Database Info

Stagefright/Streaming Audio Fix Scripts to Enable/Disable on the Go

First, I take absolutely no credit for this beyond bringing this to the Evo forums' attention. And, I take absolutely no responsibility for whatever happens to your phone, period, ever.
As you probably know already, when you move up to 2.2, your Pandora streaming will likely take an audio quality hit due to the stagefright encoding introduced in 2.2. The fix is to disable stagefright in your build.prop. Unfortunately, disabling stagefright permanently introduces other issues. glitzbd over in the Nexus Forum posted this method the other day in order to enable/disable stagefright on the fly.
"I just did this on MCR21 (FRF91) and what a difference! Here is what I did!
I downloaded GScript Light (buying the pay version ASAP haha)
Opened the program and ran the CPU script to give it SU
In the program hit the menu button and then add script
I put the following in:
Name: Enable
Needs SU?: Check
setprop media.stagefright.enable-player true
Save
Name: Disable
Needs SU?: Check
setprop media.stagefright.enable-player false
Save
Now go to your launcher and long press to add a shortcut, and then scroll down the GScript and it will bring up a list of all of your scripts, put both of those on the homescreen!
For convenience I will attach the scripts just in case you don't want to bother with it haha
I am not positive on how to add them, but I think you can just unzip them, and place them on your SD card and when you go to add script then hit Load File
Enjoy!"
and per beagz in the Nexus Forum
"Thanks for posting those. I was just about to do that myself. Great job.
Make sure you place them in the gscript folder on the sdcard.
Also long press on homescreen --> shortcuts --> gscript
then select which script you want to have a link to. Then you can just press the icon for enable or disable."
Link to scripts: http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=372654&d=1280871021
Now seeing as I don't have the skills for this, should anyone have the skills and would like to help, having a widget for this would be extremely helpful.
Thoughts?

MSmith1 said:
First, I take absolutely no credit for this beyond bringing this to the Evo forums' attention. And, I take absolutely no responsibility for whatever happens to your phone, period, ever.
As you probably know already, when you move up to 2.2, your Pandora streaming will likely take an audio quality hit due to the stagefright encoding introduced in 2.2. The fix is to disable stagefright in your build.prop. Unfortunately, disabling stagefright permanently introduces other issues. glitzbd over in the Nexus Forum posted this method the other day in order to enable/disable stagefright on the fly.
"I just did this on MCR21 (FRF91) and what a difference! Here is what I did!
I downloaded GScript Light (buying the pay version ASAP haha)
Opened the program and ran the CPU script to give it SU
In the program hit the menu button and then add script
I put the following in:
Name: Enable
Needs SU?: Check
setprop media.stagefright.enable-player true
Save
Name: Disable
Needs SU?: Check
setprop media.stagefright.enable-player false
Save
Now go to your launcher and long press to add a shortcut, and then scroll down the GScript and it will bring up a list of all of your scripts, put both of those on the homescreen!
For convenience I will attach the scripts just in case you don't want to bother with it haha
I am not positive on how to add them, but I think you can just unzip them, and place them on your SD card and when you go to add script then hit Load File
Enjoy!"
and per beagz in the Nexus Forum
"Thanks for posting those. I was just about to do that myself. Great job.
Make sure you place them in the gscript folder on the sdcard.
Also long press on homescreen --> shortcuts --> gscript
then select which script you want to have a link to. Then you can just press the icon for enable or disable."
Link to scripts: http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=372654&d=1280871021
Now seeing as I don't have the skills for this, should anyone have the skills and would like to help, having a widget for this would be extremely helpful.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Isn't that kinda what you just did, set up an enable and disable widget?
To contribute, however, you could use tasker to create a desktop widget that brought up a menu with two options of disable and enable, and you could click each of those to perform the action.
I've only been using tasker for a week, but it's pretty awesome IMO. I have already created lots of custom stuff. For example, when I plug in my headphones, it sets my volume and opens Pandora.
Anyway, could be an option without having to do coding.
You mentioned that it caused other problems, can you share what those are? I've since changed my build prop too, so I guess I've got whatever those problems are. :/

I tried this...but the problems I encountered was with streaming radio apps such as RadioTime, Yahoo Music and WunderRadio). In my experience, when you switch to false they refuse to connect and stream.
I read in another forum someone wrote Pandora about their sound issues with Froyo. They acknowledged the issue and stated they'll be making changes in their next release. Of course, they didn't state when the next release will be.

