Install Failed (with no messages)

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bassel asked Aug 12, '20 bassel commented May 22, '21

Install Failed (with no messages)

Hi, After just uploading a new apk version of our app and before the app was approved merchant devices started installing an update even though there was none yet. The app is still pending approval. Not only that. But the new update is giving Install Failed. as in the attached video. The app is for taxi business with around 80 users out there. The problem is happening on many of the devices but not all of them. This happened before and the problem solved after I uploaded a new apk on top of the last one and Clover approved it and it installed. If Clover support person installs the app on his device it will most likely install and work fine on his device but that does not mean the problem is fixed. We have many devices that are not functioning suddenly and we did nothing supposedly. Please find a way to debug the problem that is taking place on our devices and help us fix it.

This is happening every time I upload an apk and while in pending approval. Why does Clover system push an update of an app that is in pending status and not even installing it properly while causing the current one to stop?

This is very frustrating specially that we can not get hold of Clover support person who can solve the problem instantly. I hope Clover provide paid service for urgent technical problems like this one. We are willing to pay as much as needed to have some attention when our whole business depends on one app functioning as promised on Clover devices.

A current working version of an app is supposed to remain untouched until a new update is tested and approved only then Clover should start installing the new update. Isn't that right?

Clover Android SDK Clover Flex app approvals

installfailed.jpeg (58.5 KiB)

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maricris commented · Aug 12, 2020 at 10:58 PM

Thank you for updating your question for security reasons!

Just to summarize, the current issue at hand is the APK you’ve published recently (version 17.7) is failing to install to Merchant TECK PAY.

First thing I’d love to do is ensure that the merchants aren’t seeing the error anymore. Have you submitted a new APK that will revert back to when the app was working?

Also, I’m curious to know how exactly an APK that is in ‘Pending’ status for an app that has not even been approved yet, gets loaded into merchant devices. The rules of our system in Production works is…

Non-approved app APK’s cannot be approved until the app is approved.
The APK’s status will change to “Pending Signing” until the APK’s are triple signed.

To be more specific, the way our APK approval system works is:

You [submit] an APK, it goes into PENDING_APPROVAL.
We [approve] the APK, it goes into PENDING_SIGNING.
The background APK test process runs every 2 hours and signs (adds the remaining signatures so there are 3) those and sets them to APPROVED.

Though, it is possible for ‘Pending’ APKs to be installed into Sandbox DevKits.

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bassel maricris commented · Aug 13, 2020 at 11:38 AM

Hi, Please see my answer below. reply has a limit of 2000 characters

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Welcome to the
Clover Developer Community

Answer 1 · 2020-08-13T11:37:12Z

bassel answered Aug 13, '20 bassel commented May 22, '21

Hi,

Thanks for your attention. Let me tell you again what happened and in which order:

1- We had an app version that was working fine (17.5).

2- Then I uploaded new APK ver 17.6.

3- I submitted the APK (17.6)

4- It went into PENDING_APPROVAL.

5- (BUG RIGHT HERE) ------->>>> After just few hours the merchant devices started to pull an update of the app. WHY????

When the device gets notification that there is an update of an app it removes the current one and attempt to install the new one BUT in our case and to begin with there was not supposed to be an update yet as the working version was 17.5 at the time and 17.6 was pending approval. So what app update was it doing???

Secondly, whatever the device was trying to update, it wasn't going through anyway. As you can see in the attached image. Install Failed is not an issue that can come from the code of the app but rather the process of Clover Installing an app that was supposed to be tested then approved by the review team.

At that point I started contacting Clover tech support both by phone and email and here on the platform. We could not afford any more delays trying to have Clover debug and fix this issue. So I incremented app version from 17.6 to 17.7 just to attempt a new update on top of the faulty one (WHICH WAS NOT APPROVED ANYWAY).

So I withdrew ver 17.6 that was pending, and submitted 17.7 and the problem was still happening.

Clover then approved very 17.7 which was exactly the same as 17.6. Then the app started to work again.

So in summary, the process you have mentioned was violated as explained above by the following, Again I stress the issue:

1) An update was being made on devices while there was no update on our dashboard, all that was there was an app pending approval.

2) Install Failed message as a consequence to the buggy attempt of an update that was not supposed to be in the first place. What does Install failed mean anyway???? According to Clover process of things such message is not supposed to exist because no update gets approved unless it was installed successfully by the review team right?

Am I not making it clear enough yet?

The problem solved after 17.7 was approved and a real update was made successfully. But that does not solve the problem because in the future I will be doing this gain and uploading new apks and the problem will happen again.

How can I guarantee that this will not happen again?

We have over 80 devices on the road being used by taxi drivers. We need to have better and faster support in case of such events when all of our devices stop working. Specially that the error is stemming from Clover and not from the app internal code.

Please let me know if I couldn't explain myself.

@maricris

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Frank Faustino ♦♦ commented · Aug 13, 2020 at 03:57 PM

Can you please provide a few serial numbers of the devices this occurred on in a private message to moderators?

As Maricris pointed out above, it's not possible for an unapproved, non-triple signed APK to automatically download on devices. There are several checks in place that prevents that. Additionally, I don't see any installs for version 17.6. But I can look into device logs to figure out what happened.

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screen-shot-2020-08-13-at-85559-am.png (31.4 KiB)

bassel Frank Faustino ♦♦ commented · Aug 16, 2020 at 12:45 AM

Hi Frank,

This is exactly what I was saying. What were the devices trying to install when there was no triple signed apk out there!!! Of course you will see 0 installs on that version because the app was ATTEMPTING to install but ends up with Install failed message as in the image I submitted which you seem not to be paying attention to. That results in current working version to be removed and new one failing to install hence 0 installs.

You keep explaining to me how things should work. A bug is when something is not functioning as it normally does. Yes clover devices were trying to install an apk before it was triple signed.

I have provided serial numbers of two of the devices that were doing that.

If you want to see that happening again in action I can upload a new apk update but I need your attention to fix it much faster.

Thanks

@Frank

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David Marginian ♦♦ bassel commented · Aug 16, 2020 at 02:36 PM

Bassel,

In order to be able to figure out what is going on we will need to be able to reproduce the issue (which we have been unable to) or at least see logs from the device that is trying to download/install the APK. I suggest reproducing the issue and then sending us the logs -> Help app (on device) -> Menu on the upper left -> Diagnostics -> Send Device Logs. Then provide us with the exact steps you have taken (what APK is pending etc.) and the device serial that is seeing the failed install (which you sent logs for).

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