Is it possible to change keystore for an android application that is already deployed into Play Store being account administrator?

Question

We already have an android app deployed under Play. Is it possible to change current keystore? Reason: currently we have a development team and this team will be discarded within 1 year. I would like to know if it is possible to get 'current one' without asking them (we are owners of app - I have admin account in Play), replace this 'current one' and publish and new version of app, but using same package, same name. We intend users not to download new version, but to have it automatically updated.

Answer 1

Yes it's possible.

If you are using App Signing by Google Play you are supposed to sign your bundle/apk with an Upload keystore which you can update by contacting developer support from your account owner. In the detailed guideline it says:

If you’ve lost your private upload key, or it’s been compromised, you can create a new one, and then ask your account owner to contact support to reset the key. When contacting support, make sure your account owner attaches the upload_certificate.pem file.

On the other hand, if you are not using App Signing by Google Play it means you are managing the Signing key yourself. In this case you still have the chance to upgrade the signing key only once in the whole lifetime of the app. Users with the previous key will be able to use and update the app with the legacy signing key and the new users will be enabled with the upgraded key. Here is what quoted in the reference:

In some circumstances, you can request an app signing key upgrade. Your new key is used to sign new installs and app updates. Your legacy app signing key is still used to sign updates for users who installed your app before the key upgrade.

Each app can only have its app signing key upgraded once in its lifetime. In the unlikely event that you have multiple apps using the same signing key specifically to run in the same process, you won’t be able to use key upgrade for those apps.

Details is explained here