Scrap Exchange Help
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How the app updates itself

The app checks for new versions, downloads the update, checks it and asks Android to install it.

The Android app keeps itself up to date. It checks for new versions, downloads the update, checks that the file is genuine, and then asks Android to install it. Your data and your sign-in are kept.

Works in:Android app

How it works

  1. The app checks for a new version when you open it, at most once every few hours. You can also check by hand (see below).
  2. You see Update available, with the new version number, its size, the version you have, and What's new.
  3. Tap Update now. The whole app is downloaded. You see "Downloading..." with a percentage.
  4. The app checks the file: that it is complete, that its SHA-256 fingerprint matches the one we published, that it really is a Scrap Exchange update, and that Android will accept it.
  5. Android asks you to confirm the install. Tap Install (or Update). Android always asks, because the app doesn't come from the Play Store.
Android app: The app tells you when an update is available, with what's new.

The first update: allow installs

The first time the app updates itself, Android asks whether Scrap Exchange may install apps. A settings screen opens:

  1. Turn on Allow from this source.
  2. Go back to Scrap Exchange.
  3. Tap Update now again.

Check for updates yourself

Open Account and scroll to App updates. It shows your version and either "You have the latest version", "Version ... is available. Tap to update", or "Couldn't check for updates" if you are offline. Tap it to check again.

Later

Not a good time? Tap Later. The app won't ask about that version again until a newer one comes out. You can still update from Account, then App updates. You can't choose Later for a required update: see Required updates.

Good to know

  • Use Wi-Fi if you can. Android can't update only the changes, so the whole app is downloaded. On mobile data, the app reminds you.
  • Interrupted downloads continue where they stopped, for example if you lose signal.
  • Free space: the update needs room for the download and the install. If there isn't enough, the app tells you how much to free.
  • Old update files are cleaned up automatically after an update.
  • Updates are only downloaded over a secure connection.

If Android refuses the update

Android itself only says "App not installed". The app checks first and tells you the real reason, for example:

  • "This build is signed differently from the app on your phone": uninstall Scrap Exchange once, then install it again from the download site. This can happen if you installed a copy from somewhere other than the official download site.
  • "The update file can't be read": download it again.

See Troubleshooting.