Device Availability, filtering and Google Play

Question

A question on limiting apps for devices. We've licensed software to device makers and we wanted to allow app developers to publish only on those devices (I'll call these "licensed devices"). Apps won't work on other devices("non-licensed devices").

I've found very helpful posts here about Device Availability & Google Play.

• Android: Limit supported devices in Android Market
• how to filter android app to be downloaded from google play to specific device? among others

With Device Availability, it looks like app developers have to manually select the universe of non-licensed devices from the dynamic list of supported devices and move these to the exclusion list. Seems like a lot of work for app developers, especially if they'd have to keep updating the exclusion list with each new Android device that's released.

I wanted to see if there's a means of doing the converse - making my app available only to a set of licensed devices. Is there a means of doing this with Google Play?

Answer 1

We've licensed software to device makers and we wanted to allow app developers to publish only on those devices (I'll call these "licensed devices"). Apps won't work on other devices("non-licensed devices").

Developers of such custom firmware extensions should do so as an SDK add-on, thereby requiring developers who use those extensions to have a corresponding <uses-library> element in their manifest. The Play Store should then automatically filter the app so that it only shows up on devices that have that SDK add-on. Motorola, HTC, Samsung, and others have created such SDK add-ons.

I wanted to see if there's a means of doing the converse - making my app available only to a set of licensed devices. Is there a means of doing this with Google Play?

No, sorry.

Tomorrow, if Google adds one more device to the list of supported devices then it will be automatically included to my supported devices list which I dont want to happen.

Then do not distribute the app on the Play Store.

Is there a mechanism to get a notification as soon as Google adds a new device to the list of supported devices in Google play console?

No, sorry.

If not, what is the alternate way of handling it.

Refresh your browser continuously, breathlessly waiting for the next update to the device roster.

I am sure many other android developers would have faced the same issue

Hopefully not. The Play Store is designed for distribution to all Android devices. The per-device exclusion list is designed for short-term compatibility issues, while you work out some bug fixes to overcome the issues.