microg / microg/GmsCore

New APK signature prevents simple update

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#3,240 5 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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bug
Dominant language
Java
Stars
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Forks
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Avg merge
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

Describe the bug
New APK signature prevents simple update

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:

  1. Download https://github.com/microg/GmsCore/releases/download/v0.3.12.250932/com.google.android.gms-250932024.apk or use Obtainium
  2. Try to install
  3. Get an installation error because the signatures don't match

Expected behavior
New APKs should keep the same signature for seamless updates (and to ensure the APK is official/hasn't been tampered with).
Otherwise, I think we have to uninstall the current app (which often deletes all its data) then install the new one.
Or use something like CorePatch to temporarily disable signature verification before updating so we can keep the app's data.

Screenshots

Image

System
Android Version: 14
Custom ROM: LineageOS 23

Additional context
I've always wondered what's the reason behind signatures changes. I would've assumed developers made sure it never changed to prevent users from updating to APKs that have been tampered with, especially when having so much control over the system and access to personal data. 👀💦

Contributor guide

No contributing guide indexed for this repository

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by comparing the installed GmsCore APK with the v0.3.12.250932 release APK on Android 14, focusing on their signing certificates and the release process. Done means a newly downloaded official APK can install as an update without uninstalling the existing app or losing its data.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
android
Domain
mobile, security
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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