Help How to Access Paid Apps

[mburwen]

All references to this topic are old, so I'm starting a new thread.

My Flytouch 3 apparently thinks it is in China rather than in its actual location in the US. As a result, I cannot access any paid apps and even many free ones like Google Earth won't work. I found an app called "Market Enabler" that is supposed to make the device emulate a US cellphone company like T-Mobil or Verizon, but I have not been able to make it work. I contacted the company who sold me the Flytouch and was told that they thought someone was working on a solution but didn't have any details.

Do any of you gurus out there have a workaround that addresses this issue? If not, is it true that somebody is working on a fix, and, if so, when it might be available?

 

[GMANROD]

All references to this topic are old, so I'm starting a new thread.

My Flytouch 3 apparently thinks it is in China rather than in its actual location in the US. As a result, I cannot access any paid apps and even many free ones like Google Earth won't work. I found an app called "Market Enabler" that is supposed to make the device emulate a US cellphone company like T-Mobil or Verizon, but I have not been able to make it work. I contacted the company who sold me the Flytouch and was told that they thought someone was working on a solution but didn't have any details.

Do any of you gurus out there have a workaround that addresses this issue? If not, is it true that somebody is working on a fix, and, if so, when it might be available?




There are two ways to accomplish this task. I have the link so you can see for yourself. Don't even know how to do this procedure myself, but if you can figure it out let me know...Apparently you have to either find the User ID from your cellphone, or Us a Terminal Emulator!...Anyway, hope this helps....Here is the Link
Fix Market For Slates - Wiki

 

[mburwen]

Thank you for finding a solution. However, implementing it is above my pay grade. I especially didn't like the part that says "many things can go wrong."

One of you FGs out there ought to be able to write an app that does this as Market Enabler purports to do. I, for one, would be happy to pay for it.

 

[mrobben]

Hi!

I am not an Android guru. However, I might have a workaround for your problem: I used Market Enabler to emulate T-Mobile US. After that I installed Amazon Appstore for Android Amazon Appstore for Android, where I seem to be able to buy paid apps. (I have not tested this).
Hope this helps?

If anyone can help me getting the paid apps through android market working, that would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Roidz99]

that only works for american users i think, i install amazon and it said its not available for me (Belgium)

 

[mburwen]

Thanks guys for the input. I've been "working the problem." Here is what I found.

There is an app on the Android Market called "All App Stores". It contains links to all the known Android marketplaces. Most of them I either couldn't get to work or the associated app would not install including Amazon Market.

I then went to Amazon Android Market on the web on my PC. It contained detailed instructions on how to install the app and they worked. (You have to enter your Google gmail address and it sends the app to your tablet). I am not positive, but I think this should install independent of country. However, you need to have an Amazon.com account to use the app, and that may be country-dependent.

The Amazon Android Market has lots of free and paid apps listed. Every day they send you a paid app that you can install for free - a sales teaser!

I've been disappointed, however, to find that the "Pro" or ad-less versions of some apps I use are not available on the Amazon Market. So content-wise, the Amazon store does not seem to have a lot of overlap with the Android market. For example, I'm using the app "Smart Keyboard Trial Edition". The full edition is a paid app on Android market, but is not available in any version on Amazon.

 

[Roidz99]

to me it seems very odd that google doesnt want us to buy apps from the market.

I would love to spent some money on the market if i only could access payed apps.
Amazon app i could install, but then when i try to open it ,it says not available in your country. So i'm stuck with a (limited) free android market.

 

[mburwen]

Try Slideme.org. If you are outside North America, you might have good luck there. I agree with you that Google's Android Market managers have their heads up their collective rear ends. I guess that they want to be sure that the iPad and iPhone remain successful!

 

[bigbaldbloke]

It seems that our tablets use an emulated SIM, and as such are given the fake SIM carrier code of 995. As such, paid apps aren't (yet) available.

 

[mburwen]

Bigbald, so what you are saying is that all Google has to do is give the green light to SIM code 995 and the problem goes away? Hard to believe they could be that dumb.

 

[bigbaldbloke]

Yes it's true, but therein lies the problem. Anybody with a tablet, worldwide, could access paid apps. Which is very contrary to what they want at the moment.

bbb

 

[mburwen]

But you can't run the apps if they aren't Android-based. Further, the people who write paid apps obviously want to access the largest possible market. So why Google might want to limit that access doesn't make a lot of sense. I talked to one of the guys who writes firmware (calls himself the "Chillhacker"), and he said that Google fixed the problem for tablets running Android 2.1 and was told that they are "working on" Android 2.2. Again sounds like nonsense to me.

