to EMMC. I'm unable to even open my purchased video player app (presumably because it's having trouble authenticating)

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2.2 FRF85B Auto installs apps to SD!

In 2.2 FRF85B, if an app supports 2.2's built in apps2sd, when you install it from the Market, it AUTO installs ONTO the microSD card!
Go ahead, test it yourself with these 2.2 apps2sd compatible apps:
AK Notepad
FeedR
FML, Android
LED Tester
Movies
Pandora
Titanium Backup
World Newspapers
obviously there's more, but these are the ones I used and reinstalled from a fresh wipe on FRF85B, and they were automatically installed onto microSD card.
Didn't do it for me....but Titanium Backup did get an update and you can now click move to SD card in Applications menu.
didnt auto install for either :/
SiL3nTKiLL said:
didnt auto install for either :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can set the flag to 0,1 or 2. I believe 0=Auto, 1=Internal and 2=External. Maybe your flag is set to 1 (internal).
It works for me. I have never installed world newspapers before on this phone, so that also eliminates the possibility of the phone "remembering" this setting. I checked and it automatically installed to sd.
There is also a possibility that the developers of the app can set them to automatically install to sd card... but unlikely, since all those apps on your list automatically went to the sd card, not just some of them.
depends on the installLocation attribute: http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/manifest/manifest-element.html#install
I downloaded world newspapers and it automatically went to SD card and I'm on FRF83 : )
The developer sets a flag in the app for Auto, Internal or External.
Most of them set it on Auto, so the phone automatically installs on the card if you have low space on the internal memory.
I remember having a newly downloaded app auto installing straight into SD, i was back on FRF72 back then i think. Dont remember app name though.
At least developers are using it properly.
What is not clear to me is how "auto" setting will be handled in this scenario: first few app2sd supporting apps with "auto" attribute are installed to the phone memory, then a bunch of non-apps2sd apps is installed and phone space becomes low. Will Froyo at this point move apps2sd automatically to SD card? Hopefully it will, but need to double check that.
sergey.povzner said:
What is not clear to me is how "auto" setting will be handled in this scenario: first few app2sd supporting apps with "auto" attribute are installed to the phone memory, then a bunch of non-apps2sd apps is installed and phone space becomes low. Will Froyo at this point move apps2sd automatically to SD card? Hopefully it will, but need to double check that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Developers have two choices when they install the app:
Internal
External
If they choose internal, and there is room, they go internal. If there is no more room, they get installed on external.
If they choose external, they get installed on external.
I don't believe the OS will move your apps without you prompting it to do so.
From here:
internalOnly:
The application must be installed on the internal device storage only. If this is set, the application will never be installed on the external storage. If the internal storage is full, then the system will not install the application. This is also the default behavior if you do not define android:installLocation.
auto:
The application may be installed on the external storage, but the system will install the application on the internal storage by default. If the internal storage is full, then the system will install it on the external storage. Once installed, the user can move the application to either internal or external storage through the system settings.
preferExternal:
The application prefers to be installed on the external storage (SD card). There is no guarantee that the system will honor this request. The application might be installed on internal storage if the external media is unavailable or full, or if the application uses the forward-locking mechanism (not supported on external storage). Once installed, the user can move the application to either internal or external storage through the system settings.
So the issue arrises with this scenario:
1) install some apps2sd supporting apps with "auto" attribute to the the phone memory (cause that's the default). Phone memory is ok.
2) install a bunch of non-apps2sd apps.
3) phone memory low. Get a warning.
4) Now need to go and manually move apps2sd supporting apps to SD card.
Would be nice if OS would be doing that for you in step 4 since there's no easy way to know which apps can be moved to SD card without going through each app in the manage applications.
sergey.povzner said:
So the issue arrises with this scenario:
- install some apps2sd supporting apps with "auto" attribute to the the phone memory (cause that's the default). Phone memory is ok.
- install a bunch of non-apps2sd apps.
- phone memory low. Get a warning.
- Now need to go and manually move apps2sd supporting apps to SD card. Would be nice if OS would be doing that for you since there's no easy way to know which apps can be moved to SD card without going through each app in the manage applications.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's right.
Apps2SD seems to be like a beta product. Besides a quick sign of which apps can be moved, the whole thing with the breaking widget is very annoying. What's the point of moving a big app to the card if it's going to break the widget...
But at least it works and saves us a lot of space while they make the whole thing better
Using Google Earth as a large app not supporting apps2sd in step 2, I just checked that all you get is a warning. OS will not move apps after installation is over.
vitorjna said:
But at least it works and saves us a lot of space while they make the whole thing better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm generally happy even with this "beta" apps2sd. I'm just surprised that Manage applications doesn't have a list or sort function to display only apps that can be moved to SD card.
vitorjna said:
What's the point of moving a big app to the card if it's going to break the widget...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well there is no point, that's why you're not supposed to do it.
There are some large apps with widgets, such as Pandora, which would be nice to be able to move to SD, however I want to use the widget. I wonder how hard it would be for them to make the widget a separate app. That way you can move the large app core to SD, but keep the widget internal.
Also, I wonder if it would be possible for Android to do this automatically. The widget components in the package should be pretty easy to separate from the non-widget parts. Of course if this was done the widget would need to have some code to gracefully handle the cases where the SD part of the app are not available.

