App update explained
The eight steps between "install this version" and a verified package on the box.
Check the free space
This is important, it refuses to start unless /data has roughly 3× the bundle size free. A
172 MB .apkm unpacks to about 250 MB, and both sit on disk at once.
Download and verify
Fetch the .apkm from your server with a Range header, so a box that drops
its uplink at 80% resumes instead of starting over. Verify the sha256 the hub
computed while caching.
Pick the splits
An .apkm is a zip holding base.apk plus split_config.arm64_v8a.apk. The
agent selects base plus the matching ABI, and the nearest density and language
splits if the bundle has them.
Run the pre-install hook
Usually stopping the scanner/MITM. Configured per device group, or replaced entirely by Rotom, which disables the box in the controller instead (optional).
Install the session
pm install-create -r -d -i com.android.vending
pm install-write … # once per split
pm install-commit …A plain pm install cannot take a split bundle, which is why this is a session.
Fall back to a clean install, if Android insists
If Android rejects the in-place upgrade, like a different signing key, or a
downgrade, the agent uninstalls and installs clean. This wipes the app's
data, so the job is flagged as data wiped.
Verify
dumpsys package has to report the expected version. pm printing Success
is not taken as proof.
Run the post-install hook
Usually starting the scanner again or a personalized command.
Every step keeps progress over the socket, so we get a real percentage and the box's own log.
In-place vs clean
The default approach preserves app data and only falls back to a wipe when Android insists. Ticking force a clean install on a rollout uninstalls first on every device.
A clean install is the right answer when the signing key changed and you know it. It is the wrong answer as a habit.
What the agent never does
It runs as root but changes no device settings. It installs, reads package versions and free space, and runs the hooks you configured: nothing else.