Android, Now With Anti-Piracy Measures
While much complaints have been logged about Apple’s draconian policies for its App Store, you can’t complain about the level of security they’re able to enforce. Suffice to say, piracy just isn’t that easy to accomplish on such a closed platform.
The complete inverse is true for the Android Market. Ask any developer about what concerns them most about Google’s mobile OS and you’ll hear the same thing: Android apps are just way too easy to acquire illegally. Sideloading apps (i.e. installing apps via APK files that come from places other than the Android Market), for instance, is relatively hassle-free. Plus, you can easily cheat the Market by downloading an app, copying it to an SD card and then requesting a refund – you get both the app and your money back.
For a while now, Google has been talking about enacting ways to foster a more secure system where developers can thrive. That system is now officially live in the form of Google’s licensing service.
It works this way: Developers include a set of code libraries from Google, using them to send a message to the Android Market, requesting the current user’s licensing status. This will be done in real time, with a server receiving all requests and fielding responses, similar to Microsoft’s irritating activation nags for its PC software.
All developers can implement the system on their apps, which will work properly on all handsets running Android Market 1.5 or later. However, all apps will need to be recompiled with the new code requirements, which means developers will have to rewrite and resubmit their software with the corresponding security measures in place.
Android, Now With Anti-Piracy Measures