[Q] 4.2 multiuser+app data in sdcard (i.e.Games)

So far my understanding is that if user 1 downloads/installs an app, and then user 2 goes "hmm you know what I want that app too" - it doesn't re download it just gives user 2 access to the already installed app. Which is cool, cuz apps are in /data/app.
But some apps, mostly games and so on, download extra data onto the sdcard. Now currently I assume none of them work cuz they look for the non existing /sdcard instead of /mnt/sdcard/0 or something; my question is how is this SUPPOSED to work? If user 1 download GTA3, downloads the data onto his folder in sdcard, then user 2 does the same thing, will i have to redownload all that data and thus use up twice the space? do they have another system for data saved in sdcard and multiuser?
TjPhysicist said:
So far my understanding is that if user 1 downloads/installs an app, and then user 2 goes "hmm you know what I want that app too" - it doesn't re download it just gives user 2 access to the already installed app. Which is cool, cuz apps are in /data/app.
But some apps, mostly games and so on, download extra data onto the sdcard. Now currently I assume none of them work cuz they look for the non existing /sdcard instead of /mnt/sdcard/0 or something; my question is how is this SUPPOSED to work? If user 1 download GTA3, downloads the data onto his folder in sdcard, then user 2 does the same thing, will i have to redownload all that data and thus use up twice the space? do they have another system for data saved in sdcard and multiuser?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Found this and the answer looks promising
http://blogs.computerworld.com/android/21327/android-42-multiuser-support
"With apps, the system is intelligent: If one user goes into the Play Store and installs an app that another user has already downloaded onto the tablet, Android will "install" the app for the user -- basically making it available to her -- but won't actually redownload it. And that user's app-specific data and settings will remain separate from other users' information; when a new user opens the app, it's as if the app is being opened for the first time. I tested this with a handful of apps, including third-party programs like Facebook, and it worked flawlessly."
I haven't tried it myself but its something I wanted to understand too.
TimmyUK said:
Found this and the answer looks promising
http://blogs.computerworld.com/android/21327/android-42-multiuser-support
"With apps, the system is intelligent: If one user goes into the Play Store and installs an app that another user has already downloaded onto the tablet, Android will "install" the app for the user -- basically making it available to her -- but won't actually redownload it. And that user's app-specific data and settings will remain separate from other users' information; when a new user opens the app, it's as if the app is being opened for the first time. I tested this with a handful of apps, including third-party programs like Facebook, and it worked flawlessly."
I haven't tried it myself but its something I wanted to understand too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing is unlike stuff like "facebook details" or smthg, game data is NOT private or user specific. duplicating serves no purpose. The only way to change i spose is to get all extra game data etc to go into /data/<whatever> instead of in an sdcard folder. .

Yet-Another Batch of Noob Questions - SD cards, App Store(s), Content Consumption

