Android detect pirated/cracked app

Question

On the iPhone there are several ways to detect when user opens the version of your app that was pirated.

Is there a way on the Android to detect when an user is using the pirated version of your app?

Answer 1

If by pirated you mean that the app is taken off a device that legitimately bought it and copied to another device and run, then yes the License Verification Library will detect it and call your code to deal with it.

Unfortunately, most pirated apps available on the pirate sites and peer to peer network sites today have been decompiled, had the license check removed and recompiled and digitally signed with a different certificate, so the LVL is of no use. If that is the case, as it was with my paid app there is no detection, and quite frankly nothing you can do about it. Google has provided us a platform the makes it very easy for others to steal your Intellectual property. In fact, it is so easy, most of the theft is now automated. It is a bitter pill to swallow, and until Google does something about it, it will continue to happen. The Dalvik Dex code can be decompiled edited, recompiled and digitally signed by someone else. It is not secure in any way shape or form.