Publish APK?

[IzzySoft]

Any plans to make an .apk available here, so non-devs could give the app a try as well?

[alabeduarte]

Hi @IzzySoft

I have some issues to tackle before publish the APK which are #12 (ability to create a playlist), #13 (user authentication) and #14 (feed subscription, since nowadays a few feeds that I choose are hardcoded).

If you wish to try out, please let me know your email so then I can send the latest version of the apk through the beta testing provider that I use. Once you receive the email with the apk, from time to time I can send updated versions. How does that sounds to you?

Thanks for asking and showing interest.

Best regards.

[IzzySoft]

Thanks for the fast response, @alabeduarte ! I was not asking for myself. I just walk Github frequently to check for promising apps, and try to encourage their devs and help "promoting" those apps e.g. by placing them into my repo, where folks then can obtain them and keep them updated using the regular F-Droid client.

So if you're interested, and have an .apk available here at Github (preferably in the releases/ section, see Creating Releases – but "just somewhere in the repo" would work as well), just let me know and I'll take care for the rest.

[IzzySoft]

Thanks! Just wondering: all the packages are suffixed "unsigned". Shouldn't they be "signed" for end-users to install?

[alabeduarte]

Hi @IzzySoft

I kept as an unsigned suffix to make explicit that this is under development. Besides, it's not available on Play Store. When I publish the apk to Play Store, then I'll have to sign it. Does it make sense?

[IzzySoft]

Somehow, yes 😄 So you especially don't want it spread too far in its current state (I was thinking of e.g. putting it into my F-Droid compatible repo for easy installs/updates). I take it you'd consider that "premature"?

[alabeduarte]

Hi @IzzySoft

Yeah, I would say so.
At this point there is a lot of missing features despite the app is able to stream audio.

Do you have any suggestion?

Cheers

[IzzySoft]

Of course it's your decision – and there are multiple possibilities:

• keeping it as it is (i.e. for interested testers, provide the APK solely via Github)
• additionally to the former, I could already take it into my repo to make it easier for the testers
• again additionally, you could have it on Playstore in the "test channel" (i.e. interested folks would have to explicitly "register" to that somehow – I've never tried that)
• alternatively to the previous, you could deploy it to Playstore already as "unpublished" (so it's visible there but quite clear it's not "production ready" yet; there is such a funny state, as I've seen it a couple of times).

Of course, other "mixtures" are possible as well (e.g. Github plus Play-test-channel). Whatever suits you best. If at some point you want me taking it into my repo, just let me know.

[alabeduarte]

Thank you @IzzySoft

[IzzySoft]

Anytime! You let me know then?

[alabeduarte]

Sure @IzzySoft, go for it!

[IzzySoft]

Well, can't – the latest package (v0.1.7-34) seems still to be unsigned:

CRITICAL: Failed to get apk signature

Another thing when it comes to releases for the repo:

package: name='com.mypodcasts' versionCode='1' versionName='0.1.7' platformBuildVersionName='6.0-2166767'

Please remember increasing versionCode with each release. That's how updates are recognized internally. F-Droid repo cannot deal with multiple copies the same package if they also have identical versionCode 😉

[alabeduarte]

Thanks @IzzySoft

I'll open an issue specifically for this, ok?

[IzzySoft]

Whatever is best for you to keep it in mind 😇 What's left is the signing: fdroid-server doesn't accept unsigned APKs either.

[alabeduarte]

👍 got it!

[IzzySoft]

👍 When there's a signed package attached, please let me know and I try again 😉