While testing my app one of the action I did is to clean install from PlayStore and then install update from my computer. When I did so I received the error INSTALL_FAILED_VERSION_DOWNGRADE, there are a-lot of information in google about this error I understood that I need to increase the versionCode in build grade file, and I did so.
But then I started to receive the following error: INSTALL_FAILED_UPDATE_INCOMPATIBLE: Package ###### signatures do not match previously installed version; ignoring!.
All suggestion that I can find is about uninstall the app from device and then clean install, and it does work. My question is why it happened? I am really concern about the customers who already have this app installed, they wan't be able to to update as well?
Thanks for your answers
This means, that the two APKs are signed with different signing keys.
If you try to install a debug version, the APK is signed with a debug key. So it is normal that the installation will fail.
In order to test the update of your app, either create a release version of your app (e.g. by selecting "release" from the "Build variants" tab. Or add the signing release configurations to your debug build variant in the app module's build.gradle file.
When you upload your app to the Play Store you sign the app with a key. Now when you develop your app further and try to deploy it on your phone the app is either not signed or signed with a development key because it's only a development version of the app.
Therefore I assume you get this signature error because the app's signature just won't match. Once you upload a new version of your app to the Play Store you'll sign the app again with your key which results in the same signature and the Play Store will recognize your app as the same with a newer version.
My app makes use of Firebase Realtime Database and Sign-In with Google authentication. In the test version of the app, everything ran smoothly. However, the sign in fails in the release version. I tried running the signingReport to get a different SHA-1, but it's the same key. I have minifiyEnabled "false" in my release version as someone suggested proguard might be interfering with some files. I have re-downloaded the google-services.json file too.
EDIT 1
I don't intend to publish the app on Google Play store. I just want to share the .apk itself with the users, could that be causing problems?
I don't know which files or code do I attach for reference.
I figured out a way to solve this, it might help a newbie like me in the future.
I was entering the SHA-1 Key of the debug version of the app and not the release version. My app's release certificate's keystore wasn't added in the signing configurations and thus my signing configuration yielded the keys for the debug version instead of the release version . Here is how to solve it.
Step 1
Generate the release version of the signed apk and store the keystore (.jks file).
Step 2
Go to Project Structures on Android Studio (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S). On the left pane of the Project Structures window, select Modules. Click on SigningConfigs. Press on the Add Signing Config button (Alt+Insert) and enter 'release' as the name of the config.
Link the .jks file we stored before and add the information about it inn the window and save it. Sync the project with gradle files.
Step 3
Open the gradle pane and select SigningConfigs. In the gradle console, you should have multiple certificate keys. The one with the version "release" is the one you must copy and paste in your Firebase Console.
I have a app which I released many years ago on the market. It was originally done in Eclipse. Now i am making a new version of the app in Android studio. I still have the original key and password it was signed with.
Can i update the already published app made in eclipse with the new one im making in Android studio, as long as i use the same key it was signed with?
Thanks
Can i update the already published app made in eclipse with the new
one I'm making in Android studio, as long as i use the same key it was
signed with?
Yes, you can.
Refer the documentation here.
If your app used a debug certificate in Eclipse ADT, Android Studio
continues to reference that certificate. Otherwise, the debug
configuration uses the Android Studio generated debug keystore, with a
known password and a default key with a known password located in
$HOME/.android/debug.keystore. The debug build type is set to use this
debug SigningConfig automatically when you run or debug your project
from Android Studio.
In release mode, Android Studio applies the release certificate used
in Eclipse ADT. If no release certificate was located during the
import process, add the release signing configuration to the
build.gradle file or use the Build > Generate Signed APK menu option
to open the Generate Signed APK Wizard. For more information about
signing your app, see Signing Your Applications.
Yup, you need to use the same key and the same package name.
I'd like to publicate my app to GooglePlay but first i would like to do a last testing with the signed apk to ensure that all of the used API keys are working correctly with the release version (GMaps, Facebook, etc)
So i just made a signed version of my app with our release key and when i try to install the app to the device i got an error:
I have tried to copy the apk to the device and install it with an apk installer app.
