android app, google playstore and hosting - Java for Android App Development

hi there,
I am developing an android app and need to educate myself on how android apps are hosted.
So I read this site:
http://developer.android.com/distribute/googleplay/start.html[^]
and this site:
http://developer.android.com/distribute/tools/launch-checklist.html[^]
but my question is:
does my finished android app need to be uploaded and hosted on a server?
so when I finish developing it and am ready to deploy to google play store, do I upload my entire app on "my rented server" and then within google play store point to it?
for those of you that have uploaded apps to google play store I would really appreciate some help
another question: the android app I am developing when it opens retrieves a list of names from a database, I currently use XAMPP in which I have created a MYSQL database with a table that contains the names. When I am in my house, I can retrieve the list of names no problem using wifi or just 3g on my phone. However if I am outside and my XAMPP is turned on and then I try and open my app the listview of names is not populated.
Why is that? I am thinking its because my app is not hosted on a server itself, just the database with the names that are used in the listview grid is...

To put an app on the play store you need to upgrade your Google account to a developer account. This costs £20 if I remember correctly and allows you access to the developers console where you upload the finished app in apk format and fill out the description fields etc.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

thanks for your reply....
sure I had read what you mentioned on googles developer site.
what you are speaking about is uploading my app to google play store.
do you have any idea about these 2 questions I raise:
but my question is:
does my finished android app need to be uploaded and hosted on a server?
so when I finish developing it and am ready to deploy to google play store, do I upload my entire app on "my rented server" and then within google play store point to it?
for those of you that have uploaded apps to google play store I would really appreciate some help
another question: the android app I am developing when it opens retrieves a list of names from a database, I currently use XAMPP in which I have created a MYSQL database with a table that contains the names. When I am in my house, I can retrieve the list of names no problem using wifi or just 3g on my phone. However if I am outside and my XAMPP is turned on and then I try and open my app the listview of names is not populated.
Why is that? I am thinking its because my app is not hosted on a server itself, just the database with the names that are used in the listview grid is...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

xirokx said:
thanks for your reply....
sure I had read what you mentioned on googles developer site.
what you are speaking about is uploading my app to google play store.
do you have any idea about these 2 questions I raise:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For the first question
does my finished android app need to be uploaded and hosted on a server?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm assuming that when you say server, you mean your own server? If so then no, you can use the Google developer console to upload your app, which uploads the app to Google's servers and therefore can be viewed through the play store (if you choose to put the app in a "published" mode).
Second question:
so when I finish developing it and am ready to deploy to google play store, do I upload my entire app on "my rented server" and then within google play store point to it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, no. The only way to get apps to show up on the Play store is by getting a developer account and using the Google Play Developer Console to publish your app.
Third question:
another question: the android app I am developing when it opens retrieves a list of names from a database, I currently use XAMPP in which I have created a MYSQL database with a table that contains the names. When I am in my house, I can retrieve the list of names no problem using wifi or just 3g on my phone. However if I am outside and my XAMPP is turned on and then I try and open my app the listview of names is not populated.
Why is that? I am thinking its because my app is not hosted on a server itself, just the database with the names that are used in the listview grid is...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The database needs to be running on a live site for you to retrieve it from anywhere.

thank you so much for your help, i really appreciate it....
can you help clarify a little further please?
currently I use Eclipse to develop in, XAMPP to host my database and a fileserver that hosts my files.
So when I debug, is the process like this:
myPhone(includes apk file) --> XAMPP(stores names and URL) --> FileServer (Retrieves URL to display in my app)
I'm assuming that when you say server, you mean your own server? If so then no, you can use the Google developer console to upload your app, which uploads the app to Google's servers and therefore can be viewed through the play store (if you choose to put the app in a "published" mode).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so does the process when I upload my app to Googles Server look like this:
MyPhone ---> Google Server( to retrieve apk) --> FileServer (to retrieve URL to display in app)
have I understood correctly?
If so then no, you can use the Google developer console to upload your app, which uploads the app to Google's servers and therefore can be viewed through the play store
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if the above process that includes google server is correct, is there a way I can upload my app to google server without releasing on play store for debugging purposes.
Currently I use XAMPP to host my database on my PC, does this mean I would need to upload XAMPP on google server so that it can retrieve the names and URL I have stored in the phpMyAdmin SQL database?
If the answer to the above is yes, does this mean I need to upload XAMPP to Google Server so it can connect to my FileServer?
The database needs to be running on a live site for you to retrieve it from anywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I take it using XAMPP means the database is not running on a "live site" ??
How can I host my database live? currently I start XAMPP then use:
localhost/phpmyadmin to log into my SQL database....
Do you mean I need to upload that SQL database to lets say my FileServer so it is live and therefore takes XAMPP out of the process and means I can access my APP (in debug mode) from anywhere?
So sorry I am confused about how google server, XAMPP and my SQL database work...
Thanks for your patience, please continue to help me...
Thank you so much

