Various Signatures apk

Question

I made an Android app and published it in the play store. I signed my apk with a new private key.

Last week, I wanted to update my application with new features. Therefore, I exported a new apk with the same private key that was created earlier. Then I published, and the playstore accepted it.

But in the play store in my phone, the application cannot be updated. I have to delete it before, and if I do, I will lose my data.

So my question is how can I make updatable apk in google play store.

Answer 1

You cannot change the signature of your apk uploaded to the play store, you will need to use the same signature as before. If you change the signature of your application and try to download it, you will receive an error message indicating that the same application was found, but with a different signature.

If you manually send your users an application (for example, mail) with a changed signature, they will have to delete the current application before they can install the same application with a new signature. Users lose application data by doing this! This is a security mechanism, so hackers / bad people cannot change your apk and get user data this way.

Android uses a signature to verify that the application is indeed an update to the existing one on your phone. Since only your password, etc., Hackers cannot use it there, for example, fake application updates.

Summary: Always use the same signature!

Check out: http://developer.android.com/tools/publishing/app-signing.html

Edit: As @HandlerExploit said, you probably have your “non-market version / debug version” of the application still installed on your phone, the debug version of the application is always signed with the default debug signature. This signature is different from the one on the market.

Answer 2

Most likely, you installed the application with your default signatures on your computer during development, you will need to remove it before installing a new version on the market.

Answer 3

Without increasing your version number in the manifest, this effect will also matter. Make sure android: versionCode = "1" is different in each version. An accurate error message, if one exists, may also help.