Installing Poweramp non-Google Play distribution version (v3 APK)........Uncertaintity

[Joey R]

For reference, I am using a Samsung Galaxy A14 with Android 13

If you don't want to purchase the PA license through GooglePlay, you can download the app and pay for the license directly from the PA website by clicking "download"; where the Download Page appears and you're given a list of download choices. Accordingly, the Poweramp website describes "v3APK" as the non-GoogePlay version. But is it the "latest"?

If you select this link you are offered a list of available builds to choose from. I chose the last (at the time) "stable" build - Poweramp-build-976-uni.apk. Once you complete the payment transaction, you receive an email outlining the steps to take in order to activate the license. Step 2 lists 2 download links. Why 2 links? The links are not sufficiently described. Is it more appropriate to use one download link over the other; depending on your device, Android version or some other parameter?
The first link takes you back to the initial Download Page where you've already been and where presumably you've already downloaded "v3APK". The second link "https://powerampapp.com/downloads/Poweramp-v3-build-last-uni.apk" includes the word "last". Does "last" refer to the beta version and not a prior "stable" version that I would have preferred? Who knows?

After activating the license I immediately began having an issue (album art downloads) with Poweramp that I did not experience with the trial (GooglePlay) version. I won't elaborate here, but will post the semi-fix in the appropriate section. Following multiple exchanges with "support", I was instructed to uninstall Poweramp (v3 APK) and install that curious "https://powerampapp.com/downloads/Poweramp-v3-build-last-uni.apk" link. In the end, I don't know what version or build I'm running. I suspect it's the latest Beta version. My phone only indicates the initial build I installed (976-uni-apk), that was later uninstalled, and it's greyed-out.

Paying for an app. license and activating it is normally quite simple. Even if you're careful and follow the written guidence/instuctions and website material to acquire and install the Poweramp app., the process is not coherent. There are explanations omitted that, if added, would alleviate the time spent installing and uninstalling, etc. Also, I didn't come across any warnings or alerts for users with Android 13+ that would necessitate having to use "Settings/Library/File Access Legacy Mode". That setting was given to me by "support".

Despite Poweramp's best intentions, I think some clarifications/coordination needs to be made between website and email instructions to assure the user's installation/licensing experience goes without a hitch.

[andrewilley]

You seem to be really overthinking this.

The simplest and best way, if you have the Play Store, is to just search and download the app from the Play Store and then (if you like it after the free trial period) also pay for the Unlocker on the Play Store. Job done. You can install this on as many devices as you like, as long as they use your same Google Play Store account. This will get you the latest stable updates automatically as and when they are released, or you can opt to receive the latest beta builds from the Play Store if you wish. 

If your device doesn't have access to the Play Store, it's also possible to manually download Poweramp from the website's Download tab and install that APK file onto your device. You can then purchase a licence on the website which will not require any Google services to be present, and rather than using a separate download it is validated using your email address and the UserID that was emailed to you. This licence is for one device at a time, so you can't have this version installed simultaneously on multiple phones/tablets. You will have to manually download and install updates as they are released on the site - either as Stable builds, or the very latest versions as beta releases which may have a few extra features. Most users here just want the latest features so will be using the most recent beta builds. These are generally pretty reliable, and any identified minor bugs that may creep in are usually resolved within a few days rather than the several months between stable releases - but if you are concerned, it might be worth waiting a short while and keep an eye on the release thread here for any possible issues that might affect you before downloading.

 

Currently, wherever you download if from, build 976 is the latest Official Stable, and 980 is the latest beta as of yesterday (was released on 8 Dec, with further tweak updates on 12 Dec and 18 Dec). There is no real difference between a Play Store version and a website download, beyond the Play version having a few restrictions imposed upon it by Google's terms - e.g. it has to use their preferred access processes for reading audio files, whereas the website version is also able to offer the old 'Legacy' mode too, which is a bit more flexible.

Andre

[maxmp]

@Joey R thanks for the detailed review of your quest with the builds;-) 

First, support can't spend much time investigating possible users issue, as users like to sparsely disclose issue details and there is no point in investigation for issue in "last" user build, which is usually one-two year old one, so the support guy will as to install the stable build (it's 976 - Poweramp-v3-build-last-uni.apk, but it will be updated to whatever next stable build will be).

