7

many of my users have problems to install my App from the Play Store due to a lack of enought internal memory. The size of the App is: APK 37MB + EXPANSION 1,3 GB.

I was aware that many users don't want to have such big data in the system memory and implemented the licencing- and download-libary example, and changed the code that the expansion-file will be downloaded directliy to the physical sd-card. But the user can run my download-process only from the options-menu within the App.

.

The problem:

Google stated here:

"...If Google Play is unable to download the expansion files, it downloads the APK only."

But this seems to be wrong. Many user complain about installation issues and "pending/hanging" downloads. They say that when they install the App from the market that Google Play tries to download the OBB-Expansion File in the first place and (what makes it even worse) to the internal memory. So the user can not start the App and make use of my download implementation.

As I want to make use of the security features of google's licensing mechanisms I had following idea:

  1. Upload my app to the developer console without the expansion.
  2. Upload another dummy-apk with the 1,3GB expansion, and don't publish it
  3. Try to download the Expansion from the options-menu from my original app und use the licence-key from the dummy apk.

Can somebody confirm that this could work?

Is there an way to make Google Play download the large expansion directly to the external memory? Maybe if i modify the Manifest with:

android:installLocation="auto"

Any Ideas are appreciated!

lx222
  • 248
  • 1
  • 16

1 Answers1

0

Why don't you put the preferExternal value for installLocation in your manifest? This will put all files in external storage if available. Do this for all your apk files.

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:installLocation="preferExternal"
... >

from: app install location

hcpl
  • 17,382
  • 7
  • 72
  • 73