“I just bought your app, but it says it can’t find the license – what do I do?”

Every so often users will email me with this very question, and so instead of repeating myself in each of those replies, I will quickly answer it here so I can point people to it…

I am not sure exactly what causes this to happen, but after purchasing and starting the app it says that it cannot find a valid license; it could be the Google license servers are rubbish or it could be an issue with the data/internet connection your Android device is using.  Either way, the solution (in most cases) is as follows:

1. Disable the WiFi connection on your Android device;
2. Start the app in question so that it can check for the license using 3G (or other default data connection);
3. Once the app has found the license, exit the app;
4. Enable the WiFi connection again;
5. Start the app and enjoy!

If you follow all those steps and it still isn't finding your license (or you have a WiFi only device) then some other things that work are turning your device off and then back on again, or just waiting a bit for your license to register.

And if you still have trouble after that, then just contact me and I will try and help you.  If by this time you have gone past your refund window, then fear not, as I can still process a refund for you at any time as I fully understand that you can not try out an app that can't find a valid license.

Where To Purchase dooblou Applications, Licenses, and How They Work

Update: You can now also purchase at AndroidPIT!  It uses a similar licensing system to the Android Market, so the same advice applies.

Whenever you purchase one of my paid applications, you are also purchasing the license to use it. The application will at times try and retrieve the license to ensure you have permission to use it, and it does this by making a call to a license server using whichever data connection you have (WiFi, 3G, etc.). Most people purchase the application, have no problems at all and are very pleased with their purchase. However, some users can have trouble figuring out how to officially purchase my applications and to work out whether they have a license or not. This often happens if you think you have bought a license, but the application then tells you that you haven’t got one. Or maybe you have upgraded to a new version of Android, installed a custom ROM or got a new phone, and suddenly one of my applications says you no longer have a license. Hopefully I can help address a few of these issues here...

You can officially purchase any of my paid applications using the following methods:

• Android Market
• SlideMe
• Android Pit
• And coming soon, Amazon Appstore

If you have downloaded or purchased one of my paid applications from anywhere else, then beware as to what you are installing on your Android device as I cannot be responsible for supporting applications that pirates and bootleggers are publishing on the internet. The ones I am aware of are old and buggy versions of my applications, so I wouldn’t bother with them at all!

As the Amazon Appstore isn’t up yet and I don’t know how it works, I will focus on the Android Market and SlideMe...