Debug deployment to Device works fine, Release fails with odd messages. Anybody have a fix for this?

Question

User124644 posted

Hello friends and neighbors. I am running Xamarin Studio latest version on OSX Mavericks. When attempting to deploy to a device (Android 4.1.2), the Debug configuration works fine, but a release configuration (which essentially removes the debug settings) fails and returns the following odd messages:

[monodroid-assembly] Could not load assembly 'MyApp' during startup registration. [monodroid-assembly] This might be due to an invalid debug instalation. [monodroid-assembly] A common cause is to 'adb install' the app directly instead of doing from the IDE.

There is a post from nearly a year and a half ago with the same results, but no resolution.

Several questions, if we are to take these messages to heart.

1. What is an "invalid debug installation" when attempting to perform a release build?

There is no debug installation.

(NOTE: I have completely removed all traces of the application from the device and reset, but I receive the same result)

2. This might be due to an invalid debug instalation.

See (1) above. And check your spelling.

3. A common cause is to 'adb install' the app directly instead of doing from the IDE.

This would not be a cause, but it might be a work-around ...

Are we saying that "we don't know what we are doing, so our advice to you is to just bypass our code?" That doesn't instill much confidence in the platform ...

Answer 1

User101467 posted

Same problem here after upgrading xamarin and Android SDK to the latest version.

Xamarin Studio 5.9.3 Xamarin Android 5.1.3 java version "1.6.0_39" SDK Tools v24.3.1

I didn't notice immediatly as my latest release was only a minor bugfix. Nothing changed to the profile/build settings. More info:

it does work on some devices, like on my Galaxy Note 10, but randomly crashes or suddenly starts running very slow. on other devices like a galaxy S2 it crashes on strtup with the above error messages.

I can't seem to downgrade to a previous version, so I'm currently stuck with a corrupted update-build

Answer 2

User16680 posted

i have the same issue, for some reason (in my case) uninstalling the debug build directly from the device and then re-deploying the release build seems to do the trick

(it also happens the other way around: once the release build is installed, i have the same crash if try to deploy the debug build, so i have to uninstall the release build and then redeploy. A bit annoying, but nothing game-breaking)

Answer 3

User101467 posted

Unfortunately that is not the problem we are facing :(

Answer 4

User95386 posted

uninstalling the debug build directly from the device

Thanks aa1984.

Answer 5

User124644 posted

Un-installling, redeploying, etc. does not work. This is a problem with the Xamarin infrastructure failing to determine the real issue and then "giving up", leaving the rest of us to chase down ghosts.

Sometimes it's better to leave no error message at all than to create a misleading one

Answer 6

User101467 posted

Can we get any indication if this is being looked at?

Answer 7

User101467 posted

I made a minimal example solution (based on a xamarin forms template and nothing else) that fails on a Samsung GT-I9100 (API 16) with following message:

[monodroid] Trying to load sgen from: /data/data/com.companyname.test/lib/libmonosgen-2.0.so [monodroid-gc] GREF GC Threshold: 46080 [monodroid-assembly] Could not load assembly 'test.Droid' during startup registration. [monodroid-assembly] This might be due to an invalid debug instalation. [monodroid-assembly] A common cause is to 'adb install' the app directly instead of doing from the IDE.

This is without any extra code, so it seems clear to me that this is a xamarin problem and should be looked at.

Answer 8

User101467 posted

The main problem seems to be the use of xamarin.forms. As soon as I add the xamarin.forms package to a normal android project the problems start.

Answer 9

User124644 posted

FYI, this appears to be dependent on the particular device used. For me, it happens on a CASIO, but not on an LG

Answer 10

User40440 posted

Hi,

I have exactly the same problem since I updated to the latest Xamarin Studio version today.

This is a big issue since we need to release an update of our application :-(

Thanks, have a nice day

Answer 11

User18711 posted

Happening with my old Samsung Galaxy SII (Android 4.0.3), but not with my Moto DROID RAZR (Android 4.1.2). We also have a report that an SII on Android 4.1.1 also is seeing this issue, so I think that @mr-incredible is right, it's device dependent.

One interesting thing to note is that my SII is not showing the Mono Runtime in the list of applications (although I know for a fact it used to be in the list) even after multiple deploys of the app in Release. Deploying in Debug has the Mono Runtime show up again.

Maybe this is a bug in Xamarin's "Detecting installed packages" functionality?

Answer 12

User101467 posted

Definitely device related, we can only reproduce it on a galaxy sII (GT-I9100 API 16)

Answer 13

User71406 posted

Same problem here. It was working well until today.. It's strange because I updated xamarin to latest version on friday and yesterday I ran in release mode ok. Today it crashes after the splash screen with the same error..

Answer 14

User124644 posted

device - and / or Android version related?