Vegasden said:
I tried this...but the problems I encountered was with streaming radio apps such as RadioTime, Yahoo Music and WunderRadio). In my experience, when you switch to false they refuse to connect and stream.
I read in another forum someone wrote Pandora about their sound issues with Froyo. They acknowledged the issue and stated they'll be making changes in their next release. Of course, they didn't state when the next release will be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
then you actually havent tried this.

MSmith1 said:
First, I take absolutely no credit for this beyond bringing this to the Evo forums' attention. And, I take absolutely no responsibility for whatever happens to your phone, period, ever.
As you probably know already, when you move up to 2.2, your Pandora streaming will likely take an audio quality hit due to the stagefright encoding introduced in 2.2. The fix is to disable stagefright in your build.prop. Unfortunately, disabling stagefright permanently introduces other issues. glitzbd over in the Nexus Forum posted this method the other day in order to enable/disable stagefright on the fly.
"I just did this on MCR21 (FRF91) and what a difference! Here is what I did!
I downloaded GScript Light (buying the pay version ASAP haha)
Opened the program and ran the CPU script to give it SU
In the program hit the menu button and then add script
I put the following in:
Name: Enable
Needs SU?: Check
setprop media.stagefright.enable-player true
Save
Name: Disable
Needs SU?: Check
setprop media.stagefright.enable-player false
Save
Now go to your launcher and long press to add a shortcut, and then scroll down the GScript and it will bring up a list of all of your scripts, put both of those on the homescreen!
For convenience I will attach the scripts just in case you don't want to bother with it haha
I am not positive on how to add them, but I think you can just unzip them, and place them on your SD card and when you go to add script then hit Load File
Enjoy!"
and per beagz in the Nexus Forum
"Thanks for posting those. I was just about to do that myself. Great job.
Make sure you place them in the gscript folder on the sdcard.
Also long press on homescreen --> shortcuts --> gscript
then select which script you want to have a link to. Then you can just press the icon for enable or disable."
Link to scripts: http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=372654&d=1280871021
Now seeing as I don't have the skills for this, should anyone have the skills and would like to help, having a widget for this would be extremely helpful.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been having streaming issues with Last.FM and Pandora. I'll give this a whirl and let you guys know how it goes. Thanks for the tip though, much appreciated!

I tried adding the scripts, but it seems that the build.prop file does not get updated no matter what I do.. there are no errors when running the script and it even confirms that it ran, but the value doesn't change...
Edit: I ran Quadrant to make sure the scripts worked and yes, they do affect my scores so it looks like it's changing as it should. Thanks again, hopefully it fixes my audio issues.
Edit2: Seems to have fixed my Last.FM, thanks a bunch!

I can confirm these scripts are working for me as well. Streaming radio stations without stagefright player enabled caused the same problems so these scripts allow me to get around this relatively easily. BTW, to the above user, these scripts are adb shell commands and will not modify the build.prop.
Question: Is there a way to open an app with a shell command? I would like to set the property to the appropriate value and proceed to open the streaming app afterward. So I would have a slacker script that would disable stagefright and start slacker, etc. Thanks!

jedil1c1ous said:
Question: Is there a way to open an app with a shell command? I would like to set the property to the appropriate value and proceed to open the streaming app afterward. So I would have a slacker script that would disable stagefright and start slacker, etc. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe tasker can do this? I'm not sure though.

jedil1c1ous said:
I can confirm these scripts are working for me as well. Streaming radio stations without stagefright player enabled caused the same problems so these scripts allow me to get around this relatively easily. BTW, to the above user, these scripts are adb shell commands and will not modify the build.prop.
Question: Is there a way to open an app with a shell command? I would like to set the property to the appropriate value and proceed to open the streaming app afterward. So I would have a slacker script that would disable stagefright and start slacker, etc. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another plug for tasker, it is able to run ASE (Android Scripting Environment 2.0+) scripts, so maybe we could make it work there.
Running shell commands in an app is more difficult than it sounds. I tried to do it a while back with a test app I was writing, and it doesn't really translate too well with the Android API. I'm sure there is a fairly good way to do it by leveraging an outside java api, but I didn't have a ton of luck.
Here's a link to the ASE (now known as SL4) google code page:
http://code.google.com/p/android-scripting/

MSmith1 said:
Maybe tasker can do this? I'm not sure though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks like this is on his todo list for Tasker. From his website:
rooted phone: become root/user, Run Shell Script (bash, no ASE needed), Reboot, toggle background data,key events and injection

Thanks for this. Before, I either just pulled the build.prop file and edited it there, making it permanant, but then everytime I flashed a CM6 Nightly it would go away And then I would always manually type it in on Terminal Emulator, which would be a pain, because after restart, I would have to redo it!
Now, thanks to this, I can disable/enable very quickly, and should be able to keep these scripts when I flash the CM6 Nightlies

Glad I could bring this to everyone's attention.