The beta build is currently 980 as Andrew indicated above.

 

[Joey R]

On 12/20/2023 at 3:48 AM, andrewilley said:

You seem to be really overthinking this.

The simplest and best way, if you have the Play Store, is to just search and download the app from the Play Store and then (if you like it after the free trial period) also pay for the Unlocker on the Play Store. Job done. You can install this on as many devices as you like, as long as they use your same Google Play Store account. This will get you the latest stable updates automatically as and when they are released, or you can opt to receive the latest beta builds from the Play Store if you wish. 

If your device doesn't have access to the Play Store, it's also possible to manually download Poweramp from the website's Download tab and install that APK file onto your device. You can then purchase a licence on the website which will not require any Google services to be present, and rather than using a separate download it is validated using your email address and the UserID that was emailed to you. This licence is for one device at a time, so you can't have this version installed simultaneously on multiple phones/tablets. You will have to manually download and install updates as they are released on the site - either as Stable builds, or the very latest versions as beta releases which may have a few extra features. Most users here just want the latest features so will be using the most recent beta builds. These are generally pretty reliable, and any identified minor bugs that may creep in are usually resolved within a few days rather than the several months between stable releases - but if you are concerned, it might be worth waiting a short while and keep an eye on the release thread here for any possible issues that might affect you before downloading.

 

Currently, wherever you download if from, build 976 is the latest Official Stable, and 980 is the latest beta as of yesterday (was released on 8 Dec, with further tweak updates on 12 Dec and 18 Dec). There is no real difference between a Play Store version and a website download, beyond the Play version having a few restrictions imposed upon it by Google's terms - e.g. it has to use their preferred access processes for reading audio files, whereas the website version is also able to offer the old 'Legacy' mode too, which is a bit more flexible.

Andre

Andre,

I appreciate your reply. I had researched and was fully aware of the Poweramp download/licensing options available and the latest builds, as I mentioned. Frankly, the less I'm tethered to Google (in any way shape or form) the happier I am! That is what drove my decision to download and purchase the license directly from Poweramp.

As a retired engineer, also with a background in technical writing, I stand by my opinion of the instruction set/installation/licensing. You suggested I may be overthinking, but that is inherent with someone with my background! We like to see clarification, confirmation, and verification of things.

I'll review the forum to see if anyone else has a remedy for the "album art" issue I briefly mentioned in my other post. Tech support had almost solved it when they suddenly dropped the ball and stopped responding - without explanation.

 

 

[Fitzian]

There are no issues with Poweramp pulling album artwork from the web with uni build 980. Pixel 7 Pro, Android 14.

My cellular connection with Verizon is quite literally dog***t, and it manages just fine.

With or without a VPN active, and with adguard private dns active.

Do you have a sample file which no album art can be found for?

 

[Note: Replies now split out to their own topic, https://forum.powerampapp.com/topic/27512-album-art-not-displaying-immediately-topic-split-from-another-thread/  --- Admin]

 

[6b6561]

I just spent some time to read through the OP and it makes sense, but it's hard to read and mixes up a couple of topics.

The main point is that the download info mail received after site registering lists two different download links. (The album art topic is a side note as OP pointed out)

• https://forum.powerampapp.com/files/category/2-Poweramp-v3-latest-releases/
• https://powerampapp.com/downloads/Poweramp-v3-build-last-uni.apk

And here is the question, what version will you receive from the "latest-releases", which is a quite valid question, is it the latest stable or beta?

Then the OP ran into some issues and got the advice to install "latest-releases" version and the conclusion from that is that he doesn't know what version he is on. (Easiest way to find out what version is installed is from the "Changelog" from within Poweramp).

[andrewilley]

The Downloads tab here does have tags to indicate which file is considered as 'Stable' or the latest 'Beta' series (both are pinned) but I might edit the title lines too to make it more obvious when a version is considered Beta.

The Play Store current stable build is also 976. To be honest, I think 980 is really closer to a Release Candidate now, as there have been two builds since 978 was first issued to tackle the minor issues which cropped up (see the Release thread).

