Database Develop

maps offline

rightio well obviously this phone has built in GPS and i would love to utalize this feature on the road or when generally finding places.
Thing is however the GPS works the maps do not load. i have tried google maps, and they do not load without wifi, same as the google map editor, andnav and also nav4all. None of them show the maps unless they have been pre-loaded via wifi which isnt possible most of the time. I would love for some help with this, if i could save the WHOLE map for the UK that would be great! and be able to access it offline and use it with the GPS.
Any ideas?
Also sorry if its been covered before i did do a search and couldn't find anything
Thanks

Look for "BigPlanet" on Android Market.

there are no results so im guessing its a paid app? i dont really want to spend any cash...

welshboy09 said:
there are no results so im guessing its a paid app? i dont really want to spend any cash...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know of any other offline apps for the G1. It works mostly ok, but could have a couple of more features.
PS only costs $3
PPS http://bigplanetmaps.wordpress.com/
Although the engine for bigplanet seems to be available to be licensed for other apps now, so maybe someone will release a freebe.

well i tried downloading it, and i keep getting an error saying my credit card is invalid... i live in the UK and it comes up as $2.99 in the store... plus i know for a fact it is valid, i used it with paypal almost every day, also ATM's and chip and pin in store...

Try emailing the author to see if he has allowed it for all countries...

well i don't understand why it wouldn't be, i haven't used the program to unlock the market... i simply signed up for google checkout so all the apps that aren't allowed for my country shouldn't even show up, should they? well ill e-mail him anyway

AndNav2 can download maps in advance. Zoom the region you would like to download, Menu->Precache (or whatever it was called) and select zoom level. Beware that on the highest two zoom levels you would be downloading hundreds megabytes if you are viewing large area.

i cant find andnav2 in the market though..

So get it from their website!

waze.co.il is working on (a paid) version of FreeMap
They re-written FreeMap to native android .
it should be released soon to the US market. not free, I know but they will eventually release it as free since it is open source.
Their true advantage over most android GPS programs is they offer true offline navigation program (like iGo for WindowsMobile). you download the country file into your device.
Once you did that you can navigate freely. Route calculations are done inside the device and not on some remote server.
users can upload their history routes at home , to fix map errors so it is integrated to public map.
if you have a data plan and agree to expose your location it will ping your location every few minutes and (with more people doing that) they can provide you online traffic jams info.

save2 said:
if you have a data plan and agree to expose your location it will ping your location every few minutes and (with more people doing that) they can provide you online traffic jams info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think AndNav2 does the same thing, you can download map packs ahead of time and it will upload your GPS traces if you allow it to to improve maps, and probably traffic etc.

You can find interesting things about andnav2 and Bigplanet on droidappz.com

Artfulbits Anti Piracy Database to ban people that pirate apps from using stealing

http://www.artfulbits.com/Android/antipiracy.aspx
If your a Dev please support them, if you need assistance msg me i can send u code that will allow your app to automatically send a message to this company with a users information that has stolen your app or tried to steal it.

pentace said:
http://www.artfulbits.com/Android/antipiracy.aspx
If your a Dev please support them, if you need assistance msg me i can send u code that will allow your app to automatically send a message to this company with a users information that has stolen your app or tried to steal it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm all for cracking down hard on piracy, but there are three big flaws with this solution:
1) How would Artfulbits verify that an app reporting a device is a "dark" device is making that report in good faith? If a bunch of pirates wanted to render this service pointless, they could just create apps that flood the service with false positives.
2) It is possible (although difficult) to link IMEI to a user/owner. This makes a publicly accessible database of "dark" IMEIs somewhat shady in terms of being a breach of privacy.
3) Finally, if this service is to be useful, apps have to have some way of acting on the information in the database. That is just going to lead to folks "cracking" apks to remove the IMEI-checking routines, or simply using leakproof firewalls to prevent the app from accessin the IMEI database.
Thoughts?