I've done some searching, but the volume of content on these forums, along with the different operating modes, is making my head spin a bit. Advice or pointers to posts of particular importance gratefully appreciated. My HD+ is running 10.1 installed internally.
I plan to run with an external card in the SD slot, to keep content there and preserve internal space for applications, or app data that can't be pushed to the external card. I have the card (never used). Is there a file system choice for this card that maximizes performance? If so do I command the tablet to format the card, or do that on my supporting PC with SDFormatter?
I'm not clear if the patch to "swap" internal and external SD card locations is just for tablets running stock B&N software, or if this is also the desirable approach for a tablet running CM? If I don't use the patch, is there a post with guidelines for hacking configuration of existing apps (Kindle reader, Google books, etc) to use the external SD card?
Am I correct in understanding I may need to reference more than just the Google Play Store, to obtain apps that Google doesn't sanction (like an ad blocker for my browser)? Recommendations on alternate app stores ... Amazon's, other?
Do folks pull their eBook content straight to their tablet (via paid-content stores or free sources), or is the "better" practice to take a hop to your PC, into Calibre for conversion/backup/library management, and then down to the tablet?
One of my goals for the tablet is to catch up on a backlog of web site-based content that I need to read. I'd like to have the tablet pull content (in a "crawlish" kind of way with guidance/limits) while at home, tethered to power and next to solid WiFi, so I can read while traveling when I'm not the driver. Anyone know of a thread that is a good reference to setup of a solid, "offline browsing" strategy?
Thanks,
Alan Roberts
>Is there a file system choice for [SD] card that maximizes performance?
I don't think it matters. Use FAT32 or exFAT if you want to have >4GB files. NTFS or ext4 are alternatives, although their delayed-write feature means unmounting the card as versus simply yanking it out. Since it's for storage, it'll be mostly reads and not writes, and speed shouldn't be an issue.
>is [patch to swap int & ext SDcard location] the desirable approach for a tablet running CM?
Suggest sticking with plain vanilla unless there is good reason to do otherwise. Even with a 16GB Nook, there should be plenty of space for apps, and you can store large multimedia on ext SDcard w/o need for swap patch. Suggest you use the Nook more extensively to find out what your needs are, before making systemic changes to the OS.
>[may I] need to reference more than just the Google Play Store, to obtain apps that Google doesn't sanction
Goog Play Store is a superset of Amazon's store, so no need to have both. Some people want to include Amazon's as that has free apps daily. It's a preference, not a necessity. Sideloading apps has little to do with app stores. Aside from apps (you mentioned ad blocker) not available in 'stores', there are times when you simply want to install an apk file, as with apps on XDA and elsewhere. There's no need to do anything extra to sideload.
>Do folks pull their eBook content straight to their tablet
Unless your workflow goes through the PC, it's much simpler and faster to download straight to the tablet. You can of course download to the PC for functions other than reading.
>Anyone know of a thread that is a good reference to setup of a solid, "offline browsing" strategy?
Depends on what type of content you have in mind. There are RSS reader apps, Flipboard, etc. Suggest you go into Goog Play store and try some searches with relevant keywords, or search via Goog with same keywords + 'Android app' suffix.

Suggestions and thoughts about external sd card issues

After updating my n900 to 4.4.2 KitKat and facing the horrible problem of failed external sd card write, i read alot about that situation, i found alot of complains of users all over the world, i imagined a bad future to my beloved android system, i imagined that i will someday be forced to abandon the plateform and go to windows phone or jolla or tizen phone (no apple phone forever !!!), i managed to solve the problem by the workaround posted for rooted phones, but then i thought that every phone and tablet of the billion activated android phones on earth should be rooted to solve the problem and their users should be technically good to be able to root their phones and be ready to lose warranty which i thought was impossible, ability to have a file system that we could do whatever we want just as our Pcs was one of the major advantages of android operating system to the extent that some of us do not need a pc anymore or at least use it less than the past, they are killing the media editing and creation abilities of the system (just like Pc) and moving the Applish way towards only media consumption, they are removing a function that we paid for , i thought about lawsuits for this, i thought also about suggestions as making five folders by default in external sd card pictures, sounds, videos , documents and others as public folders so for example two third party apps can share the same media on pictures folder etc (not a complete sandboxing) also if app is uninstalled the media on public folders not removed with the main app, i think this solution is better than that posted by google so we prevent media generated or edited by apps to be removed when app itself is uninstalled and also prevent mirroring the same media in two different app private folders of similar purposes also no clutter as apps are allowed to write only to this public folders and their private folders, i think it is a solution in between Google wishes and users wishes and avoid most problems caused by external sd card fail write by third party apps brought unexpectedly by the KitKat update, Also a tick box in setting for allowing write access of third party apps to external sd card just as unknown sources will be more than welcomed !!!