can anyone please kindly help?
thank you

xirokx said:
can anyone please kindly help?
thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on what you plan to build
If it can work offline then you generally do not need to rent a server.
If you intent to make MMO online game, chat site, dating site, your own social networking site.. then you will need to rent a server.
Whether or not need a server for the above purposes. Your app is generally hosted on a Google Play server, and be visible to people with play-store apps (technically visible as your app is hard to search for at the beginning, this is another story)
If your app is more than 50mb.. Then you will need your own server. To host the package, containing any data in excess of 50mb. Google will host the first 50mb for you. Your users will have to go start your app to get the rest from your server.
You might want to have your own server for own custom licensing validation and IAP purchasing checks, only if you don't think the google's solution is sufficient.
You can also host on Amazon.

hotspot_volcano said:
Depends on what you plan to build
If it can work offline then you generally do not need to rent a server.
If you intent to make MMO online game, chat site, dating site, your own social networking site.. then you will need to rent a server.
Whether or not need a server for the above purposes. Your app is generally hosted on a Google Play server, and be visible to people with play-store apps (technically visible as your app is hard to search for at the beginning, this is another story)
If your app is more than 50mb.. Then you will need your own server. To host the package, containing any data in excess of 50mb. You might want to have your own server for own custom licensing validation and IAP purchasing checks, only if you don't think the google's solution is insufficient.
You can also host on Amazon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply
I was hoping for more specific answers in relation to my specific questions...

Well your later questions are more specifically hosting questions less about android related issues
Advice to you is to turn of wifi on your phone, when your are inside and see if you can access your XAMP server.
Can you ping your server IP address (not the local IP 192.168.0.X, assuming its your home server.
Does your ISP allow you to use your home Internet to host a server accessible on the internet? (as above)

Related

Google Hosted Blackberry Application for Mail on Hermes?

I have just noticed that Google have released a Blackberry application for their Google Mail Hosted service for domains.
They suggest users visit m.google.com/a on their Blackberry for further info.
This doesn't work on a Hermes device, as the browser is recognized as not being a Blackberry.
Does anyone know if it is possible to use this (or some other way) to access GMail *hosted* accounts using push in some way?
Bump.......................
could you provide a link to where it gives the software application? (apart form the visit on blackberry site).
I wish I could, but unfortunately I can't!
Unless anyone knows how to fake the User Agent in an http request, to fool Google into thinking that I'm using a Blackberry browser? That may trick the site into allowing me to download the app and grab the correct URL of the file...
Christos said:
I wish I could, but unfortunately I can't!
Unless anyone knows how to fake the User Agent in an http request, to fool Google into thinking that I'm using a Blackberry browser? That may trick the site into allowing me to download the app and grab the correct URL of the file...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok, i went ahead and did some playing around. first i changed my firefox user agent to blackberry, went to the site. it made me download a small java descriptor (attached). that linked to a JAR download location which i downloaded.
it does not install though, says failed to install midlet.

BlueSocket authentication

Hello Everyone,
I am developing an application which will try to automatically authenticate a phone when connected to a wifi hotspot that is using a BlueSocket system. This is normally used in universities and colleges. I wonder is anyone out there in a BlueSocket campus? And if you are would you use this application?
I'd definitely find an app like this really useful.
I hate having to open my browser and *hope* that it'll redirect me to the bluesocket login page.
Good luck on the app
Great, In my college the blue socket also does that, Sometimes redirects, and sometimes not. I have figured out that if the first page you attempt to access is a secure https:// page, then it won't redirect the traffic. However if its a regular, http:// page, then there is redirection. But that however works when it wants to. Some computers or browsers don't like being redirected like that i believe.
I currently have the app being able to specify what the server url is and login details, but some servers redirect weirdly. I will hopefully upload a beta in a couple of days.
Thanks for your interest.
I have uploaded this app into the market, all feedback should go to the following thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1033331
[MARKET LINK]
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.emdnet.bsa
Thanks

