Universal Checks (All Platforms)

1. Update Apollo. Old builds break as environments change around them. Install the current release from the download page and verify the checksum this time.
2. Re-apply your jailbreak/homebrew environment after a full power-off. A console that booted “normally” can’t run homebrew properly.
3. Remove the USB drive and try again. A malformed save folder on removable media can crash the app while it scans. If Apollo launches clean without the drive, inspect the folders with the paths guide.

PS4

• Crash code CE-34878-0 on launch → corrupt install. Delete the app, reboot, re-apply the jailbreak, reinstall from a checksum-verified .pkg. Full walkthrough: PS4 install & CE-34878-0 fixes.
• Remember: Apollo v2.x itself needs no GoldHEN/ps4debug payload — don’t chase payload versions to fix Apollo; the jailbreak being active is what matters.

PS3

• On HEN, Apollo launched in a session where HEN wasn’t enabled behaves like broken software. Enable HEN first, then launch.
• A black screen on a CFW machine after a system change usually clears with a clean reinstall of the verified .pkg (80029563 guide covers install verification).

PS Vita

• C2-12828-1 → background plugin conflict. Disable overlay/performance plugins in ur0:tai/config.txt, reboot, test, re-enable one by one. Details: Vita crash fixes.
• Confirm unsafe homebrew is enabled in VitaShell if the install itself was blocked.

PSP

• Confirm the build sits at ms0:/PSP/GAME/APOLLO exactly — a doubled folder breaks launching, just like saves.
• Disable other game plugins temporarily; PSP plugin conflicts present the same way they did in 2009.

When It’s One Save, Not the App

If Apollo opens but dies when you select a particular save, the app is fine — that save’s data is damaged. Restore its backup and follow corrupted save recovery.

Related Guides

Download Apollo · PS4 install failures · Vita crash fixes · All troubleshooting

How Apollo Decides the Account

Apollo auto-detects the current profile’s IDs — PS4 User ID and Account ID; PS3 PSID, IDPS and Account ID. Re-signing stamps the save with whatever Apollo detected at that moment. Almost every mismatch traces back to the detection context:

• Wrong profile signed in: you re-signed while logged into a different local profile than the one you play on. Sign into the target profile and re-sign again.
• Save was never actually re-signed: copying a decrypted save into place is not re-signing. Run the save through Apollo’s import/re-sign function so param.sfo and the encryption are actually rewritten for your account.
• Downloaded saves: saves from the Online Database are encrypted to the contributor — re-signing is mandatory, not optional.

The PS3 owners.xml Override

On PS3, if auto-detection picks wrong IDs in multi-account setups, you can override them: place an owners.xml file at /dev_hdd0/game/NP0APOLLO/USRDIR/owners.xml with the correct account data, and Apollo will use those values for re-signing instead of the detected ones.

PS4 Notes

• Encrypted saves on USB live under PS4/SAVEDATA/<account-id>/ — if the folder name doesn’t match your account ID, the console won’t associate the save with you. Let Apollo write the folder structure rather than hand-renaming directories.
• Offline-activated (fake) Account IDs — which Apollo’s account tools can create — must be consistent between the resign step and the play profile.

Verify the Fix

After re-signing under the correct profile, load the game with that profile. If the message persists on a save that previously worked, restore the pre-edit backup and re-do the edit following the step order in PS4 re-signing or PS3 re-signing.

Related Guides

Download Apollo · Re-sign PS4 saves · Re-sign PS3 saves · Corrupted after re-signing

Piece 1: The Per-Game Save Key

Decrypting a PSP save needs that game’s save key. Apollo knows many keys already, but for games it doesn’t, you dump the key yourself with a PSP plugin:

• SGKeyDumper or SGDeemer — plugins that capture the save key while the game saves/loads.
• Apollo also ships its own key-dumper plugin tooling on the Vita build (Tools → PSP Key Dumper tools).

Community tip from the developer: if you dump a key Apollo didn’t have, use Apollo’s Export Save-game Key option and share the resulting gamekeys.txt — shared keys get added to future Apollo releases for everyone.

Piece 2: The Console FuseID (Vita/Adrenaline)

To correctly hash and re-sign PSP saves under Adrenaline, Apollo needs the console’s FuseID. Dump it once:

1. In Apollo Vita, open Tools → PSP Key Dumper tools → Install PSP FuseID Dumper.
2. Run the dumper in Adrenaline once; it writes FuseID.bin.
3. Apollo detects and imports the file automatically from then on.

Putting It Together

With the game key known and (on Vita) the FuseID dumped, the normal flow works: decrypt the save, apply patches, and Apollo re-signs it with the right hashes. If a save still fails, verify the folder placement via the folder paths guide and confirm the game’s key is genuinely dumped — a key from a different game (or region variant) won’t decrypt your save.

