[Q] Including free market apps in a custom ROM - Android

What are the guidelines for including a free market app such as a launcher, widget, utility, etc. in a published custom ROM?
Is there an understood licensing model for free market apps that aren't explicitly GPL or CC?

jeff.mac said:
What are the guidelines for including a free market app such as a launcher, widget, utility, etc. in a published custom ROM?
Is there an understood licensing model for free market apps that aren't explicitly GPL or CC?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get permission from the author who wrote the app. I'm no expert, but that would be what I would do.

Thanks gnarlyc - kind of what I figured, but wanted to be sure.

jeff.mac said:
Thanks gnarlyc - kind of what I figured, but wanted to be sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most authors would be delighted that their software is offered in a custom Rom. Providing credits on your Rom download link usually suffices, but of course getting express permission is always better.

For copyrights, patents and other intellectual property rights it doesn't matter if the app is paid or free. The author always keeps the rights and you always have to ask for permission, unless the app comes with a license like GPL that explicitly allows you to copy it without asking the author first.
Authors do not always like their apps included in custom roms, because it reduces their market download count.

rogier666 said:
For copyrights, patents and other intellectual property rights it doesn't matter if the app is paid or free. The author always keeps the rights and you always have to ask for permission, unless the app comes with a license like GPL that explicitly allows you to copy it without asking the author first.
Authors do not always like their apps included in custom roms, because it reduces their market download count.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that permission should be sought, but can't agree that inclusion of apps reduces its market download count.
Some apps have topped popularity charts because custom roms include it, and might be the first exposure of the app for many users. Also every time a new version is released, every person who uses the rom would have to download the app update.
Swyped with my Starburst based Desire. Forgive any typos!

App devs might have an issue if their apps have ads in them and the ROM dev blocks ads. I feel that it is stealing then. Ads = being able to give the app away free. I knew a few app devs that got mad at a ROM dev for making his ROM block ads(changing the host files) and using their apps without making it known beforehand.
Sent from my iPhone with the bigger Gee Bees.

Related

noob quesiton on app downloads

So I am coming for iphone to sg3 and in iphone we able to "jailbreak" the iphone and get "free apps" is this the case with rooted phones? do you still download apps from the market?
thanks
lostsoul565 said:
So I am coming for iphone to sg3 and in iphone we able to "jailbreak" the iphone and get "free apps" is this the case with rooted phones? do you still download apps from the market?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. You can get apps from the Play Store or from anywhere else you can download an .apk from. It's a very open platform.
awsome just wanted to confirm.
lostsoul565 said:
So I am coming for iphone to sg3 and in iphone we able to "jailbreak" the iphone and get "free apps" is this the case with rooted phones? do you still download apps from the market?
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol you don't need root for free apps nor does rooting your phone give you acces to free apps. All rooting does, app wise, is allow you to install apps that require root.
sent from my hoXl
can't play my geetahr with out a geetahr string!
Just to clarify; you are attempting to get a free copy of a paid-only app?
If so, that's called piracy and not well seen on XDA... especially since a LOT of app developers are registered and active over here!
But as already said, rooting your device allows you to gain low-level access to the underlying operating system and hardware components to add or change features.
This is different from iOS' Cydia which is an alternative market allowing you to sideload apps (install apps not from the official market). This feature is already
integrated into Android and only requires checking a tickbox to confirm you are aware of the risks that a non-market app may bring.
great thanks now i am confused. like on he iphone you can go to and download free apps even apps that are in apple. is there such as site for androids?
d4fseeker said:
Just to clarify; you are attempting to get a free copy of a paid-only app?
If so, that's called piracy and not well seen on XDA... especially since a LOT of app developers are registered and active over here!
But as already said, rooting your device allows you to gain low-level access to the underlying operating system and hardware components to add or change features.
This is different from iOS' Cydia which is an alternative market allowing you to sideload apps (install apps not from the official market). This feature is already
integrated into Android and only requires checking a tickbox to confirm you are aware of the risks that a non-market app may bring.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks i am just not aware of how it worked as this is my first android. i will keep that in mind.
lostsoul565 said:
great thanks now i am confused. like on he iphone you can go to and download free apps even apps that are in apple. is there such as site for androids?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was/still is illegal on the iPhone too. Downloading 'pirated' apps is not cool on any platform.
The Apps found in Cydia (by default) are not pirated and are from hard working developers. 3rd party sources, not supported by Cydia, were often known for having a lot of pirated Apple/Cydia apps.
Baldilocks said:
That was/still is illegal on the iPhone too. Downloading 'pirated' apps is not cool on any platform.
The Apps found in Cydia (by default) are not pirated and are from hard working developers. 3rd party sources, not supported by Cydia, were often known for having a lot of pirated Apple/Cydia apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I only downloaded from app store and here and there from cydia..

do i need to install antivirus? like avast?

