Methods and apparatus to detect uninstallation of an on-device meter
View Patent ↗Example methods and apparatus to detect uninstallation of an on-device meter are disclosed. An example method includes detecting, at a second process on a mobile device, a first notification that an on-device meter process is to be uninstalled, the first notification broadcast within the mobile device in response to a user instruction to uninstall the on-device meter process. The on-device meter process is to monitor usage of the mobile device. The first notification is not communicated external to the mobile device. In response to the identification of the first notification, monitoring information stored by the on-device meter process is transmitted to a remote data collector. The monitoring information not transmitted to the remote data collector by the on-device meter process. An uninstallation notification is transmitted to the remote data collector, and includes an identifier to identify at least one of the mobile device or a user of the mobile device.
1. A method to detect uninstallation of an on-device meter process on a mobile device, the method comprising:
detecting, at a second process on the mobile device, a first notification that the on-device meter process is to be uninstalled, the first notification broadcast within the mobile device in response to a user instruction to uninstall the on-device meter process, the on-device meter process is to monitor usage of the mobile device, the first notification not communicated external to the mobile device;
transmitting, with a transmitter on the mobile device and in response to the identification of the first notification, monitoring information to a remote data collector, the monitoring information stored by the on-device meter process, the monitoring information not transmitted to the remote data collector by the on-device meter process;
transmitting, with the transmitter on the mobile device, an uninstallation notification to the remote data collector, the uninstallation notification including an identifier to identify at least one of the mobile device or a user of the mobile device;
in response to transmission of the uninstallation notification to the remote data collector, presenting an exit questionnaire, the exit questionnaire to request a reason for the uninstallation of the on-device meter process; and
in response to receipt of a response to the exit questionnaire, requesting uninstallation of the second process.
2. The method as described in claim 1 , wherein the second process is an on-device meter monitor process to monitor uninstallation of the on-device meter process.
3. The method as described in claim 1 , wherein the first notification further includes the reason for the uninstallation of the on-device meter process.
4. The method as described in claim 1 , wherein the second process is to detect uninstallation of the on-device meter process.
5. The method as described in claim 1 , wherein the second process is dedicated to monitoring only the on-device meter process.
6. The method as described in claim 1 , wherein the second process does not respond to uninstallations of processes different than the on-device meter process or the second process.
7. The method as described in claim 1 , further including:
displaying, in response to the first notification, a prompt asking whether the second process is to be uninstalled; and
uninstalling the second process in response to a user response to the prompt indicating that the second process is to be uninstalled.
8. The method as described in claim 7 , wherein transmitting the uninstallation notification is performed prior to uninstalling the second process.
9. The method as described in claim 1 , wherein the second process is to initiate a survey on the mobile device in response to the uninstallation of the on-device meter process.
10. The method as described in claim 1 , further including determining if the on-device meter process was uninstalled during startup of the mobile device.
11. An apparatus to detect uninstallation of an audience metering process on a mobile device, the apparatus comprising:
an uninstall detector on the mobile device to detect that the audience metering process is to be uninstalled from the mobile device based on a notification broadcast within the mobile device, the notification not communicated external to the mobile device, the audience metering process to store monitoring information representative of usage of the mobile device;
an uninstaller to prompt a package manager to remove the uninstall detector from the mobile device when the audience metering process is uninstalled; and
a communicator to:
transmit the monitoring information to a data collector, the monitoring information stored by the audience metering process, the monitoring information not transmitted to the data collector by the audience metering process;
transmit an uninstallation notification to the data collector when the audience metering process is to be uninstalled, the uninstallation notification to enable identification of a panelist associated with the mobile device, at least one of the uninstall detector, the uninstaller, or the communicator implemented by a processor;
in response to transmission of the uninstallation notification to the data collector, cause an exit questionnaire to be presented, the exit questionnaire to request a reason for the uninstallation of the audience metering process; and
in response to receipt of a response to the exit questionnaire, request uninstallation of the uninstall detector.
12. The apparatus as described in claim 11 , further including a startup detector to cause the uninstall detector to determine if the audience metering process has been uninstalled during startup of the mobile device.
13. The apparatus as described in claim 11 , wherein the uninstaller is to display, in response to the notification, a prompt asking whether the audience metering process is to be uninstalled; and to uninstall the audience metering process in response to a user response to the prompt indicating that the audience metering process is to be uninstalled.
14. A tangible computer readable medium excluding propagating signals, comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a processor of a mobile device to at least:
identify a first notification that an on-device meter process is to be uninstalled, the on-device meter process to monitor media usage, the first notification broadcast within the mobile device in response to a user instruction to uninstall the on-device meter process, the first notification not communicated external to the mobile device;
transmit, in response to the identification of the first notification, monitoring information to a remote data collector, the monitoring information stored by the on-device meter process, the monitoring information not transmitted to the remote data collector by the on-device meter process;
transmit an uninstallation notification to the remote data collector, the uninstallation notification including an identifier to identify at least one of the mobile device or a user of the mobile device;
in response to transmission of the uninstallation notification to the remote data collector, present an exit questionnaire, the exit questionnaire to request a reason for the uninstallation of the on-device meter process; and
in response to receipt of a response to the exit questionnaire, request uninstallation of the second process.
15. The tangible computer readable medium as described in claim 14 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to implement an on-device meter monitor process dedicated to monitoring only the on-device meter process.
16. The tangible computer readable medium as described in claim 14 , wherein the instructions cause the processor to implement an on-device meter monitor process which does not respond to uninstallations of processes different than the on-device meter process.
17. The tangible computer readable medium as described in claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to at least:
display a prompt regarding whether an on-device meter monitor process is to be uninstalled when the first notification that the on-device meter process is to be uninstalled is identified; and
uninstall the on-device meter monitor process if the response indicates that the on-device meter monitor process is to be uninstalled.
18. The tangible computer readable medium as described in claim 17 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to transmit the uninstallation notification prior to uninstalling the on-device meter monitor process.
19. The tangible computer readable medium as described in claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to initiate a survey on the mobile device in response to the uninstallation of the on-device meter process.
20. The tangible computer readable medium as described in claim 14 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to determine if the on-device meter process was uninstalled during startup of the mobile device.