Related Guides

Download Apollo · PSP hub · PS Vita hub · Install Apollo on Vita

Install Blocked: Enable Unsafe Homebrew

Apollo is homebrew that needs extended permissions. In VitaShell:

1. Open VitaShell’s settings and turn on Enable unsafe homebrew.
2. Browse to apollo-vita.vpk and install it again, approving the extended-permissions prompt.

Also confirm you’re installing the genuine current package — apollo-vita.vpk, 7,343,637 bytes, SHA-256 25a3525efc49dd912b97b112c9b20cb333020b663cb74dc060de8697292d262a — from the Vita hub.

Crash on Boot (C2-12828-1): Plugin Conflict

C2-12828-1 on launch is typically a memory conflict caused by an aggressive background plugin (overlays and performance plugins are the usual suspects) rather than Apollo itself.

1. Open ur0:tai/config.txt in VitaShell.
2. Temporarily comment out non-essential kernel/user plugins (add # at the line start) — especially overlay and overclock-style modules.
3. Reboot and launch Apollo. If it runs, re-enable plugins one at a time to find the culprit.
4. Keep the conflicting plugin disabled while you use Apollo, or check for an updated version of that plugin.

Still Stuck?

Delete the half-installed app, reinstall from the verified .vpk following the Vita install guide, and make sure your homebrew environment itself is healthy by launching another homebrew app. If Apollo alone fails on a clean environment with plugins disabled, note the exact error and your setup and report it via the contact page.

Related Guides

Download Apollo · PS Vita hub · Install Apollo on Vita · PSP save decryption keys

1. The Console’s Connection

• Confirm the console can reach the internet at all (browser or another homebrew with network features).
• Consoles behind restrictive DNS filters or captive portals fail silently. If your network blocks GitHub domains, Apollo can’t fetch the index — try a different network or DNS.
• Ad-hoc / offline jailbreak setups with no LAN connection obviously can’t reach the database.

2. An Old Apollo Build

The database is served from current GitHub infrastructure, and network libraries in old Apollo builds age badly (the 2.x line re-compiled its communication stack with updated cURL/HTTPS support). Update to the current build from the download page and retry — this alone resolves most persistent failures.

3. Point Apollo at a Different Source

• Custom Online DB URL: Apollo’s Settings allow a user-defined Online Database URL — you can point it at a mirror you control.
• FTP source: current builds let you select an FTP server instead of the Online Database for save downloads, and for cloud-style backups of your own library.
• PS2 build: has no network features at all — it loads an offline database from cdfs:/ or mass:/. Nothing is broken if “online” options are absent there.

4. It Loads, But Your Game Isn’t There

That’s content, not connection. The library is community-built and, by the project’s own admission, still limited. Browse the full catalogue and learn how to contribute in our Online Database library tour, and remember every downloaded save must be re-signed — Online Database guide covers the full flow.

Related Guides

Download Apollo · Online Database guide · Library tour · All troubleshooting

Step 1: Restore Your Backup

If you exported the original save before editing (Apollo: Export Save to USB), copy it back and confirm the game loads it. That proves the game and console are fine and only the edited copy is damaged. No backup? Work through the checks below on a fresh export from the console instead — and start keeping backups per our backup routine.

Cause 1: Account Mismatch

A save re-signed to a different account than the one you’re playing on can be rejected or treated as unusable. Apollo auto-detects the current profile’s IDs — if you re-signed while signed into another profile, re-do it under the right one. See account-ID mismatch for the detection rules, including the PS3 owners.xml override.

Cause 2: Patching a Save the Engine Doesn’t Fully Support

Cheat patches write values and then recalculate checksums. If a game uses a custom checksum or decryption Apollo doesn’t support for that title, a patched save can fail validation. The fix is to apply fewer patches (or none) and test after each one. v2.4.0’s Patch Engine v3.0.0 expanded the supported list — check whether your game is on the v2.4.0 support list.

Cause 3: Editing the Encrypted Copy

Patching expects the decrypted save. If the file that went through the editor was still in its encrypted form (or a decrypted save was copied into the encrypted SAVEDATA/<account-id> tree by hand), the result won’t validate. Re-export the save through Apollo so the state conversion is done by the app. Path refresher: folder paths.

Cause 4: Interrupted Writes

A crash, power loss or removed USB drive mid-write corrupts the output. Re-export, re-apply, and let Apollo finish completely before touching the drive. Recurring crashes have their own checklist: black screen & crash fixes.

The Safe Re-Do Sequence

1. Fresh export of the original save from the console.
2. Immediately stash a read-only backup copy.
3. Re-sign only. Test in-game.
4. Apply one patch. Test again. Repeat.

