A collection of obscure Android development issues and their solutions.

1. Android Studio Fails to Compile a New Project

1
2

Error:Execution failed for task :app:mergeDebugResources.
> Crunching Cruncher ic_launcher.png failed, see logs

Root cause: In early versions of Android Studio, an incomplete resource directory structure could trigger this error.

Fix: Create a drawable-hdpi or drawable-xhdpi folder.

2. Meilan Note Cannot Connect via ADB

When your device won’t connect over USB despite all normal conditions being met, you may need to add the USB Vendor ID.

Solution (macOS):

  1. Find the Vendor ID via System Information or system_profiler SPUSBDataType
  2. Edit ~/.android/adb_usb.ini and append 0x2a45 (Meizu’s vendor ID)
  3. Restart ADB and reconnect:
    1
2

    adb kill-server
adb start-server

See: Android ADB Documentation

3. App Installation Fails Due to Signature Mismatch

1

Package com.yuexue.tifenapp signatures do not match the previously installed version; ignoring!

Root cause: The installed version has a different signature than the one you’re trying to install. This commonly happens when switching between debug and release signing keys.

Fix: Uninstall the conflicting version first:

1

adb uninstall com.yuexue.tifenapp

Key notes:

  • adb -e targets an emulator; without the -e flag ADB picks the only connected device
  • To uninstall a system app from Google Play, use adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 <pkg> (requires root)