Apps not installing in Aurora Store, but works fine on other Iode phone

Apps & Core Settings
1

I have two phones on which I’ve installed Iode - a Pixel 4a that I reserve for testing, and a Pixel 6a that’s meant to be my daily driver.

On the Pixel 4a, I can readily install apps using AuroraStore.

On the Pixel 6a, the behavior is that I can browse the AuroraStore lists of apps, search for apps, go into the app page, and click on the Install button. It then shows a downloading progress bar, but does not follow through with popping up a question about installing the app it just downloaded.

On both, installing from F-Droid works perfectly.

On both, I login to the AuroraStore app as Anonymous.

As an attempt to reset the application, on the 6a I’ve logged out as Anonymous, then logged in as Anonymous again.

I have not tried logging in with a Google account.

On the 6a, AuroraStore also shows an update available for an app. Clicking on the Update button for that app, it shows some progress bar activity, then nothing.

In the Iode app, I don’t see that the built-in firewall is blocking anything for the AuroraStore.

In the Settings, the AuroraStore app is shown as having no blocked permissions.

The Iode version is 6.6, installed last night using the official installer on Linux.

2

In the AuroraStore settings there is an Installation choice containing an Installation method choice, and switched to the Native Installer.

But - this popped up a message about being unable to parse the APK, which was followed by the question whether to do the install, but that was followed by an error saying it could not install.

3

Here’s a similar report from a CalyxOS user. https://www.reddit.com/r/CalyxOS/comments/1cmfs0n/unable_to_install_new_apps_from_aurora_store/

That doesn’t show any resolution. They ask about getting a log from the app, but I don’t know how to do that.

Here’s another similar CalyxOS report https://www.reddit.com/r/CalyxOS/comments/1jsq9nc/aurora_store_download_failed/ – In this case the suggestion is to check in F-Droid that AuroraStore is up-to-date (it is), then in the App settings to clear the Storage. I did that, with no change in behavior.

4

I’ve tried logging in using a Google account, but that did not change the behavior.

5

I tried downloading the Whatsapp APK from the Whatsapp website. After giving the Iode Browser, and later the Files app, permission to install an application, the “do you want to install” query came up. Clicking install, a couple windows plop up less than one second each, and then an error comes up that it could not install the application.

That’s similar to what happened with AuroraStore configured to use the native installer.

6

So…? The issue isn’t Aurora Store?

7

What happens if you choose another device under Spoofing?

8

Spoofing? I did not find Spoofing in Settings, nor the Iode App, nor in Aurora Store.

9

Screenshot_20250819-134716_Aurora Store
Screenshot_20250819-134716_Aurora Store693×1385 93.4 KB

10

Thank you for the pointer. That didn’t make any difference.

My take from the evidence above is that Aurora Store is successfully browsing the Play Store data, and even downloading the app, but the install process itself is failing. Hence, it’d not be spoofing the HTTP Agent string.

11

It is always spoofing, but often you just match your device model. But it spoofs to not have a unique fingerprint tied to your hardware. Of course if you did login to Google, then that identifier is there already linked to you.

So, I would always suggest using Anonymous mode only. If it is not allowing downloads, often just do a Force stop on Aurora from Long Press > App Info. Then restart Aurora. You can also click on the “Manage your account” in the screenshot above from @laneb and log out, then relogin as Aurora to “give it a kick”. And beyond that, from App info you can fully Clear storage if necessary. Since you aren’t logged in, there is nothing special that will be lost by doing this (it will still correctly report what apps you installed from there on full reset).

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12

The download progress bar proceeds as if it is doing a download.

Hence, it looks to me that the download happens, but that the installation fails.

What I don’t know is how to inspect the area where downloaded APKs reside.

For example - the App Info page for Aurora Store showed 31MB of “Storage & Cache” after trying to install WhatsApp, and now shows 151MB after additionally trying to install Redit (where the app page says it is a 100MB download). Then, after attempting to install Zoom, a 1GB download, the S&C now shows 298MB. Hence, the S&C increases after every install attempt but the increase curiously doesn’t match the size on the app page.

13

Sorry I didn’t dig into the data storage, but can you clarify this: when you go to the app to choose download does it look like this (nothing showing below install, “Unavailable” message at bottom):

aurora-notworking
aurora-notworking1079×1262 61.4 KB

Or is it looking like this (details showing below “Install”):

aurora-working
aurora-working1079×1600 181 KB

It is this problem that a “Force Stop” and restart of Aurora will solve. If it shows correctly, my experience is it will also install without issue. But if it shows as the first image, with “Unavailable”, then it won’t work.

14

It is showing as the second image. This is where I saw the download size numbers I reported, because that’s in the box with that arrow pointing down into the square bracket. Oh, looking at it again, it’s clear that number is the total number of downloads and the next number over is the download size.

The behavior steps are:

  1. Tap Install
  2. The download progress shows as a circle around the app icon
  3. When that ends, it returns to showing the manual download and install buttons as enabled.
  4. I tap Install, and another progress bar shows, after which it reverts to having those buttons in the enabled state

On my phone where this works

  1. The Do you want to install this app question pops up
  2. Quickly that goes away and the Install button now reads Open
15

Thanks for confirming. Let’s just say you have a habit of finding challenging cases that most people don’t experience, sorry about that!

I forget if you can confirmed if your microG settings are correct (Google device attestation, Google SafetyNet both enabled?).

If those are all active, and you have cleared storage and cache as you indicate you have, then I am a bit stumped on this one as well.

You could then check what device it is listed as under that “Spoof Manager” that @laneb referenced above, and change it to the P4a for example. But really this doesn’t seem like it should be the culprit.

16

In microG settings - “Google device registration” is on (I think this is what you meant by attestation), and “Google SafetyNet” is on.

As for the Spoof Manager - I’ve tried Pixel 9a and am currently as CMF Nothing 1

A theory I have is that – during the install on this phone, it so happened that halfway through writing stuff into the phone, I stood up from my chair, resulting in the phone falling on the floor, and disconnecting the cable, and the Iode installer failing.

I was able to reconnect the phone, back up the installer to the beginning, and restart. The phone seems to be functioning okay, but maybe that caused a fluctuation in the quantum fields or something. In other words, there may be a trace of something that does something bad.

Under that theory I’m thinking to reinstall this phone from scratch making sure to not disturb the phone during install.

17

FWIW - I did a complete reinstall of IodeOS and all of the above behavior exists.

Another behavior that showed up just before I did the complete reinstall is that after enabling developer mode, I was unable to enter the developer options area. Instead of entering that area, the settings app reverts to the main screen.

18

OMG… I used the Android Flash to Public tool to revert to Android. I had downloaded the latest LineageOS for this device to see how that would turn out. But, instead I installed IodeOS again.

This time the Aurora Store is working correctly.

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19

There have been other (recent) reports like that (search for “developer options” should do it) where Developer Options essentially was crashing Settings. In that case, a revert back to stock then reflash worked as well.

20

My Fairphone 5 shows the exact same behaviour. Re-Installing iodéOS doesn’t help. The error occurs any time I install the OS. I have also tried to install version 6.5 of iodé: same problem.

Another problem that occured in every installation process: I cannot setup the screen lock. Already in the setup process of iodéOS there is an error message that the code for the screen lock has already been changed. In “Preferecenes” the same error message pops up.

I don’t know if the two errors are connected in any way. But they occur every time I re-install iodéOS on the Fairphone.