[DEAD][MOD][ICS] Google Now for ICS -Updated for Multi-Language (4 Feb 13) [DEAD]

READ THE FIRST TWO POSTS ENTIRELY BEFORE ATTEMPTING ANYTHING. MOST ISSUES HAVE ALREADY BEEN SOLVED.
This is the original Google Now version without sport team adding or stocks. This will not be updated any further. Use a Jellybean ROM if you want to see the updated features. Do not ask about updates. If you do not read these posts and ask a question which has already been answered, you will be mocked.​
Read through the entire first and second post before asking a question. By clicking the "Show Content" button below, you agree that you forfeit any right to get upset when someone makes fun of you for posting a question that has been covered. We will work tirelessly to help you solve issues when you have them. All that's asked of you in return is to at least attempt to solve them yourself by reading these first two posts.
The JellyBean update for Google Now, which includes manually adding sports teams, has not yet been ported. Please refrain from asking about this update, since all we're going to do is give you a silly answer to match the silly question.​
Requirements:
Follow the simple instructions here.
You must be on Ice Cream Sandwich.
You MUST be rooted
You must be on a deodexed ROM. If you aren't sure, ask your chef.
You should be running a custom recovery like ClockWorkMod Recovery (CWM) or Team Win Recovery Project (TWRP). I use CWM, so this guide is based on that.
WVGA resolution or higher. (480 x 800)
Your device must be using ARMv6 or v7 CPU architecture. If you aren't sure what that is, check this thread.
You must have a file explorer that has root permissions. I use ES File Explorer, so this guide is based on that.
You need at least 60MB of system space for the full offline installation. (30MB for online only version) If you don't know how to check, simply download Titanium Backup from the market. It tells you right on the main screen. (pic)
ARMv7 INSTRUCTIONS:
Download whichever file you want and flash it in recovery. Always be sure to make a backup just in case.
File descriptions:
Online only zip is for those of you who need to save /system space. It removes the offline voice files, so that offline voice dictation does not work. You must always have some sort of data connection for this type of zip.
Offline/Online zip is for those with no /system space restrictions. It contains the full Google Now package with offline voice dictation.
Update zip is for those who already have a version of GN installed. All it does is change your version to the one your choose without having to download a big file. If you are already on an Offline version, it will update you to the Offline version of whichever you choose. Same goes for Online versions and manual installations.
APK only is for those who have already flashed a zip. You may simply push the new apk to /system/app (overwrite or remove the previous version), set permissions to rw-r-r (0644), and reboot to enjoy the latest version of Google Now. DO NOT TRY TO INSTALL THE APK BY ITSELF.
If you aren't sure which one to use, or if this is too much information or is otherwise overwhelming for you, just flash the L4 version - Offline/Online, since it's the latest. Be sure to scroll down a bit and read about it, though.
Before doing anything, you need to make sure you have at least 60MB of free space on your /system partition for Offline/Online files and 30MB of free /system space for Online Only files. The L4 Full Zip only requires 20MB of free space.​
Easy installation:
reekotubbs created an installer/restorer that can be used to easily pick which zip you want. It also backs up relevant files for you in case you want to restore later. The thread link is below. Please ask any questions regarding this installer in his thread. [APP][4.0] Google Now for ICS Installer/Restorer [flashable Aroma Zip]
Alternately, if you aren't sure which recovery you're using, or your recovery messed up a flash, try out reekotubbs' app. It does the same thing as his aroma zip linked above, but it works through a standard Android app available for download on the Amazon app store and slide me market. As before, please ask questions about this app in his thread. GNow Handlebars
Flashable ZIPs
As per the new XDA rule on sharing, I am requesting that these zips not be shared elsewhere. I can't troubleshoot issues outside this thread, so please direct people here instead of redistributing the zips.
BY CLICKING THIS BUTTON BELOW TO SHOW THE CONTENT, YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE READ THIS POST AND THE NEXT ONE ENTIRELY. IF YOU HAVEN'T, AND YOU POST SOMETHING THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN ANSWERED, YOU WILL BE MOCKED. DO NOT CLICK THE "SHOW CONTENT" BUTTON UNLESS YOU AGREE TO THIS.​
L4 - lenny_kano's version 4 - This is identical to the M7 file below, except the apk has been edited to allow you to download your own language files. This means that there is no online or offline version. Download the zip, and flash it. If you already have Google Now installed, you will need to remove it first before installing this version.
Full Zip via Mediafire - 13.06MB /Hotfile mirror
L4-Velvet.apk Only
M7 - mikeyxda's version 7. This version improves on M6 by tweaking notifications to be more accurate and frequent. This version may use more battery. If you are using a Sense ROM, see the troubleshooting below for a hack to improve Google Now performance and battery efficiency.
