How To Update MY Android System-App without PlayStore? (Within the application)

Ojav 0
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I have a Custom Launcher .apk that I ADB Sideload. I can simply copy the .apk into /system/app or /system/priv-app, set the appropriate permissions (rw-r-r, root:root) and then do a reboot. That's it. The App is considered a System-App.

  • adb root
  • adb push <path/file.apk> /system/app/
  • adb shell
  • chmod 644 /system/app/HelloWorld.apk
  • reboot

The App is a "System-App" and should remain one after updating. How can I update it without using Google Play Store? It is a KIOSK Application and it should be updatable from the APP itself.

Android kiosks are customer facing Android devices that serve a single purpose by running only a single app.

What are my Options here?/What I have already found

OTA updates are designed to upgrade the underlying operating system, the read-only apps installed on the system partition.

  • What other Options do I have?

Android:

  • minSdkVersion: 29
  • targetSdkVersion: 31
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1 Answers

The app can't update itself from within itself. You would need to create a separate updater app, and put it on the system partition as well.

That updater app can use this technique, but unless the device is rooted, it'll prompt the user to allow app installs from your updater app.

And yes, you could also set up OTA updates, but that assumes that you actually have the signing keys for the OS on that device, and I think it's way more complex that just creating a separate updater app

user4968540
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