[Q] Question about the new Kitkat update for note 3

So im a samsung galaxy note 3 user i love the way my phone is i havent rooted yet cuz didnt feel the need to, but i recently got the update for kitkat that i havent pushed yet as i read that it is terrible, due to the fact it stops you from using your external sd card, now im trying to understand this as it very unclear, so my question is when it says that it doesnt allow third party apps to write on the external sd card, does that mean apps that are not from google play can not be saved on the sd card, or is it all apps third party and google play apps cant be saved on the sd card.
I just want to get a clear view of it so i can decide not to update to kitkat and just keep jellybean on it or update to it. For example i got tons of songs saved on my external sd card i generally use the stock music player, but if i say i download a music player from the google play store will i be able to access my songs off my external sd card if i upgrade to kitkat, also is getting apps off the google play store consider third party apps since its not stock or is third party apps consider apps from other site other then the google play store,
Thank you for assisting me in this just want to know whats, as i rarely dont download apps i just use my phone for business and personal like videos and music and making word docs,
This should be in the Q&A section
portebr3 said:
when it says that it doesnt allow third party apps to write on the external sd card, does that mean apps that are not from google play can not be saved on the sd card, or is it all apps third party and google play apps cant be saved on the sd card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It means any apps that Samsung hasn't pre installed. That includes apps from Play Store.
portebr3 said:
For example i got tons of songs saved on my external sd card i generally use the stock music player, but if i say i download a music player from the google play store will i be able to access my songs off my external sd card
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You will need to duplicate the music into that apps folder or it won't be able to access the music
portebr3 said:
if i upgrade to kitkat, also is getting apps off the google play store consider third party apps since its not stock or is third party apps consider apps from other site other then the google play store
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are also third party apps as I said above.
And yes, this is a major annoyance but it isn't Samsungs fault. Google changed how sd cards work in 4.4 and later Android versions.
The Kitkat SD Card restriction can be explain in simple like this :
Global Read, Restricted Write ( for 3rd party apss).
Meaning, you can use any apps (stock / 3rd party) to read anything on your SD Card, BUT you will need Stock App from Samsung or using Root for Global Write privilege or use 3rd party apps for Restricted Write (only in its own folder).
You can store Music from your PC via USB to your SD Card (Global Read & Write from USB), and then you can use any phone apps (stock/3rd party) to play (read) the music as it will be considered as only reading not writing.
Examples
nlatifolia said:
The Kitkat SD Card restriction can be explain in simple like this :
Global Read, Restricted Write ( for 3rd party apss).
Meaning, you can use any apps (stock / 3rd party) to read anything on your SD Card, BUT you will need Stock App from Samsung or using Root for Global Write privilege or use 3rd party apps for Restricted Write (only in its own folder).
You can store Music from your PC via USB to your SD Card (Global Read & Write from USB), and then you can use any phone apps (stock/3rd party) to play (read) the music as it will be considered as only reading not writing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello thank you guys for the assistance i know this could be a pain so just so that i am clear. If i install a third party app say a third party music player, how would i make a folder for that app to put my music on. Step by step examples would be helpful. I'm not sure if i install the third party app will it automatically create a folder on my SD card and ill have to access the folder thru my pc to add the music to it. Or after installing the app i would manually create a folder for the app on my sd card. thanks in advance im a noob trying to be somebody
portebr3 said:
Hello thank you guys for the assistance i know this could be a pain so just so that i am clear. If i install a third party app say a third party music player, how would i make a folder for that app to put my music on. Step by step examples would be helpful. I'm not sure if i install the third party app will it automatically create a folder on my SD card and ill have to access the folder thru my pc to add the music to it. Or after installing the app i would manually create a folder for the app on my sd card. thanks in advance im a noob trying to be somebody
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All u need to know is already answered in the last paragraph of my answer.
It means app developers need to update one tiny permission for it to work. Most are too lazy to do so, however. That'll change once the S5 is out, since it comes pre-loaded with 4.4.2.... They won't have a choice if they want to keep selling.
Also, N7Player works perfectly fine with music on the MicroSD. They fixed it almost immediately. Stock music player is, like most stock apps, rubbish.
In fact, most popular apps have been updated to write to SD in 4.4. I've not run into any issues since about a week after 4.4 came out.
ShadowLea said:
It means app developers need to update one tiny permission for it to work. Most are too lazy to do so, however. That'll change once the S5 is out, since it comes pre-loaded with 4.4.2.... They won't have a choice if they want to keep selling.
Also, N7Player works perfectly fine with music on the MicroSD. They fixed it almost immediately. Stock music player is, like most stock apps, rubbish.
