keystore lost , what to do?
Bharatha Nadeeshan
SteveJG
Keystores
During the .apk building process, your application is signed with a digital private key that is associated with your account. Whenever you build a new version of your app, this same key is used to sign the new version. When an Android device has an application installed on it, it remembers the key that was used to sign the application. In order to install an updated version of an application, the new application must be signed by the same key. It is therefore important that you not lose this key! (Google Play also refers to the key as a certificate.)
Your private digital key is stored in a keystore file. Normally the MIT App Inventor server will create this file when needed and store it for you, so you do not need to worry about it. Although we do not anticipate losing your keystore file, we recommend that you back it up. From the designer under the “Projects” menu, there is a choice labeled “Download Keystore.” Select this option to download your keystore file to your local computer. Save the keystore file in a safe place. It should not be publicly readable: your private digital key is a secret that should not be shared, or else other people will be able to overwrite your apps in the Play Store.
If you move your project to another App Inventor server, you will want to upload your keystore to that server. There is a “Upload Keystore” option under the “Projects” menu). You need to do this only if you are publishing .apk files to Google Play or if you intend to share your application with other people.
IF YOUR KEYFILE IS LOST OR DELETED IT CANNOT BE RECOVERED. If you were to then lose your project's source code, you would need to recreate the project from scratch. NEITHER YOU NOR MIT CAN RECOVER A LOST KEYFILE. NO AMOUNT OF EFFORT WILL RECOVER IT, SO BE SURE TO BACK IT UP!!!
