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I am designing an app for Android, iPhone/iPad and Windows Phone using GWT and PhoneGap. GWT will allow me to write the entire app in Java (my strong suit, unlike JavaScript or CSS) and will translate it into cross-browser JavaScript/AJAX. PhoneGap will then wrap that resultant JavaScript and turn it into a native app for each of the three platforms mentioned above.

I would like to have a "plugin-oriented architecture", whereby users can optionally purchase (or qualify for through other means) "add-ons" (plugins/extensions) that will enhance the functionality of the app.

Normally I would accomplish this by using the Java Simple Plugin Framework (JSPF) and allow users to download plugin JARs as they paid for them. These plugin JARs would then be added to the classpath of the main app so that the next time it starts and scans the classpath for plugins, it finds them and loads them.

Is this possible with native apps? I don't believe I can deploy anything other than APK, IPA and XAP (Android, iPhone and WinPhone respectively) files to these marketplaces.

In Java-land, this would be like having to download a "base" app in the form of an executable JAR (containing its own main method), and then having to download a "plugin" app that is also an exectuable JAR, and somehow get the two to behave like a normal plugin architecture (which would be if you have 1 exectuable JAR base app and then 1+ plugin non-executable JAR libs).

So I ask: how do add-ons work for native apps from a deployment/download perspective? How do you get 2 or more APKs/IPAs/XAPs to communicate with each other on the client-side? If not possible, how do native app developers handle add-ons (I know they exist, I've seen them!)? Thanks in advance!

IAmYourFaja
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as for iPhone - the only way is to implement the additional features and have them disabled until the user purchases in app to unlock the feature.

In Android you can have apps communicate with each other so that the user can just load add-on apps that provide only the add-on functionality. For more detail on this.. android communication between two applications

WP8 - I do not yet have experience

Community
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user387184
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Although I am not a core Android Developer, here are some suggestions from my experience with Android till now:

One possible solution for Android is to use Updates for application. One way to achieve this is using a Background Service which checks for updates whenever app starts or use GCM (Google Cloud Messaging) to push update messages to the app. Second option is much better as you can provide instant update to the user ,on per device basis (a user can have multiple devices), as soon as he/she has bought your add on feature. After the user has got the update message you can download the whole app with new feature and update app on the device. Of course in this case you need to backup the existing data of the app and restore after installation of updated app.

I don't know if this thing can be done but it would be also be an good option in my opinion if you can provide a legitimate user, who have bought the particular add on, an updated app through Android Market.

Another way is to create each add on as a Service and then let the main app can detect (or bind) those services at startup and if they are available, your app can communicate with them easily. You can even call the UI portion of the newly deployed add on from your main app by using Intents and BroadcastReceivers.

You may also find this useful as far as Android is concerned:

However, there are ways for an application to share data with other applications and for an application to access system services:

It's possible to arrange for two applications to share the same Linux user ID, in which case they are able to access each other's files. To conserve system resources, applications with the same user ID can also arrange to run in the same Linux process and share the same VM (the applications must also be signed with the same certificate).

Hope this gives some useful information to you.

vikas
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