I'm debluring my US Froyo rom and there are some system apps that I want to remove completely. My question is if I remove the apks, should I also remove the odex files that they are associated with. I'm learning how to develop on Androids (Mainly my Defy but have friends that want me to clean up their phones) and a detailed explanation would be awesome.
Another question would be if I'm just renaming the apk, what should I do with the odex: leave alone, rename, or remove. And why?
PS: the original /system/app folder is completely backed up is I decide I want that app later
Related
i am new to android, but i read that you can open .rfs files with magic iso...and its true...
i have a question for experienced mooders... if i delete some files from .rfs, will the firmware still work?
i want to delete (as a plan...) from system.rfs
1. from apps:
TouchWiz30Launcher.apk & odex (i dont like touchwiz)
Dualclock.apk & odex (i dont need it)
SamsungWidget_FeedAndUpdate.apk & odex (i dont need it)
2. from media:
bootani.qmg & samsungani.qmg (i think ...no ani at boot => faster boot)
shutdown.qmg (a few seconds can save a little battery)
please help me to understand better...thanks
I cant answer your question directly, but perhaps offer an altarnative partial solution. check out titanium backup, requires root but will allow you to remove system apps. I would be wary of removing touchwiz though, just use another launcher, I like zeam, but there are others like adw, and launcherpro and helauncher, lots more in the market most are free.
im more intereested in using the stock one, i want to bring my samsung as close as possible to the stock android, and remove the useless junk that samsung put there,
i like to modify the zip files by removing certain apk's from system>apps folder that i don't use before flashing the rom. my question is related to the DCSImpl.apk and DCSUtility.apk...
i always remove apk's related to the Stocks app cuz i never use it. i was wondering if those 2 apk's are related to Stocks and if they're safe to remove?
I was wondering the same thing about these files. I found someone that removed them with no problem. I just did the same.
It would be nice to know what these apk's did, but I want to get rid of as much bloat as possible.
thanks
Scott
HTC Stocks:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1106799&page=148
nice find! thanks!
(Always make up back ups before flashing)When flashing a rom some of you may remove some .apk files that you just want gone to free up some space. This is just a tip for some of you like me that remove .apk files like htcfacebook,FB chat, radio widget,scribble,twitter,street viewer,my reader,some of the widgets that etc or w.e files you dont like..I use the app called super manager and have to go through the steps.
So,when you down load your rom make sure you have programs like winrar,winzip or 7zip to be able to open the rom up NO need to extract the rom just use one of the programs like winrar to go to the rom and sub floder system>app and then you can remove the .apk files you do not want or add the .apks files you want before flashing. I found this is a little easier rather then having to D|L super manager then select root enable and file manager then remove then add other .apks then reboot.
*****But please make sure you know which ones to remove if not ask the dev of that rom because some of the .apks are very important to the rom it self.
This is just some info that I thought I would share if some members already knew this or something different please share. Or any other related tips & tricks? that would be great.
Take cautions if you decide to try this is out
Very good method, this is how I alter my ROM before flashing them. But I also delete and add the internal audio files as well like internal ringtones, alarms and tones. Thumbs up !!!
Ok closing this now as it really is pointless.
I know this has been asked before, but it hasn't been asked too clearly, at least to me. I'm using CM 10.1 on a Tmobile Galaxy S3, and I want to install a few of the Samsung apps like the Accuweather widget, sMemo, etc. I have all the apps in a backup folder, and they all have two files; a .apk file, and a .odex file. Can I just install them (.apk) like normal apps, or do I need to do something special with the .odex file, or can you even run them on a custom rom? I just really like a few of the stock features and would prefer to have them, but not at the cost of giving up CM 10.1 just to use them.
The stock apps need kinda stock environment to work with. So most of the stock apps don't work properly on a custom ROM.
That shouldn't prevent you from giving it a try.
You shouldn't be installing it as a normal app, but you should push the apk to system/app with right permissions (rw-r--r--) and reboot.
See if that works. Try with and without the odex file.
Look at this thread on how to set permissions.
A search would have told you that you can't run OEM apps in an AOSP based rom
Wayne Tech S-III
You need the framework that samsung adds. Using a rom based off the original will do it for you.
Hello,
I a quite new to Android development/hacking and need some clarification regarding signing system apps.
I did not find any answer yet that fully helped me solve my problem...yes, I did use search on the forum and even Google :laugh:
Scenario:
Let's assume I wanted to modify some system apks (in /priv-app or /app doesn't matter).
All those apks I want to modify do rely on the same framework.apk.
