title: Auto-Update for (private) Android apps
body: <p>I'm developing a non-public Android app, i.e. the app won't be available in the global Android Market. The app will be installed on a limited number of clients, e.g. by using an apk file.
  How can I enable an auto-update functionality in this app?</p>
  
  <p>I see different potential options (I do not know if those are technically hard or even impossible to implement or if there are any existing functionalities that can be reused):</p>
  
  <ul>
  <li>On each launch the app tests if a new version exists (by requesting a server), if so downloads the new apk and replaces itself with the new version.</li>
  <li>Use (or develop?) a separated app or service that undertakes the update-check and replacement-process.</li>
  <li>Use (or develop?) a private market app which has an auto-update option. This option is similar to the second one, but more generic: The market app would be connected to a repository, i.e. it would handle an arbitrary number of (private) apps.</li>
  </ul>
  
  <p>I would prefer option one since the auto-update functionality is included in the app which needs less development efforts.</p>