Android Question Conflicting Signature after Updating B4A

[Smee]

After updating from B4A 4.x to 7.x my program will no longer install. After searching the forum and finding that this is related to the private key i reloaded my key. This did not fix the problem. I then went back to my previous version of B4A and re-compiled with the saved private key. This version will now longer install either.
I cannot simply uninstall because I have a large database that I cannot afford to lose. How can i recover from this please.

BTW , At the moment I am unable to access the database because it is not stored in an accessable directory

Thanks

 

[monic]

Hi, can you show us any error you receive?

 

[Smee]

Hi, can you show us any error you receive?

Hi, Thanks for the reply,
The error is displayed on the device and simply says "An existing package by the same name with a conflicting signature is already installed" or very similar

 

[monic]

I understand now without knowing the exact key that was used to sign the original but in your case you know it was signed with the old key and is no longer working for your app.

The solution could be either uninstall which isn't desired or a remote possibility it was a debug key used?

 

[Cableguy]

The only solution I can think of, if you still have the backup project from IDE 4.x, is to re install that IDE, add an "export database" function so that you can extract the database.
Then, you will be able to re-compile the app in v7.01, without any other issues...

This is one of the most common problems that occur when jumping 3 major upgrades...
And if I was a betting man, I would say that you simply installed v7 over the old v4 install...

 

[Smee]

Thanks for the answer cable guy. First you would have lost the bet, I have a folder for each of my upgrades but have been out of Android programming for a few years hence the gap.
I already tried your suggestion, I opened my project with the original IDE, added the private key and recompiled. Your export suggestion was exactly what i was going to do but I cannot install any version.
Any suggestions @Erel ?

 

[Cableguy]

Is the device rooted? If not, can it be rooted without having to do a wipe?
If any of these is a yes, then you can/will be able to browse all hidden/normally unreadable folders

 

[An Schi]

And if I was a betting man, I would say that you simply installed v7 over the old v4 install...

Can you elaborate this please?
I am allways installing over the old version. I'm not sure, but i think i remember Erel said somewhere that this is ok...

 

[Cableguy]

Can you elaborate this please?
I am allways installing over the old version. I'm not sure, but i think i remember Erel said somewhere that this is ok...

It is ok, if you are doing regular updates...
In this case, the op jumped from v4 to v7.
In v5, the license file changed, and that alone caused a few users to be at loss with older projects.
Bottom line, when jumping more that minor updates, like from V6.5 to v6.8, it is better to install in a different folder so that older projects can be easily "converted" to the new major version

 

[Smee]

Is the device rooted? If not, can it be rooted without having to do a wipe?
If any of these is a yes, then you can/will be able to browse all hidden/normally unreadable folders

No but i am starting to think I might be rooted if I cannot solve this. I would have thought that by keeping the private key AND installing to a new directory I would have been protected from any problems like this

 

[Erel]

The old debug key is available here: https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/conflicting-signature.71219/#post-452635

Try it with this one.

 

[Smee]

Cheers Erel, Lifesaver. It worked. Although I do not understand why. I had not overwritten the previous version, I keep them in a separate folder so the key was still there. Regardless, all good now and I have exported the database
Thanks very much

 

[Leni Berry]

my b4a version 7.30. i create an app with this version and publish to google... when i update with new one with the same private key file, recompile (several times, the other day), it says that the app have a different certificate...

it is not a solution by replacing the new debug key with debug key from older version of b4a. it's the same problem...

help me please...

 

[Erel]

It is not related to this thread. Please start a new thread.

 

[Leni Berry]

It is not related to this thread. Please start a new thread.

yes Sir... this thread