Publishing to the Market The Android Market ( http://market.android.com ) is the built-in application that
B.4 Publishing to the Market The Android Market ( http://market.android.com ) is the built-in application that
comes with the Android platform that allows users to browse and install applications with just a few clicks. The significant point to keep in mind is that governance (terms that developers must agree to) is included with Android devices. There are no outside steps required for a user to install your application if it is on the Market—direct from service to device.
B.4.1 The Market rules Before you put your application on the Market, you should carefully read the
developer terms ( http://www.android.com/us/developer-distribution-agreement. html ) and the content guidelines ( http://www.android.com/market/terms/ developer-content-policy.html ).
The Market terms cover pricing and payments, returns, license grants, takedowns, and many other important topics that you should be familiar with. The content guide- lines further define what is acceptable in terms of subject matter and media (again, there are rules; it’s not an entirely open system).
If the Market terms are amenable to you and you plan to post applications, you need to register (which can be done online at the Market website) and have a Google account. There is a small fee to register, but this is minimal and probably worthwhile to allow the Market to associate an identity with an account using an actual payment method (which has contact information).
Once you are set up, you can begin placing your applications in the Market for users to download and install directly.
B.4.2 Getting your application in the Market Registered Market developers simply use an online form to upload applications.
When uploading applications, you can define the different Market locations that are supported, pricing and terms, as well as a category and description and other options.
B.4.3 Automatic Market updates Currently the Android Market is in beta form, and it does not support automatically
alerting your users about updates to installed applications. Because of this, the Android documentation has a section titled “Publishing Upgrades on Android Mar- ket” that details how you can create your own automatic update support.
Basically, this process boils down to hosting a web service that your application should poll periodically to check for application updates. If an update is found, you can have your application programmatically invoke the Market application (which supports its own rich set of intents) and direct the user to the new version.
A PPENDIX B Signing and installing applications on an Android device
B.4.4 Why the Market matters In short, the Android Market matters because it’s built in and it’s open.
We touched on this in chapter 1, but the open nature of Android itself—and of the Market—is an important advantage to Android developers and Android users. There is no arbitrary inclusion or exclusion process that an individual or company holds over the Market. Anyone who joins and agrees to the terms can put applications on the Market. Some applications will do better than others, of course (and users can rate them and comment on them), but anyone can join.
The Android Market is a merit-based system; impress your users and they will rate your application well and compliment you; do the opposite and they will do the oppo- site (survival of the fittest, if you will). Some pundits have panned this as a potentially negative aspect of the overall Android experience, purporting that without more con- trol too many bad (or even rogue) applications will appear. Although some abuse is probably inevitable, we think the reality is that the Market will be very healthy (it does have sensible terms of use), and that the open nature will reveal itself as invaluable in the long term (creating an environment where better applications are created and rewarded, in the end greatly benefiting users).