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I don't have a Google account and use APKPure (and F-Droid) to get most apps I need. Now, there are a few apps which, after download, refuse to install - they give me the "App not installed" error when I try to install them from within the APKPure interface. Right now I'm seeing this with the SwiftKey Keyboard application: I already use it, and I'm trying to install an upgrade of it but getting that error.

  • How can I determine why I'm getting the "App not installed" message?
  • Should I try installing in "Safe Mode"? I've heard about it but don't yet know how to get into it.
  • If I want to try and install manually - where do I find the APK file(s) for my app?

Additional informations:

  • I'm using a Xiaomi Redmi 3S with Android version 6.0.1.
  • SwiftKey is already installed and is in use; but just to be sure, I replaced it with another keyboard as the chose/active keyboard app and the results are the same.
  • The APK file seems to be this one (assuming I get the same file from my desktop and from my APKPure app on my Android device).
  • $ apksigner verify SwiftKey\ Keyboard_v6.6.9.32_apkpure.com.apk 
WARNING: META-INF/DEPENDENCIES not protected by signature. Unauthorized modifications to this JAR entry will not be detected. Delete or move the entry outside of META-INF/.
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  • Related: 'App not Installed' Error on Android What Android version does your device run? Did you have the app (here: Swiftkey) installed before?
    – Izzy
    Commented Nov 8, 2017 at 14:03
  • @Izzy: See edit.
    – einpoklum
    Commented Nov 8, 2017 at 15:35
  • Thanks! Next, could you check that Swiftkey APK: what's the minimum Android version required? If you have the chance running it via apksigner verify swiftkey.apk, could it be it is missing a v1 signature and has a v2 sig only (you should also be able to guess that by opening the APK with a ZIP manager and look into the META-INF/ directory. If there's a v1 sig, there should be 2 cert files. If not, it cannot install on Android <7).
    – Izzy
    Commented Nov 8, 2017 at 15:38
  • @Izzy: See edit. Does that fit your second option?
    – einpoklum
    Commented Nov 8, 2017 at 16:27
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    @Izzy: Well, it was never uninstalled, i.e. I still use it after the installation fails. However, the initial installation came with the phone, so maybe that could be the reason.
    – einpoklum
    Commented Nov 8, 2017 at 20:06

1 Answer 1

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Following @Izzy's patient advice in the comments, I got impatient and finally resolved this.

The reason for "App not installed" in OP's case

The pre-installed version of the SwiftKey Keyboard app had some sort of incompatibility with more recent versions - a "signature mismatch" - preventing an upgrade from the former to the latter.

Should I try installing in "Safe Mode"?

Not relevant in this case.

So how do I upgrade SwiftKey?

Uninstall SwiftKey (just the main package; there may be auxiliary packages) and install the new version.### How to determine why you get "App not installed" generally

It's tricky. What you can do is have a look at the "logs":

  1. Install a log viewer app like CatLog
  2. Install something like Termux (or an SSH server, then SSH into your phone)
  3. In a terminal, run adb logcat
  4. Try installing SwiftKey
  5. Have a look at the what you get in the log

You need to redirect the log output into a text file if you can't scroll your terminal well enough.

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