There is not going to be a way to completely stop piracy. Google just needs to step up the way the market works to prevent some of the piracy.
I understand devs deserve money for their hard work (and the log of my google checkout shows I support them) but I personally dont want any app reporting any information about myself or my phone. If there is a list of which apps do I will find an alternative for better or worse and not use the app. Not to knock on those who support this method, I just personally dont like it.

rondey- said:
There is not going to be a way to completely stop piracy. Google just needs to step up the way the market works to prevent some of the piracy.
I understand devs deserve money for their hard work (and the log of my google checkout shows I support them) but I personally dont want any app reporting any information about myself or my phone. If there is a list of which apps do I will find an alternative for better or worse and not use the app. Not to knock on those who support this method, I just personally dont like it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well considering my app has been pirated 3x as much as it has been downloaded legally i would be willing to let go of the few that are not comfortable with their imei being registered on a website which only happens if u are stealing an app, most apps out there gather more information from you than that without you even knowing.

I don't get why people would install this program. If it detects pirated software on your phone then who the hell are you letting you use your phone? Lets say you know you have pirated software well then of course you wont install this program. If you know your running a clean rom and have no reason to suspect pirated software your giving up a lot of information for a false sense of security. So unless this is forcibly installed on everyone's phone I don't see what's the point.

psychoace said:
I don't get why people would install this program. If it detects pirated software on your phone then who the hell are you letting you use your phone? Lets say you know you have pirated software well then of course you wont install this program. If you know your running a clean rom and have no reason to suspect pirated software your giving up a lot of information for a false sense of security. So unless this is forcibly installed on everyone's phone I don't see what's the point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not a program you install. It is a database. App developers write routines into their programs which access the database. If an application suspects that it was illegally pirated, then it will send the user's IMEI to the database.

This is stupid idea. Go to the source of piracy if you want to fight it.
Give people access to paid apps on market and they won't download illegal copies form rapidshare...

su27 said:
Give people access to paid apps on market and they won't download illegal copies form rapidshare...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Riiiight... because if you give pirates the option to pay they'll definitely all pay right?

This database thing bothers me.
Not because I might be stealing programs..
but because I might find one and not know its "dark"
Suddenly I'm on some blacklist because I thought an app was cool?
I just did a search on one of the torrent sites, and found a file to DL.
It has 231 apk files and 2 .bak files. (I'm assuming the bak files are for a cracked version of the paid apk) but many of these files are a)old versions or b) free already.
Normally I would say SCORE! I don't have to DL to the g1, then back up, uninstall, transfer to the pc, and store.
Last time I tried a file like that, more than half were for cupcake, and would not work on my donut. Recycle bin.
With this Database I would get tagged as a cheater the first time I tried to install any of those files that were marked. But I have no idea they are "dark" before hand.
While I thank the Dev's for the work they do.
{Seriously, Thank you Developers!}
I'm a student, and I'm poor, which means I'm cheap.
I have several free apks stored away. Hell, I still used youtube downloader 1.2...until it quit working last week. Why, because I don't want to spend money just to have a cool phone.
If you really want to make it hard on the thieves... someone make a program that cripples another program, until the user requests the full version. Then it reads the Imei number from the phone and sends an upgrade request to a server. The server requests payment. Server verifies payment. The server issues a hashed password based on the Imei, which is then sent back to the phone as a password. Customer never sees the password.
This is what Doc to go appears to do. I could be wrong.
Now make it so that program can be imbedded in any other program.
Now thieves need a whole crap load of hacking to find enough hashed passwords to find the hash.
If the hash is added to at random intervals, or a different hash is used based on the Imei number, they might never find the hash.
Besides that, how the heck does a program know if it has been stolen?
How can it tell between a stolen program and a wiped phone that is getting reinstalled with backed up apk's?

jashsu said:
I'm all for cracking down hard on piracy, but there are three big flaws with this solution:
1) How would Artfulbits verify that an app reporting a device is a "dark" device is making that report in good faith? If a bunch of pirates wanted to render this service pointless, they could just create apps that flood the service with false positives.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exists several strategies, for example the most popular is "honey pot" strategy. When vendor especially making leak of software or prepare specially application to track piracy.
jashsu said:
2) It is possible (although difficult) to link IMEI to a user/owner. This makes a publicly accessible database of "dark" IMEIs somewhat shady in terms of being a breach of privacy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For example in our country sufficient IMEI of the phone to find it owner and it location, of course if you have police under your shelders. That is why I am thinking that IMEI is a good identifier.
jashsu said:
3) Finally, if this service is to be useful, apps have to have some way of acting on the information in the database. That is just going to lead to folks "cracking" apks to remove the IMEI-checking routines, or simply using leakproof firewalls to prevent the app from accessin the IMEI database.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Solution is not perfect, but can be easily enhanced. HTTPS protocol with certificate checks will make firewalls and redirections useless.
What functionality exactly you have in mind?

