Troubleshooting
“The identity used to sign the executable is no longer valid”
What install error 0xe8008018 means, how to check whether the signing certificate is revoked or expired, and what to do when it is not.
Error 0xe8008018 means iOS refused the signing identity, the certificate inside your P12, while installing the app. Apple's installer adds: “Please ensure that the certificates used to sign your app have not expired.”
Use when
- Sideloadly, Feather, Xcode or another installer stops with
0xe8008018; - the log says “The identity used to sign the executable is no longer valid”;
- the failure often appears near the end of installation, during verification.
Causes, most likely first
| Cause | How to tell |
|---|---|
| The certificate is revoked | Every app signed with it fails, including ones that used to install |
| The certificate is expired | The expiry date in the P12 or profile has passed |
| The P12 and profile do not belong together | The profile does not list the certificate in the P12 |
| Apple rejects the developer team | The certificate checks out, but installs fail on every device |
Check the certificate
Open the P12 and the provisioning profile in the certificate checker. It reads both in the browser, asks Apple whether the certificate is revoked, shows the expiry dates, and says whether the profile includes the certificate.
- Revoked or expired: nothing on the phone can fix this. Ask your provider for a replacement if you are inside its replacement window, or get a new certificate.
- The pair does not match: use the P12 and profile delivered together. Files from two orders, or a profile downloaded again after a new certificate was issued, do not match.
- Valid and matching: go on to the next section.
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When the certificate is fine
- Set the date and time to automatic. A wrong clock makes valid certificates look expired or not yet valid.
- Sign a small, known-good IPA with the same pair. If it installs, the original IPA is the problem: see app crashes and integrity could not be verified.
- If every IPA fails on every device, the rejection is on Apple's side. Developers on Apple's forums report this error after an account reinstatement and with Apple's online check answering
REJECT_PROFILE, with valid certificates and no local fix. Only the account holder can take it up with Apple.
Limits
- The error text names the certificate, but it is also shown for team-level rejections, so a valid checker result is worth having before you buy anything.
0xe8008017and other neighbouring codes are different failures. Use the error index.
Sources
- Apple Developer Forums: 0xe8008018, the identity used to sign the executable is no longer valid
- Apple Developer Forums: 0xe8008018 after account reinstatement
- Apple Developer Forums: 0xe8008018 with REJECT_PROFILE