Incapable of Launching Project On Android Device (Galaxy Tab A) Through Any Means.

Development Platform & Builds Mobile
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Been stuck on this problem for 9 days at time of posting. This is my first time trying to run a project on android, and it has been a pain.
I have been trying to launch my UE5 project on a Samsung Galaxy Tab A, but have so far been unsuccessful. I have dug through the forums for a long while, trying numerous configurations while getting the same results.
I have also tried multiple ways of installing or running on the Android device.
Here are the results:

Quick Launch / Launch from Project Launcher:
Any time I try to do either, the launch process gets hung after this part each and every time, regardless of what I do (unless I incur an error).
Project name has been omitted, replaced by *

LogPlayLevel: Writing symbols to C:\Users\JC180\Documents\Unreal Projects\\Binaries/Android\_Symbols_v1/*-arm64\libUnreal.so
LogPlayLevel: ====1/22/2023 2:05:18 PM====COMPLETED MAKE APK=======================================================================
LogPlayLevel: GetPackageInfo ReturnValue: com.*.*
LogPlayLevel: Did not find package with receiver
LogPlayLevel: GetPackageInfo ReturnValue: com.*.*
LogPlayLevel: GetPackageInfo ReturnValue: 1
LogPlayLevel: GetPackageInfo ReturnValue: com.*.*
LogPlayLevel: GetPackageInfo ReturnValue: com.*.*
LogPlayLevel: GetPackageInfo ReturnValue: 1
LogPlayLevel: GetPackageInfo ReturnValue: com.*.*
LogPlayLevel: GetPackageInfo ReturnValue: com.*.*
LogPlayLevel: GetPackageInfo ReturnValue: 1
LogPlayLevel: GetPackageInfo ReturnValue: com.*.*
LogPlayLevel: GetPackageInfo ReturnValue: com.*.*
LogPlayLevel: GetPackageInfo ReturnValue: 1
LogPlayLevel: GetPackageInfo ReturnValue: com.*.*

Each and every time, this happens. There are no errors or red of any sort in the rest of the log either, and the only message that might come after it is a maintenance log, presumably garbage collection.

Copy project to device and install .apk from there:
I have heard conflicting information on where or not this is a valid method. So far, any time I do this the device gives me the “App not installed” error. Rather vague, isn’t it? Because of that, it is next to impossible to get a solution, since everyone who gets the error likely has their own issues with independent solutions.
A final answer on whether this method is deprecated would also be nice.

Install the project using .BAT file:
I have also heard conflicting information about this method, but the fact that it is even present in the engine makes me think that it should work.
The error happens in the uninstall section (my thinking is that it is because there is no existing file to uninstall, but my unfamiliarity with Java makes me uncertain). Past that, the file hangs on the “Performing streamed install” message. I have left it running for quite a while without result.
Here is the log of what happens:

C:\Users\JC180\Documents\Unreal Projects\\AndroidPackages\Android Pack 15 (VV 2)>setlocal
C:\Users\JC180\Documents\Unreal Projects\\AndroidPackages\Android Pack 15 (VV 2)>if NOT “” == “” (call \HostWin64\Android\SetupEnvironmentVars.bat )
C:\Users\JC180\Documents\Unreal Projects\\AndroidPackages\Android Pack 15 (VV 2)>set ANDROIDHOME=C:\Users\JC180\AppData\Local\Android\Sdk
C:\Users\JC180\Documents\Unreal Projects\\AndroidPackages\Android Pack 15 (VV 2)>if “C:\Users\JC180\AppData\Local\Android\Sdk” == “” set ANDROIDHOME=C:/Users/JC180/AppData/Local/Android/Sdk
C:\Users\JC180\Documents\Unreal Projects\\AndroidPackages\Android Pack 15 (VV 2)>set ADB=C:\Users\JC180\AppData\Local\Android\Sdk\platform-tools\adb.exe
C:\Users\JC180\Documents\Unreal Projects\\AndroidPackages\Android Pack 15 (VV 2)>set AFS=.\win-x64\UnrealAndroidFileTool.exe
C:\Users\JC180\Documents\Unreal Projects\\AndroidPackages\Android Pack 15 (VV 2)>set DEVICE=
C:\Users\JC180\Documents\Unreal Projects\\AndroidPackages\Android Pack 15 (VV 2)>if not “” == “” set DEVICE=-s
C:\Users\JC180\Documents\Unreal Projects\\AndroidPackages\Android Pack 15 (VV 2)>for /F “delims=” %A in (‘C:\Users\JC180\AppData\Local\Android\Sdk\platform-tools\adb.exe shell “echo $EXTERNAL_STORAGE”’) do @ set STORAGE=%A
Uninstalling existing application. Failures here can almost always be ignored.
C:\Users\JC180\Documents\Unreal Projects\\AndroidPackages\Android Pack 15 (VV 2)>C:\Users\JC180\AppData\Local\Android\Sdk\platform-tools\adb.exe uninstall com.*.*
Exception occurred while executing:
java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Unknown package: com.*.*
at com.android.server.pm.Settings.getInstallerPackageNameLPr(Settings.java:5057)
at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerService.getInstallerPackageName(PackageManagerService.java:28962)
at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerService.isOrphaned(PackageManagerService.java:28968)
at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerService.deletePackageVersioned(PackageManagerService.java:24893)
at com.android.server.pm.PackageInstallerService.uninstall(PackageInstallerService.java:933)
at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerShellCommand.runUninstall(PackageManagerShellCommand.java:929)
at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerShellCommand.onCommand(PackageManagerShellCommand.java:134)
at android.os.ShellCommand.exec(ShellCommand.java:96)
at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerService.onShellCommand(PackageManagerService.java:29777)
at android.os.Binder.shellCommand(Binder.java:602)
at android.os.Binder.onTransact(Binder.java:500)
at android.content.pm.IPackageManager$Stub.onTransact(IPackageManager.java:3247)
at com.android.server.pm.PackageManagerService.onTransact(PackageManagerService.java:5425)
at android.os.Binder.execTransact(Binder.java:705)
Installing existing application. Failures here indicate a problem with the device (connection or storage permissions) and are fatal.
C:\Users\JC180\Documents\Unreal Projects\*\AndroidPackages\Android Pack 15 (VV 2)>C:\Users\JC180\AppData\Local\Android\Sdk\platform-tools\adb.exe install *-arm64.apk
Performing Streamed Install

