In this article we discuss the 42matters Versions History API, which enables users to track the version histories for all iOS and Android apps.
Let's get started!
What are App Versions and why should you care?
Every time you download and install an app, it comes with a "version."
Versioning is a critical component of a mobile app's upgrade and maintenance strategy: your mobile OS, Android or iOS, uses an app's version information to prevent downgrades. Usually, the version is represented by a human-readable string that describes the app's version in the format "..", for example "1.0.1", or as any other type of relative version identifier. Underneath, the OS might use an integer value to more easily enforce versioning of the app.
Every time an app owner, or developer, releases a new upgrade of the app (e.g. with new features or bug fixes) he must ensure a new, higher value of the app version.
Knowing the most-recent version of an app, including its history, can help Ad-Networks and Mobile Security companies to improve their services by better detecting ad-frauds, fake attributions, old installations and illegitimate/modified apps installed on a device.
How can you keep track of App Versions using 42matters API?
At 42matters we keep track of the "app version" changes for all apps, thus generating a log, also known as history, for each mobile app. For example, you can get the latest versions for Tinder on Android by its "package name" (i.e. its Android identifier) with this simple HTTP request to our Versions API:
https://data.42matters.com/api/v2.0/android/apps/versions.json?p=com.tinder
{
"versions": [
{
"version": "10.5.0",
"timestamp": "2019-01-15T00:00:00+00:00"
},
{
"version": "10.4.2",
"timestamp": "2019-01-02T00:00:00+00:00"
},
{
"version": "10.4.1",
"timestamp": "2018-12-20T00:00:00+00:00"
},
{
"version": "10.4.0",
"timestamp": "2018-12-17T00:00:00+00:00"
},
{
"version": "10.3.0",
"timestamp": "2018-12-04T00:00:00+00:00"
}
],
"package_name": "com.tinder",
"title": "Tinder",
"developer": "Tinder",
"number_ratings": 3191052,
"rating": 4,
"price": ""
}
As you see, the developer of Tinder released several versions over the last few months, namely from version "10.3.0" to version "10.5.0".
With this we conclude today's update about our new "Versions API". Feel free to check out all of 42matters' API offerings to see how we can make your business better.
