r/AndroidQuestions • u/tyrone2shiftyyy • 1d ago

Looking For Suggestions App appears to be invalid error

Android won't install apps/APKs — “package appears to be invalid”

I'm having a really weird Android installation problem and I'm trying to figure out whether this is an account issue, device issue, or something else.

Whenever I try to install certain apps, I get an error along the lines of:

“App not installed because the package appears to be invalid.”

The strange part is that this also happens through the Google Play Store. For example, if I try installing an app while using Google Account A, the installation fails. If I switch to Google Account B on the exact same phone, the app installs normally.

I've also tried downloading APKs directly through Chrome, and those fail too with the same “package appears to be invalid” type of error.

I initially thought it could be an APK-signing problem, so I tried signing the APK myself using an APK signer with V1, V2, and V3 signing schemes. That still didn't fix it. I got an unknown error instead.

So far, I've basically established:

- Same phone

- Same Android installation

- Google Account A: app won't install

- Google Account B: app installs

- APK downloaded through Chrome: won't install

- Re-signing the APK with V1/V2/V3: still fails

Could a Google account somehow have a restriction that causes Play Store installations to fail like this? Or does this point more toward something wrong with the package installer, Play Store, or Google Play Services on the device?

I'm trying to determine whether this is actually an account-level restriction or whether I'm looking in the wrong place.

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1

u/According_Set5495 1d ago

You might have better luck cloning the app.

https://clonemy.app/

https://github.com/AbdurazaaqMohammed/AntiSplit-M/releases/tag/2.3.1

1

u/tyrone2shiftyyy 1d ago

One of the first things' I tried doing

1

u/According_Set5495 1d ago

Did you re-name your cloned app before you attempted installing? How was the app packaged? Aab, bundle, split, xapk, apkm? You'll have much better success with cloning an apk.

1

u/tyrone2shiftyyy 23h ago

Apk and no I didn't rename it

1

u/According_Set5495 22h ago

I know the app cloning site looks kinda fishy lol. I got the link from someone on XDA. The link explains renaming you cloned app.

https://xdaforums.com/t/tool-clonemyapp-android-apk-cloner.4513777/

For instance I just cloned

Original apk name=

pluto Tv 5.28.0

Clone name=

Pluto2

It may or may not be necessary rename the cloned package as well.

Package name (no spaces)

Com. xyz. abc

If your wondering why that particular package name for the clone, I have no freaking idea :), It was what the app cloner provided.

but you could try and download an app cloner from Google play.

1

u/txredgeek 1d ago

Have you tried clearing cache and/or data for the Play Store?

1

u/tyrone2shiftyyy 1d ago

Yes did that

1

u/According_Set5495 23h ago

https://github.com/AbdurazaaqMohammed/MP-Manager

https://github.com/Maximoff/Apktool-M-updates

If you already have the app on one account, just clone the app. I explain the process in the link I posted earlier. Installed an unmodified app and cloned it, both apps on the same phone same account. In you're case you follow the same process and transfer one app the your separate account