 

[Roze]

But you can't run the apps if they aren't Android-based. Further, the people who write paid apps obviously want to access the largest possible market. So why Google might want to limit that access doesn't make a lot of sense. I talked to one of the guys who writes firmware (calls himself the "Chillhacker&quot, and he said that Google fixed the problem for tablets running Android 2.1 and was told that they are "working on" Android 2.2. Again sounds like nonsense to me.

This is just my guess but it could be some kind of tax or government regulatory implications that is causing Google top not be able to roll out the Market to some countries.

 

[mburwen]

I believe there are issues between Google and China which is conspicuously missing from the list of countries accepted for Android app distribution. See: (Supported locations for distributing applications - Android Market for Developer Help) Market. That said, there ought to be a way (GPS?) for a user to tell Google that the device is deployed in a different country. The high-end tablets, iPad and Xoom are all made in China, and they have no such restrictions.

 

[toscal]

Have you tried AppBrain

 

[Roze]

Have you tried AppBrain

Appbrain still uses the Market, so you're still stuck when you go download the apps.

 

[dart16]

I believe the reason that Google give why Market is restricted on these tablets is that they do not meet Googles' minimum specs. Google say they want to ensure that peoples experience with Android is a good one and they do not want poorly spec'd tablets ruining it....i.e. No phone capability in the Flytouches case and so hence the 995 carrier code invalidity.

To me..it sounds more like Google giving the up-yours to China because of China's 'issues' with their web browser......politics huh!!

 

[Nighthawk4]

to me it seems very odd that google doesnt want us to buy apps from the market.

I would love to spent some money on the market if i only could access payed apps.
Amazon app i could install, but then when i try to open it ,it says not available in your country. So i'm stuck with a (limited) free android market.

I get this too - in UK.

The odd thing is that I think the tablet emulates a US phone ID. Doesn't that mean the Market should work, including paid apps?

 

[bigbaldbloke]

No mate. It emulates the US country code (310) but the carrier code it transmits (995) is listed as just "Android", is used by emulators and doesn't have rights to paid apps. Both country and carrier have to be on the whitelist for that to happen. ;o)

 

[Roze]

No mate. It emulates the US country code (310) but the carrier code it transmits (995) is listed as just "Android", is used by emulators and doesn't have rights to paid apps. Both country and carrier have to be on the whitelist for that to happen. ;o)

I wonder if there's a way to 'carrier unlock' the flytouch and change the carrier code?

 

[mburwen]

I am almost always able to find apps missing from Android Market through diligent Internet search. Try SlideMe and Amazon Appstore. There is a widget called "All App Stores" that has pointers to all the commercial app sources. Google or Bing the name of the apk. If the developer has a website, sometinmes you can download or buy apps directly, usually requiring PayPal. In any event, keep at it, and chances are you will ultimately be successful.

 

[bigbaldbloke]

Roze, I've made some progress, but not that final crucial step. I can change the carrier code fine, but think that there's still some part of the build that convinces Market that the tablet's just an emulator.

mburwen, I know what you mean. But given that we live in "allowed" countries (I'm assuming that you do) wouldn't it be nice to find it directly?

 

[mburwen]

mburwen, I know what you mean. But given that we live in "allowed" countries (I'm assuming that you do) wouldn't it be nice to find it directly?[/QUOTE]


BBB, I yam a red-blooded Amurrican, and it steams me that Google plays these games, all because, I am sure, that they are PO'd at the Chinese. However, if you want a 10" tablet in this country that has easy access to all apps, you have to spend a minimum of $500 + tax, and my Flytouch cost $200, no tax and free shipping.

I would not recommend one of these inexpensive Chinese tablets to anyone who doesn't have a lot of free time on his hands - time needed to figure out how to get around the many issues these devices pose. Fortunately, I am retired and enjoy playing with electronic devices, so not a problem for me. My sister has an iPad which is so easy to use by comparison, it is hard to believe the two systems are lumped into the same product category. I also have an Android phone which does everything you would expect it to do, and has Wifi and GPS reception that are 100X better than the Flytouch packed into a much smaller form factor. Browsing is twice as fast as the Flytouch and touch scrolling is flawless.

As they say "You get what you pay for."

 

[bigbaldbloke]

Or as we say over here, you pay peanuts.... you get monkeys.

 

[mburwen]

Or as we say over here, you pay peanuts.... you get monkeys.

BBB, I haven't a clue what that means. Two people separated by a common language, etc.

I forgot to mention that my smartphone (an LG Vortex) was, in fact, free! A special offer in return for a 2-year service commitment. Once in a while you can get more than what you paid for.