app-release-unsigned.apk is not signed

I downloaded the zip file of an Android app on github and I'm trying to run it, but I get a dialog with this message

app-release-unsigned.apk is not signed. Please configure the signing information for the selected flavor using the Project Structure dialog.

I'm using Android Studio. What am I supposed to do?


If anyone wants to debug release build using Android Studio, follow these steps:

  1. Set build variant to release mode.

enter image description here

  1. Right click on app in left navigation pane, click Open Module Settings.

  2. Go to Signing Tab. Add a signing config and fill in information. Select your keychain as well.

enter image description here

  1. Go to Build Type tab. Select release mode and set:

-Debuggable to true.

-Signing Config to the config. (The one you just created).

enter image description here

Sync your gradle. Enjoy!


Make sure the build variant is set to debug (and not release) in Android Studio (check the build variants panel).

If set to debug, it should automatically sign the app with the auto-generated debug keystore, without editing the build scripts.

However you will need to create and configure a specific keystore for release.

Official documentation, covering debug and release modes: https://developer.android.com/tools/publishing/app-signing.html


Always sign your build using your build.gradle DSL script like this:

    android {
    signingConfigs {
        debug {
            storeFile file("debug.keystore")
        }

        myConfig {
            storeFile file("other.keystore")
            storePassword "android"
            keyAlias "androidotherkey"
            keyPassword "android"
        }
    }

    buildTypes {
        bar {
            debuggable true
            jniDebugBuild true
            signingConfig signingConfigs.debug
        }
        foo {
            debuggable false
            jniDebugBuild false
            signingConfig signingConfigs.myConfig
        }
    }
}

If you want to understand a little more of the Gradle build system associated to Android Studio just pay a visit to:

Gradle Plugin User Guide