Answer 15

User71406 posted

Xamarin Studio Version 5.9.3 (build 1)

Xamarin.Android Version: 5.1.3.1

Android device: Brand XION (Chinese I think) Android 4.4.2

If on Android Build, on the release configuration I check "Enable developer instrumentation" it works, but it's not the idea.. Google play store gives an error that cannot upload apk with debug options. It's really annoying

Answer 16

User71406 posted

After installing an old version of xamarin.android AND xamarin studio, it didn't worked. Reinstalled the new version again, and didn't worked. Always uninstalling the app, Mono Shared Runtime and Support Library from the device(if they were installed) and doing a clean build. Without more alternatives, I restored the device to factory settings and REMOVED ALL device data, then finally it worked with release configuration. So, apparently it isn't device/version related. I think Xamarin is leaving some trash on the device that causes the problem.

Answer 17

User71406 posted

Ops, I forgot to add that I also updated the library Xamarin.Android.Support.v4 to the latest version too (specifically 22.2.0.0). I don't know if it was the factory reset or the library that made it work because I did at the same time. (I hope that the problem is the support library). Hope it helps someone.

Answer 18

User124644 posted

Thanks Diego - I had tried all of that except updating the support library. Now I am in Hell for making that attempt ... will report results

Joy ...

Answer 19

User71406 posted

Did you updated from the android SDK manager first?

Answer 20

User124644 posted

Nope, same issue. ;/

Xamarin is really not up to prime time

Answer 21

User71406 posted

Well, I think I found the cause. After running on debug, and going back to release mode the devil came with it. My solution was removing the "data" folder of the application on the internal storage. On my device it was located on: /Android/data/com.my.app.package.name

Answer 22

User77747 posted

Could this have something to do with the Fast Assembly Deployment setting?

Answer 23

User33198 posted

thanks @diego.suarez I had the same issue and cleaning "data folder of the application on the internal storage" worked for me.

Answer 24

User46843 posted

Any one find solution for this? I'm not able to install app on my device using release mode.

Answer 25

User138851 posted

android options->cancel " use shared runtime "

Answer 26

User176175 posted

@huguodong , it worked!!

Answer 27

User177770 posted

@huguodong, tyvm!

Answer 28

User203065 posted

I fix the issue disabling Fast Assembly Deployment setting.

Answer 29

User129555 posted

I'm having the issue with SyncFusion currently and Fast Assembly Deployment setting did not help::

[monodroid-assembly] Could not load assembly 'Syncfusion.SfAutocomplete.XForms.Android' during startup registration. [monodroid-assembly] This might be due to an invalid debug instalation. [monodroid-assembly] A common cause is to 'adb install' the app directly instead of doing from the IDE.

Answer 30

User233744 posted

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I've been having this issue and the "shared runtime" fix doesn't work for me. I get the same error message as OP but in my case, I am unable to load System.configuration.dll. The deployment fails to a Nexus 4 (Lollipop) emulator and also to my Galaxy S5 (can't remember which OS version I'm on).

Answer 31

User227870 posted

@huguodong +100

Answer 32

User297756 posted

I'm having a similar issue with a Firebase Android App, while writing down some lines to enable reception of notifications from Microsoft Azure. In fact the problem is:

02-24 09:41:58.605 F/monodroid-assembly( 2420): Could not load assembly 'Windows' during startup registration. 02-24 09:41:58.605 F/monodroid-assembly( 2420): This might be due to an invalid debug installation. 02-24 09:41:58.605 F/monodroid-assembly( 2420): A common cause is to 'adb install' the app directly instead of doing from the IDE.

That 'Windows' assembly reference points at this location:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Phone Kits\8.1\References\CommonConfiguration\Neutral\Windows.winmd

Answer 33

User335864 posted

@KasperBorys said: Sorry to resurrect this thread, but I've been having this issue and the "shared runtime" fix doesn't work for me. I get the same error message as OP but in my case, I am unable to load System.configuration.dll. The deployment fails to a Nexus 4 (Lollipop) emulator and also to my Galaxy S5 (can't remember which OS version I'm on).

@KasperBorys Did you manage to solve this?

Answer 34

User257249 posted

I was struggling with this issue for a few days and it fixed itself after I updated my android SDK's. Probably should have thought of that first. Check those and see if they are behind.

Answer 35

User367631 posted

04-21 17:17:26.302 D/Mono (17547): Assembly Loader probing location: 'System.Security.Permissions'. 04-21 17:17:26.302 F/monodroid-assembly(17547): Could not load assembly 'System.Security.Permissions' during startup registration. 04-21 17:17:26.302 F/monodroid-assembly(17547): This might be due to an invalid debug installation. 04-21 17:17:26.302 F/monodroid-assembly(17547): A common cause is to 'adb install' the app directly instead of doing from the IDE.

hello, please i am having the same problem, my started after i connected to mysql and wrote down code to insert data into the database.