Strange thing is when i do the same process with debug signing key, all is well, I can install and run the app.
Here are the steps of the procedure:
I select the release key, type password.
I do select release build type instead of debugging
Just in case i also defined in the gradle file the signing keys but I must admit i dont know is it necessary.
I tried like 7 seven times now so i assume this problem is not just a
mistyped password, also I can make this work with the standard debug android signing key.
Please help if you can.
You may be using the android 5.0 or above device.
May be your development version is not uninstalled properly.
Try this,
Just go to the Settings --> Apps --> Click on your App. ---> In App info page at the action bar menu there will be an option called " Uninstall for All users " click that. Your app will be completely uninstalled and now you can try installing the new version with no issue. Hope this will help you
NOTE : This is for lollipop and above.
Refer the screenshot attached.
For Current Updated Android Studio 2.3 users this answer is for you as hardly people use eclipse nowadays for Android development as Android studio has huge advancements.
So, Follow this way to create your Signed apk file.
Build > Generate Signed apk.
Create Keystore path.
Put Password, alias, key password.
Build type select accordingly(eg to release in playstore use release).
Signature Version select both V1 and V2 checkboxes.
Finsih.
Go to from explorer where you selected for the apk to store and you will see your .apk file name as app-release.apk use it.
selecting Signature Version v1 and v2 both solved the problem for me....try it
The same thing happened to me, as long as I generated my apk from Build> Build APK. I could install and un-install the apk as many times as they were without any problem, but instead if I generated the Build> Generate Signed APK, when I passed the apk to the phone and try to install it, it only allowed me one occasion, the same one that came out the following message:
until then everything was fine if I selected "INSTALL IN ANY WAY", but what happened if I uninstalled the app and wanted to reinstall it (a possible scenario), the following happened:
so I solved the problem by disabling play protect, which I achieved (within Google Play)> Menu> Play Protect> Search for security threats (disable).
"App not installed" shows when an app with same package already installed in same device. just delete your first application which you were using for testing purpose before making it to signed apk. This will work. cheers!
Select both Signature Version v1 and v2 will resolve the issue
v1 scheme
A JAR file can be signed by using the command line jarsigner tool or
directly through the java.security API. Every file entry, including
non-signature related files in the META-INF directory, will be signed
if the JAR file is signed by the jarsigner tool. For every file entry
signed in the signed JAR file, an individual manifest entry is created
for it as long as it does not already exist in the manifest
V2 scheme
v1 signatures do not protect some parts of the APK, such as ZIP
metadata. The APK verifier needs to process lots of untrusted (not yet
verified) data structures and then discard data not covered by the
signatures. This offers a sizeable attack surface. Moreover, the APK
verifier must uncompress all compressed entries, consuming more time
and memory. To address these issues, Android 7.0 introduced APK
Signature Scheme v2
By default, Android Studio 2.2 and the Android Plugin for Gradle 2.2 sign your app using both APK Signature Scheme v2 and the traditional signing scheme, which uses JAR signing.
It is recommended to use APK Signature Scheme v2 but is not mandatory.
please see the details
In Android Studio 3.0 and Above
As described here
Note: The Run button builds an APK with testOnly="true", which means the APK can only be installed via adb (which Android Studio uses). If you want a debuggable APK that people can install without adb, select your debug variant and click Build Bundle(s) / APK(s) > Build APK(s).
Add android:testOnly="false" inside Application tag in AndroidManifest.xml
Reference: https://commonsware.com/blog/2017/10/31/android-studio-3p0-flag-test-only.html
Above shubham soni answer works for me,actually it happens to android version >=5.0.In above you able to install just use this while creating your apk...
Here I resolved this issue
The reason behind this issue is, there is already an application with the same package name in the phone, but you cannot find it in phone menu(U already made the un-installation but actually its still in your phone).
To see the application go to phones SETTINGS -> APPS.
There you can see the application, but inside that the UNINSTALL button may be disabled. click on the menu overflow button to see Uninstall for all users.
