Android Application Development Cookbook: 93 Recipes for Building Winning Apps

Recipe 11.3 Deploying Your App Through E-mail

Android Versions

Level 1 and above

Permissions

None

Source Code to Download from Wrox.com

None

Once the APK file for your application is generated, you can deliver it to your users so that they can install it onto their Android devices. This recipe demonstrates how to do that by sending it to users through e-mail.

Solution

The easiest way to deploy your application to users is to send them your APK file. Once they receive it, they can install your application directly from their mail application. Figure 11-13 shows the APK file sent as an e-mail attachment. Tapping on the INSTALL button will directly install the application.

Figure 11-13

As shown in Figure 11-14, the user is prompted for the necessary permission required by the application. In this case, no permission is required by the application.

Figure 11-14

NOTE Not all mail applications will display the INSTALL button. For example, when the e-mail containing the APK attachment is received in the Mail application on the Android emulator, the INFO button is displayed instead of the INSTALL button (see Figure 11-15). In this case, installation through e-mail may not be available.

Figure 11-15