Anti Cracked

delldude1989 · 04-21-2009, 01:00 AM

i have found my app on cracked websites how can i stop this ??

**odysseus31173** · 04-21-2009, 01:40 AM

Email the hosting site and ask them to remove your app? I haven't really researched the crack site structure, that just seems like a logical place to start. Plus it will probably only remove you app for a little bit before its hosted somewhere else

delldude1989 · 04-21-2009, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by odysseus31173

Email the hosting site and ask them to remove your app? I haven't really researched the crack site structure, that just seems like a logical place to start. Plus it will probably only remove you app for a little bit before its hosted somewhere else

Yeah So i kind point to get it removed ?

**Oliver Drobnik** · 04-21-2009, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delldude1989

i have found my app on cracked websites how can i stop this ??

Don't fight the cracking, use it. Make a couple of updates with interesting features but put in silent copy protection that makes the app a Lite Version if it finds it's cracked.

**odysseus31173** · 04-21-2009, 01:52 AM

yeah, or after 5 uses or something arbitrary like that, then change it to the light version. The idea behind that is that the cracker will prob run it once to make sure it works and nothing is funny.

brendand · 04-21-2009, 02:34 AM

If you made it known to the user the app was cracked and that it will function as a "lite" version until it is purchased, do you think the cracker will just not bother to post it then?

**Oliver Drobnik** · 04-21-2009, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brendand

If you made it known to the user the app was cracked and that it will function as a "lite" version until it is purchased, do you think the cracker will just not bother to post it then?

Let me repeat what I said in my first response: SILENT COPY PROTECTION. This means that the cracker will not be informed of crack detection for so long time that it is not feasable to wait.

Instead he will distribute your Lite-Version and unknowingly will advertise for you. After a certain amount of levels/use you just tell the user that now all content of the Lite version has been experienced and provide a link to the app store for purchasing the full version.

By always calling it "Lite" version and never "cracked Version" you give the end-user the feeling that the pirate must have made a mistake and since he now had time to get hooked he has a certain likelyhood that he will convert.

tawpie · 04-21-2009, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brendand

If you made it known to the user the app was cracked and that it will function as a "lite" version until it is purchased, do you think the cracker will just not bother to post it then?

It's really hard to say. My app doesn't wait, on every launch a pirate copy pops a dialog that says it's damaged and may not work properly. That didn't stop it being posted, and fully 1/3 of folks that have run the upgrade are pirates.

This tells me a couple of things -- pirate sites are great publicity so if you can figure a way to convert any of the freeloaders you're riding a bonus. Second, the cracker of my app didn't much care if it worked properly or not. I would guess that given my first observation you shouldn't make a freeloader hate your app or they'll never convert. But I'd definitely make cracked copies into a lite version if you can because you will be cracked and posted so you really should do what you can to try to convert the cracked copies to paid!

delldude1989 · 04-21-2009, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oliver Drobnik

Let me repeat what I said in my first response: SILENT COPY PROTECTION. This means that the cracker will not be informed of crack detection for so long time that it is not feasable to wait.

Instead he will distribute your Lite-Version and unknowingly will advertise for you. After a certain amount of levels/use you just tell the user that now all content of the Lite version has been experienced and provide a link to the app store for purchasing the full version.

By always calling it "Lite" version and never "cracked Version" you give the end-user the feeling that the pirate must have made a mistake and since he now had time to get hooked he has a certain likelyhood that he will convert.

1.How Do I got about making this a lite ver?

2. When i add the app update to itunes store people who download it will have the full thing ? btw the app is free right now

**Oliver Drobnik** · 04-21-2009, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delldude1989

1.How Do I got about making this a lite ver?

2. When i add the app update to itunes store people who download it will have the full thing ? btw the app is free right now

Well what most people would do is make the first free version into the Lite, keeping the same bundle identifier but changing icon and display name.
Then you would come up with additional features or content that you put into the same source, but you #define LITEVERSION in the project settings and add a second target with a different plist and icon. The sections of code that you only want in the Lite version you surround with #ifdef LITEVERSION #endif.

This way you can build two apps off the same source.

GhostDog · 04-21-2009, 01:20 PM

Noob question:

How can I detect, in a foolproof way, if the version running is cracked or not? Is there some signature or CRC checking I can do? Last thing in the world I want to do is screw a legit user by accident.

**Kalimba** · 04-21-2009, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GhostDog

Noob question:

How can I detect, in a foolproof way, if the version running is cracked or not? Is there some signature or CRC checking I can do? Last thing in the world I want to do is screw a legit user by accident.

Here's a link to a link: http://www.iphonedevsdk.com/forum/68784-post137.html