Prior to the launch of the Pixel 5, Google Camera and Google Recorder programs, among others, could not be removed due to verification errors. Fortunately, a solution has been discovered – if it may be temporary.
What’s happening
When the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G were launched late last year, Google also started launching updates for their Camera app, bringing it to version 8.0 and a newer version of the Recorder app. Unfortunately, these updates could not be transferred to older pixels, like previous updates, while many experience one of the two errors when trying to install Google Camera 8.0.
The new package could not be installed because the authentication failed
INSTALL_FAILED_VERIFICATION_FAILURE
As Google Camera continues to make improvements like the recent update that allows you to disable Auto Night Sight, even owners of the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G could not download the newer versions to get the updates faster. Instead, people are forced to wait until updates arrive in the Play Store. At the time, a ‘solution’ was found that involved the factory setting of your phone, but it was obviously not a viable solution for most.
What causes it?
Thanks to the efforts of the broader XDA Developers community, a reason has been discovered for failing to install Google Camera and certain other Google app updates. The simple version is that Android 11 has added something called “App Integrity” that allows the device to use a set of “rules” to check if a specific app needs to be installed.
XDA goes deeper into the details, but effectively Google Play Services receives a list of rules and one of the rules states that the Google Camera app and the Google Recorder app can be installed by nothing but the Play Store. Any attempt to install the app with ADB or with something like APKMirror’s installer app will be in direct violation of this rule and will therefore be blocked.
The current assumption as to why executing the factory setting will enable the sideload is that Google Play Services needs time to download the App Integrity rules. During that time, Android has no reason to believe that you may not update the Google Camera application.
These App Integrity rules are a dangerous precedent for Android, as one of the core advantages of the operating system, especially compared to iOS, was the ability to install apps without necessarily relying on the Play Store.
How to bypass Google Camera installation verification
As noted by Android Police, there is currently a simpler solution that allows you to give you a short window to upload updates from Google Camera and Google Recorder. The short version is that you need to restore your Play Services app to the original version, and then update again.
Although simpler than a full factory setting, Play Services still has consequences. First, you need to reset your credit cards for use with Google Pay. You also need to redo your automatic backup settings, and you could lose data related to your COVID-19 contact tracing app, if you use one.
If the benefits of acquiring the latest Google Camera or Recorder app outweigh the consequences, then go for the Institutions app. Type in the search bar at the top “Google Play Services”And tap on the appropriate list.
On this page you want to tap three-point menu in the top right corner and then tap “Remove updates. “A warning will appear reminding you that you are about to lose data, and then you can tap on”OK. If it fails, you may need to disable the “Device admin” rights of Find My Device on Android.
Once it is properly reset, the next step is to actually do it reinstall the latest update from Play Services. The fastest way to do this is to go to the Play Services listing in the Play Store, which can only be found via a direct link.
After completing it, you now have a short window in which you can sideload Google Camera and Google Recorder updates without being bothered by app integrity verification issues.
It is unknown how long this solution will work, as it depends on your device returning to an older version of Play Services where the App Integrity rules are not built-in. It is quite possible that a future device, such as the Pixel 5a or Pixel 6, may not be able to use this solution, as it was introduced with a much newer version of Google Play Services.
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