What decides if a device can see your program in Marketplace.

[paul3252]

I have an app in Google Play and it is visible to most devices as far as I am aware. I have had one person email me today however to say that the app does not show up for them in marketplace.

I built the app with API 2.2, as my app does not 'stretch' the devices and this API is the lowest that I felt comfortable with. The users device is an upgraded Galaxy S, with Gingerbread 2.3.7 installed.

I 'assumed' that this should see my app fine, after all my Galaxy S, original Android install can see it fine in marketplace. Any ideas?

On a similar note, if I build with a high API, say 3.2 will this then exclude all pre 3.2 devices from seeing it in 'Play'? What controls the visibility?

 

[NJDude]

Read THIS thread.

 

[paul3252]

Thanks for the pointer. I have read the thread and had a read of the Google Developer docs site. The last question in the thread ask about removing a manifest entry so that Google opens it up to more devices on the Play site. My app. can make phone calls, it doesn't have to, it is a feature, on devices without phone it simply tries to make a 'new contact'. If I remove the permission relating to making a call am I am not then 'fooling' Google and undermining the whole idea of permissions, and indeed if I remove the explicit 'calls' entry in manifest does it mean this feature will be disabled for those call enabled devices?

Apologies if I am overthinking this.

 

[NJDude]

Adding a specific permission (let's say in this case PHONE) means that you explicitly require that the device must have that capability, so, only devices capable of making phone calls will see the app listed on the market.

If your app just add contacts and makes no phone calls, then you can remove the CALL_PHONE permission.