HI
I'm quite new to Godot and been trying to export to Android for the over a day now.
I have followed the instructions on https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/tutorials/export/exporting_for_android.html
and also watched
After copying everything they say, when I click the Export Project button I get no errors. but when I try to install the apk on my phone I get the message "App not installed."


I have seen a few posts about this kind of problem from other people and the problem for them was the keystore, but I have double checked this and the problem still exists.
I have also noticed if I connect my phone to my machine in developer mode the little android icon dos not appear in Godot to build directly to the phone.
Although this works fine in Unity, so I know the problem isn't with the phone or cable.
Anyone know where I might be going wrong?
any help would be appreciated, as I really don't want to go back to using Unity 🙁

  • DaveTheCoder replied to this.

  • berryboy_84 I have also noticed if I connect my phone to my machine in developer mode the little android icon dos not appear in Godot to build directly to the phone.

    That video tutorial is for Godot 3.4. I wouldn't trust it with Godot 4. But you could download Godot 3.5.2 and try it with that version..

    In Godot 4, there's no Android icon. Instead, there's a Remote Debug icon with a dropdown menu. Does that menu have an entry for your Android device?

    Something else to try is to use the adb command in a terminal window, and observe any error messages:
    adb install xxxx.apk

      [unknown] thanks for your response, I'm not sure what you mean by smali, I haven't setup the custom android build so don't have access to the manifest as just making a simple scene at the moment to check building for android works.
      currently exporting from a windows 11 pc

        berryboy_84 And that right there's your problem, Windows 11 😃

        I pretty much gave up on Windows in general after the total fail that was running almost anything under XP 20 years ago.

        I now run Ubuntu 22.04 (Linux) and Linux Penguin, neither of which are perfect but they're allegedly unhackable.

          berryboy_84 I have also noticed if I connect my phone to my machine in developer mode the little android icon dos not appear in Godot to build directly to the phone.

          That video tutorial is for Godot 3.4. I wouldn't trust it with Godot 4. But you could download Godot 3.5.2 and try it with that version..

          In Godot 4, there's no Android icon. Instead, there's a Remote Debug icon with a dropdown menu. Does that menu have an entry for your Android device?

          Something else to try is to use the adb command in a terminal window, and observe any error messages:
          adb install xxxx.apk

              Your phone needs to be in developer mode. You can click the build number 7 times in the about phone options settings.

              https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00087642/

              After that Godot should detect it. In the top menu on the right there is a remote debug button, click it and you should see your phone. This button installs the app.

              I don't know if it's true but I am semi-reliably informed (by my Brother, who's in Internet security for a job) that putting my phone (Android) in developer mode can "brick" the phone, is there any truth in this?

              Merely putting the phone in Developer mode shouldn't hurt anything. However, that mode provides access to options that might have adverse effects.

              No, developer mode will not "brick" your phone. That would be a huge issue if true, and there are millions of Android developers. But there are tons of advanced options that you shouldn't touch if you don't know what they do. They still shouldn't destroy the phone but they could mess some things up. Also, developer mode gives apps extra access to the OS, so it's a possible security issue if you download some sketchy app from an unknown source, but if only download official apps it should be fine.

              You shouldn't have to mess with the XML unless you are doing a custom build. If you use the editor it does all that stuff and just gives you an APK.

              No I don't think that's the case, I've never had to do that. But sometimes you have to uninstall the old app before installing the new version.

              Okay, I don't know then. I've never even heard of Smali Code.

              I mean I really don't think this is necessary and it doesn't make sense. I've been using Godot for 3 years and I've never heard of this.

              User

              What is Smali code?

              ChatGPT

              Smali code is a low-level programming language that is used for writing and editing Android application bytecode. It is primarily used in the context of reverse engineering and modifying Android apps.

              When an Android application is compiled, its Java source code is transformed into a lower-level format called bytecode, which is executed by the Dalvik Virtual Machine (DVM) or the Android Runtime (ART) on Android devices. Smali code is a representation of this bytecode in a human-readable format.

              Smali code is similar to assembly language in structure and syntax. It provides a way to view, understand, and modify the inner workings of an Android app. By analyzing and modifying the Smali code, developers and researchers can gain insights into an app's behavior, modify its functionality, or create custom patches.

              Some common use cases for Smali code include:

              Reverse Engineering: Smali code is often used to reverse engineer and analyze Android apps to understand their inner workings, uncover security vulnerabilities, or extract proprietary information.

Modifying Apps: Smali code can be modified to alter the behavior of an Android app. This can include removing advertisements, unlocking premium features, or bypassing restrictions.

Customization: Smali code allows for customization of existing apps. Developers can modify the code to change app themes, layouts, or behavior to suit their preferences.

              It's worth noting that modifying an Android app's Smali code may violate the app's terms of service or even local laws. It's important to respect the intellectual property rights of app developers and only use Smali code for legitimate purposes, such as personal experimentation, research, or authorized customization.

              Okay, now I am 100% certain you don't have to reverse engineer the bytecode to install an app. You just click export and it makes an APK. 100%.

              The legal stuff was part of ChatGPT's response, so I included it. Obviously there's no legal problem when it's your own code.

              So, I know Godot has weird bugs and stuff, I've just never seen this or heard of this.

              [unknown]

              The OP, berryboy_74, replied three days ago that his problem was fixed. Apparently it was a case of using a Godot 3 tutorial for Godot 4, and not knowing that the editor UI had changed. This version name issue that you're discussing seems to be a completely different problem. Maybe you should ask a moderator to move it to a separate thread?