Andre

[6b6561]

The question still remains, what version will you get from the https://powerampapp.com/downloads/Poweramp-v3-build-last-uni.apk URL which is in the registration information mail? Is it the latest stable, or latest beta?

[andrewilley]

@6b6561 That link is to the main v3 Downloads page (i.e. the one in my screenshot above). From that page you can download the latest Beta version, or the most recent Stable, or any other older version of your choosing. There is no point in an automated link going to directly to a single file though rather than the main page, as a specific link would become obsolete over time.

Andre

[6b6561]

Downloaded using the "Last" link and also downloaded the 976 abd 980 builds.  Last download the last stable.

 

$ ls -la
total 59508
drwxr-xr-x  2 kea users     4096 Dec 22 12:22 ./
drwxr-xr-x 38 kea users     4096 Dec 22 12:18 ../
-rw-r--r--  1 kea users 19616118 Dec 22 12:18 Poweramp-build-976-uni.apk
-rw-r--r--  1 kea users 21684490 Dec 22 12:22 Poweramp-build-980-uni.apk
-rw-r--r--  1 kea users 19616118 Sep 17 09:02 Poweramp-v3-build-last-uni.apk
$ sum *
26513 19157 Poweramp-build-976-uni.apk
52625 21177 Poweramp-build-980-uni.apk
26513 19157 Poweramp-v3-build-last-uni.apk
$

 

[andrewilley]

Ah, I assume Max has created that specific additional filename to cope with changing updates. That linked name should contain the same content as the current Stable build, he must change it each time he promotes a build to Stable.

Andre

[6b6561]

@andrewilley https://powerampapp.com/downloads/Poweramp-v3-build-last-uni.apk is a direct link to a .apk and this link is taken from the information mail that @Joey R received upon registering Poweramp on the site.

His questions:

• why is there two links in the mail
• what version will be downloaded by the "last" link

[6b6561]

1 minute ago, andrewilley said:

Ah, I assume Max has created that specific additional filename to cope with changing updates. That linked name should contain the same content as the current Stable build, he must change it each time he promotes a build to Stable.

Andre

That's also my conclusion. Maybe the link should include the word "stable" to make it clear.

[andrewilley]

One link goes to the regular Downloads page for all v3 Releases, from which you can choose which version you want (Stable, Beta, or older if you have a need for that).

The other link is just a quick shortcut directly to a file containing the current Stable release, which will always get you the current release version regardless of the build numbering cycle.

Andre

[maxmp]

Poweramp-v3-build-last-uni.apk is usually updated to last stable build. The link stays, while the linked file can be changed. This is a specific support link which can be changed/removed/replaced in future without warning. I would suggest discussing the support related issues with support via email to avoid any further confusion (if there is any). Thanks!

[MotleyG]

On 12/20/2023 at 1:23 AM, Joey R said:

After activating the license I immediately began having an issue (album art downloads) with Poweramp that I did not experience with the trial (GooglePlay) version. I won't elaborate here, but will post the semi-fix in the appropriate section.

@Fitzian it was buried in this part in the previous thread. Since it was a separate topic it was split into this new thread. Not really a Poweramp problem though IMO. 

[Joey R]

On 12/22/2023 at 3:51 AM, 6b6561 said:

I just spent some time to read through the OP and it makes sense, but it's hard to read and mixes up a couple of topics.

The main point is that the download info mail received after site registering lists two different download links. (The album art topic is a side note as OP pointed out)

• https://forum.powerampapp.com/files/category/2-Poweramp-v3-latest-releases/
• https://powerampapp.com/downloads/Poweramp-v3-build-last-uni.apk

And here is the question, what version will you receive from the "latest-releases", which is a quite valid question, is it the latest stable or beta?

Then the OP ran into some issues and got the advice to install "latest-releases" version and the conclusion from that is that he doesn't know what version he is on. (Easiest way to find out what version is installed is from the "Changelog" from within Poweramp).

I apologize for conflating the 2 topics and for opening up a can of worms. I hesitated to do that, but felt I needed to briefly mention the album art issue (without specifics) to give a broader picture of what transpired between myself and tech support and because I was uncertain why tech support had instructed me to uninstall/reinstall the app to "last". Thanks to everyone who have chimed-in.