Online/Offline via Mediafire - 36.48MB /Hotfile mirror
Online Only via Mediafire - 14.06MB /Hotfile mirror
M7 Update - 3.97MB /Hotfile mirror
M7-Velvet.apk Only
Inverted M7 - This is identical to the M7 files from above, except the colors are inverted, so that it has a black background instead of white, and white text instead of black. If you already have Google Now flashed, you can simply perform the update to this version.
Online/Offline via Mediafire - 36.81MB /Hotfile mirror
Online Only via Mediafire - 14.04MB /Hotfile mirror
Inverted M7 Update - 4.30MB /Hotfile mirror
M7inverted-Velvet.apk Only
How to:
Move the file you picked to the root of your SD card. Don't put it in any folder. This just makes it easier to find.
Reboot your device into recovery. See your device's specific instructions on how to do this if you are not sure. Google it for a faster answer.
Backup your current ROM.
In CWM, navigate to "Install zip from SD" and select that.
Next, highlight "Choose zip from SD card" and select it.
Scroll down to the Google Now zip you loaded onto your SD card, then select it.
Scroll down and select the option that says "Yes - Install Google Now....zip"
Once it has flashed, go back to the main CWM menu and select "Reboot system now".
Launch Google Now by opening your App Drawer and selecting the Google Icon (pic), or by adding the Google Search Widget (pic) to your home screen, then doing a normal search. (pic)
Go into the settings menu for Google Now and set it up for your Google account and various other settings.
Manual Installation:
Some Recoveries do not do a good job of retaining the permissions being set by the zips. Some don't even properly flash the files. If you aren't using CWM or TWR or it seems as though Google Now hasn't been flashed properly, then please follow these steps to manually install everything.
Download the Google Now zip of your choice from above and extract the /system folder into your SD card.
Fire up ES File Explorer (or whichever one you feel like using).
If you haven't used ES File Explorer before, open it, then hit menu.
Tap settings, then scroll all the way down.
Tap the entry that says "Root Settings" and make sure everything in there is checked.(pic).
Allow root access when the dialogue box for Superuser pops up.
After that, check off "Mount file system", then back out of the menu.
Navigate to the SD card with the Google Now /system folder.
Long press on the /system folder and select "Copy" from the menu.
Navigate up to the root directory and then press the "Paste" button on your menu bar at the top. (pic)
It will ask if you want to overwrite the files. Tell it yes.
Delete GoogleQuickSearchBox.apk from /system/app or rename it to "GoogleQuickSearchBox.apk.bak"
Now we need to set permissions.
Move into /system/app and scroll down to find GoogleTTS.apk.
Long press GoogleTTS.apk and select "Properties".
Change the permissions to rw-r-r. (pic)
Scroll down and find Velvet.apk.
Long press Velvet.apk and select "Properties".
Change the permissions to rw-r-r. (pic)
Navigate to /system/usr/srec/ and find two folders named "config" and "en-US"
Tap and hold on the "config" folder icon to bring up the options menu, then scroll down to Properties.
Tap properties, then tap change and see if the check boxes match this picture.
If it matches, leave it alone and head back to your home screen to enjoy using Google Now! If it doesn't match, change it so it does.
Do the same thing for the "en-US" folder.
Launch Google Now by opening your App Drawer and selecting the Google Icon (pic), or by adding the Google Search Widget (pic) to your home screen, then doing a normal search. (pic)
Go into the settings menu for Google Now and set it up for your Google account and various other settings.
ARMv6 INSTRUCTIONS:
ARMv7 zips do not work on ARMv6 devices. If your device is ARMv6, then unfortunately, you won't receive the latest and greates Google Now updates, but you can still try it out until you get a Jellybean ROM for your device. The voice search still does not work for ARMv6. There is a workaround for it, though.
The Easy Way:
Reboot into Recovery.
Backup your ROM.
Flash this in recovery.
Enjoy.
If you want to use the voice search workaround, visit this thread and install the apk.
The Hard Way:
Back up your current ROM.
Using your favorite file explorer, navigate to system/app and rename GoogleQuickSearchBox.apk to GoogleQuickSearchBox.bak. This is now your backup file.
Download this file, and rename it to "GoogleQuickSearchBox.apk"
Move this file to your SD card if you downloaded it from your PC. Move it to /system/app using your favorite root file explorer.
Set the permissions to rw-r-r
Reboot and enjoy
If you want to use the voice search workaround, visit this thread and install the apk.
Now What?
So, you flashed Google Now. You're wondering what you can do with it, right? Well, thankfully, Killer-B has a handy little guide to get you up to speed on all the cool stuff Google Now can do as well as how to do it!
Commands & Now Cards For Google Now!!! Now Video, and custom widget
At this point, I'd suggest looking through your contact list for people with unusual, or difficult to pronounce names. Go into their contact card, and add in a nickname for them of their phonetically spelled name. Google Now has trouble parsing these unusual names, and there isn't a way to make it learn. Spelling the names like they sound allows you to send texts and place calls via Google Now without any voice issues.