[Q] This item cannot be installed in your country. Asus Eee Pad Transformer

So I got and Asus Eee Pad Transformer from the United States and brought it here to Kuwait. Every time I try to download an app it says "this item cannot be installed in your country." I think this is a world wide issue since I've been hearing this problem from people in the east as well. I have a Galaxy Tab and I've never had this issue before. I think it has something to do with Honeycomb (3.0). Is there a fix to this. Please help.
just use market enabler chose T mobile and it will work you need to have root device check this page for arabic support http://www.ce4arab.com/vb7/showthread.php?t=319715
Actually, I tried this and it doesn't work for me. With market enabler I see US only apps, but can't install them.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Did you get to fix the issue? It's really frustrating. What have you done so far to not throw the device out the window?
While I have never heard of this issue before, my guess is that the market has recently started allowing installs based on ISP location. Because you are connecting to the market through an ISP located in Kuwait, the market is preventing your install (just my theory). If I was you, I would look into side loading an app that allows you to use a proxy for network access, or try VPNing into a US network.
cant install in your country
Best option install the app with an android phone or any other device that works and then get the apk file
ZaelFaroe said:
While I have never heard of this issue before, my guess is that the market has recently started allowing installs based on ISP location. Because you are connecting to the market through an ISP located in Kuwait, the market is preventing your install (just my theory). If I was you, I would look into side loading an app that allows you to use a proxy for network access, or try VPNing into a US network.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there a tutorial on how to add your device to a US VPN? Could you please send me a link? It'll be a big help. Thank you in advance.
I would do proxy instead. It is much easier to find an open proxy than it is to find an open vpn server. Vpn is probably just easier to setup if you happen to have a friend with a vpn server into their network here in the states. Here is a site showing how to setup a proxy in honeycomb (http://jeftek.com/1975/how-to-web-proxy-settings-android-honeycomb-tablets/)
Here is a list of open U.S. proxies: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...6eT7CQ&usg=AFQjCNFhRSjPS5R5t_U3W0qi7bcA08uJsw
Hopefully that will allow you to download stuff through the market.
try this
1. get anycut from android market, install and run. select new shortcut,
select activity and scroll to find proxy setting and select it. accept default name.
2. find a us based IPort proxy on hidemyass.
3. run the new shortcut and enter proxy hostname/IP and port.
4. login to your goggle account and change your profile location to us.
good luck
Clear Google Location Info (can't install in your country)
Here's the list of supported and non-supported countries:
www google com/support/androidmarket/developer/bin/answer.py?&answer=138294
For those in the country that are currently not supported, here's a work around (this works on my Eee Pad Transformer )
1) Go to Settings -> Accounts & Sync -> Manage Account and select your Gmail account, then click <remove account>
2) Go to Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications -> All
Select every single Google App (Google Accounts, Google Backup Transport, ...) and click <Clear data> for each of it
This gets rid of all location information
3) Power off and then power on the device.
4) Click on the Market icon, it will request you to key in your gmail account
5) use the same gmail account but use @googlemail.com instead of @gmail.com
6) the apps that are not allowed to be installed in the device's country will have the file size of 0.00B (that's ok!)
7) click on the <download> button**
There are some apps that are not compatible with the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer (eg. DME mail client).
** The apps that are not compatible will not download. The above steps are only for the apps that have the error message "cannot be installed in the device's country".
Repeat the above the next time you encounter that error message! Good luck.
[Thanks to Ms. Siti of Asus Customer Care Centre, Malaysia!]
If (5) above doesn't work... ask your friend in one of the supported countries to forward you new GMail account's verification sms to you
The Eee Pad Transformer is amazing especially with the Tegra optimized games!!!
www nvidia com/object/tegra-zone.html
BR//Timothy
@Timothy2011
Interesting info and an excellent first post. Added some of it to the ultimate thread. Thanks!
"The requested item could not be found"
THANKS FOR THE GREAT POST!
Now, the only problem after i did all the steps listed, 95% of the apps that i wanted to install from Market are now unavailable, ie The requested item could not be found.
However the one that is available installed just fine in my TF...
any idea?
thx!
Timothy2011 said:
Here's the list of supported and non-supported countries:
www google com/support/androidmarket/developer/bin/answer.py?&answer=138294
For those in the country that are currently not supported, here's a work around (this works on my Eee Pad Transformer )
1) Go to Settings -> Accounts & Sync -> Manage Account and select your Gmail account, then click <remove account>
2) Go to Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications -> All
Select every single Google App (Google Accounts, Google Backup Transport, ...) and click <Clear data> for each of it
This gets rid of all location information
3) Power off and then power on the device.
4) Click on the Market icon, it will request you to key in your gmail account
5) use the same gmail account but use @googlemail.com instead of @gmail.com
6) the apps that are not allowed to be installed in the device's country will have the file size of 0.00B (that's ok!)
7) click on the <download> button**
There are some apps that are not compatible with the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer (eg. DME mail client).
** The apps that are not compatible will not download. The above steps are only for the apps that have the error message "cannot be installed in the device's country".
Repeat the above the next time you encounter that error message! Good luck.
[Thanks to Ms. Siti of Asus Customer Care Centre, Malaysia!]
If (5) above doesn't work... ask your friend in one of the supported countries to forward you new GMail account's verification sms to you
The Eee Pad Transformer is amazing especially with the Tegra optimized games!!!
www nvidia com/object/tegra-zone.html
BR//Timothy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Radiikal,
Better way to find apps: Google it!
The search is not that great. However, you can google for Android Apps...tons of links out there!... [in addition to using applanet and/or AppBrain] that will point you back to Android Market to install the selected app.
If you are using a PC to search, you might get a QR code on the screen. This QRcode can be read by the free "Barcode Scanner" app from the Android Market Place... once it is captured on the TF, click on 'open in browser'... it's a lot easier that re-keying the URL.