Related Guides

Download Apollo · Re-sign PS4 saves · Back up your saves · Account-ID mismatch

1. Is the Save in the Right Folder?

• PS4 decrypted saves (the kind you downloaded or want to patch): /PS4/APOLLO/ on the USB root.
• PS4 encrypted saves (copied from a console’s save-data export): /PS4/SAVEDATA/<account-id>/ — the account-ID subfolder must be present and named correctly.
• PS3 saves: PS3/SAVEDATA/ on a FAT32 drive.
• Watch for double nesting (PS4/APOLLO/APOLLO/…) after unzipping — one level too deep is invisible to Apollo. Full map: USB folder paths.

2. Is It the Right Kind of Save?

Apollo’s patch/re-sign lists work on decrypted saves. An encrypted save dropped into the APOLLO folder won’t behave like a decrypted one. If you copied a save from your own console and want to edit it, first decrypt/export it with Apollo itself (select the HDD save and export it), then work on the exported copy.

3. Drive and Format Checks

• PS4: USB must be exFAT or FAT32. PS3: FAT32 only.
• Memory-card files must use formats Apollo recognises — PS2 saves .psu/.max/.xps/.cbs/.psv/.sps, PS1 saves .mcs/.psx/.ps1/.mcb/.psv/.pda, VMC images .vmc/.mcd/.mcr and friends.
• Try the other USB port; some hubs and extension cables drop devices.

4. Account and Scanning Rules

• HDD saves are scanned against the current User ID — sign into the profile that owns the saves.
• On PS3, if Apollo detects the wrong account, an owners.xml override at /dev_hdd0/game/NP0APOLLO/USRDIR/ can correct detection. More in account-ID mismatch fixes.
• On Vita, PSP-format saves appear under the PSP/Adrenaline views, not the Vita list — check you’re in the right section of the app.

5. Last Resorts

Update Apollo to the current build from the download page (folder handling improved across the 2.x line), and test with one known-good save exported fresh from your own console. If Apollo sees that one, your original file — not the app — is the problem.

Related Guides

Download Apollo · USB folder paths · Re-sign PS4 saves · All troubleshooting

1. Verify You Have the Genuine Package

Most install failures are a bad download. The official v2.4.0 package is IV0000-APOL00004_00-APOLLO0000000PS4.pkg, 22,806,528 bytes, SHA-256:

ec34add4d2857fa3c947ed5666735a5c35ddb3e47d8be925b36e9ad408f7c090

Anything else — wrong size, wrong checksum, a renamed file from a random mirror — should be deleted and re-downloaded from the official link on our download page.

2. Check the Install Environment

• The console must be in its jailbroken state when you install; a fresh boot without the jailbreak applied cannot install homebrew packages.
• The .pkg goes in the root of an exFAT/FAT32 USB drive.
• Remember Apollo itself (since v2.0.0) needs no GoldHEN/ps4debug payload to run — but you still install it through whatever package installer your jailbreak setup provides.

3. Clean Reinstall for CE-34878-0

1. Delete Apollo from the home screen (Options → Delete) — this removes the corrupted install; your saves are separate data, and you should already have backups.
2. Power the console fully off and back on, then re-apply your jailbreak.
3. Reinstall from the verified .pkg.
4. Launch Apollo before reconnecting any external drives with save folders, to rule out a malformed save file crashing the browser view.

4. If It Still Crashes

Note where it crashes: on launch (installation/environment), when opening a specific save (that save’s data is damaged — restore its backup), or when opening the Online Database (network — see database not loading). A crash tied to one save is covered in corrupted save after re-signing.

Related Guides

Download Apollo · PS4 hub · Install Apollo on PS4 · Black screen & crashes

Cause 1: HEN Wasn’t Enabled

On a HEN console, homebrew packages can only be installed while HEN is active for that session. If you rebooted after enabling HEN, or never enabled it, the package manager rejects the install. Fix: run Enable HEN, then immediately go to Game → Package Manager → Install Package Files → Standard and install apollo-ps3.pkg.

Cause 2: The Download Is Truncated or Corrupt

A .pkg that didn’t download completely fails verification. Fix: re-download apollo-ps3.pkg from the official GitHub release (see the PS3 hub) and compare the SHA-256 before installing:

adae4a71f08b1c2c8e16924ca27dce79a15453d28f19dfc9e16c04d1bad9e9af · 6,256,160 bytes

A file with a different size or checksum is not the genuine v2.4.0 package — delete it and download again.

Cause 3: USB or File Placement Problems

• The USB drive must be FAT32; the .pkg must sit in the root, not inside a folder.
• Try a different USB port and, if possible, a different stick — ageing flash drives corrupt large copies silently.
• Install from Standard location in the Package Manager, not from a sub-menu.

Still Failing?

On CFW, confirm your firmware actually accepts homebrew packages (a retail/ODE-style setup will keep rejecting them). Then follow the clean path in how to install Apollo on PS3 from a fresh download. If a different error appears once Apollo is installed and running, it is no longer an installation problem — check the other guides in Troubleshooting.

Related Guides

Download Apollo · PS3 hub · Install Apollo on PS3 · Account-ID mismatch