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Download All Applications From Android Market For Free


Android Market is the app repository that Android cell phone users can access to download new applications for their cell phone. The market offers both free and commercial applications and offers a 24 hour return policy for purchased applications. The guys over at Androideka are reporting about an Android Market Hack that allows users to download and Android Market application for free, sort of.

The requirement is a rooted or developer phone. Rooting an Android phone is not a difficulty process so it basically means anyone with an Android phone can do this. It is possible to download all applications from Android Market for free because of the inefficient application protection and the return policy. A user downloads an application from Android Market. He might need to purchase it first but should not worry about that as he will get a refund if he returns the app in the next 24 hours after download.

The only protection that the Google Android team has implemented is the location of the Android apps. Users without root cannot access this location on their Android cell phone. But everyone with root can. There is no other protection in place which means that it is possible to copy the Android application to another location, return the application and install it again from the new source.

All protected Android apps are located in the folder /data/app-private/ which can be accessed on rooted Android phones. It is therefor theoretically possible to purchase, install, copy, return all Android applications to get them all for free. It should also be noted that the copied versions of those protected Android applications can be installed on all Android phones, even non rooted ones. Will probably not be long before the first Android app packs hit the dark side of the Internet.

The only difficulty that arises is that the applications will not be updated automatically as Android Market does not recognize them. Be sure to check out Androideka if you are interested in Google Android news.




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Categories: Google Android, Mobiles


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9 Responses to “Download All Applications From Android Market For Free”

  1. coretron says:

    The ease of this hack saddens me. I for one was looking forward to paid apps to spark better applications and games. If they don’t fix this soon we will all be worse off. That said, I am too weak a man to resist grabbing free apps! in the past I have given donations to applications which I really support such as andnav2.

  2. I’m really disappointed that you would outline the hack like you did. There is no problem mentioning that it exists, but publishing the instructions is really not cool. If I discovered an exploit in Ghacks, would you want me to publish it?

  3. anonymous says:

    all developers should consider putting ad supported free full apps instead of trial versions and payed ones. That way they get a guaranteed paycheck. The people that don’t like ads can then pay for it. They would make a lot more money and not have to worry about refunds and hax.

  4. abc says:

    how to download software apps and games for HTC Dream, Android OS

  5. reecerjd says:

    i like your idea anonymous, fantastic thinking!!!!! i think you shoud point this out to the people at android market

  6. Elora says:

    It’s sad that some people it’s putting a lot of effort into learning android to later on publish an app for less than a pityful buck (.99 cents for my app), then we don’t sell that many to even make a modest living, not even to make my cat a modest living. Then to add insult to injury some people want to have all the apps for free??!!! Come on, if you are that cheap…. heck, you got the point.

  7. Anonymous says:

    Sheesh people… ever heard of Open Source? Why would you *have* to pay for an application? What’s wrong with people co-operating to create a beauthifull, free app themselves?

    (I do so myself by the way)

  8. Anonymous says:

    Thx for your post, really helpfull.
    It’s ashamed to make apps under GNU licence and try to sell it ! (even for a “pityful buck” as elora said, open source is open source )

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