Updates ?

[hookshy]

It is incredible hard to get users but then once you got some consistent number of active users it seems it is even harder to deliver latest apk .
I have about 2 000 users to one of my apps but actually only 300 are actually using my latest sdk.

How do you do to make users update your app ?

If I have 100 000 users ...and I do want to publish ads in my app ...it may be the case were only 15% or less will be receiving ads which is a pain for a developer .

 

[andymc]

You can't force users to update. Do you actually have 2000 active users or 2000 downloads?

 

[sorex]

they must have disabled auto updating for your app.

 

[hookshy]

You can't force users to update. Do you actually have 2000 active users or 2000 downloads?

I have 2000 active users from 20 000 instals
but only 1000 get to have latest apk ..which can monetize ...so ...

 

[corwin42]

The free version of my weather app has over 7000 active installs. Only 4500 use the latest version.

The strange thing is that only the latest version gets weather updates and is working. The older versions are broken since september 9th, when the weather provider changed the API.

Interesting is that I still get clicks on ads on the older versions.

Really really strange.

 

[hookshy]

Really really strange.

This reflects the stupidity of the users...that are not found of using any information what so ever ... most of them can't read or interpret a explanatory message ..
other do not find button ...what they get is what the belive
In your case updating the app is critical ..as you might have uninstalls over the night .

I will enclose a rotine in all my apps that will ask for updates at least once a year ...
or the update button with some explanatory on how to activate automatic apdates for the app

other solution would be to have a server to read app version but yet will be stressed as you may release multiple version in a short period of time ... and requires more coding

 

[Cableguy]

Search the libs forum. Someone has already created a lib that makes app update easy. It looks up a fîle on YOUR server and compares to the current version... if mismatch then act on it.
if I recall correctly you need only one file to hold any number of apps version info

 

[ilan]

what i do is, every start the app download a txt file (if net connection available)
in this file i write the app version

now i have put an button in the app with version information (button color, light blue)
if i want to inform my users about a new update i change the txt in the file to the latest version

now, if txt <> oldversionint then (button image change to red (and if you click on it msg box new update available))

now if i want all user to update i put also this condition to my app

if txt = "x" then msgbox("A new critical update is available...(bla,bla,bla)","") and app close

of course every update i change the condition (because if not it will close after update too) so in the new build i put another letter then the last build (if it was "x" in the new it will be "y"....)

*** (in short explaination)

1. put a button with an image with default color and inform your user for a new update by change the image to red...
2. put an possibility to force the app to close if you want user to update immidiatly

you better use 2 lines in your txt file (1st line for the App VersionCode, 2nd line "x" to force closing)

Good luck

 

[susu]

I installed about 80-100 apps on my phone but I usually use about 10 apps. I keep the remain apps for some reasons: the layout design is beautiful, the idea of the app is good but I can make it better or I just keep it because that's my friend app... So that I don't want to update it. I think your app is in the same situation.