I've been wrestling with this "package file is invalid" business for a while, and none of the usual tricks (clearing Market app data, wiping /cache, etc.) have worked.
In this case, Market updates for a particular app (My-Cast Weather) were failing with a "package file is invalid" error. As an experiment, I ran a TiBu backup of all my apps, deleted My-Cast, and tried downloading it from scratch. Predictably, that failed. So I tried restoring it from backup (just that one app), but after twenty minutes of watching TiBu chew on that, I force-quit & rebooted. When I launched TiBu again, My-Cast was gone entirely from my backed-up apps list.
It's got me wondering what's going on here. I know (or I've read, at least) that an invalid .apk is due to improper signing or due to a previous version being sideloaded and leaving some conflicting detritus around, but neither is the case here. Other people seem to be able to install it, so it can't be a specific signing issue. I've never installed/updated it from a source other than the Market. Did something just get corrupted with that particular app? Is that why TiBu choked on it?
Just trying to understand the problem as best as I can. If anyone could point me in the right direction, I'd be grateful.
EDIT: I believe it's a /cache issue. The ROM I'm using (an IHO Cyanogenmod build) moves the dalvik-cache to the /cache partition, and if that gets so full that an .apk installer can't put the necessary stuff in dalvik-cache, you apparently get the "package file is invalid" business. It's apparently possible to put the dalvik-cache on your SD card, but short of that, you pretty much just have to get rid of some apps.
In this case, Market updates for a particular app (My-Cast Weather) were failing with a "package file is invalid" error. As an experiment, I ran a TiBu backup of all my apps, deleted My-Cast, and tried downloading it from scratch. Predictably, that failed. So I tried restoring it from backup (just that one app), but after twenty minutes of watching TiBu chew on that, I force-quit & rebooted. When I launched TiBu again, My-Cast was gone entirely from my backed-up apps list.
It's got me wondering what's going on here. I know (or I've read, at least) that an invalid .apk is due to improper signing or due to a previous version being sideloaded and leaving some conflicting detritus around, but neither is the case here. Other people seem to be able to install it, so it can't be a specific signing issue. I've never installed/updated it from a source other than the Market. Did something just get corrupted with that particular app? Is that why TiBu choked on it?
Just trying to understand the problem as best as I can. If anyone could point me in the right direction, I'd be grateful.
EDIT: I believe it's a /cache issue. The ROM I'm using (an IHO Cyanogenmod build) moves the dalvik-cache to the /cache partition, and if that gets so full that an .apk installer can't put the necessary stuff in dalvik-cache, you apparently get the "package file is invalid" business. It's apparently possible to put the dalvik-cache on your SD card, but short of that, you pretty much just have to get rid of some apps.
