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how to prevent our application from the jail breaking

M

murali.lancer

Newbie
Hi all ,i have a android application which is ready to release .so to release i have put the app in android market .the user can buy the app and can install the app into the phone.android market wont provide any apk file to the user .so normally we need not bother about re distribution of of the app to the unauthorized persons(who didn't buy the app).


But what my problem is ,I heard that there is a jail breaking concept which can allow the hacker to get the apk file(installation file) from the device .(even though android market not giving the apk file to the user ).

then he can distribute the apk file to all(to unauthorized persons ).how to avoid it.is there any thing to restrict the unauthorized person in using our app,even though he get the apk file .

does android market provides the details of the users who has buy the app by paying ?
like his IMEI number or his gmail account , or etc;


its very urgent if any body knows pls give me any idea .

thanks and regards

Murali dhuli
 
I'm trying my best to understand you. :o

When a user installs something from the Market, that user must get an APK file on his/her phone. Otherwise, how would the user run the app? :confused:

Also, for backup purposes and such, the user is able to copy the APK file to another storage device (or phone). There's no DRM on Android (or I wouldn't be here ;)).

If you want to prevent piracy (which is fully understandable!) you should query the user's account name (best choice) or the device serial (bad choice). How you do that I can't tell you, someone else will have to say.
 
Sorry buddy, you can back up ANY app you have. I never thought about this but you do have a point regarding piracy. Good luck with that since apk files are really easy to find....;)
 
dreze88 said:
Sorry buddy, you can back up ANY app you have. I never thought about this but you do have a point regarding piracy. Good luck with that since apk files are really easy to find....;)
Click to expand...
Hi buddy ,thanks for ur reply .and android market wont give u the apk file ,as of now i know .
they will keep the a back up ,in the mydownloads folder ,to reinstall the application(only for paid applications ,not for the free applications).if you un install the paid application ,u can re install the app from the my downloads ,there all the paid apps will be there .
and there no apk file will provide there .just u can install.

but with the jail break concept ,the hackers can get the root access of the device and they can get the apk file .

so to prevent the app from the piracy any idea ,if u have pls guiode me
thanks and regards
murali dhuli
 
A person doesn't even need root access to have access to the apk files. Apps like ASTRO File manager allow us to make backups of all of our apps. If someone wants to be dishonest, then they can share that apk file with anyone, sure.

The only thing you can do to help prevent this a little is by making your app a "private app". Some apps get installed in the /data/app-private folder and some backup apps don't "see" these apk files. But anyone that is a little savvy can find these files easy enough.

It comes down to trust. You have to decide whether you want to trust enough people to be honest with the app that they paid for. Most people are honest. Some are not. 'Tis life.
 
KlaymenDK said:
Please provide constructive criticism. This is useless noise and makes you look quite unlikable. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Sorry, I don't like struggling to read a forum post (hell, Google Translate does a better job than this). If voicing my opinion on that makes me unlikable, then so be it.
 
TheBiles said:
Sorry, I don't like struggling to read a forum post (hell, Google Translate does a better job than this). If voicing my opinion on that makes me unlikable, then so be it.
Click to expand...

Frankly, I didn't find Murali Dhuli's English to be that difficult to understand at all. I think it comes down to whether you want to or not. You obviously belong in the latter category.

And for the record, there is no such thing as "proper English". English is a ridiculous language to learn for any foreigner because it's like trying to hit a moving target. Example: Is there any good reason you put the word "hell" in your sentence? None what-so-ever.

Lighten up sweetie.
 
Look, you basically have these options:
1) Send every paying user a custom APK which does a check against the user's Google account name. Result: If this runs on somebody else's account, it won't start (this is fine).
2) Send every paying user the same APK, and connect to a server to make the check. Result: The user can only use the app if there is network connectivity (this may or may not be okay, personally I would hate it).
3) Send every paying user one APK, and send every non-paying user a different APK (a lite edition, if you will). Result: Paying users may (or may not!) pirate your app.

You can also look at history, and examine how it is done for PalmOS apps. I don't know about Palm Pre, Windows Mobile, Symbian, and others, but I imagine there's a way.

I see there are loads of articles, blogs, and mailing-list threads about the topic of anti-piracy. Have you even tried searching, or contacted other vendors? :rolleyes:

Edit: Incidentally, option (2) above is exacly what SlideLOCK appears to do. Although, it seems that it too has its weaknesses...
 
KlaymenDK said:
Look, you basically have these options:
1) Send every paying user a custom APK which does a check against the user's Google account name. Result: If this runs on somebody else's account, it won't start (this is fine).
2) Send every paying user the same APK, and connect to a server to make the check. Result: The user can only use the app if there is network connectivity (this may or may not be okay, personally I would hate it).
3) Send every paying user one APK, and send every non-paying user a different APK (a lite edition, if you will). Result: Paying users may (or may not!) pirate your app.

You can also look at history, and examine how it is done for PalmOS apps. I don't know about Palm Pre, Windows Mobile, Symbian, and others, but I imagine there's a way.

I see there are loads of articles, blogs, and mailing-list threads about the topic of anti-piracy. Have you even tried searching, or contacted other vendors? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Hi,
you told that ,we have to distribute the different apk files to the paid users and to the non-paid users ,

But we cannot know who has paid and who doesn't paid .
we will keep our app in the android market.and if any body buys ,then market will credit the money to our account .we are not providing the app to the users directly ,so we canot differentiate them .


Murali dhuli
 
TheBiles said:
Sorry, I don't like struggling to read a forum post (hell, Google Translate does a better job than this). If voicing my opinion on that makes me unlikable, then so be it.
Click to expand...

Please don't be such a jerk, for lack of better terms. Not everyone has English as their first language - and Android is used all over the world. At least they are trying.

To all: Keep all future replies on topic and polite. Thanks.
 
If your app is valuable and you stand behind it people most people will do the right thing and pay for it. There are many developers that hang out in these forums that are responsive to suggestions, work hard to improve their products, and even with free versions and pre-release betas floating around still get payments on their apps. There will always be those that circumvent the system but those people never would have paid for the program in the first place. I have paid for many "donate" versions of the software I use even though I have a fully functioning free version.

Put your focus on the product. Charge for it if it really has a value and the buyers will come. Make sure you give a good description of the product on the market too attract potential customers. Although advanced users know how to beat the system, most of us appreciate the hard work that goes into development and do the right thing. Don't release a free program that we start to rely on and than have it self-destruct, extorting users to pay an inflated price that has hit them out of left field. Act in good faith, and most of us will follow.
 
DataViz has a free version and a paid version of their awesome Documents To Go app. As I am in Canada, i can't get paid apps, but by downloading the Free app I can buy an unlock code directly from DataViz to get the full version.

Maybe you need to try that? Don't sell the full app in the Marketplace, instead offer a free version with the option to unlock. User must buy the unlock code from you (via PayPal or Google Checkout) allowing you to issue a unique unlock code to each registered user when they pay for the code.

That way if they share the APK with someone, the unlock code won't work unless it is validated against the email Gmail account of the phone?
 
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