技术问询：如何通过Google Play服务/API检测应用下载来源地区

Hey there! Let's tackle this problem—you want to detect which Google Play Store region an app was downloaded from, even if the user has moved to another country (like your example of someone relocating from France to the UK but still using the French Play Store version of your app). Since GPS doesn't help here, let's dive into the official Google Play APIs that can get this done:

1. Google Play Install Referrer API (Recommended) #

This is the most reliable client-side solution Google provides for getting install source details, including the Play Store region where the app was originally downloaded. The best part? It returns data tied to the original install session, so even if the user switches their Play Store region or moves countries later, this info stays consistent—perfect for your edge case.

How to implement it: #

• First, add the Install Referrer Library to your project's dependencies (check the latest version in Google's official docs)
• In your app, initialize the InstallReferrerClient and connect to the Play Store service when your app starts:

  val referrerClient = InstallReferrerClient.newBuilder(context).build()
  referrerClient.startConnection(object : InstallReferrerStateListener {
      override fun onInstallReferrerSetupFinished(responseCode: Int) {
          when (responseCode) {
              InstallReferrerClient.InstallReferrerResponse.OK -> {
                  // Get the referrer details
                  val response = referrerClient.installReferrer
                  val referrerString = response.installReferrer
                  // The referrer string may contain region identifiers like "country=FR"
                  // Parse this to extract the original store region
              }
              // Handle other response codes (like SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE)
          }
      }
  
      override fun onInstallReferrerServiceDisconnected() {
          // Reconnect if needed
      }
  })
  

• The installReferrer string will include parameters that indicate the original Play Store region. For example, a download from the French store might include country=FR in the referrer data. You'll need to parse this string to extract the region code.

2. Server-Side Complement: Google Play Developer API #

If you need more robust region data (or want to store this info for user accounts), you can use the Google Play Developer API's edits.details.get endpoint on your backend. This requires:

• Your app's package name
• Proper authentication with Google Play Developer Console credentials
• Tying the client-side install data (like the install ID from the Install Referrer API) to the user's account to fetch the exact region details from Google's servers.

Important Notes: #

• The Install Referrer API requires the user's Google Play Store app to be version 2.1.21 or higher—most modern devices meet this requirement, but be sure to add fallback handling for older versions.
• Avoid relying on PackageManager.getInstallerPackageName() alone—it only tells you the app was installed via Google Play (com.android.vending), but doesn't provide any region data.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者boski