Open up the red mic screen and "Do a barrel roll."
Troubleshooting
If you are having an issue with Google Now, please read this and the second post to see if it's been addressed already. Failing to do this will result in someone making fun of your inability to properly read. You have been warned.
The red mic screen won't display.
To fix this, press the normal mic within the Google Now app. While it is listening (after it beeps), press menu > refresh. Now you're at the red mic.
Google Now Force Closes.
Make sure you have enough space on your /system partition before installing this. You need at least 60MB free for the Offline versions and 30MB free for the Online versions.
lenny_kano said:
About the permission denied fc, I'm guessing the users with the issue have an old gmail? Try updating or using tsjoklats patched one and the note to self fc will go away. See what logs do?
Oh and just to explain, the old gmail allows stuff based on signature, so as this apk is resigned it will not be allowed. The new.gmail marks it as.dangerous and will create a.notification for you to allow permission, or the patched one marks it as normal and allows it silently.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My phone gets worse battery life or uses more data.
Read this post by Racer Of All and follow the directions using apktool. This is for advanced users running a Sense 4.0 ROM only. Sense 4.1 and higher is unsupported.
Sports cards aren't showing up.
It won't add teams that aren't in regular season. To add new teams, simply do a search for them. You can also backup your ICS ROM with a nandroid, flash a Jellybean ROM, manually add teams after updating apps through the market, and then restore the ICS nandroid.
My Galaxy SIII just received the new update which blocks local search, and Google Now won't work properly.
ashshlay said:
This following post only applies currently to the stock rooted LH2 rom for the Galaxy S III TMO and Google Now installation.
The Samsung Kies update that removed the universal search function won't allow this to install via regular methods.
All files are on the device with the correct permissions except because of the different search apk (GoogleQuickSearchBox_USA.apk) the method mentioned in the OP won't work until you delete the _USA part of the file and then reboot into recovery and reflash following the OP instructions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't open any search links!
This is a quirk in the later apks. You may need to hit the little magnifying glass icon next to the search link. This will allow you to open those links properly.
My phone exploded.
Have a muffin.
Have a question?
Please read this entire post and post #2 for solved problems before you post or you will be mocked. If your question has not been covered in either post, please feel free to describe your problem for us to help you. Here is the proper way to ask for help. Make sure to list the following things:
apk/zip FULL file name
Android version number
ROM
Recovery
UI (Sense/TW/AOKP/CM/AOSP)
/system size and free MB (example: 300MB/60MB) - Since some people don't understand this bit, just post a screenshot of the home screen of Titanium Backup.
LOGCAT or GTFO
Only after you list these things should you describe in excruciating detail what your problem is. Don't report anything that's already mentioned as not working or we'll just have a hearty laugh at your expense.
Back to stock:
If, for some reason, you want to remove Google Now and return to how you were before, flash the following zip. It removes all Google Now files, and returns the original Google Search app and voice files, as well as sets permissions for the Search app. Make sure to uninstall talkback and then reinstall it once you reboot to get voice search working again.
Google Now to Google Search via Mediafire- 2.02MB /Hotfile mirror
If you have a question, make sure you've read through the first two posts. If you don't, we will make fun of you.​
Please don't thank me. Find one of these guys' posts and thank them. They made it happen, not me.
reekotubbs, MikeyXda, and Lenny_kano for creating the hacked GN for ICS
homeslice976 for taking on the FAQ
Killer-B for an awesome write up of the cards and commands of GN
slickdaddy96, SinisterChedda, Kameirus, mf2112, jdcasino, Captain_Throwback, xCovErtWolFx757, UndeadSquirrel, and Naddict for troubleshooting, work-arounds, bug reports leading to fixes, and/or just making me laugh
silentstormer for handling the original OP
paxChristos for being our trusty mod
- If I missed you, let me know.
Disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for the well being of your cool gadget. By using any piece of software provided here, you are agreeing that all risks fall on you and you alone. If you do not agree to this, then exercise your God-given right to not flash this. Please press CTRL+F4 or the back button to leave this thread. Also, if you ask a stupid question, or one which has already been answered, you are also held responsible for the verbal fodder you post. You will be mocked severely. I, nor anyone else posting in this thread, is to be held accountable for your actions, wording, or ensuing butthurt. Please exercise caution before posting. Read until your eyes hurt, then search until your fingernails fall off. If your question has not been previously addressed, it will be handled as quickly as possible.

