Sharing apps among my families other Android phones

[Vance]

With my families iPods and iPads, we only have to buy an app once and it can be loaded onto all of our devices. That is because we all link up to the same account on iTunes.

But with Android, each of us (me, wife and daughter) each have to get our own gmail accounts and I assume would all need to use that account to purchase apps. What is the best way to share the apps among our phones like I can with Apple stuff? Can I just purchase them on mine and sideload them onto theirs?

 

[defkorn]

Google has no way of knowing that you are all family members/on the same plan, Verizon would have to butt in here and allow this to happen some way. Perhaps this is why Google seemed happy that Verizon wanted to create its own app store?

 

[Vance]

yes, that could be. What about side-loading? Could I just copy the apk from my phone and put it onto theirs, then install it with an app installer?

 

[A.Nonymous]

You could, but I don't know about the legality of it. I have no idea how Google licenses their apps.

 

[Szadzik]

All great, but that means the dev will only get paid once and will not get enough money to want to keep developing the app.

when you buy a PC with Windows do you assume that everyone in your family has the right to get a free license for Windows because you paid for one single licence? I do not think so.

 

[Vance]

The comparison is to the Apple products, where Apple does, I am sure, expect that every device associated with a given iTunes computer will share the apps. And I assume the developers understand this as well. After a decade of Apple products, it seems odd to have to re-pay for apps on our mobile devices. But that may just be the way it is.

 

[muab]

All great, but that means the dev will only get paid once and will not get enough money to want to keep developing the app.

when you buy a PC with Windows do you assume that everyone in your family has the right to get a free license for Windows because you paid for one single licence? I do not think so.

I know with my Windows 7 I just bought it allows me to install on 3 computers.

It is a bit of a gray area I think. If we are in the same household I would tend to think a single purchase would be sufficient. But then again, on Apps that I think are particularly good I have sometimes "donated" more than the minimum price to help support that particular App.

Cheers

 

[Szadzik]

I know with my Windows 7 I just bought it allows me to install on 3 computers.

It is a bit of a gray area I think. If we are in the same household I would tend to think a single purchase would be sufficient. But then again, on Apps that I think are particularly good I have sometimes "donated" more than the minimum price to help support that particular App.

Cheers

You bought the family pack that has 3 licenses.

 

[OfTheDamned]

I don't believe that Apple expected a family to share the same iTunes account anymore than Google would expect a family to share the same gmail account.

 

[Vance]

I don't believe that Apple expected a family to share the same iTunes account anymore than Google would expect a family to share the same gmail account.

They allow a number of devices to be hooked up to one computer/account, but only a certain number. The reason they limit it is so that you can't just bring everyone you know over and load them up with apps and music. So, the fact that they do allow a fixed number of devices means that they do expect that many devices to share the account.