INSTALL_FAILED_UPDATE_INCOMPATIBLE when I try to i

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.

Answer 1

This maybe because you have more than one user in your device and you've just deleted the app on one (leaving the apk still present for the other(s)).

I've deleted in all accounts, and it worked afterwards.

Answer 2

RankoR@ you must have installed the application from a different computer. in my case thats where the problem arose .. all you need to do is just uninstall the application and reinstall it or run it from the computer you are working .. this might be a late reply but it will help some one .. thanks

Answer 3

I installed Astro file manager and searched for a previous version of the apk-file, found one on the sdcard and deleted the apk-file using Astro file manager.

Answer 4

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.

Answer 5

If your device supports multiple users, you might have to delete the app for each account as well.

I usually use adb and that does the trick adb uninstall <your-package-name>

Answer 6

This can happen if you sign your application with a different certificate. You can always use

adb install -r myapk.apk

to overwrite an existing apk on your device, but you will still get the error if you signed the new apk with a different certificate that of the installed apk.

In that scenario you would need to uninstall the apk from your device before attempting an install. However, this can also impact your application since your original signing may be tied to certain Developor API's, so you may need to update the console with your new credentials.