Google Play Store: Keep the original release signature

Question

I put my app into Google Play Store, with "App Signing" (= Play Store manages the key) enabled. What I want to do is make it possible for users that had the app before it was in the Play Store (version 1.14 and prior) to install the next version via Play Store (1.15+).

I provided every user the .apk file manually until version 1.14. Version 1.15 is the first version in the Play Store.

I updated the App Signing key to match my release key. I don't remember how exactly I did it, but the Play Store provided me some kind of .jar file that I had to run and it created a .zip file I had to upload.

The SHA-1 hash in the Play Console matches my release key SHA-1. Still, the update can only be installed by re-installing the app and losing all data, as the Play Store displays a failure message when trying to update.

Is there a trick to make it work? Did I do something wrong?

Disrelish

Answer 1

Problem is that you were using different key to sign your app which you were distributing manually and different key for app distributed with Google Play. These two apps have different signature now.

Apps have to have the same signature and package name to be recognised as the same application.

In Google Play there is option to "change app signing key" when creating a new app. You should have selected "Use a different key" option here and upload keystore which you were using to sign the app previously.

Tical

I don't remember any such dialog being displayed to me. Google really tries to control everything and collect as much data as possible, using excuses that it "protects against loss". That 90% use app signing is no surprise to me, if they make it that difficult to manage the key to your creation yourself. I hate Google. – Disrelish

Answer 2

You should've Not enabled App Signing. Google let you chose for this specific case exactly.

Unfortunately this is impossible after enabling App Signing.

Hebetude