{
  "id": 11489780,
  "title": "Lost your keystore? You can still publish updates on Google Play. Here is how",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/lost-your-keystore-you-can-still-publish-updates-on-google-play-here",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-02T17:24:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/devemrep/lost-your-keystore-you-can-still-publish-updates-on-google-play-here-is-how-162f"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "If you lose the keystore file that holds your upload key for a Google Play app, don't worry – you can still publish updates. The key difference is whether your app uses Google Play App Signing. Most apps signed since August 2021 use Play App Signing, which keeps the app signing key and allows you to reset the upload key if lost. In this case, simply generate a new upload key, export its certificate, and request a reset through the Play Console. Once approved, update your build to use the new key and upload your app as usual. If Play App Signing isn't enabled and you've lost the keystore, you're out of luck – Google can't recover the key, and the app can't be updated. In this scenario, you'll need to publish the app under a new package name and migrate users through an in-app message or by updating the old listing. To prevent losing your upload key, store the keystore and password in multiple secure locations, like a password manager or encrypted drive, and ensure you note the alias.",
  "summary": "You open Android Studio to ship a small fix and the build asks for a keystore you no longer have. Maybe it was on an old laptop. Maybe a freelancer built the app and never handed the key over. Maybe you still have the file but the password is gone. Whether you can publish updates again depends on one setting you may never have looked at. Here is how to check it, and what to do in each case.…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}