How do I install a certificate on Android? Let’s look into this issue. First of all, the SSL certificate confirms the authenticity of the site and allows you to establish a secure connection with it. However, we will not claim that this guarantees complete security. Only that an attacker will not connect to the data transfer.
When talking about SSL certification, people often talk about websites. However, the certification of the security of mobile applications is no less, if not more important now. If you didn’t know, Android uses certificates with a public key infrastructure to increase security.
These certificates are a common building block for encrypted communication between clients and servers. Therefore, if a certificate is required for the application or network you want to use, then you should install it. Before you can use it. So, how do I install an SSL certificate on Android?
How do I install a certificate on Android?
First of all, it should be noted that installing a certificate on Android is quite simple. To do this, download the desired file to your device. And then go to the Settings app to add it to your device’s credential storage.
Certificate deployment on an Android device cannot be automated. Therefore, you need to do it manually. Also, if you are using a custom version of Android, this step will not work for you.
How to install a certificate on an Android algorithm
Installing a certificate on Android devices is necessary in some cases. Especially if you want to access a secure network. That’s the whole point of the certificate.
To ensure that intruders and unauthorized users do not have access to the network. A proper certificate installed on the device will help the network identify the smartphone.
And confirm that it should have access to the network. At first, the process of installing a certificate on an Android device can seem a bit complicated. Especially if you’re getting to know Android phones for the first time with a trusted certificate.
Open the certificate link
The first step to installing the certificate on an Android device is to download it. Typically, the certificate is deployed wirelessly via email.
When you receive an email with a link to the certificate, open the link in your local browser, for example Chrome.
Make sure your device is connected to the Internet. Also note that you don’t need to use an Android device to download the certificate. But it’s better to skip the file transfer step to your Android device.
Create a PKCS #12 passphrase
In most cases, when you open the link, you will be prompted to enter the one-time password of the certificate. You should find this password in the email sent to you.
But if you haven’t found it, ask the network administrator to provide it to you. After entering the password, proceed to creating the PKCS#12 passphrase. The passphrase is the password that you will use when installing the certificate on your device.
In most cases, the passphrase consists of 12 characters and must be alphanumeric, that is, it must contain only letters and numbers, but not special characters.
Upload the certificate to your device
After completing the certificate download process, you can click on the download link to download the certificate. When you click Upload. You will be prompted to select the folder where you want to upload the certificate.
It is recommended to upload the certificate to the internal memory of the Android device. Although even if you download it to an SD card, it will also work fine. You should also create a folder in the root storage of your Android device where you want to upload the certificate so that you can easily find it.
Name the SSL certificate
When the certificate is successfully downloaded, you may receive a warning on your phone that a trusted third party may be monitoring the network. This warning can be a little scary.
But if you are installing a certificate from a trusted CA, then there is nothing to worry about. So, proceed by assigning the certificate a name of your choice, and click OK.
How do I install the certificate on Android in the settings?
Open the Settings app on your Android device and go to the Security section. Scroll down, select Encryption and Credentials. And then select Install Certificate. At this stage, you will be asked what type of certificate you want to install. Select the type of certificate to continue: CA certificate, VPN and applications or WiFi.
Find the certificate
In the next step, you will be redirected to the directory of your device. Where now you can find the certificate you want to install. Go to the created folder and click on the certificate.
How to install a certificate on Android – final
Enter the passphrase that you created when downloading the certificate, and click OK. Make the necessary changes to the certificate settings and click OK to continue the installation. Wait a couple of seconds or minutes until you get the full installation, then you’re done.
Additional information on how to install a certificate on Android
The Android device only supports SSL certificates X.509 with DER encoding. Therefore, make sure that the certificate extension you are downloading is in .crt or .cer format. In addition, PKCS#12 keystore files must have the extension .pfx or .p12.
Summary
As you can see from this guide, the steps to install a certificate on an Android device can be a bit long, but quite simple. So don’t seem clueless the next time you need to install a certificate on Android. Follow the steps described in this article and everything will be fine.
