How to use PackageInfo.GET_SIGNING_CERTIFICATES in API 28?

Question

The documentation of PackageManager.GET_SIGNATURES says "This constant was deprecated in API level 28. Use GET_SIGNING_CERTIFICATES instead".

Unfortunately it was not secure and was easily hacked.

How can you use the new "GET_SIGNING_CERTIFICATES" introduced with Android P?

Answer 1

In API28 or higher you should check for multipleSigners as well.

This function will do the job:
(Works for Android 9.0 and lower)

fun getApplicationSignature(packageName: String = context.packageName): List<String> {
    val signatureList: List<String>
    try {
        if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.P) {
            // New signature
            val sig = context.packageManager.getPackageInfo(packageName, PackageManager.GET_SIGNING_CERTIFICATES).signingInfo
            signatureList = if (sig.hasMultipleSigners()) {
                // Send all with apkContentsSigners
                sig.apkContentsSigners.map {
                    val digest = MessageDigest.getInstance("SHA")
                    digest.update(it.toByteArray())
                    bytesToHex(digest.digest())
                }
            } else {
                // Send one with signingCertificateHistory
                sig.signingCertificateHistory.map {
                    val digest = MessageDigest.getInstance("SHA")
                    digest.update(it.toByteArray())
                    bytesToHex(digest.digest())
                }
            }
        } else {
            val sig = context.packageManager.getPackageInfo(packageName, PackageManager.GET_SIGNATURES).signatures
            signatureList = sig.map {
                val digest = MessageDigest.getInstance("SHA")
                digest.update(it.toByteArray())
                bytesToHex(digest.digest())
            }
        }

        return signatureList
    } catch (e: Exception) {
        // Handle error
    }
    return emptyList()
}

And byteToHex is:

fun bytesToHex(bytes: ByteArray): String {
    val hexArray = charArrayOf('0', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9', 'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', 'E', 'F')
    val hexChars = CharArray(bytes.size * 2)
    var v: Int
    for (j in bytes.indices) {
        v = bytes[j].toInt() and 0xFF
        hexChars[j * 2] = hexArray[v.ushr(4)]
        hexChars[j * 2 + 1] = hexArray[v and 0x0F]
    }
    return String(hexChars)
}