What happen by limiting app distribution at Google Play

Question

This question is about how Google Play manages updated app. What happen for case 2 and 3 shown below:

Case 1: Release app version 1 to all countries. And user X living in US installed app.

Case 2: Release app version 2 but changed avilable country to Japan only. User X can update app (version 1) to version 2, but anyone living outside Japan can't newly install app. Right?

Case 3: Release app version 3 keeping it avilable to Japan only. Can user X still update app (version 2) to version 3?

Answer 1

If you release an app to a particular country, it will only be available there, and other users won't be able to update.

If you skip a version in US, the user would still be able to update future versions. A US user would be updated from version 1 to 3 (and doesn't need to install 2).

But in your example Case 3, you still haven't exposed the app to US, and since it is limited to Japan, that US user would not see the update available.

Answer 2

Google Play has a concept of "being in the users library" which means they have ever installed it on any device. Once an app is in the Users library they can always update to the latest version if it is compatible with their device. You can see the Library if you look at "My apps" in the Play Store. It shows apps that you have ever acquired, even if they aren't currently installed.

Country targeting just affects whether a user can acquire the app in the first place, ie have it added to their library.

So in Case 2 you are correct. User X can update the app because it is in their library. But no-one outside Japan can acquire it (add it to their library).

In case 3, user X can still update. They still have it in their library. You can't stop a user who has ever acquired an app from updating it.