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Android license server may be easy to crack; pirates cheer

August 23, 2010 by Marin Perez - 3 Comments

Pirates rejoice as Android License server can be easily circumvented.
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Pirates rejoice as Android License server can be easily circumvented.

Remember when Google rolled out an Android Market Server License server in order to make it difficult for pirates to swipe apps without paying for them? Well, it looks like that deterrent is very simple to crack.

The cool folks at Android Police have put together a demonstration video (at the bottom of the post) which shows how the Google Android Market Server License can be easily circumvented without rooting your device.

Well, “easily” is a loaded word because you still have to have a solid understanding of coding and you have to be willing to dive into your Android device and app. But, with a few simple tweaks, one could easily trick Android apps into thinking these are legitimate copies.

For now, Google’s Licensing Service is still, in my opinion, the best option for copy protection; however, we really need to see a better solution, such as checking the apk for alterations or ways to confirm an application was installed through official means.

This is bad news for the little, green robot because even though the Android Market is catching up with the Apple App Store, the return on investment is not as strong on Google’s platform as on the Apple iPhone (generally speaking, of course). For all the guff that Apple (rightfully) gets for its dictatorial nature with the App Store, the iPhone OS is where many mobile developers are able to make a comfortable living. Apple has already doled out over $1 billion to developers.

You don’t really hear about the get-rich-quick stories with Android even as its user base is slowly growing beyond the Apple iPhone customers base. Part of the problem is that Google doesn’t allow multiple countries to even sell apps in the market yet and I’ve had many a disgruntled developer tell me that Google doesn’t even try to help with taxation issues.

Check out the demo below for a better understanding of how the License Server can be bypassed and please support your developers by buying apps you love.

[Via Android Police]

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