Android Question Uninstalling app - when is DirInternal deleted?

[Sandman]

(My app stores a unique user identifier in DirInternal that is used when communicating with my server backend on the internet. If the app starts and there is no identifier available, it starts a registration wizard, which results in the app storing said identifier in DirInternal.)

I just now have a situation where I had my app installed as debug, via the Bridge. The app had the identifier in DirInternal, as usual.

I uninstalled the app and then installed it again - this time from Google Play. (So I removed the debug version and installed the launched version.)

To my surprise the app was able to find the user identifier from the uninstalled app just fine and was able to communicate with my backend server with no problems. This means that DirInternal wasn't deleted right away when I uninstalled the app. To be sure I also restarted the phone. Worked like a charm to start the app the next time also.

Are the DirInternal folders only deleted when the device needs the space, or how does it work?

 

[BillMeyer]

Possible solution here: https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/t...ternal-are-not-deleted-after-uninstall.96232/

 

[Sandman]

Nice find, thanks!

 

[LucaMs]

Very important issue!

 

[LucaMs]

Possible solution here: https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/t...ternal-are-not-deleted-after-uninstall.96232/

The default manifest file should include the indicated solution.

 

[Erel]

The default manifest file should include the indicated solution.

Why? By default applications can be backed up.

 

[LucaMs]

Why? By default applications can be backed up.

Because very often we save data in the DirInternal and on app start we check if they exist (very often sqlite database files).

 

[LucaMs]

The default manifest file should include the indicated solution.

At least a commented line?

 

[Sandman]

I kind of think that there should be a difference between having the data backed up by the system, and having it auto-restored when re-installing the app.

In the first case the data is restored if I restore a device - which is great.
In the second case the data is restored when I re-install an app - which is a different scenario, and perhaps not always great.

 

[Erel]

I think that the default behavior is the best behavior in most cases. If the user decided to uninstall your app and then reinstall it again then they should continue from the previous point they were.