[email protected] said:
While I thank the Dev's for the work they do.
{Seriously, Thank you Developers!}
I'm a student, and I'm poor, which means I'm cheap.
I have several free apks stored away. Hell, I still used youtube downloader 1.2...until it quit working last week. Why, because I don't want to spend money just to have a cool phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Leave according to your money. what can I say... spend less, work more.

[email protected] said:
Besides that, how the heck does a program know if it has been stolen?
How can it tell between a stolen program and a wiped phone that is getting reinstalled with backed up apk's?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Several simple steps:
- install software only from well known web sites, Android Market, Handagoo, SlideMe, etc.
- try to use trials and if it does not exists but you want to try, contact with developers. In most cases developer will provide you version for testing.
- if your phone is placed into black list, then you can contact "blacklist" vendor for explanation and fixing.

jashsu said:
Riiiight... because if you give pirates the option to pay they'll definitely all pay right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You see - that's your problem - you want to fight the enemy instead of prevent war.
In my country there are many people who would pay for android programs because they are quite cheap. But we have no access to paid market. That is why we download apps illegaly.
Now, what do you think will faster stop us from stealing apps:
A. Calling us pirates and thieves
B. Giving us access to paid apps

su27 said:
Now, what do you think will faster stop us from stealing apps:
A. Calling us pirates and thieves
B. Giving us access to paid apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are making the incredibly flawed assumption that piracy only happens because people have no access to the paid market. Are some people put in this situation? Yes, probably. But the majority of pirates likely DO have access to the paid market and simply don't want to pay.

I am a bit confused, what does this ban people from? The market in it's entirety?
If that is the case, I would think you'd see an outburst of pirating once people couldn't access the market anymore. And that would also prevent people who may not feel like dishing out $100 for a navigation solution from purchasing numerous $1-10 programs that they would actually use on a daily basis. I think this methodology is flawed.
Piracy will never be completely stopped. However, making it harder for people to pirate your software is the best prevention. Instead of saying "Oh, you might have installed a pirated copy of XXX on your device, so now you can't purchase any more programs legitimately, so keep on stealing!". Due diligence falls on the hands of the software creators. If piracy is something you want to prevent (or at least inhibit) for your software, create an IMEI checking device key required to be granted after receipt (and clearance) of payment. Similar to CoPilot, granted it still gets cracked - it is much harder and much less widespread, and a simple update renders it useless to those who used the cracked version (check all over these forums for people complaining about it).
Also, implement trials that don't require the user to pay for them, giving them only 24 hours to try something out before they decide they need their money back. Even Microsoft lets users go 30 days without activation (last I checked) to try out Windows. They do not (to the best of my knowledge) make great attempts to prevent their software from being copied, but instead make it harder on those who do pirate it. Blocking system updates (of course everything has a workaround or crack, but making it harder on someone is oftentimes a great deterrent), preventing new feature installation, etc.
I am not condoning piracy, nor am I condemning software publishers. Just trying to make a point, which is this:
If you take someone who has stolen a program (for whatever reason/justification they may think of) and punish them by revoking their access to purchase said program (or any other program), you have thus reinforced their reason/justification to not purchase any programs.

Now, i may be wrong here, but looking at their source code to integrate into applications, there seem to be 2 things: 1) the device has to have a data connection, otherwise the code doesnt know whether the device is blacklisted or not, at which point it defaults to assuming it isnt, which overall is a good thing for users who have paid but for whatever reason dont have network at that time, however it is easy enough to stop an application from accessing the network, or even a specific site (ie the site for your imei number on their page).
secondly, is this meant to run on the first run of an app, or every run? if it is every run then i can see people getting annoyed by the unnecessary data usage, whereas if it is only on the first run then someone still has access to all their pirated apps from before they were on the database.
please note the only coding i have done is some fairly simple C, so i could be wrong, but anyone can check this if they want: http://www.artfulbits.com/Articles/Samples/Piracy/Integration.aspx