In fact, most popular apps have been updated to write to SD in 4.4. I've not run into any issues since about a week after 4.4 came out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So Shadow are you having any problems with the new update on your note 3, i heard the stock camera is buggy.
Also i used to be able to download paid apps games like gta or need for speed on my phone well thunderbolt before i got the note 3. All i needed to do was put the file they supplied and put in the data folder or somewhere in the android folder i think it was obb folder, so my question is with the new kitkat update will i still be able to put free paid game apps on my note 3 or will the kitkat prevent me from doing so.
portebr3 said:
So Shadow are you having any problems with the new update on your note 3, i heard the stock camera is buggy.
Also i used to be able to download paid apps games like gta or need for speed on my phone well thunderbolt before i got the note 3. All i needed to do was put the file they supplied and put in the data folder or somewhere in the android folder i think it was obb folder, so my question is with the new kitkat update will i still be able to put free paid game apps on my note 3 or will the kitkat prevent me from doing so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only have about 12 paid apps from Google play (Out of 198) and the rest is from 'alternative sources' (we all know which ones.) Works fine, no issue. KitKat does nothing against it.
As for the stock camera, I've not noticed issues. I rarely use it (Prefer FV5), and when I do I set everything manually (I'm a photographer, so I can't stand pre-determined settings and filters). So whatever issues others have I probably bypass.
ShadowLea said:
I only have about 12 apps from Google play (Out of 198) and the rest is from 'alternative sources' (we all know which ones.) Works fine, no issue. KitKat does nothing against it.
As for the stock camera, I've not noticed issues. I rarely use it (Prefer FV5), and when I do I set everything manually (I'm a photographer, so I can't stand pre-determined settings and filters). So whatever issues others have I probably bypass.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok whoa 198 apps damn i never even reach 10 apps lol but thats amazing, so shadow what would u suggest u think i should take the update or not take the update, I dont think ill be rooting as i heard the knox app will alert my carrier Eastlink that i rooted and void my warranty but thinkin i about it for the future.
portebr3 said:
Ok whoa 198 apps damn i never even reach 10 apps lol but thats amazing, so shadow what would u suggest u think i should take the update or not take the update, I dont think ill be rooting as i heard the knox app will alert my carrier Eastlink that i rooted and void my warranty but thinkin i about it for the future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rooting will trip the knox fuse permanently, this means you won't be able to get warranty, or use knox on your device forever. (a very long time), it won't "alert" your carrier by itself but they will check the counter in download mode and know if you need warranty.
I'm on Kitkat and don't see any issues, camera works perfectly and I use it very, very regularly so I'm sure.
Not sure about the SD Card stuff, I haven't encountered a situation where something didn't work on that department so idk.
It's Google's fault (the SD Card) btw.
I would recommend updating as always, but be aware that you can not downgrade.
I came across an article about the SD permissions setup in 4.4 and there is an app available on Play Store that will restore SD card functionality (need to be rooted of course):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...d&utm_medium=WidgetWeb&utm_campaign=Playboard
zedman169 said:
I came across an article about the SD permissions setup in 4.4 and there is an app available on Play Store that will restore SD card functionality (need to be rooted of course):
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...d&utm_medium=WidgetWeb&utm_campaign=Playboard
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have root you can even "fix" the sd permissions with a terminal emulator app; there's a thread somewhere here about it.
portebr3 said:
Ok whoa 198 apps damn i never even reach 10 apps lol but thats amazing, so shadow what would u suggest u think i should take the update or not take the update, I dont think ill be rooting as i heard the knox app will alert my carrier Eastlink that i rooted and void my warranty but thinkin i about it for the future.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
KNOX the app and KNOX the eFuse have nothing to do with eachother. (except that KNOX app won't work if you trip the fuse). It won't alert your carrier. It'll just set a flag in your device saying you tripped it, and they check that if you try to claim a warranty issue.
Most of the apps I use haven't got an issue with the SD anymore, with a few exceptions like the OfficeSuitePro and Kingsoft (annoying..). Since I keep my internal memory clear of personal data, all the apps are installed on the internal memory and don't require the MicroSD. I move any files it saved on the internal memory to the SD myself through ES File Explorer. Easier than rooting. (I own two MicroSD's 64GB, so I can swap them out when I need to. One is a secondary SD with purely films and tv shows and comics, in case I get stranded on public transport again).
In all honesty, I rather regretted updating. Mine worked flawlessly on 4.3, but I updated out of curiosity (And because 4.4 has RAW compatibility), and got a massive battery drain for killing the proverbial cat in return.
Consequential factory reset rendered my Helium backup MIA (Had to reinstall each app, back them up and manually replace the backup files with the old ones in windows, then restoring), which took about 12 hours.
Got the Mediaserver bug which I never had. More or less fixed it, but it wakelocked my phone from 100 to 0 in 5 hours flat last night again. Gone now, but it'll be back..
So you should really just ask: "Does mine work without issue on 4.3?" "Yes?" "Then stick with it."

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