If you've developed a paid app for iOS or Android, you have probably seen illicit versions of your work up for download. Many developers try to fight it by adding piracy code into the "production" version of apps. This added code is supposed detect if the app has been cracked and take necessary action (quit the app, etc). That technique works counterintuitively. Nowadays, many apps' cracked status is even harder to detect due to improved cracking tools.
So instead of detecting a cracked version of a production app on the App Store, we will upload an upsell version of the app directly to the illicit download site. This way we can bypass the App Store and detection issues.
So here's the plan:
Put a UIAlertView in the iOS app that asks users to download the it from the App Store. One button will send them to the App Store and another button will dismiss the alert.
Show the alert UIAlertView *sellAlert = [[UIAlertView alloc] initWithTitle:@"Attention" message:@"If you like this app, please buy it from the App Store to support the developers.\n\nThis way we can continue coding great apps! " delegate:self cancelButtonTitle:nil otherButtonTitles:@"Goto store",@"Not yet",nil]; [sellAlert show]; [sellAlert release]; UIAlertViewDelegate actions -(void)alertView:(UIAlertView *)alertView clickedButtonAtIndex:(NSInteger)buttonIndex { if(buttonIndex == 0) { NSURL *url = [[NSURL alloc] initWithString: @"http://itunes.com/apps/geometrystash"]; [[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:url]; [url release]; } }
You can add whatever you want cracked users to see. I'd rather let them use the app lest they just move on in frustration.
Convert the app for sharing through Organizer > Archives > Share....
Now that your guilt-inducing app is coded, you want to put it onto AppTrackr.org, one of the most widely used sites for downloading apps. In theory, users will download your cracked app and then buy it if they would like to use it further.
This strategy can be adopted for Android apps, too.
You navigate over to the site and make an account. When trying to upload the modified IPA file. You'll see this message if you're a first timer.
Article comments
1 - Htos1
Yeah,I'm keeping my big,powerful,moster sized 64bit computing station,does a lot more than a phone does(yep,even video phone calls a la 1964 World's Fair and base coding,too),AND the virus coders are less and less interested in the PC,thanx to all you cell addicts!Thanx!