INSTALL_FAILED_CONFLICTING_PROVIDER in Android

Question

I am using an open-srouce code from Google for an app called MyTracks.

I am getting this error when the original app is installed on the phone.

INSTALL_FAILED_CONFLICTING_PROVIDER

I know that this is because of the android:authorities in the Manifest.

here is the part of the Manifest:

<provider
android:name="com.google.android.apps.mytracks.content.MyTracksProvider"
android:authorities="com.google.android.maps.mytracks"
android:exported="true"
android:readPermission="com.google.android.apps.mytracks.READ_TRACK_DATA"
android:writePermission="com.google.android.apps.mytracks.WRITE_TRACK_DATA" />
<!-- Search suggestion provider -->
<provider
android:name="com.google.android.apps.mytracks.content.SearchEngineProvider"
android:authorities="com.google.android.maps.mytracks.search"
android:exported="false" />

So, my question is: I want to know whether this approach may solve the problem or not, because I am afraid of changing all the packages names and then have the whole app broken.

1. The android :authorities value is the package name. The android:name is the name of the class of that provider. Am I correct?

If I change the package name, to another one different than the com.google etx, and rename all the references/ imports of that package, should the problem go away?

Answer 1

The android :authorities value is the package name.

In this case, it happens to be the package name. It simply has to be unique.

The android:name is the name of the class of that provider

Correct.

If I change the package name, to another one different than the com.google etx, and rename all the references/ imports of that package, should the problem go away?

The package name has nothing to do with it. You may need to change that as well, though, for your app to be able to be installed alongside the regular, un-modified app.

You need to have a unique value for android:authorities, and the code in your app that uses this ContentProvider needs to use an appropriate Uri (content://whatever.you.change.the.authority.to/...).