Do install the nvidia's TEGRA ZONE app! There are some demo apps that you can test for free! Awesome graphics! Looks like I might have to surrender the ePad to my kids when I get home (as I did with the iPad for a year) !!!
I found another interesting site to download apps (security issues???).... SlideME Marketplace (pls google it).
... maybe someone can share their experience on this.
Have Fun!
BR//Timothy
See http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=14339905&postcount=3
little help =[
i must have tried both methods (adrian's and timothy's) 3~4 times, still can't figure out what's going on. using the ip proxy method i get "can't establish a reliable connection", and once lost the ability to restore my google account (had to factory reset)
tim's method "works" but i still can't install flash, and a few applications begin saying "the requested item cannot be found".
malaysia, eee pad transformer
For the requested item cannot be found try to install it from android market website. Dont forget to set your device nickname on android market account.
The iport proxy should work as long as you can find a reliable server, remember you just have to use the proxy for the first time only (after you remove android market data and cache, and also remove your google account from account & sync) maybe reboot first after removing market data and account. After start run gtalk first, sometimes it helps, register your goggle account, then run android market and accept. Remove proxy after accept, you should be able to download and install apps.
Thanks for that; not sure what was going wrong as the proxy was working fine (my location on several sites was listed as US), just couldn't log in.
I've actually found that installing from the android market site has solved all my problems; not quite sure what has happened (for example on my device, 'sketcher free' is "not available in my country" [malaysia], but if i dl it via the android market site it sends to the device fine).
for those still reading it may be worth investigating using vpn's to access the market site and then dl'ing it from there...
ZaelFaroe said:
I would do proxy instead. It is much easier to find an open proxy than it is to find an open vpn server. Vpn is probably just easier to setup if you happen to have a friend with a vpn server into their network here in the states. Here is a site showing how to setup a proxy in honeycomb (http://jeftek.com/1975/how-to-web-proxy-settings-android-honeycomb-tablets/)
Here is a list of open U.S. proxies: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...6eT7CQ&usg=AFQjCNFhRSjPS5R5t_U3W0qi7bcA08uJsw
Hopefully that will allow you to download stuff through the market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok following this line of thinking I did a little more digging on the use of a proxy to fool our Honeycomb tablets to be 100% within the US (I'm having this problem because I'm in Puerto Rico, and even though we are a US territory many services don't identify us as being part of the US).
After getting close by using the AnyCut app to add the proxy settings I found in the xroxy site into Honeycomb (you have to try a bunch of the http enabled ones by trial and error, most of them don't work) and I actually got the main Google search site to not come up as ".pr" but as the US full Google search site. The Market and account setup lost all of its connections so I went on the assumption that the proxy I was using was only working for common browsing ports like port 80, 443, etc...
So now all we need is to forward whatever ports the Market is using through the proxy so that it gets a connection. After doing some research on the xroxy site ZaelFaroe listed I signed up for a 1 month $7 subscription to one of their premium proxies since most of the publicly open proxies don't actually work well since they are mostly open by accident by sysadmins that should be flipping burgers instead of in a data center.
I tried the proxy settings they offered to me after subscribing and I got the same result. Full Google search site but no account setup, nor market connectivity. A little more digging on the xroxy site and their FAQ states that, as I assumed earlier, their paid proxies are setup for common browsing ports. They showed an app for PC called Proxifier witch led me to believe there should be a similar app for Android witch led me to the ASProxy app (not a free app) and it basically does the job of forwarding ports through the proxy server you setup. The app looked funky in Honeycomb (white shaded text over white text backgrounds) but you can make it out and get it setup.
Lo and behold! I can now install all the apps I wanted without any problems! The actual market app still SUCKS for searching but if I search within the market site on the honeycomb browser and then click the app and tell it to open it with the market it works fine.
The solution was not simple but I got it to work. I'm not entirely sure if the paid proxy is needed, I'm sure you can keep trying out different proxies listed on the xroxy site and find one that works, but then again there is no guarantee it will continue working. I for one am going to stick with the paid proxy as now I can finally watch Netflix streams from Puerto Rico through my PC!
Worked on sony tablet S
Timothy2011 said:
Here's the list of supported and non-supported countries:
www google com/support/androidmarket/developer/bin/answer.py?&answer=138294
For those in the country that are currently not supported, here's a work around (this works on my Eee Pad Transformer )
1) Go to Settings -> Accounts & Sync -> Manage Account and select your Gmail account, then click <remove account>
2) Go to Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications -> All
Select every single Google App (Google Accounts, Google Backup Transport, ...) and click <Clear data> for each of it
This gets rid of all location information
3) Power off and then power on the device.
4) Click on the Market icon, it will request you to key in your gmail account
5) use the same gmail account but use @googlemail.com instead of @gmail.com
6) the apps that are not allowed to be installed in the device's country will have the file size of 0.00B (that's ok!)
7) click on the <download> button**
There are some apps that are not compatible with the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer (eg. DME mail client).
** The apps that are not compatible will not download. The above steps are only for the apps that have the error message "cannot be installed in the device's country".
Repeat the above the next time you encounter that error message! Good luck.
[Thanks to Ms. Siti of Asus Customer Care Centre, Malaysia!]
If (5) above doesn't work... ask your friend in one of the supported countries to forward you new GMail account's verification sms to you
The Eee Pad Transformer is amazing especially with the Tegra optimized games!!!
www nvidia com/object/tegra-zone.html
BR//Timothy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi I don't have eepad transformer I have sony tablet S, I've reached this post while searching about the same problem and it worked pretty well with me
Big thx
I ask ur permission to post this method-under ur name- on Sony tablet S forum on XDA