I think that by now most people know that I don't honeycoat things, so I'll just say it... this idea is RETARDED.
1) The application needs to use the API to get the IMEI. If you start using the IMEI to blacklist phones, a minor modification to the API causes the application to always read a string of 0's. Defeated.
2) The application needs PERMISSION to read the IMEI (android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE). If you start requiring programs to have this permission, people will simply DENY it this permission (yes, it IS possible to block a permission)... this is ESPECIALLY the case when the application has *no good reason* to read the phone state.
3) As has been mentioned before in this thread, HOW DO YOU KNOW that an application you are downloading is pirated? Many applications are FREE to download, and virtually NONE of the pirated apps are labeled as "THIS IS PIRATED".
4) Connection to the internet can be EASILY blocked. Lots of ways... firewall, hosts, permissions, etc. Again, defeated.
Oh, and to those saying crap like access to paid market won't stop piracy, NOBODY SAID IT WOULD!!! It *WILL* reduce it though, since there ARE people out there who WOULD buy apps *IF THEY COULD*.

daveid said:
I am a bit confused, what does this ban people from? The market in it's entirety?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read the description again more carefully. This does not impact a user's ability to access the Market, as it is not a Google product. In case your comprehension is lacking, i'll explain it very simply:
1. A developer decides to use the Artfulbits Anti Piracy Database (shortened AAPD) with its app.
2. A user downloads this AAPD-enabled app from the market.
3. When said app is run, it sends the IMEI of the device to the Artfulbits server. The server returns a color code corresponding to the number of times that IMEI has been reported by other AAPD-enabled apps for piracy. The app can then do whatever it wants with that information. This can be anything from deleting itself to crippling its own functionality.
4. App can also detect if has been pirated (by checking to see if the app has an entry in the user's personal Market account or some other method). If the app detects it is pirated, it will send a report to AAPD.

Another point Artfulbits failed to consider is that not all Android devices will have IMEIs to report.

Is piracy really that much of a problem? I mean most apps cost <3€ and I don't think I am the only one who values his time higher than saving 3€. I rather pay once and get updates via Market than check warez-sites for updates, and I think that most think that way?
There are just two apps that I ever considered to pirate. One was a dictionary for 20$ but I ended up buying it. The other is CoPilot which I would never buy since I don't own a car, but since it is not cracked anyway, I was not forced to really think about it.
I don't see anything good coming from that database. I.e. if my phone would be entered by mistake, you can imagine what problems that would cause for devs whose apps I bought, which I assume would suddenly stop working then.
You really need to think about whether the negative side-effects of such measures like this database are worth the (presumably very small) benefit.

[SEARCH] Anti Thief App

I know there a lots of them on market. But I dont have the nerve to test them all. Can somebody recommend an app that sends me the phone number of the inserted sim card per SMS.
Would be cool if it also could send me the GPS location in a pre configured interval per SMS.
Thx...
i found one that is working perfectly for me...
App name ist "lost phone"
http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.gadgetprojects.lostphone

Not exactly what you're looking for, but Mobile Defense is a great, free anti-theft app with GPS tracking and remote lock.

I use WaveSecure. It has GPS tracking, online backup, remote wipe, remote lock, sms alerts and (importantly) uninstall protection.
I got a free subscription a couple of months back but I think you have to pay now.

Wouldn't a wipe via recovery console erase everything though?

monkey804 said:
Wouldn't a wipe via recovery console erase everything though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, you can always wipe from recovery but that isn't well known outside forums like this. It's unlikely a thief would figure that out before you've tracked him down and sent the rozzers round.

I found Mobile Security but I guess the app dev is no native english speaker (like me). His description for the "Security Code" feature is hard to read and understand. Any chance someone uses this app and can explain it to me?
el_smurfo said:
Not exactly what you're looking for, but Mobile Defense is a great, free anti-theft app with GPS tracking and remote lock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to receive the phone number. My GPS is turned off most of the time. A lock feature is nice indeed but i guess the phone lands in the next dumpster when its unusable.
goldenarmZ said:
I use WaveSecure. It has GPS tracking, online backup, remote wipe, remote lock, sms alerts and (importantly) uninstall protection.
I got a free subscription a couple of months back but I think you have to pay now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I regulary buy paid apps but 20$ per year is too much i think.
monkey804 said:
Wouldn't a wipe via recovery console erase everything though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jepp, but i hope the thief just inserts his sim first

smurf said:
I regulary buy paid apps but 20$ per year is too much i think.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ouch. I didn't realise they were charging that much.
I'm pretty pleased I got the free subscription offer now..