I just started using android phones like few days ago...been using iphone and never bother with antivirus. So any long time android user can tell me if really necessary to install antivirus app like avast?
xhuiz said:
I just started using android phones like few days ago...been using iphone and never bother with antivirus. So any long time android user can tell me if really necessary to install antivirus app like avast?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android Anti-Virus apps are generally viewed as being unnecessary and a waste of both battery, system resources, and money. My overall recommendation for security on Android that has been echoed many times it common sense, look carefully at the apps you are downloading, make sure they don't ask for unnecessary permissions for example their is no reason a Tic-Tac-Toe game should need to read your contact list, and that you don't download suspicious files from suspicious sites. With basic common sense you should be just fine .
I think Norton Security antivirus(com.symantec.mobilesecurity).
shimp208 said:
Android Anti-Virus apps are generally viewed as being unnecessary and a waste of both battery, system resources, and money. My overall recommendation for security on Android that has been echoed many times it common sense, look carefully at the apps you are downloading, make sure they don't ask for unnecessary permissions for example their is no reason a Tic-Tac-Toe game should need to read your contact list, and that you don't download suspicious files from suspicious sites. With basic common sense you should be just fine .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. .but the tic.tac.toe will say some excuse like " so that it'll be easy to find your friends and easy to play with them online "
The whole android permission system is just junk. And they want to have it that way, giving great incentives to app developers. Cyanogen had restriction of app permissions on cm7,but not on 9,10 or 10.1...why? Coz if they keep that up, apps will make sure, they are incompatible with Cyanogen Roms .Google wants lots of apps in their market and boost their popularity and so, they are indirectly selling privacy of android users and using it themselves as well. How hard would it be to integrate into android source code to make apps just request each permission(with a allow always button /allow once ), before they gain them after app installation?
Sent from my HTC Explorer A310e using xda app-developers app

[Q] when to start monetization

hello frnds..i have published my first app on Google play today..here it is..
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.waliaaps.thortorch&hl=en
i want to ask when should i start monetization ..?..and how should i do it?..
thanks in advance
Never. Just keep it for history. And start developing new cool app
hey..thanks for reply..!
i was thinking about educational apps..are they successful?..
KaitlinM said:
I think it's a hard type of app to monetize. Probably ads are the only way since I don't know how in-app purchases would work for such an app (at least guessing based on the description). As for when to monetize, I don't think you need to wait. Obviously more traffic = more money, but if you can do it relatively non-intrusively (maybe on exit), why not?
What kind of educational app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
app like "interview questions on java," .NET etc
Freshly released apps have to gain attraction of users, so I think the best idea is to wait with ads for later. Also, it needs thousands of installs to make any revenue, so IMO better to focus on gaining installs first
mkrstudio said:
Freshly released apps have to gain attraction of users, so I think the best idea is to wait with ads for later. Also, it needs thousands of installs to make any revenue, so IMO better to focus on gaining installs first
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For ads, it's better to integrate them from the beginning to avoid massive negative reviews after adding them. If your app is valuable and ads are not intrusive (banners and controled iterstitials) your users will accept ads, you have to think about a premium version to avoid complaints from some users who don't accept ads and are ready to pay to remove them. In-App purchases are a more successful than offering a pro version in most cases (remove ads, new features,...etc)