Signin via Google+ or Facebook?

Hello,
I am developing an App that requires the user to create an account and to sign in using that account. To make it easier for the user (certainly not for me), I want the user to create his or her account using an existing Google+ or Facebook account.
So my idea was:
Sign the user into Google+ on the device
Aquire the email address and and an oauth2 access-token for the user the
send those two to my server application
validate the email using the oauth2 token by reading it from the google server
create an account on the server, storing the email and generate a "password"
send the password back to the android app to authorize future calls to my server using the email and generated password
I am not sure if this is the recommended procedure for my problem, but anyway, I am failing at the third step.
Could someone please tell me if I am on the right way or should I solve the problem in some other way?
(mods: why does it say "this is not a Q&A forum but has Q&A in the title?)
onlyolli said:
Hello,
I am developing an App that requires the user to create an account and to sign in using that account. To make it easier for the user (certainly not for me), I want the user to create his or her account using an existing Google+ or Facebook account.
So my idea was:
Sign the user into Google+ on the device
Aquire the email address and and an oauth2 access-token for the user the
send those two to my server application
validate the email using the oauth2 token by reading it from the google server
create an account on the server, storing the email and generate a "password"
send the password back to the android app to authorize future calls to my server using the email and generated password
I am not sure if this is the recommended procedure for my problem, but anyway, I am failing at the third step.
Could someone please tell me if I am on the right way or should I solve the problem in some other way?
(mods: why does it say "this is not a Q&A forum but has Q&A in the title?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume you follow Google's guide on G+ signin? I think that is a good way to do it, but I'm not so sure about that "password" you generate on your server. Wouldn't you just use the Android device id or something like that to validate the account?
SimplicityApks said:
I assume you follow Google's guide on G+ signin? I think that is a good way to do it, but I'm not so sure about that "password" you generate on your server. Wouldn't you just use the Android device id or something like that to validate the account?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you!
I prefered using some server secret over the android device id, cause that one is not known to other applications.
Right now i guess i have the problem that the google api is not really picking up the certificate hash and as such is not using the correct project on the api console - that would explain why i am getting "api not configured" errors and why no api access is monitored on the developer console. Maybe. -.-

Architecture for paid app & limited access to backend server services

Hi,
How would you architecture your app to allow access to your backend server services to just the users that paid for your app? I understand there's the Google Play Billing Library, but how do you get from there to identify the user on the server?
Tks,
OK, it seems this thread has some good ideas:
How to verify purchase for android app in server side (google play in app billing v3)
I have a simple app (needs user login with account). I provide some premium features for paid users, like more news content. I need to record if the user has bought this item in my server database...
stackoverflow.com

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