I am new to android. I have a application to make where in i have to restrict the application’s .apk file getting shared by the user to the other phone android phone holders.
Its like if i keep my .apk file in my own website then i want that the user can download the .apk from my website the cannot share the same .apk with some other person. I want to restrict the sharing of the apk to multiple phones. Everytime a user wants to install the app he/she has to install if from the play or through my website but the .apk shared cannot to installed.
Also i wanted to ask if we can distinguish whether the app is distributed and installed or installed from the play.
So can you please tell me some way out for doing this?
Thanks in advance
1) You can not stop users to forward your apk if they have apk in storage, what you can do is to delete it after your app installed(you should search it via some api and if found delete it), Limitation :- apk can be shared before installing.
and there are tools/apps exist in market which claim to convert installed app into apk, and then it can be forwarded to other device.
Similar question on Forward locking of apk
2) Though you can not stop user to forwarding of your apk, But can stop other user to use it, if they receive this app from other sources then your web, as I myself did it earlier, by client server communication where a key is getting generated on Server based on mobile IMEI, so this app is going to be activated for particular mobile based on IMEI number. hence if other users try to use it you can check if this IMEI is register or not, and take action accordingly.