How to implement OMA lock on Android?

Question

I am working on an application that requires support for direct blocking of media files on Android (1.6 and above). Of course, there is no documentation in the API on how this might work.

The two questions that I have are, firstly, support for direct blocking on Android (and in which versions of the platform), and secondly, how to implement it in a program that, for example, downloads ringtones and wallpapers for DRMed.

Answer 1

Android is not that big on DRM, due to the legacy of the open source product. I think you will have to implement any DRM solution yourself.

Answer 2

Direct blocking means that your application does not offer to use protected content on other devices. In the literal sense, this means that your application should not have the functionality to send (send) protected content to other devices or to write to a file system or something like that. For an open platform such as Android, encryption / obfuscation of the application content repository may also be required to prevent access from other applications or from a USB host computer.

Direct blocking is identified by a flag in the media metadata (the format depends on the IMHO media). Content is not encrypted. Thus, direct blocking is a simple check on a content item to disable forwarding features as needed.

The whole concept came from closed embedded devices (like regular mobile phones 5 years ago) and it sounds weird with open platforms like Android.

Answer 3

You must make sure that applications that may want to transfer content to another device via Bluetooth, etc., do not receive permission to transfer it.

OMA has determined how direct access blocking works. Thus, you are sure of what needs to be done. You should check the content header information to get information about whether it should be blocked or not.