[_wb_]

I would like to know if there is a way to push an update to a custom BlackBerry application without user input or knowledge that the app was being upgraded (updated).

[tsac]

There are methods but you need to be a BES system. Is this app public? then why not send an email telling users to upgrade.

[dc/dc]

You need to check the Developer section.

[_wb_]

Originally Posted by dc/dc

You need to check the Developer section.

Can you provide me a link since I haven't found anything related?


@tsac: No, it is specific app for a company. We don't use BES. We don't want to bother, for example, 100k users with email or sms. We need it to be able to push changes to the app but I don't have the BB knowledge or experience on how to do this or where this info is available.

[hrbuckley]

To answer your original question, only if the app is very simple. There is a module management API that will allow you to do the things that need to happen for an application to be updated but:
1) An application can't update itself, so you would need the app, and an app to update the app.
2) If any classes defined in a module are instantiated at the time the module is replaced, the replacement won't happen until a reboot. In practical terms this means that if the app has been running recently, uses persitent or runtime stores it will need a reboot.
3) If a module needs permissions not granted by default, the replacement will need those permissions approved again. So unless, as tsac says you're on a BES, the user will be prompted for application permissions.

[_wb_]

Originally Posted by hrbuckley

To answer your original question, only if the app is very simple. There is a module management API that will allow you to do the things that need to happen for an application to be updated but:
1) An application can't update itself, so you would need the app, and an app to update the app.
2) If any classes defined in a module are instantiated at the time the module is replaced, the replacement won't happen until a reboot. In practical terms this means that if the app has been running recently, uses persitent or runtime stores it will need a reboot.
3) If a module needs permissions not granted by default, the replacement will need those permissions approved again. So unless, as tsac says you're on a BES, the user will be prompted for application permissions.

Can I somehow notify the VVM app of a new update, and have it download the upgrade on the background without any user input, and once the download is finished then pop up a message for the client to update it?

[hrbuckley]

I don't know what you mean by VVM app, but yes you could. There are, however, many methods of doing this depending on what devices you want to support, none of them will be simple to implement.

RIM provides two good solutions to this problem: BES software configuration for corporate customers; App World for consumers. Each of these will do what you ask, though not exactly in the manner you ask. If you want to roll your own solution you should learn how module management and OTA installation using the browser work.