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I developed android application and put .apk on my website which runs on LAMP and I wish to enable somehow OTA (over the air) installation of my application, by simply providing URL to Android device.

How can I do it?

Scenario I wish to produce is (if someone didn't understand me correctly) that user scanns QR code of apk's URL and then install it seemlessly. Right now, user must download the file, then tap on it to install it.

Thanks in advance.

Draško
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  • If you put your app to Market Place you can point the QR code to your app in Market Place. It is pretty common practice. For example this website does it quite a bit: http://www.androidtapp.com/ – Juhani Nov 10 '10 at 09:20
  • Juhani, thank you for your comment, but this application is not meant to be public on android market, therefore I need it on my website. I don't want that anyone can have access to this app. – Draško Nov 10 '10 at 09:26
  • You need to accomplish your security by means of a licensing server rather than by trying to keep the .apk away from people, as there are numerous ways they can get at it - accessing your website from something that isn't an android device but claims to be, accessing it from a modified android device, pulling it off an android device, etc. Not to mention that direct installation isn't supported by android anyway - as mentioned user approval is required. – Chris Stratton Nov 10 '10 at 17:37

2 Answers2

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Just have the QR code point to the actual .apk and let the user download it and manually install it. There is no way to have a user read the QR and upon that automatically install the app. Thats not how OTA installations nor updates work. Even when you perform an actual OTA update of Android for example you have to confirm that you'd like the action to be performed.

Even if there is a way to achieve this it won't hinder anyone to just pull the .apk from his phone and take a look at it or reverse engineer it.

Octavian Helm
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-1

You may also see what adb install testapp.apk does and how it works... Maybe you can initiate it from your app, once you download the new version to the phones (SD Card)

Ceetn
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amithgc
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