Weird problem while installing an app

Question

I dont know if this question belongs here or not, but I am facing a really weired problem and my client is literally eating me.

I developed an app for the client. Few months ago I sent him a prototype. We had many builds at that time, I used to send him via email.

After all these months, the app has evolved a lot and finally published in google play, and this is where the problem starts.

Strangely, when he installs the app, a very old version of the app is installed in his phone. I thought it might be application cache, so had him install in a cell phone in which the app was never installed. And it has the same result. I sent him the latest apk file im mail, and the result is same. His and some other cell phone installs same old version that i sent him months ago.

The app downloads images in the UI from internet. But all the database and images has been cleared from previous installation at the server. His app still shows them (images that dont exist in the server).

This is not an issue in the server as theres is also an iphone app, that communicates with the same API and it is working fine.

But the apk is working fine on any device I test. The client is abroad, and I cant quite figure out what can be causing this. Not even a hint. Anybody has had this kind of situation before? If you had please share with me, as I have no idea what might be causing this.

Answer 1

Try this-Maybe tell him to use another account from google play and install it to simulate a totally new uset.

Answer 2

The thing that jumps out to me is you said "he is abroad" - have you checked permissions/download regions of your app?

Maybe something to do with locality - since you mentioned if he gets someone else to install (presumably same country as him) they get old version, but you get the new one.

I also assume after install, you check the play store to see that there isn't an update available?

Answer 3

Have him visit the Playstore with his web browser on the computer, not logging in, and make a screenshot including the right-hand section titled "about this app". He shall also note (write down) the values for "Updated", "Current version", and "requires Android" (version).

After taking that screenshot and write-down the values, he shall login with his account, and repeat the procedure (screenshot, note values). Have him compare the values, and send you the screenshots. Also have him specify what network he's using when installing the app from Google Play (WiFi or mobile).

Three possible scenarios I can think of:

1. values differ: You changed something in the Manifest which made his device(s) incompatible with the latest version(s). (though in that case the app usually should no longer be shown when he logged in -- unless he's got at least one compatible device bound to that Google account, in which case the app should show with the latest version)
2. values don't differ, both point to the old version: Most likely country restrictions as mentioned in pyko's answer
3. values don't differ, but both point to the recent version: A very unlikely scenario given your description, and very strange as well. Here I have no idea what that could be -- except a very strange caching proxy in the network used by his device(s). In this case, make sure what network he is using for the devices; if it's WiFi I'm out of ideas (as it would use the same network as his computers). If it's mobile, it may be something with his provider's proxy (unlikely, but not impossible). Let him try again using WiFi.

I hold scenario #2 for the most likely outcome, though.

Answer 4

Could this be a DNS resolution problem? What ISP is/are the users getting the resolution of play.google.com from? Could they be mis-directed to another download location? From my desktop I resolve to www3.1.google.com 74.125.228.73

Easy way to discern this is via ping and compare the results of your properly working with the improperly working. Maybe the IP addresses do not match and the non-legitimate one is holding the older apk for download.