CODEWITHSUNDEEP
androidamazon-appstore
Doug Henning
Doug Henning

Reputation: 85

Amazon App Store App not aware of my app's update, no way to notify user of update

I recently published an app to the Amazon App Store. After I found some unexpected bugs I made the fixes then uploaded a newer version.

I was more than a little surprised to find that the Amazon app store app doesn't actually notify the user that there's an update available. As far as I can tell the only way for the user to ever find out about updates is to open the app, open the drawer, choose 'my apps' then hit the refresh icon. No one will ever bloody do that. Ever.

The only solution I could think of was to store the current version code on the server then add code to the app that would compare the version on the server to the version code on the manifest. If the version on the server was higher (which I set manually after a new update goes live on the store) the app would prompt the user to update by means of a dialog. Dismissing the dialog brings the user to that apps page in the amazon app store app.

So that works great and all but guess what happens when the user is redirected to the Amazon app's page for my app? It says 'open' not 'update'. If you hit the button it just brings you back to the app which just shows the dialog again. There isn't even a refresh icon on that page.

Once again, the ONLY way for users to find out the update, even after being brought directly to the app's app store page is to open the bloody drawer, choose 'my apps' then hit the refresh button.

I must be missing something here. Why the hell would Amazon make a system that's so damn unfriendly for the developer? Is there a setting somewhere on the developer console that I'm unaware of?

This is what I'm using to open the Amazon app:

Intent goToAppstore = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW,Uri.parse("amzn://apps/android?p=" + getPackageName()));
                   goToAppstore.addFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK);
                   getActivity().startActivity(goToAppstore);

Upvotes: 3

Views: 1816

Answers (1)

JPS
JPS

Reputation: 1

As a user, I can confirm that the Amazon App Store does not show updates when available. It used to, but this was somehow broken in some version of the app store apk. I do get some kind of warning about enabling sync, but there's no such setting on my android phone.

The only way I can update an app is to delete it from my phone and re-install from the app store, and I have to KNOW there's an update to install.

There are a few developers who have not posted updates on Amazon, and I get the impression it is not easy for them to do so.

Upvotes: 0

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