*Project name has once again been omitted

I have also tried each of these in an empty project, with the exact same results
Any help (preferably anything that works or gets me closer to getting this working) is greatly appreciated.

2

I feel sorry for you… developing for mobile is not a fun thing until you realize the process of how it’s properly done. I recently had a bunch of issues with iOS development.

For the first Quick Launch; the logs you provided indicate that the launch process is getting hung after writing symbols to the specified directory.

Here are a few things you can try to resolve the issue:

  • Make sure your Android device is properly set up for development. This includes installing the necessary drivers and making sure that USB debugging is enabled on the device.
  • Check if the device is supported by Unreal Engine 5.1.0 and make sure you have the latest version of the engine.
  • Make sure you have the Android Development Kit (SDK) and the Android Native Development Kit (NDK) installed and properly configured in Unreal Engine.
  • Make sure you have properly set up the signing key for the APK, this can be done in the project settings of the engine.
  • Try to clean the project and build it again.
  • Try to run the project on a different Android device and see if the issue persist.
  • Try to build the project in development mode instead of shipping mode.
  • Check the device’s storage and make sure you have enough space, sometimes this can cause the app to hang.

Please note that this is a general troubleshoot and the exact cause of the error may vary depending on the specific scenario. If none of the above steps works, you may need to share your project and the log files with the community or the developers of the engine for further assistance.

As for copying the project to device and install .apk from there. (Which works in 5.1 I have tried it for Android (Samsung S9).) So, regarding the deprecation of this method, as long as the Android device allows installation of apps from unknown sources, this method should still be valid.

Here are a few things you can check:

  • Make sure that the APK file you are trying to install is signed with the correct key. Without the correct key, the app cannot be installed.
  • Make sure that the APK file is compatible with the version of Android running on the device.
  • Make sure that the device has enough storage space to install the app.
  • Make sure that the device is set to allow installation of apps from unknown sources.
  • Make sure that the APK file is not corrupt.
  • Make sure that the device has the minimum requirements to run the app.
  • Make sure that the device is compatible with the Unreal Engine version you are using.

For the final method:

It looks like you’re encountering an error when trying to install the project using a .BAT file. The error message “java.lang.IllegalArgumentException: Unknown package: com…” suggests that the package name specified in the uninstall command is not recognized by the device.

Here are a few things you can try to resolve the issue:

  • Make sure that the package name specified in the uninstall command matches the package name in the project’s AndroidManifest.xml file.
  • Make sure that the device has the necessary permissions to uninstall apps.
  • Make sure the device is connected properly to the computer and that the ADB (Android Debug Bridge) is properly configured.
  • Make sure the device has enough storage space to install the app.
  • Try to clean the project and build it again.
  • Try to run the project on a different Android device and see if the issue persists.
  • Try to build the project in development mode instead of shipping mode.
  • Try to manually install the app on the device via the sideloading process.
3

Thank you, Elias, for your prompt response. So far I have been trying some of your solutions (namely generating and using a signing key). I will respond further when I get it to work, or I have exhausted the options listed in your post (which seems unlikely given the thoroughness of your reply).
As for now, I am going to stop working on the project for today, but I plan on working on it tomorrow.

4

I FOUND THE PROBLEM!!!

The device I was trying to run my project on was a borrowed tablet from school. I tried it on a (somewhat outdated) Android device we had at home, and now I am getting the regular errors everyone else is having. While I haven’t gotten the project to work yet, I am much closer now. Thank you, Elias.

Chances are the school blocked the downloading and launching of .apk files to prevent kids from damaging the tablets.

1 Like
5

That’s great! I am super glad you found the solution! Best of luck getting your game to work now! :slight_smile: