INSTALL_FAILED_UPDATE_INCOMPATIBLE when I try to install compiled .apk on device

Question

I've compiled Trebuchet launcher from CyanogenMod 9, and trying to install it with adb:

$ adb install out/target/product/generic/system/app/Trebuchet.apk
3986 KB/s (7870141 bytes in 1.928s)
    pkg: /data/local/tmp/Trebuchet.apk
Failure [INSTALL_FAILED_UPDATE_INCOMPATIBLE]

I tried on Nexus S with CM9 and Galaxy Nexus with stock JB. Why I'm getting this error?

EDIT: In my case I've tried to reinstall system package with package manager. That's not supported, so I've got this error. Source of the error may differ in your case.

Solution 1

I just renamed the package and it worked for me.

Or if you are using Ionic, you could delete the application and try again, this happens when ionic detects that the app you are deploying is not coming from the same build. It often happen when you change from pc.

Solution 2

it means the application which you want to install is already installed. just remove the old one and try again.

Solution 3

Try

adb uninstall package-name

It works for me. I have remove my app using Titanium Backup. However,I think Titanium backup didn't removed my app totally.

Solution 4

Uninstalling the application would be enough to avoid this problem.

INSTALL_FAILED_UPDATE_INCOMPATIBLE

but sometimes even uninstalling the message is raised again, it occurs in Android OS 5.0 +, so this is the solution:

Go to Settings > Apps and you will find your app with the message:

"Not installed for this user"

We have to uninstall manually for all users!, then we can install our compiled application with no problems.

Another options:

• Remove the old application and install again.

• Use Android Debug Bridge command:

  adb uninstall [PACKAGE NAME]

Solution 5

Two ways that can be works

1: Uninstall app from mobile device manually

2: Open command prompt , trace path of adband execute following command

adb uninstall your_package_name

View more solutions

Comments

[Shirish Herwade]

on some latest devices having multiple users facility, check if the app is installed for other users(i.e. guest login). A tester in my company was struggling with this issue for hour, when he came to me, it took 5-10 minutes also for me, to find out that the same app was installed under different guest login in that device, so wasn't getting shown on home screen or not even in settings

[droidgren]

Worked for me, but I also had to reboot once too.

[David Conlisk]

I had to go into Settings -> Manage Applications to find the app and choose to Uninstall it from there as it wasn't showing up elsewhere.

[Ken Pespisa]

Nothing else worked for me. Thanks for the great idea!

[Tyler Kiser]

May also be require you to uninstall from all user accounts (my Nexus 10 had 3 users).

[tir38]

I noticed the same thing using DevDrawer. This worked.

[Jacob Holloway]

@TylerKiser Thanks for the heads up on that one.

[Jamie]

Thanks! This saved me from a huge unexplainable headache. Not sure how I got in this state... I'm debugging an app in Xamarin Studio and Visual Studio and it was working fine until it wasn't... oh well.

[Smeet]

Go to apps -> Internal memory -> uninstall the old build does the trick.

[DennisWelu]

When all else on the accepted answer failed...this worked.

[taciosd]

Great! Simple and easy. No need do reboot with this solution.

[ricky.tribbia]

It works for me. Before I tryied manual uninstall and reboot and nothing change, only with adb command it works. Thank you.

[CACuzcatlan]

Do you mean Google accounts?

[neteinstein]

Yes, exactly what i mean.

[Randy]

Also tried this unsuccessfully: ./adb install -r Trebuchet.apk Real problem was that the app was installed for another user.

[Nick]

Thank you! This is what I needed. Why and when did they start doing it this way?

[Jorgesys]

apparently since OS 5.0 +

[piotrek1543]

what does remount? can I using this keep release and debug version and mount and remount them easily?

[Yojimbo]

Initially, I couldn't find my uninstalled app under Settings -> Apps. It turned out that in Lollipop 5.1.1, the uninstalled app was listed by the package name, not the app name. So, if you did an adb uninstall, and adb install still fails, look for your uninstalled app under your package name. So, com.acme.wileycoyote will be listed alphabetically under "c", not "w".

[ViliusK]

It happened to me when I uninstalled my debug app manually via Settings. And wanted to install new app with different signature (from friends computer and/or signed with my release key). Uninstalling it again from command line was successful. Thanks for your tip.

[DawnYu]

Thanks, that works! My phone doesn't have the option "Uninstall for all users", I uninstall it by logging in all users...

[Avijit Gupta]

Note that the app is listed at the very bottom irrespective of the alphabetic ordering !!

[pevik]

Too much work, I'd backup and remove apk and reinstall it.

[Enamul Hassan]

This is really a comment, not an answer. With a bit more rep, you will be able to post comments.

[DenisKolodin]

The only way which works for devices without display.

[Jonathan F.]

If you have multiple plugged devices, use adb devices to list all the available devices and then run the following command : adb -s [DEVICE_ID] uninstall package-name

[m0skit0]

Doesn't make much sense as user apks are not stored in /system/app but /data/app

[m0skit0]

@piotrek1543 adb remount remounts system partition as read-write instead of default read-only.

[zondo]

I factory reset my phone, and it still comes up with the same error when I try to install the apk.

[Ranjith HS]

its and issue..you can't just delete the existing app and reinstall

[diogo.abdalla]

works for me too. I was having this error even after uninstaling the app normally, this solved it

[loonix]

Just needed to remove the old application and install again. Thanks

[kakyo]

didn't work on Android 6.0.1. Had to delete the app on the device and reinstall the same package.

[WindRider]

What "all users" when the user is exactly one - ME!!! Anyway, it works - upvoted.

[WindRider]

I've found the cause. This happens for apps installed through the IDE or adb and then uninstalled through the device.

[Berend de Boer]

Or try: adb install -r my.apk

[Jorgesys]

"I just renamed the package", this is not work around, in fact you are creating another application!

[Gavin Simpson]

eg : "adb uninstall net.gavin.hello" where package name is on AndroidManifest.xml as "package="net.gavin.hello""

[Mohan Perera]

Your 'uninstall manually' solution, worked for me, after trying many other solutions. I also restart the phone after uninstalling manually.

[Harisewak]

The 2nd point helped. In my case the app wasn't installed for current user but was installed for other users. So, I clicked on the app in Apps list and inside the details page, clicked on More button (three vertical dots). There, it had an option 'Uninstall for all users'. That did it for me. Thanks!

[miracle-doh]

what if I just try to do an update of an existing app? this would remove everything my last app saved locally

[Cesar Bielich]

Just to add a little more for me is what that I tried to install a debug over a release version of my app which caused the issue.

[oliversisson]

at least give us an example! it's not clear what the package-name should look like. in my case com.tapastalk.keyboard.konjugationkeyboard worked. you can use adb to list all the packages.

[Martin]

Same here. Try to test the update process. So uninstall is not an option.

[dpaksoni]

What is the solution for this case?

[Luc]

Worked for me: I had already uninstalled the app from the device, but somehow adb uninstall seems to have removed more remnants. No reboot needed.

[shuster]

adb uninstall command worked.