As far as I know, if I modify a system apk all other system apks that rely on the same framework.apk have to be resigned using the same certificate.
1) Is this correct (any pitfalls there)?
2) Do I have to resign the used framework.apk with the same certificate also?
3) Do I have to take other files/things into consideration that would have to be changed / resigned / etc.?
Thanks in advance! :good:
Regards
Markus
deomaki said:
Hello,
I a quite new to Android development/hacking and need some clarification regarding signing system apps.
I did not find any answer yet that fully helped me solve my problem...yes, I did use search on the forum and even Google :laugh:
Scenario:
Let's assume I wanted to modify some system apks (in /priv-app or /app doesn't matter).
All those apks I want to modify do rely on the same framework.apk.
As far as I know, if I modify a system apk all other system apks that rely on the same framework.apk have to be resigned using the same certificate.
1) Is this correct (any pitfalls there)?
2) Do I have to resign the used framework.apk with the same certificate also?
3) Do I have to take other files/things into consideration that would have to be changed / resigned / etc.?
Thanks in advance! :good:
Regards
Markus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All system apps have to be signed the same way, yes. You can sometimes mod your services.jar to turn off signature verification but that can leave you a bit more open to malware.
When you mod a system app, you just have to make sure you use the original signature in the new version. The only exception to this is if you change anything in the manifest. Then you will need a new signature, which means either signing everything else with that signature or doing the services.jar I mentioned earlier.
Hello Ticklefish,
first of all: Thanks a lot!
To summarize your answer:
1) Modding services.jar is out of the question! Would never have done this anyway...(risky from a malware point of view)
2) In case I modify a system apk WITHOUT altering the manifest.xml I can reuse the old apk signature for my new apk (the whole META-INF folder has to be copied over to the new apk?)
Nothing else has to be adjusted?
I suppose I still can do a zipalign afterwards in that case?
3) In case of modifying the manifest.xml I would have to resign ALL system apks.
All of them or only those that rely on the same framework as the modded apk?
Do I have to resign the framework apk as well?
I am asking, because I will have to mod several apks relying on different frameworks: At least one where I have to alter manifest.xml...
Thanks in advance
Markus
deomaki said:
Hello Ticklefish,
first of all: Thanks a lot!
To summarize your answer:
1) Modding services.jar is out of the question! Would never have done this anyway...(risky from a malware point of view)
2) In case I modify a system apk WITHOUT altering the manifest.xml I can reuse the old apk signature for my new apk (the whole META-INF folder has to be copied over to the new apk?)
Nothing else has to be adjusted?
I suppose I still can do a zipalign afterwards in that case?
3) In case of modifying the manifest.xml I would have to resign ALL system apks.
All of them or only those that rely on the same framework as the modded apk?
Do I have to resign the framework apk as well?
I am asking, because I will have to mod several apks relying on different frameworks: At least one where I have to alter manifest.xml...
Thanks in advance
Markus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're modifying an APK without changing the manifest, the best method is to use 7zip or similar to open the new APK and drag the modded files over to the original APK. That way you're still using the same META-INF at the same compression ratio.
Or use Tickle My Android (https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1633333) to do it for you....cough...cough...
You can zipalign afterwards, just remember that any further changes will affect that zipaligning so you'll have to do it again.
As far as resigning the APK goes, all I know is that you have to change every file that uses the same key/signature as the app you resigned so that they all match.
I have to confess that I've never actually done this. I rarely change the manifest myself and, when I do, I disable signature verification. Yes, it makes you more prone to malware but as long as you're careful about what you install you should be okay.
deomaki said:
Hello,
I a quite new to Android development/hacking and need some clarification regarding signing system apps.
I did not find any answer yet that fully helped me solve my problem...yes, I did use search on the forum and even Google :laugh:
Scenario:
Let's assume I wanted to modify some system apks (in /priv-app or /app doesn't matter).
All those apks I want to modify do rely on the same framework.apk.
As far as I know, if I modify a system apk all other system apks that rely on the same framework.apk have to be resigned using the same certificate.
1) Is this correct (any pitfalls there)?
2) Do I have to resign the used framework.apk with the same certificate also?
3) Do I have to take other files/things into consideration that would have to be changed / resigned / etc.?
Thanks in advance! :good:
Regards
Markus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I usually use Mixplorer, (if you use your phone to de/re-compile). Click on compiled apk, select 'explore' and a new tab opens with the contents of the apk. Delete the manifest that was created in recompile, then go to folder with decompiled apk, /original, and long-press to select android manifest xml, and META-INF folder. Choose copy, and paste them into new apk.