Fixing the “Unknown Error code during application install: ‘-24′” Issue

I just finished installing the CyanogenMod ROM for Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 (cm-10-20130117-1903-otter-sgt7.zip) on my rooted 1st generation Amazon Kindle Fire. I am very pleased to say that it boots much faster than the stock Amazon-loaded OS (forked Android Gingerbread 2.3)!

Loading another ROM removed the Amazon Marketplace, but does not load Google Play. After loading CM10, Google Apps (gapps) must still be loaded in order to get Google Play. Once this is done, Android apps – including the Kindle reader – can be reloaded.

The problem is that after loading CM10, some apps would not install correctly using Google Play. The Kindle Reader app in particular gave an error that was particularly vague: “Unknown Error code during application install: ‘-24′”.

Fortunately, the fix for this is rather simple. After loading Google Apps, do a factory reset using TWRP or whatever boot loader you’ve installed on the Fire. From what I’ve read, this may apply to other Android devices as well.

Houston, TX 77002

2 Replies to “Fixing the “Unknown Error code during application install: ‘-24′” Issue”

  1. you wouldn’t want to factory reset the device for only one broken app – reinstalling everything is a huge enterprise compared to removing the /data/data/… directory corresponing to the app / the app vendor. After that, reinstall the app just as usual, without getting the -24 error.

    1. I would agree with that solution – if that works for you on a particular app, then certainly do that instead. However, this was the only solution that worked in my case.

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