Hanging onto paid apps after Froyo update

[shanj9]

I've got the HTC desire on USCC running 2.1 that I want to update to froyo now that USCC finally released it. Problem is, people updating to froyo are having trouble re-downloading paid apps from the marketplace after updating because they are no longer viewable. One of these is the slingplayer mobile app, which I use quite a bit. When I first bought the desire in Sept, it took a good 3 weeks for slingmedia and google to address the problem and make the app viewable to us USCC folk.

So I'm wondering whether there is a way to back up my apps to my sd card prior to updating to froyo that would allow me to reinstall my apps (like slingplayer mobile) back onto my phone in working order(or run from my sd card) without having to redownload them from the marketplace. Is this possible, and if so, can anyone recommend a program that would do this and how to do so?

I know that there are plenty of apps that allow you to back up your apps to your sd card, but will any of them allow me to reinstall my apps on my phone in working order after making the switch from eclair to froyo?

 

[lunatic59]

Sync your apps to AppBrain Android Market - Download the best Android Apps and Games, then you can no only reinstall apps, including paid apps, but you can sync multiple devices using the same google account and have the apps, too. For those of us with more than one phone, it's quite handy.

 

[lunatic59]

I wouldn't exactly appreciate having to pay for, download, and install all of them all over again everytime I 'migrate' to a new phone or OS version...

You don't have to. As long as you use the same Google account, your paid apps will work just fine on other devices.

 

[lunatic59]

So Google controls, and can cut me off at will, what I already (would have) paid for. That is archetypical lock-in! Big Brother! While it is none of Google's F...king business what I do with which app, and when, that I bought from other parties!

Take a pill and loosen the tinfoil hat, dude. If you bought an app from a third party and installed it outside of the market, then Google has nothing to do with it. If you bought it through the market, it's just a way of authenticating you have the licenses to use it. And, no they can't "cut you off" any more than your carrier, or any other utility company can.

 

[kevin@teslacoilsw]

Android has an old, and broken, method of "copy-protection" that installs the apps to a special directory that normal apps cannot read (or copy).
However this isn't secure at all and a rooted phone can easily copy these files.
But when Google designed the Market the only rooted phones were developer phones. So they have a list of phone models/os versions which are allowed to download this style copy-protected apps and it sometimes takes them a while to update the list of phones to include a new phone or a new update. In the mean time, you won't be able to see or download these copy-protected apps.
Google is removing this style of copy-protection in the future in favor of their new (much better) LVL.

As for your problem, if you are rooted you can use Titanium Backup or MyBackup Root to back up your apps. They'll be APKs that can be installed via Astro like normal. Or Titanium allows easy restoring, but you'll have to root your phone again after the update.

If you aren't rooted then you are out of luck, as the only apps you're likely to have a problem seeing after the update will be copy-protected ones, which non-root cannot read.

 

[shanj9]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

@Kevin, I am not rooted yet, mainly bc I just haven't gotten around to reading up on it before I do it, and partially because I'm unsure as to whether my slingplayer mobile app will work once rooted (i.e. if I need a particular rom). Do all apps work on rooted phones just the same as they would on non-rooted phones?

Also, I had this problem of not being able to see the slingplayer mobile app in the marketplace when I first bought the phone in sept, but it eventually got sorted out by google and I was able to view/download the app. I'm sure the same thing will happen this time, but I just don't want to have to wait for them. Any thoughts on the above suggestion that the appbrain program will allow me to reinstall my slingplayer app after upgrading?