How do Android developers get around piracy and make money

[roxxette]

Everything is true with my statement. You can't install an ipa on iphone without using some other type of program or a PC. The day you can download a ipa from the internet onto a jailbroken iphone piracy will be a problem.

Well i guess its been a problem for years now

 

[Explicitic]

Everything is true with my statement. You can't install an ipa on iphone without using some other type of program or a PC. The day you can download a ipa from the internet onto a jailbroken iphone piracy will be a problem.

Jailbroken iOS devices have access to multiple app downloading applications dedicated to cracked apps. I could probably find every app available in the app store in one or two. Having an app that handles all the searching, downloading and installing is certainly easier than having to go to your web browser, load up Google, search for an application's APK, download it and install it, is it not? Plus, there's a big chance you won't even find the application because nobody has posted it or it simply doesn't work. The cracked apps available to iOS users far outnumbers Android.

 

[TheHateMachine]

Iam wondering how do developers get around the piracy on android, I posted in another section but just found out this is the proper place to ask. I seen this articule http://androidprirates.blogspot.com/ and it talks a little about piracy and what the problem for developers are. So how do you make money on android platform and defeat piracy.

There are ways that make pirated a very convoluted process and way more complicated than just searching for the apk and sideloading it. A few examples...

Square and Rockstar have some system where you cannot just sideload an apk. You basically have to root your phone, install something like titanium backup and then find a backup of a person who has already bought the game and hope that backed up apk works with your specific phone.

You can just use a call home licensing system for one time activation. Unless someone has broken Nitrodesk's key system there is no way to use Touchdown on an android device without buying a key.

I'm not 100% sure but I think alot of these garage devs are just making programs without using any of the licensing or DRM systems google makes available.

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Is that why, show wise, Game of Thrones is one of the most pirated shows?

Because bad things are pirated more than good things, right?

Game of Thrones is a bit of a special case. George RR Martin stated in an interview with The Verge that a very sizable amount of the piracy for Game of Thrones comes out of Australia because new episodes do not go there until about 4 months after they air in the States. There are other countries that do not see new episodes until after US air times but their wait is not nearly as long and the piracy in those countries isn't as bad. He stated it is the biggest challenge that he feels HBO needs to overcome and how multinational entertainment launches like this usually suffer from the same problem in today's age.

He also stated with market research they seemed to find that a lot of piracy in Australia later converts to DVD sales so they still make their money in the end. I believe that good product's are typically paid for while poor ones are pirated. Even then the good products that get pirated convert into more revenue more often. Of course I am pulling this all on a hunch...

 

[teamjaycub]

Same thing. You are searching for a gameloft game for example (one of the most popular devs), first you google for the one for your model, then hope the link doesn't take you to a phishing/virus laden site, hope it actually works after install (success rate was around 60% in my experience, compared to 100% on ios) etc.

Install0us offered a "shadow AppStore" if you will, making the process of getting free apps a literally search and one click method. Just search your app, it comes up, you install it, and it works thanks to minimal fragmentation of idevices.

Install0us and Installous are two different things. I think you meant installous.

 

[SlCKB0Y]

How do Windows developers get around piracy and make money?
How do Mac developers get around piracy and make money?
How do iOS developers get around piracy and make money?


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George RR Martin stated in an interview with The Verge that a very sizable amount of the piracy for Game of Thrones comes out of Australia because new episodes do not go there until about 4 months after they air in the States.

This is one of the reasons why Australia has one of the highest rates of piracy in the world in general.

Also, when that thing which took many months to finally get released does come out, it will frequently cost 50-100% more here than in the US (exchange rate and local taxes factored in).

 

[sentinelsx]

Install0us and Installous are two different things. I think you meant installous.

I believe it was spelled "Install0us" as it was impossible to otherwise search it in cydia. May be i am confusing hackul0us with installous though lol.

Anyhow, i believe that if most developers allow a trial version of their apps, piracy would go down further. Some people who always pirate will pirate no matter what platform, they have it ingrained in their minds. How about giving the rest of us another option who want to know if a certain app is worth spending on.