This afternoon I noticed a few people complaining of being unable to see certain apps on the Android Market of their Sprint Hero. This is a complaint we often get from users asking for QR codes or links for apps we mention, but then I saw the same complaint on another website and decided to look into more.
After polling a few of our Twitter followers on Androinica, we received several confirmations from people unable to access certain copy-protected apps in the Android Market, including apps that they already bought. The problem even bit staff member Robert, who is unable to see Twidroid Pro even though he purchased the app, has it installed on his phone, and is told than an update is available.
What gives? According to CNET, the problem could be that the update Sprint pushed to phones last week blocked copy-protected apps; however, we received word from a Verizon Droid Eris user that he’s experiencing the same problem.
ONE POSSIBLE CAUSE FOR THE PROBLEM
The Android Market filters app listings based on several factors, including things like carrier, country, firmware version, and screen resolution compatibility. There are certain apps someone on Sprint may be able to see that I cannot see on my T-Mobile G1. Reader Genjinaro suggests that this could be the root of the problem.
It’s possible that HTC’s updated ROM may have inadvertently included a code that altered the phone version to not be able to see copy-protected apps. Similarly, Android developer phones are not allowed to download copy-protected apps, so the Market app on the phones doesn’t display such apps. HTC’s latest ROM may have done something that accidentally caused Hero owners to suffer the same fate momentarily. When developers in this Google thread turned off copy-protection, their apps were viewable once more.
ANOTHER POSSIBLE CAUSE FOR THIS PROBLEM
In regards to our Twitter follower unable to see certain apps, he’s not alone. The thread also shows that Eris users are unable to see certain apps. That points to this being a possible bug in Sense or Android 1.5 preventing users from seeing certain apps. This is an old bug that was supposed to have been fixed already, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. My only concern with this is that many people report being able to see the apps in question before. How else would they have purchased them?
Who else has been having problems? I’d love to hear from Samsung Moment, Motorola Cliq, or Droid Eris users (all U.S.-based phones still running Android 1.5). If your country has paid apps enabled, search the market for Twidroid Pro and Advanced Task Killer. Let’s us know whether or not you can see these apps.
November 24th, 2009 at 3:22 am
Friend of mine running Galaxy (1.5) can't see most paid apps any more. I have the same carrier sim running a Magic (1.6) and have no probs. So def appears to be handset/build related rather than carrier related…
November 24th, 2009 at 3:29 am
I don't see them on my Eris
Thankfully I am under the buyers remorse period. That, coupled with the fact that HTC won't tell me if Eclair is planned for the Eris… DROID, here I come!
November 24th, 2009 at 3:53 am
Twidroid Pro is not showing up on my up-to-date Sprint HTC Hero.
November 24th, 2009 at 4:31 am
My wife has a droid eris from Verizon and has come to rely on Roadsync to hit an exchange server for calendar and email. Due to this bug she cannot buy the paid version of the app and now roadsync's trial has expired. No roadsync = no exchange mail = #androidmarketfail. BTW I can see the same app just fine on my Motorola Droid.
November 24th, 2009 at 5:38 am
I am in NZ and for a long time couldn't get paid apps. I always use MarketEnabler (do a google search) to change my settings so I can download the app I want. Works well for me.
November 24th, 2009 at 1:40 am
Have DROID – cannot see Layar on android market!!
November 24th, 2009 at 7:15 am
I can't get SHERPA on my Moment or when I had the Hero either???
November 24th, 2009 at 3:09 am
I have a galaxy (france) and the loquacious and buddyrunner apps are totally invisible, whereas i was using them everyday in the states on my g1.
November 24th, 2009 at 10:48 am
Hey. Using the Motorola Dext in Europe and I am missing a few apps from the market. Not sure why this is either???? I can get some paid apps but not all, including ones I have already purchased,
November 24th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Google or the carriers should post a decent explanation as to why this is! It may take time to fix… ok… but do not leave customers in the dark. It's ridiculous.
There are many free apps I can't see on my Hero.
November 24th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
I have a Sprint HTC Hero and since the update I can not longer watch Youtube in high quality but all my paid apps are still there.
November 24th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
I have a Verizon Eris, and am having the same problem. Many paid apps just do not show up when I search, even though I know they are available for the 1.5 platform. It is a shame for the developers, who are losing out thru lost sales.
November 24th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Layar has not yet been released for the DROID
November 24th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
SHERPA should still be a T-Mobile exclusive. I just did a search for it on my unlocked HTC Hero, and could not find it. I did have a user on T-Mobile search for it, and found it without a problem.
November 24th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
The problem is definitely still happening. I've been going over a few options with some other Android users from every network here in the States, trying to discover if there is a pattern that we're missing. I'll go ahead and start with Twidroid PRO, as I think that was the application that started the whole mess.
I have an unlocked HTC Hero running here in the States on AT&T. I did a search for Twidroid PRO (as well as the other named applications that could not be found), I could find it just fine, and I could even download it again. After I downloaded it, I uninstalled it, and tried to download it again. Everything works fine.
I had two users on Sprint try and find the same application on an HTC Hero for Sprint and a Samsung Moment: neither of them could. I had a customer on T-Mobile do the same thing on a Motorola CLIQ and a T-Mobile MyTouch 3G. He could find it just fine, download it again, uninstall it, and then download it yet again. His is working just fine. (Thanks, Justin.)
While I don't want to say that this is carrier-dependent, especially considering the ubiquitous nature of the applications, but maybe that is the cause. It could also be region-based, for all of our Android users not here in the States. My unlocked Hero still has access to the Market in Europe, even though my SIM is an AT&T card.
November 24th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Are you doing a customized search for the applications that you cannot find, and already downloaded? Or, are you going into the Market and looking through your "My Downloads" or "Downloads" section? I'd be interested to see if the applications are completely gone, even though that feature of the Market is designed to show you all the applications you've downloaded with the attached Gmail account.
November 25th, 2009 at 1:47 am
I just checked the Market for both Twidroid Pro and Advanced Task Killer on my Samsung Moment. No problem whatsoever, popped right up.
November 25th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
I have a HTC hero..i cant seem to find ahome..i can see ahome lite but it doesnt support all the icons in a given theme!
November 25th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
The search feature now seems to be picking up paid apps on my HTC Eris. Maybe someone at HTC or Verizon follows your site!
November 25th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
I have a rooted MT3G that after I themed I can’t find Twidroid Pro. I’m going to back to stock Cyanogen 4.2.5 and see what happens.
November 25th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Picked up samsung moment last Thursday, like the phone but gps not working correctly. I live in nj but google maps locates me in all different parts of europe. Sprint nav not working either. I stopped in sprint store was told sprint has no idea of this issue, later I contacted customer service was instructed that the fix was to do a hard reset. DID NOT WORK.
November 30th, 2009 at 5:25 am
I had a Hero ROM running on my HTC Magic and had purchased Twidroid Pro, this weekend I installed a newer Magic Sense UI ROM and following the upgrade all my purchased apps were available _except_ Twidroid Pro so I would guess it is a problem with the app itself, my carrier and SIM are unchanged FWIW.
December 14th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
I am experiencing same issue…!!!
December 21st, 2009 at 12:50 pm
I cannot get YouTube to work on my Droid Eris, it just says "This video cannot be played". I have the same problem trying to stream video from other sites…can video just not be played by these phones?
January 21st, 2010 at 11:42 am
Can someone check for http://www.ubiquitous-software.com/uscis-civics/?
February 7th, 2010 at 4:39 pm
I have a Verizon Eris and can’t find ahome or ahome lite.