After performed uninstalled for all users I have successfully installed my signed apk.
You can also use adb to uninstall the app from phone.
adb uninstall package name
In addition to this,
if your mobile supports multiple users then check if respective app is not installed for other users. If it is installed for others then first uninstall previous app and try again
I faced the same issue today, I remembered that I signed my apk with the "new" Google Play signing:
Make sure if you signed your application with Google Play signing.
If you did:
Upload your apk to Google Console (like you
usually would when updating your application):
After it has successfully uploaded, open the Artifact library in the menu.
You will see the apk you have just uploaded.
Press the download button and select Download derived APK.
You will now be able to install the apk.
You can delete the draft after have downloaded the apk without having to update your application to the Google Play Store
minifyEnabled false
is the only that worked for me after 3 days of research on all forum!
Android Studio 4.1.1
If you want to create the debug apk, and just before creating the apk you tried running on your phone/simulator (doing create signed apk right away will cause the APP NOT INSTALLED),YOU SHOULD CLEAN THE PROJECT before creating signed bundle/apk
It's quite old question, but my solution was to change versionCode (increase) in build.gradle
Go To Build.Gradle(module:app)
use this - minifyEnabled false
That may because you run APK file from external SD card storage.
Just copy APK file into internal storagem problem will be solved
This can happen due to your choice of the signature version. On some phones, installation errors occur if the signature version was selected as V2. So if that happens, try selecting V1, it will surely work.
Removing android:testOnly="true" attribute from the AndroidManifest.xml worked.
link
I am using Android 10 in MiA2. The mistake I was making is that I tried to install the app via ES Explorer. I tried Settings -> Apps & Notifications -> Advanced -> Special App Access -> Install Unknown Apps -> ES File Manage -> Allow from this source. Even then the app won't install.
Then I tired to install the app using the default File Manager and it installed easily.
The checked answer is for rooted devices, or at least it doesn't work for me.
I found a way that you can simply solve the problem by uninstall your apk from adb by using adb uninstall app.package.name (make sure that Debug app is installed on your phone)
then try to install signed apk. Hope this helps you guys.
I was facing the same issue with my android application.
I just updated a library and then created a signed APK. Now it's working.
if Your Android Studio Version Greater than 3.0
Looks like we can not directly use the apk after running on the device from the build -->output->apk folder.
After upgrading to android studio 3.0 you need to go to Build -> Build Apk(s) then copy the apk from build -> output -> apk -> debug
File > Project Structure > Build Variants > Select release > Make sure 'Signing Config' is not empty > if it is select from the drop window the $signingConfigs.release
I did this with Android Studio 3.1.4 and it allowed me to create a release apk after following all the steps above of creating the release apk and release key and adding the info to the app gradle. Cheers!
You don't have to uninstall the Google Play version if App Signing by Google Play is enabled for your app, follow the steps:
1. Make a signed version of your app with your release key
2. Go to Google Play Developer console
3. Create a closed track release (alpha or beta release) with the new signed version of your app
4. You can now download the apk signed by App Signing by Google Play, choose derived APK
Install the downloaded derived APK
The reason is App Signing by Google Play signs release apps with different keys, if you have an app installed from Play Store, and you want to test the new release version app (generated from Android Studio) in your phone, "App not installed" happens since the old version and the new version were signed by two different keys: one with App Signing by Google Play and one with your key.
Kindly uninstall the debug app in the device or just increase the version code to overcome this issues
In my case I was trying to test installing a signed APK and the current installed version on my device was unsigned (building a debug version directly from Android studio)
I tried a lot of things and the following combination worked
Clean, Rebuild
Generating a new key. I used a new key alias that had not been used before. Also, for all the passwords, I used only alphabets and numbers without any spaces or special characters
To uninstall any apk, version etc from the device, I connected my device via usb and ran the command
gradlew uninstallAll
The signed release and debug apk worked
(Note: The debug and release configurations had)
minifyEnabled false
shrinkResources false
versionCode and versionName must be greater than preview version in app level build.gradle file.