smurf said:
I would like to receive the phone number. My GPS is turned off most of the time. A lock feature is nice indeed but i guess the phone lands in the next dumpster when its unusable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you even check out the www.mobiledefense.com? I will report the current SIM information, including phone number. If you are rooted and install the app in system/app, it can also turn on the GPS itself, telling you the location of the phone.
https://www.mobiledefense.com/tour

el_smurfo said:
Did you even check out the www.mobiledefense.com? I will report the current SIM information, including phone number. If you are rooted and install the app in system/app, it can also turn on the GPS itself, telling you the location of the phone.
https://www.mobiledefense.com/tour
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jepp, I did. The thing is I forgot to mention: its only available to Users in the United States

Besides Mobile Defense, there is Lookout. Although I don't think it has as much features though. I haven't kept up with it so I'm not sure. I don't think they give you the option to wipe your phone, but I'm positive they can do it if you ask them to.

smurf said:
jepp, I did. The thing is I forgot to mention: its only available to Users in the United States
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you asked them about when they're planning to launch outside the United States? They might not be too far away.

What about viable alternatives for users looking for free protection outside the US?
Has anyone tried Anti DT (http://www.antidroidtheft.com/)? I've installed it but never used it (Thank God).
Features that are advertised on the website?
Email alerts when someone changes SIM cards
Online location tracking of your android device using GPS or Cell Towers (Any Web Browser)
Spy Camera: View images taken from your phone's camera.

i found one that is working perfectly for me...
App name ist "lost phone"
http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.gadgetprojects.lostphone

I also found "Lost Phone" one of the easyest. AND working, coz I have tried some other, inserted other SIM and nothing happening.. TRY before you buy and get your phone stolen
Too bad there isn't a wipe included. So to complete my anti-theft I added "Remote Wipe". Didn't test this one yet, need to backup my 16gb card first, don't wanna loose all that
If you have sensitive material from work on your phone you need something like this. Those two together put my heart at rest and bring me a "safer" phone.

I will give you a list as my G1 was stolen, I know these apps worked becuase it wokred for me but, the f*#^in" dumb... asssss I was saying... the cops never helped me go retrieve the phone. GPS number, cell number, and G1 box with IMEI number provided.
Enough with bad memories.... The List is :
Sim Checker will let you know of a new sim inserted in the phone as well as, the number and gps coordinates/number/location(address)
Wavesecure lets you add friends so they'll also know when your phone is stolen with features such as, Remote Sd card format, Remote lock, Phones will lock with an unknown sim, gps tracking, and backup of contacts, sms, call log, and now has uninstall protection.
GPS Tracker by Instamapper is a great way to track your phone in real time.
There are so many choices... I'd get them all!

Check out this one
This one identifies itself by IMEI, for each device a own APK is created.
You can control your mobile with sms commands, the itself is invisible, no app icon, nothing, and it can be changed to a system app.
Great
(I am NOT the dev, and I don't know him )

Solution/Alternative for Google Pay

Hello Mates
After using and searching for many methods for installing GMS(apart from VM apps) which is not workable at the moment, i can settle myself for all things but missing Google Pay which is more common in UPI payments in India.
I have found another way to use UPI payment but not sure if it's work because right now I don't have indian sim card with me which is required for sending sms.
1. Amazon Pay
2. Airtel UPI payment (in Airtel Thanks App)
In above both apps I didn't get error like (This app won't work without Google Services or Cannot work in Rooted device)
Hope someone can try above and enjoy using UPI in your device.
Thanks

I have used iCard for contactless payments and it works normally.

umairlakdawala said:
Hello Mates
After using and searching for many methods for installing GMS(apart from VM apps) which is not workable at the moment, i can settle myself for all things but missing Google Pay which is more common in UPI payments in India.
I have found another way to use UPI payment but not sure if it's work because right now I don't have indian sim card with me which is required for sending sms.
1. Amazon Pay
2. Airtel UPI payment (in Airtel Thanks App)
In above both apps I didn't get error like (This app won't work without Google Services or Cannot work in Rooted device)
Hope someone can try above and enjoy using UPI in your device.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Airtel UPI payment working successfully, you can scan QR Code or enter UPI manually, cannot send by entering mobile number.

xchatter said:
I have used iCard for contactless payments and it works normally.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it doesn't require Google Pay/Google account?

