App in Maui version 8 we are facing deployment issue

Question

App in Maui version 8 we are facing deployment issue

Pearl 81

Hello,

I have developed an app in app in Maui version 8 and I have created an .apk for it. The apk gets installed on some devices and cannot be installed on some devices. I have tried wide range of make and models of cellphones/mobiles. I have tried the android phones with version 8,11, 12 and 14. It installs apps. But some other phones with version 10 and 14 (Different phone and make) doesn't allow to install the app at all. Can you please help me ?

Thanks in advance

Yonglun Liu (Shanghai Wicresoft Co,.Ltd.) 50,156 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-02-07T01:30:44.2166667+00:00
Could you please provide the following information and update it into the question?

Will there be an error if it cannot be installed on a specific device?

Did you follow the official documentation for Maui to publish an APK? If you publish this app to the play store, does the problem still occur?

Your prompt reply will be highly appreciated.
Pearl 81 Reputation points

2025-02-07T05:23:24.74+00:00

Hello,

I have followed the official document of publishing the ad-hoc distribution.

i have used the steps from this,

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/maui/android/deployment/publish-ad-hoc?view=net-maui-9.0

i have already used the same method for my other app and it has worked.

On the devices it does not work , when i try to install apk, it says it is not safe and asks if "Install anyway". When i tap on "Install anyway", it takes some time and then gives message , "Cannot install the app".
Omkar Pawar 260 Reputation points

2025-02-08T03:24:38.27+00:00

Hi I am getting same issue.
Yonglun Liu (Shanghai Wicresoft Co,.Ltd.) 50,156 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-02-10T02:46:30.7+00:00

This usually happens because the app was not signed correctly when it was released. Did you create a correct signature for the apk file?

Please refer to Publish an Android app using the command line for more details.
Yonglun Liu (Shanghai Wicresoft Co,.Ltd.) 50,156 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-02-12T06:48:11.2666667+00:00

May I know whether your issue has been solved or not? If you're still having problems, please explain in detail what is still going wrong and what you need help with.
Halay Quin 0 Reputation points

2025-08-20T07:39:36.0166667+00:00

Your APK likely fails on some devices due to ABI mismatch, min/target SDK issues, or signing problems. Make sure you:

Build a universal APK with all ABIs (arm, arm64, x86).

Check minSdkVersion / targetSdkVersion in your manifest.

Sign the APK properly (not debug only).

Use adb logcat to see the exact install error.

More on troubleshooting app installs here: check this guide https://thedunebuggydubai.ae/

Answer accepted by question author

1 additional answer

Your answer

Yonglun Liu (Shanghai Wicresoft Co,.Ltd.) 50,156 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-02-07T01:30:44.2166667+00:00

Could you please provide the following information and update it into the question?

Will there be an error if it cannot be installed on a specific device?

Did you follow the official documentation for Maui to publish an APK? If you publish this app to the play store, does the problem still occur?

Your prompt reply will be highly appreciated.
Pearl 81 Reputation points

2025-02-07T05:23:24.74+00:00

Hello,

I have followed the official document of publishing the ad-hoc distribution.

i have used the steps from this,

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/maui/android/deployment/publish-ad-hoc?view=net-maui-9.0

i have already used the same method for my other app and it has worked.

On the devices it does not work , when i try to install apk, it says it is not safe and asks if "Install anyway". When i tap on "Install anyway", it takes some time and then gives message , "Cannot install the app".
Omkar Pawar 260 Reputation points

2025-02-08T03:24:38.27+00:00

Hi I am getting same issue.
Yonglun Liu (Shanghai Wicresoft Co,.Ltd.) 50,156 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-02-10T02:46:30.7+00:00

This usually happens because the app was not signed correctly when it was released. Did you create a correct signature for the apk file?

Please refer to Publish an Android app using the command line for more details.
Yonglun Liu (Shanghai Wicresoft Co,.Ltd.) 50,156 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff

2025-02-12T06:48:11.2666667+00:00

May I know whether your issue has been solved or not? If you're still having problems, please explain in detail what is still going wrong and what you need help with.
Halay Quin 0 Reputation points

2025-08-20T07:39:36.0166667+00:00

Your APK likely fails on some devices due to ABI mismatch, min/target SDK issues, or signing problems. Make sure you:

Build a universal APK with all ABIs (arm, arm64, x86).

Check minSdkVersion / targetSdkVersion in your manifest.

Sign the APK properly (not debug only).

Use adb logcat to see the exact install error.

More on troubleshooting app installs here: check this guide https://thedunebuggydubai.ae/

Answer 1

Hi @Pearl , sorry to bother you! I'm posting this answer to help others who might encounter the same issue.

Thanks for sharing the update that creating a new project and adjusting the Target SDK versions to 34 and Minimum SDK to 26 resolved the issue.

The reason for this solution is because some of the project configuration and manifest settings in your original MAUI project might be likely outdated or inconsistent. This can lead to compatibility problems where the APK installs fine on some devices but fails on others, especially newer Android versions that enforce stricter requirements.

By creating a fresh MAUI project, you essentially reset the configuration to align with the latest tooling defaults. That new template automatically:

Configured the Target SDK to 34 (which is required for publishing on Android 14 and recommended by Google).
Set the Minimum SDK to 26, ensuring backward compatibility with supported devices.
Cleaned up any legacy or incorrect settings that could interfere with APK signing and installation.

When you migrated your code into this clean project, you carried over only the logic/files and not the outdated metadata. As a result, the APK built from the new project was signed and packaged in a way that matched Android’s current requirements, so installation succeeded across all devices.

I'm glad that you finally solved your issue. If my answer explains your workaround correctly, feel free to interact with the system accordingly!

Thank you!

Answer 2

Pearl 81

Hello,

I created a new project altogether and moved my classes and files to it.

I changed versions in target as 34 and min SDK version as 26 and now its working properly.

Thanks so much for you help

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App in Maui version 8 we are facing deployment issue

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