Android Question Licensing users of your app

[GregL65]

I'm looking at getting started moving some of my VB6 applications to Android, and B4A sure looks good.

Does B4A have a mechanism for licensing paid users of your app? Currently I recompile my VB6 applications for every paid user, to get their name and license number into the About box, to discourage users from just giving it to their friends for free (instead there are trial versions of my apps available for free). That's a very clunky and time-consuming process and I want to modernize it when I move my applications to Android.

So, using B4A, what are best practices for getting a license number for each paid customer, and for getting your app to show the name and license number of the paid customer, to discourage buyers giving your app to their friends for free?

 

[Erel]

Do you plan to distribute your app through Google Play?

 

[GregL65]

Hi Erel,

I'm not sure, but I would think probably so. Are there good reasons not to use Google Play?

 

[Erel]

No.

The standard way to protect Android apps is with the licensing library: https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/t...application-with-the-licensing-library.11429/

 

[KMatle]

Here's an "own" way (not using Google's licensing library).

If you have an own website with php & MySql & mail you could use the same app (no recompile for every user) like this:

- User downloads it from Google Play or from your website
- On the first start the user has to give his mail address
- With it you call a php script (via httputils) and check if he is registered (and has payed -> you have to store that information manually in the database)
- if not send a mail with a register link. In the app store, that registration is pending.
- clicking on the link finishes the registration
- On the next start the app checks again and will find that he is registered
- store that information with RandomAccessFile (=encrypted) on internal memory

PRO

In the php script you can call PayPal to let the user pay. There are many examples and it is easy to use.

 

[ivan.tellez]

Currently I recompile my VB6 applications for every paid user, to get their name and license number into the About box, to discourage users from just giving it to their friends for free

Thats a really big waste of time. Actually lot of people dont care to have their names on their friend's PC

The only way to limit the license, is validating some of the hardware in the PC.


In android you have 3 viable choices

1. Use Build Configurations to make 2 vertions of the App, a Free (trial) and a full. Then upload both to Google Play. The trial for free and the full with a price tag. Build only for android 4.0 and later and you dont need the licensing library.

2. Offer a single app, but limit the use to trial functions until the user buys a serial key. (Not recomended)

3. Offer a single app, but limit the use to trial functions until the user buys a inapp key. Use the In-App Billing v3 library

 

[GregL65]

No.

The standard way to protect Android apps is with the licensing library: https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/t...application-with-the-licensing-library.11429/

Thanks, I'll try that.

Coming from Windows application development, I think it's remarkable that Google basically handles licensing protection for us. It's difficult to imagine Microsoft ever doing that for Windows application developers.

 

[GregL65]

Here's an "own" way (not using Google's licensing library).

Thanks, I'll keep this in mind in case I should decide I don't want to use Google's licensing library.