How do I permanently break market links?

[A.Nonymous]

Long story short, I've got apps on my phone from the Amazon App store as well as the Google Market. Up until the last month or so, they co-existed peacefully and everyone got along. Now, it's bad times.

In the past few months, the apps I bought from Amazon have magically been linked to the Google Market. Google tries to update them, then declines the updates because I haven't purchased the apps from them. Consequently I constantly get a message that there are half a dozen apps that need updates. To make matters worse, I had apps that I had used TB to deliberately break the market links because I did not want updates to those apps. Now I'm getting messages that those apps need to be updated as well.

No problem, I said to myself. I went in to TB and broke the links to all of these apps. They disappeared from the Market and peace and tranquility reigned in the land once more. (Ok, I may have been playing too much Stronghold lately.) Anyway, a week or so later the links appeared. I broke them again and they later came back. I'm now stuck in a vicious cycle. The Google Market wants to update my Amazon apps, but can't. I try to break the links, but that only works in the short term. How can I permanently break a market link and make it so it never, ever, ever comes back unless I manually put it back?

 

[jerofld]

I think the Market re-establishes all those links whenever the Market gets updated. So, if you can keep the market from updating itself and break the links again, you should be good. Seeing how you're already use TB, I'd suggest you freeze the market updater app and then break the links once again.

I'm guessing at this, but should be something worth trying.

 

[aalupatti]

Would like to know this as well

 

[A.Nonymous]

I think the Market re-establishes all those links whenever the Market gets updated. So, if you can keep the market from updating itself and break the links again, you should be good. Seeing how you're already use TB, I'd suggest you freeze the market updater app and then break the links once again.

I'm guessing at this, but should be something worth trying.

Can I freeze the market updater without breaking updating for all the other apps on the phone?

 

[jerofld]

I think the market updater freezes the market from updating itself. I just froze it and was able to update apps.

 

[A.Nonymous]

I think the market updater freezes the market from updating itself. I just froze it and was able to update apps.

Cool. I do appreciate you risking b0rking your phone before asking me to b0rk mine. I'll try it out. (The freezing, not the b0rking.)

 

[RyanB]

OP: I've seen your situation with "zombie" links multiple times. Could you post back in a few weeks, so we know if that worked for you?

 

[jerofld]

Cool. I do appreciate you risking b0rking your phone before asking me to b0rk mine. I'll try it out. (The freezing, not the b0rking.)

NP. If it did break the ROM, it's just an excuse to try a new ROM (I have a NANDroid of my current set up, so nothing lost there).

 

[A.Nonymous]

OP: I've seen your situation with "zombie" links multiple times. Could you post back in a few weeks, so we know if that worked for you?

Update - Freezing the market updater did NOT work. I still have it frozen. The market links have now re-spawned. I'm open to other ideas.

 

[A.Nonymous]

I hate to top my own post, but does anyone have any ideas? This is really, really ticking me off at the moment.

 

[whooaahh]

Titanium Backup. I use the Pro version though, not sure if the free does it.

 

[A.Nonymous]

Titanium Backup. I use the Pro version though, not sure if the free does it.

Yes, I can break them, but they respawn. They're like zombies that won't die.

 

[AndroidSPCS]

Wow really interesting and weird problem. I only have one Amazon app installed but haven't had this issue yet...I hope you get it resolved. It's a very crazy issue!

 

[zuben el genub]

Have you checked the update in the app in Market itself? There's a box on the app to allow it to update automatically. I've unchecked all except the paid apps that will stop if you don't update. Market updater is frozen. I do get a notice that updates are available, but the SGS4G has a clear command. I just clear it.

Since the apps are in both Amazon and Market, could the dev. have an error in his updates causing this? Maybe forgetting one line of code?

Maybe Market getting ahead of itself and behaving like Quicktime? Associating everything to itself?

 

[alostpacket]

If you're comfortable with some decently complex hacking, you could re-compile the apps under a different package name or signature. Signature would probably be easier.

It would be easier to tell you some of this via PM if you'd like as (as you may guess) a lot of these techniques have dual purposes.

 

[A.Nonymous]

Have you checked the update in the app in Market itself? There's a box on the app to allow it to update automatically. I've unchecked all except the paid apps that will stop if you don't update. Market updater is frozen. I do get a notice that updates are available, but the SGS4G has a clear command. I just clear it.

Since the apps are in both Amazon and Market, could the dev. have an error in his updates causing this? Maybe forgetting one line of code?

Maybe Market getting ahead of itself and behaving like Quicktime? Associating everything to itself?

The problem is the Market is trying to find orphaned apps and fix their links. It's the devs fault really. They submitted the app to Amazon using the exact same package name as when they submitted the app to Google. So Google establishes a market link thinking the app belongs to them when it really doesn't. Whether I click to update automatically or not, the update still shows in the Market list. So I get a nag every day that I need to update X number of apps. The updates fail 'cuz I didn't buy the apps and then I'm frustrated.

If you're comfortable with some decently complex hacking, you could re-compile the apps under a different package name or signature. Signature would probably be easier.

It would be easier to tell you some of this via PM if you'd like as (as you may guess) a lot of these techniques have dual purposes.

I thought about renaming the packages myself, but it seemed complex and could potentially break other things was my thinking.

 

[alostpacket]

ya package renaming could cause problems depending on how the app is coded. Gonna send ya PM.

 

[jerofld]

Update - Freezing the market updater did NOT work. I still have it frozen. The market links have now re-spawned. I'm open to other ideas.

That sucks, I was hoping it would fix it :\

 

[whooaahh]

I guess I should have been specific how I use Titanium Backup to do this. I made a new filter and have a list of all my Amazon Apps. Then I made a new schedule to run the task "Detach user and system apps from Market" using the filter only. This breks the market links whenever i want the schedule to happen. Currently I have it setup once a week. Once new Amazon apps are installed, I have to edit the filter to add the new app. Big whoop, takes like 30 seconds.

Hope it helps.

 

[A.Nonymous]

I guess I should have been specific how I use Titanium Backup to do this. I made a new filter and have a list of all my Amazon Apps. Then I made a new schedule to run the task "Detach user and system apps from Market" using the filter only. This breks the market links whenever i want the schedule to happen. Currently I have it setup once a week. Once new Amazon apps are installed, I have to edit the filter to add the new app. Big whoop, takes like 30 seconds.

Hope it helps.

Yeah, that is useful. I hadn't thought of that. I wasn't aware you could schedule batch jobs like that in TB.