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Android Google Licensing is almost useless

A

Arturo

Guest
I've been trying Google Licensing on my app and I think it's almost useless.

First, I've installed my app on my device via Play Store which is supposed to be the 'legal' way: Everything went ok and the game launches and plays without any problem.

Then I've tried by directly installing the APK on another device with a different google acount: A dialog window shows up warning about having no license for the app, having the option to cancel or retry. Well, after retrying approximately 20 times, the nag window stops opening and the game runs without problems, and worse, the next time I start the app there is no warning window at all.

A very strong protection, isn't it?

What's the point in using Google Licensing?
 
T

Toppu

Guest
Even if it did work, there is a whole bunch of well-known programs which will remove all license verifications from your app in one click. Besides, any popular game will be cracked and redistributed through hundreds of apk sharing websites on the Internet within days after release.

If you want to prevent piracy of your app, the only reliable method is running your own online server, and designing your game in a way that it just can't work without Internet and receiving some data from your server, which will connect to GP (or your own database) and verify purchases. Everything else is useless.
 
A

Arturo

Guest
Of course. But at least I expected it to work for the less technical users :(
 
C

Chim

Guest
Toppu said:
Even if it did work, there is a whole bunch of well-known programs which will remove all license verifications from your app in one click. Besides, any popular game will be cracked and redistributed through hundreds of apk sharing websites on the Internet within days after release.

If you want to prevent piracy of your app, the only reliable method is running your own online server, and designing your game in a way that it just can't work without Internet and receiving some data from your server, which will connect to GP (or your own database) and verify purchases. Everything else is useless.
Click to expand...
True Story! - even that could be cracked with some effort. The best protection for your game is just make it good, try to publish a game that is worth to pay for.
 
T

Toppu

Guest
Chim said:
True Story! - even that could be cracked with some effort.
Click to expand...
Server data cannot be cracked. If you store character inventory, stats, etc., on your server, and retrieve that data only from your server for interactions, then your game is 100% safe. Online mobile games like Clash of Clans and others were never cracked despite countless hackers trying to.
 
C

Chim

Guest
Toppu said:
Server data cannot be cracked. If you store character inventory, stats, etc., on your server, and retrieve that data only from your server for interactions, then your game is 100% safe. Online mobile games like Clash of Clans and others were never cracked despite countless hackers trying to.
Click to expand...
Yes you got right, games like Diablo3 never got cracked, but games like Assasins Creed, that got some values from the web, got later emulated. So i mean games with protection like this one or games that load some datafiles after purchase from the server, they also got cracked.
 
A

Arturo

Guest
obsidiannovels said:
YoYo has updated their Licensing expansion and it works fine now. Just tried it myself.
Click to expand...
I've just tested it: 'GooglePlayLicensingAsExt' extension, version 2.2.1 taken today from Marketplace, doesn't work. The window stops showing up after 20 retries or so.
 
A

Arturo

Guest
obsidiannovels said:
What do you mean "window stops showing up after 20 retries or so"?
Click to expand...
I explain in first post. The window that opens to stop you from using the game when isn't installed from Play Store. After 20 times touching on retry, it will never open again and you can play the game forever, even after closing
 
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