Is it possible to change the package name of an Android app on Google Play?

Question

I would like to know whether it is technically possible, not whether it is easy or not, to change the actual package name of an Android app that is on Google Play. What I me

Answer 1

Complete guide : https://developer.android.com/studio/build/application-id.html

As per Android official Blogs : https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2011/06/things-that-cannot-change.html

We can say that:

• If the manifest package name has changed, the new application will be installed alongside the old application, so they both co-exist on the user’s device at the same time.

• If the signing certificate changes, trying to install the new application on to the device will fail until the old version is uninstalled.

As per Google App Update check list : https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/113476?hl=en

Update your apps

Prepare your APK

When you're ready to make changes to your APK, make sure to update your app’s version code as well so that existing users will receive your update.

Use the following checklist to make sure your new APK is ready to update your existing users:

• The package name of the updated APK needs to be the same as the current version.
• The version code needs to be greater than that current version. Learn more about versioning your applications.
• The updated APK needs to be signed with the same signature as the current version.

To verify that your APK is using the same certification as the previous version, you can run the following command on both APKs and compare the results:

$ jarsigner -verify -verbose -certs my_application.apk

If the results are identical, you’re using the same key and are ready to continue. If the results are different, you will need to re-sign the APK with the correct key.

Learn more about signing your applications

Upload your APK Once your APK is ready, you can create a new release.