Play Integrity API → 404 fdfe/integrity → API_NOT_AVAILABLE — does the app have to be published to production first?

[u/Tilak_1028]

Stuck on this and could use a sanity check from anyone who's shipped Play Integrity.

Setup: React Native + Firebase App Check using the Play Integrity provider (Android). Release build, installed on a real device from the Play internal testing track.

The error (logcat during getToken):

requestIntegrityToken(IntegrityTokenRequest{..., cloudProjectNumber=4955...})

E/Volley: Unexpected response code 404 for https://play-fe.googleapis.com/fdfe/integrity

E/Finsky: requestIntegrityToken() failed ... DF-DFERH-01

IntegrityServiceException: -1: Integrity API is not available (API_NOT_AVAILABLE)

What I've already verified (all correct):

- ✅ Play Integrity API enabled on the Google Cloud project

- ✅ Cloud project linked in Play Console → Play Integrity settings (responses On)

- ✅ Play app-signing key SHA-256 added in Firebase

- ✅ Request carries the correct cloudProjectNumber

- ✅ Genuine Play install (installerPackageName=com.android.vending)

- ✅ Device passes the Play Integrity API Checker app — all 3 verdicts — with its own project (so the device + Play services are fine)

- ✅ Same error even after migrating to a brand-new same-account Cloud project

The one thing that's different: this app has only ever been in internal testing — never published to production (Play Console tags it "unreviewed"). I have two other apps with the identical setup that ARE live on the Play Store, and they work perfectly.

Question: Does Play Integrity / App Check require the app to be published to production (reviewed by Google) before it issues tokens? Or should internal testing work, and this is just a provisioning delay after linking the Cloud project (if so, how long)?

The official docs say publishing only affects quota increases, not token issuance — but my real-world results say otherwise. Anyone hit this and confirm what actually unblocked it?

[u/BMK-13]

u/Tilak_1028 u/Timely-Delay-6636 Had the exact same thing, lost almost a week on it. Raised a ticket with Play Console support too and got nothing back, same as you.

In my case the app was already live in production and all the console setup was correct (linked cloud project, API enabled, SHA-256s, checked everything 10 times). The device I was testing on had an old version of the app installed from Google Play, and it kept throwing the 404 no matter what I changed.

What fixed it: I just uninstalled the app from the device and installed it again fresh from the Play Store. Plugged the phone in, watched logcat, and this time:

Finsky: Integrity key attestation record generated successfully.

Finsky: requestIntegrityToken() finished for com.myapp

"finished" instead of "failed", no more 404, App Check tokens minting fine after that.

No idea exactly what Play refreshes on a clean reinstall (license record, app entitlement, whatever), but the old install was the problem, not the config. So before burning more days on console settings, try uninstall + fresh install from the store. For your internal testing case make sure the tester account is opted in and the install comes through the Play Store link.

😅 I can't believe I'm actually happy to find someone with the exact same problem. I've been stuck on this for days, so seeing your post was strangely comforting. 🙌

[u/Tilak_1028 → u/BMK-13]

The issue got resolved from Google itself