Android™ Runtime Development

[_jan_]

I created an update for my app, that got published today. Now I'm facing the problem that updates from the previous release are not possible. App World displays error code 0008. After a bit of research, I found out that this may have to do with using different keys for signing.

As it turns out, the APK file within the BAR file is signed with a debug key. Since I created the old release on a different computer, these keys are different for both versions, resulting in an error when updating.

The BAR packages were both exported using the BlackBerry Android Eclipse plugin. I think it's very strange that the plugin creates the BAR file using a debug APK file. As I reinstalled the computer that I used for signing the previous version of my app some time ago, I don't have my debug key anymore (and it would expire within a year anyway), I can't update my app on App World without having users reinstall it.

Is it normal that the Eclipse plugin exports packages this way? It seems to me as this is a huge problem that should have been noticed by someone else before.

[karthikpalanivelu]

I think you might have same problem with Google Play Store as well. It's better not to use the apk which you obtained within bin folder after running your application. You might have exported your projected into apk through Right Click on your Project -> Export -> Export Android Application. The keystore file should be the same for all versions.

Then to package apk into bar, u might wanna use Online Packaging tool available at (https://bdsc.webapps.blackberry.com/android/bpaa/). Eclipse plugin for BlackBerry Packaging is really Bad and it needs lot of effort to make it work. In this way you can avoid the problem of using different computers for the next versions.

[_jan_]

I'm using Right click -> Android tools -> Export signed application package to create the regular Android packages, which is working fine.

For BlackBerry releases, I have previously used Right click -> BlackBerry tools -> Sign for App World, which caused the signing problems mentioned in my first post. Probably this is because the BlackBerry Eclipse plugin uses the APK file from the bin folder, that is signed with the debug key.

I have now switched to exporting a signed Android package, and then creating and signing the BAR file from the command line. I have verified that this method works, and I am now checking before each release, so this won't happen again.

The problem is that I probably lost a lot of users because of the error that happens when updating from the first release of my app and which leaves the app in a corrupted state.

[karthikpalanivelu]

Yeah. That's right. Now you are on track. Please don't use Eclipse packaging plugin until RIM provide us option to choose the apk to be packaged..