How can I trigger the Google Play Store's auto update mechanism?

Question

In short, I would like my app to be updated as soon as I release a new APK to the store.

I could not find any information about when the auto update actually occurs, and it seems it varies greatly - at one time it happened after a couple of hours and another time no updates for 12 hours. It seems that it happens on device reboot, but are there any other scenarios? Can I trigger it myself somehow (programmatically)?

My real scenario is a bit more complex, but the end result is the same:

• I have a pre-installed app on the device which is also on the play store

• As soon as the user adds an account my app shows in the play store app with an available update (same package, same signature, everything is legit)

• I would like that update to happen as fast as possible

Any way to make that happen?

Answer 1

No, you can't force Google Play to automatically update the app as soon as possible, but you can use the Google Play Core library to force the user to update the app when they turn it on. More information here: https://developer.android.com/guide/playcore/in-app-updates

This will make the user see a message telling them they need to update their app to a newer version.