Root access and Android

Hey Guys!
I've been a lurker for a while on this site. The tutorials here helped guide me through rooting my i9505
Now that I've got root access though, I've become increasingly paranoid about what apps I grant root access to. To my understanding, granting root permissions gives the program unrestricted access to do whatever it likes to your device. It will have free rein over the phone and if it was programmed to, could install backdoors or send your contacts/messages to a remote server or other malicious things and I'd be none the wiser.
With that in mind, there is an app that I want to use called apps2sd. The developer is actually a senior member of these forums. While I would like to just blindly trust that the app is clean and won't do anything bad. How does anyone know the app is everything it say's it is? I believe it's closed source, so how can a fellow developer give root to it and know it's not malware?
I don't mean to sound rude or unappreciative of the hard work that went into the app. I'm just wondering if someone out there can share their knowledge of development on this and if my reservations have merit or if other developers have analysed the app to determine that it is safe to use.
Is app checking a thing or are people just relying on safety in numbers?
staticfog said:
Hey Guys!
I've been a lurker for a while on this site. The tutorials here helped guide me through rooting my i9505
Now that I've got root access though, I've become increasingly paranoid about what apps I grant root access to. To my understanding, granting root permissions gives the program unrestricted access to do whatever it likes to your device. It will have free rein over the phone and if it was programmed to, could install backdoors or send your contacts/messages to a remote server or other malicious things and I'd be none the wiser.
With that in mind, there is an app that I want to use called apps2sd. The developer is actually a senior member of these forums. While I would like to just blindly trust that the app is clean and won't do anything bad. How does anyone know the app is everything it say's it is? I believe it's closed source, so how can a fellow developer give root to it and know it's not malware?
I don't mean to sound rude or unappreciative of the hard work that went into the app. I'm just wondering if someone out there can share their knowledge of development on this and if my reservations have merit or if other developers have analysed the app to determine that it is safe to use.
Is app checking a thing or are people just relying on safety in numbers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why the hell u don't use AppOps and deny unwanted/unnecessary permissions?
BatDroid said:
why the hell u don't use AppOps and deny unwanted/unnecessary permissions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because that brings it's own security issues. Xposed is one of the biggest security holes made. That's why you will not see any rom dev use it.
staticfog said:
Hey Guys!
I've been a lurker for a while on this site. The tutorials here helped guide me through rooting my i9505
Now that I've got root access though, I've become increasingly paranoid about what apps I grant root access to. To my understanding, granting root permissions gives the program unrestricted access to do whatever it likes to your device. It will have free rein over the phone and if it was programmed to, could install backdoors or send your contacts/messages to a remote server or other malicious things and I'd be none the wiser.
With that in mind, there is an app that I want to use called apps2sd. The developer is actually a senior member of these forums. While I would like to just blindly trust that the app is clean and won't do anything bad. How does anyone know the app is everything it say's it is? I believe it's closed source, so how can a fellow developer give root to it and know it's not malware?
I don't mean to sound rude or unappreciative of the hard work that went into the app. I'm just wondering if someone out there can share their knowledge of development on this and if my reservations have merit or if other developers have analysed the app to determine that it is safe to use.
Is app checking a thing or are people just relying on safety in numbers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
A few rules that I try to respect:
1. Do not install closed source apps especially if you plan to use root features
2. Use FLOSS softwares to protect your privacy and your security (AFWall+, NetGuard, XPrivacy [the bright side of Xposed]....)
3. If you have no other choice than to use closed source apps, give priority to known independant devs and paid services.

App rejected for inexistent copyright infringiment

today I submitted an update for my movies app. I dont know if I can link the app, but basically it is similar to the more pupular MovieMate. My app allows the user to browse movies, read descriptions, add them to watch list and so on.
The update was rejected since according to the useless guys at google I'm violating intellectual property, while all the other movie apps on the play store apparently are ok. It frustrates me since I put in MONTHS of work for this app and got very few downloads in the first month. And now i cant even submit updates.
The data is fetched through TheMovieDatabase and I give them credits both in the app and in the store description. The API are explicitly saying that I'm ALLOWED to use their information for commercial purposes.
Now I want to appeal. What should I write to the google guys to get the update accepted?
cececefotl said:
today I submitted an update for my movies app. I dont know if I can link the app, but basically it is similar to the more pupular MovieMate. My app allows the user to browse movies, read descriptions, add them to watch list and so on.
The update was rejected since according to the useless guys at google I'm violating intellectual property, while all the other movie apps on the play store apparently are ok. It frustrates me since I put in MONTHS of work for this app and got very few downloads in the first month. And now i cant even submit updates.
The data is fetched through TheMovieDatabase and I give them credits both in the app and in the store description. The API are explicitly saying that I'm ALLOWED to use their information for commercial purposes.
Now I want to appeal. What should I write to the google guys to get the update accepted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tell them to give you the reasons WHY they rejected your app, then, you can work on fixing these reasons.
This is from the email
I reviewed Movie and Tv suggestions, com.dcs.shows, and had to reject it because of an unauthorized use of copyrighted content. If you submitted an update, the previous version of your app is still live on Google Play.
Here’s how you can submit your app for another review:
Remove any content owned by a third party from your app. For example, your app contains: several images of movie posters like "Mad Max & Suicide Squad" in the phone screenshots and within the app experience. Affected Translations: en_US
Read through the Unauthorized Use of Copyrighted Content article for more details and examples.
Make sure your app is compliant with the Impersonation and Intellectual Property policy and all other policies listed in the Developer Program Policies. Remember that additional enforcement could occur if there are further policy issues with your apps.
Sign in to your Developer Console and submit your app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this my app: github (dot) com / fermatijoe / shows2
cececefotl said:
This is from the email
this my app: github (dot) com / fermatijoe / shows2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, these movies are copyrighted and you can't use them unless you have permission. To be honest, if you start such a big project that requires 2 months of coding, at least read through the rules before posting it.
RAZERZDAHACKER said:
Okay, these movies are copyrighted and you can't use them unless you have permission. To be honest, if you start such a big project that requires 2 months of coding, at least read through the rules before posting it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What about the other 1000 apps that do the same thing? Look for Movie Mate on the play store. The first screen is a huge Mad max poster. And the appe is paid and has milions of downloads.
cececefotl said:
What about the other 1000 apps that do the same thing? Look for Movie Mate on the play store. The first screen is a huge Mad max poster. And the appe is paid and has milions of downloads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? That app has copyright allowment.

Categories

Resources