Android in app purchase: Signature verification failed

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This problem is still going on in the current Google billing version. Basically the android.test.purchased is broken; After you buy android.test.purchased the verifyPurchase function in Security.java will always fail and the QueryInventoryFinishedListener will stop at the line if (result.isFailure()); this is because the android.test.purchased item always fails the TextUtils.isEmpty(signature) check in Security.java as it is not a real item and has no signature returned by the server.

My advice (from lack of any other solution) is to NEVER use “android.test.purchased”. There are various code tweaks on the net but none of them work 100%.

If you have used the android.test.purchased then one way to get rid of the error is to do the following:-

  1. Edit Security.java and change the “return false” line in the verifyPurchase to “return true” – this is temporary, we’ll be putting it back in a minute.

  2. In your QueryInventoryFinishedListener, after the “if (result.isFailure()) {…}” lines add the following to consume and get rid of your never ending android.test.purchased item:

    if (inventory.hasPurchase(SKU_ANDROID_TEST_PURCHASE_GOOD)) {  
   mHelper.consumeAsync(inventory.getPurchase(SKU_ANDROID_TEST_PURCHASE_GOOD),null);
   }

  3. Run your app so the consunmeAsync happens, this gets rid of the “android.test.purchased” item on the server.

  4. Remove the consumeAsync code (or comment it out).
  5. Back in the Security.java, change the “return true” back to “return false”.

Your QueryInventoryFinishedListener will no longer error on the verify, everything is back to “normal” (if you can call it that). Remember – don’t bother using android.test.purchased again as it will just cause this error again… it’s broke! The only real way to test your purchasing it to upload an APK, wait for it to appear, and then test it (the same APK) on your device with logging enabled.

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