Android enterprise app update shows older app as missing when package ID is the sameSolved

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1 month ago Oct 04, 2026

I’m managing an Android enterprise app in Hexnode and need to keep different versions available for staged testing. Each APK has a different display name in Hexnode, such as version-specific names, and the version codes are different, but the Android package identifier is the same.

When I deploy the newer APK using a custom job, the job completes successfully and the app on the device updates. However, after scanning the installed packages, Hexnode shows an odd state where one of the app entries appears missing even though it is technically the same app package.

Is there a proper way to manage updates when multiple Hexnode enterprise app entries use the same Android package ID?

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Hexnode Expert
1 month ago Oct 04, 2026
Marked SolutionPending Review

Hi @sybylla,

Android allows only one installed instance of an app with a given package identifier on a device. If two enterprise app entries in Hexnode use the same package ID, Android treats them as the same application, even if they have different names in the Hexnode app inventory.

Because of this, when the newer APK is installed, it updates or replaces the existing app instance on the device. Hexnode may then show the other enterprise app entry as missing, since that specific app entry is no longer the installed version being tracked.

For app updates, use one of these approaches:

  1. Replace the APK in the existing enterprise app entry if you want to update the app in bulk while keeping the same app record in Hexnode.
  2. Upload the new APK as a separate enterprise app entry only if you are handling staged deployments or version-specific testing.

If you use the second approach and both APKs have the same package identifier, uninstall the older app version from the device first using the Uninstall application action. After that, deploy the newer version. This avoids the missing/inconsistent state caused by multiple Hexnode app entries pointing to the same Android package.

Regards,
Sienna Carter
Hexnode UEM

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