No, you just should to create an account on their site.
More easy to use (I think) it is Curve, you don't need to move the money into a new account (as on iCard), you need just to enrole your cards into the app. I couldn't use it for contacltless payments yet (the phisical card didn't arrive yet), but I have use it for few online transactions.

Shymmy said:
No, you just should to create an account on their site.
More easy to use (I think) it is Curve, you don't need to move the money into a new account (as on iCard), you need just to enrole your cards into the app. I couldn't use it for contacltless payments yet (the phisical card didn't arrive yet), but I have use it for few online transactions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can confirm Curve works for contactless. I've started using it a few days back. It is better than iCard as you suggested.

xchatter said:
I can confirm Curve works for contactless. I've started using it a few days back. It is better than iCard as you suggested.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello friend. How do you use it in contactless since there is no button? Yesterday without doing nothing it worked on pos for me but today I stayed there waiting and nothing happened. Is anything particular you do when you want to pay?

kukowski27 said:
Hello friend. How do you use it in contactless since there is no button? Yesterday without doing nothing it worked on pos for me but today I stayed there waiting and nothing happened. Is anything particular you do when you want to pay?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there, here is how it works(assuming you activated Curve Pay and already set it as default NFC payment method):
- Unlock your phone and tap it to the POS, then it will "buzz" and the Curve app will request additional authentication
- Use your fingerprint to authenticate and tap it again to the POS
Basically it is a 2-step(you have to tap it twice on the POS) while GPay is just one tap with unlocked phone.

If, for various reasons, the Curve application does not react when the phone approaches the POS, open the application, go to Account - Settings - Curve pay.
Make sure NFC is enabled (I tried to pay several times without activating NFC - I forgot to activate it).

.

Shymmy said:
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks mate for your thorough reply. Since it seems you know the phone is there a way to get proper notifications on this phone? My main problem so far are ms teams and outlook. Do you have any suggestion?

For notifications (on Yahoo mail, for example) I use microG settings.
Install Core first, see if you receive notifications as you want; I don't know on what occasion I also installed proxy ...

Google Play Store physical address requirement: Options for independent developers to protect their privacy

Since Google in 2014 introduced the requirement of providing a physical address that is displayed publicly on Google Play (for developers selling paid apps or in-app products), there has been some discussion about this.
I'm thinking about solutions to this for independent developers who are uncomfortable with making their (full) name and home address public.
Examining apps on Google Play (paid / with in-app products, updated in 2022) I find that developers have provided different things as their address, all apparently without Google suspending their accounts or sale of apps:
no information at all ("Address" does not appear under "Developer Contact")
just the country
just city and country
a PO box address
full address but no name
Actually there are few app where the name and full address of the developer is displayed.
So it seems that Google doesn't really care about it. Still I'm not comfortable with doing something against the law.
So I wonder about the following:
Is it even against the law or against the agreement with Google? - in the developer distribution agreement I can find nothing about it, and from what I read here only the consumer protection laws of the European Union require it, so if I only distribute the app outside the EU, is the address still required?
Did some developer have his account / app suspended because of this?
Did Google (or someone else for that matter) contact a developer with the physical address?
Would it be better to provide city and country or to provide no information at all (it seems a bit fraudulent to me to declare something as address which is not an address)?

As a solo dev, I looked into this quite a bit and from other places it seems they don't actually check.
I provided my local post office address rather than my own.
It's been over a year and still good so far but my apps don't have many downloads yet.
The thing I don't understand is you have this law clearly saying someone selling something needs to provide a physical address.
On the other hand you have GDPR which states that personal data should not be disclosed unless the user wants to do so - I should be able to tell Google, no this is my home address, I do NOT want it disclosed.
So these two laws are in direct conflict, I can't find anywhere that addresses that conflict.

Just wanted to report that I solved this problem by registering a company (US LLC) and getting a virtual address for it.
While this is of course time consuming and will cost you at least a few hundred dollars, I was easier and cheaper than I initially thought. And you can register a US company also if you don't live in the US, you don't even have to travel there.