Putting apk files on my site, as well as Google Play Store

[Pacman7]

If I am making free apps directly for users of my site, do you see any reason why I shouldn't put the apk files right on my site for the users to install?

I was thinking that Google Play Store might delete apps from time to time for various reasons.

All I need to do is upload the apk file, then put a link on the site for them to install, right? I know that people would need to allow installs from "unknown" which can be done as a 1 time option.

 

[electricpete]

do you see any reason why I shouldn't put the apk files right on my site for the users to install?

1 - Apps can be bundled with malware. So why would anyone download from an unknown site. (not me).
2 - Is it legal? The dev has surely given permission to Play to publish his app in some kind of legal agreement, but I don't know if he has given others permission.

There are sites other than Play that have apk's available for download. Whether they have permission from the app devs and whether they are legal, I don't know. But I would want to know before I created such a website.

 

[Hadron]

When I first read this I thought you were asking as a developer whether it was sensible to distribute your own apps this way.

If it's other people's apps you definitely should get the developer's consent in every case, which means that unless a developer has written that anyone is free to redistribute the app you must ask each developer. Even a free app has copyright which must be respected.

 

[Pacman7]

I said:

"If I am making free apps directly for users of my site"

I never said anything about taking other people's apps

 

[Mikestony]

I think if you are the developer of the app, you can distribute it any way you please.

 

[lectraplayer]

I think the politically correct way is to publish it to Play and then link to your app there. That's what the "big boys" do. While there is "nothing wrong" with putting your .apk's on your site, it's safety is more in question that way to the average user.

 

[electricpete]

Sorry I misunderstood your question. I agree with other posters. Again as a user I am much more reluctant to download an app from website than from Google Play.

 

[mikedt]

If I am making free apps directly for users of my site, do you see any reason why I shouldn't put the apk files right on my site for the users to install?

I was thinking that Google Play Store might delete apps from time to time for various reasons.

As it's your apps that Google is destributing on Play, they shouldn't be deleted unless you give them reason to, like you withdraw your app or you break ToS.

All I need to do is upload the apk file, then put a link on the site for them to install, right? I know that people would need to allow installs from "unknown" which can be done as a 1 time option.

There could be reluctance from some users turn on "untrusted sources", and install apps from some website rather than Play, lack of trust.

 

[keokafe01]

There is no application or acceptance GP. Arising 3rd party is right

 

[larrytxeast]

I don't know if this is an off-topic post, but I am very glad that you can get APK files of apps, or make them from the ones on your phone using something like File Expert.

For one, especially if you have "wiped" your phone and are starting over, it's much quicker to simply install already-downloaded APK files you have on your microSD card than it is to go to Google Play, and use the stock keyboard you maybe don't want to use, create an account, accept the terms, maybe wait for the Play store to update and on and on--and wait for the apps to download. With APK files, I can set everything up RIGHT NOW without any of that, and it's also not dependent on the quality of the data connection. You can always update apps to the latest version later, but when I've wiped the phone and am now "bare," I want a very quick "turn around" time to be up and running, I wish for that to happen NOW, with no delays at all.

Also, sometimes they change the apps in ways you don't like. For one, I hate the latest eBay app (created sometime in late September apparently), the one I have from circa July or August, I much prefer it. The latest one is just awful. If it weren't for APK files, I'd have no way of getting the older, better version. Also, the keyboard I prefer, Touchpal, for some reason took out certain buttons (DEL, HOME, END) in its edit/clipboard panel, and there are just "dummy" keys there. I can't imagine why in the world they would do a thing like that.

So, for such reasons, I like having the APK of the older versions, and frankly, I don't see where it would be wrong for me to share these with others who, say, have phones which auto-updated because they forgot to turn off that setting (I always do myself) and now they can't "go back" as it were.

 

[lectraplayer]

I like that function as well, but sometimes they key apps so that this can't be done. It's also a bad idea to leave some apps as older (such as the mentioned eBay app due to security updates).

...though as soon as you start sharing .APKs, somebody will get one of them and go to tampering with it.

 

[mikedt]

So, for such reasons, I like having the APK of the older versions, and frankly, I don't see where it would be wrong for me to share these with others who, say, have phones which auto-updated because they forgot to turn off that setting (I always do myself) and now they can't "go back" as it were.

If you haven't got express written permissions to do that, it's copyright infringement, a felony.

 

[mikedt]

I like that function as well, but sometimes they key apps so that this can't be done. It's also a bad idea to leave some apps as older (such as the mentioned eBay app due to security updates).

...though as soon as you start sharing .APKs, somebody will get one of them and go to tampering with it.

That can sometimes happen with APKs distributed in the various Chinese apps stores, like 1Mobile and Mobogenie, where apps are being distributed without the copyright holders' consent. Often it's undesirable adware payloads that are inserted, like notification and home-screen ads. and browser hijacking.