Howto install application updates from Ovi store

[pixsta]

Hello,
How do customers get an update when an update of an application is available in Ovi store? Until now, I thought that it sufficies to open the Ovi store client (with correct username) and redownload the application.
But recently I got some complaints that the updated version is not visible to the customer (e.g. no option to redownload, because the old version is already installed).

What's the best suggestion for these customers? Should they uninstall the previous installation?

Regards,

[petrib]

Uninstall. Then re-download, re-install.

I suppose some day Nokia might release some kind of a push/update notification mechanism with support for upgrading already installed apps, but no such thing exists for Ovi Store now.

[raimisz]

But if application uses SQLDatabase, then by uninstalling it, will removed database too... is there any workaround?

[pixsta]

The solution is to create the database after installation when the app starts the first time. The db should be stored outside the private app directory. - I do it this way.

[raimisz]

The solution is to create the database after installation when the app starts the first time. The db should be stored outside the private app directory. - I do it this way.

i'm already creating db after first installation, everything is fine if i install application over existing version - db is ok, but if i uninstall application and install a new application, then db has been removed... I don't know how uninstalling process "Knows" which db must remove...

can you show how you do that - create db outside the private app directory

[grekker]

Note that there is some fairly low limit on how many times an app can be reinstalled before Ovi Store asks for repayment.
I had an issue where I updated my app, but they failed to update the published version for a long time. I purchased my own app so I could see when it updated, but at some point (after around 5? attempts) it refused to update.

[tamhanna]

Uninstall. Then re-download, re-install.

I suppose some day Nokia might release some kind of a push/update notification mechanism with support for upgrading already installed apps, but no such thing exists for Ovi Store now.

Many have been asking for this for ages. But it seems impossible to do...

[marturi]

What a joke. How can anyone expect users to be this proactive? It's hard enough to get users to adopt updates in stores that provide this type of proactive notification of updates but this is absurd. I would guess that if you got 10% of your overall user base to update an installed app, you are very lucky. Essentially, any $ invested in evolving a product over time is a complete waste. Better get it right the first time!

[pixsta]

I agree, but it's almost impossible to make a bug free app when the complexity is more than "Hello World".

[tamhanna]

What a joke. How can anyone expect users to be this proactive? It's hard enough to get users to adopt updates in stores that provide this type of proactive notification of updates but this is absurd. I would guess that if you got 10% of your overall user base to update an installed app, you are very lucky. Essentially, any $ invested in evolving a product over time is a complete waste. Better get it right the first time!

Tell us news.

IMHO, the only way is to use an autoupdating service...