FAQ
1. Is my device ARMv6 or ARMv7?
Generally, new devices are ARMv7, older are ARMv6. There are lists all over the web. Here’s one:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1596800
2. Will this work on my device?
There have been reports of multiple devices and UI’s working. The only way to know for sure is to flash it and find out. MAKE A NANDROID BACKUP FIRST. This way, if something goes wrong, you have a way back.
2a. Will this work on a stock/odexed ROM?
Again, there have been some successful reports of this working on odexed roms..but YMMV - so backup first.
3. Do I have to use CWM Recovery, or will other recoveries work?
CWM is the only recovery that’s been thoroughly tested, though there have been reports of TWRP, EXT4, and others working as well.
4. I'm getting a notification that there is a new version available, but when I try to install it, I'm told my device isn't compatible?
Well, that's because you're trying to install an official JB app on an ICS device. That's not going to work. This is a hacked version, made to be compatible with ICS. Simply swiping away the card will get rid of the update notification. There is no new version for ICS. Please do not ask for it as it's been asked for multiple times. If someone is able to hack the newer version, the OP will be updated. Til then, be happy with what you have.
5. Google Now is force closing on my device, why?
Could be a few reasons. First, make sure you have at least 60MB free space on your /system/ partition (for offline) or 30MB free space (for online). Then check permissions as specified in cajunflavoredbob’s post (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=29756226&postcount=2856) (RW/R/R for .apk and lib files, RWX/RX/RX for folders). If this doesn’t work, try clearing data and cache from Google Search, Force Quit Google Search, and reboot. Also, make sure you only have 1 active Velvet.apk in /system/app/ at a time
6. Voice search isn’t working, but other functionality seems OK, what’s up?
You may have installed a standalone Velvet.apk, rather than flashing a .zip from cajunflavoredbob’s post. The flashable .zip packages contain libs and other resources that are necessary for Voice search to work. Once you’ve flashed one of these .zip packages, all you need to do in the future is replace Velvet.apk in /system/app/ with the newly released .apk, change permissions to RW/R/R, and reboot. Though, if you prefer, flashing the new .zip on top of the old one won’t hurt. Just make sure you don’t have multiple Velvet.apk files in /system/app/ at any given time. Alternatively, try the response to the last FAQ (google now remover). Also, make sure you have enough freespace in /system/app/
7. When I try to make a Note to self or send an email from Now, it doesn’t actually send, or it force closes or gives another error..., what gives?
Since Velvet.apk has been resigned (not with Google’s key,) it doesn’t pass GMail’s authentication check. Here (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1199518) is a patched GMail application that will skip/trick the signature check, and allow Now to access it.
7a. When sending a Note to self, it gives me an error about the Audio File not being attached?
Some users on some devices/ROMs have reported this problem. The email will still send, but the Audio attachment (the voice note) will not come along with it. Sorry.
8. Why can’t I back out of the Google Now Cards page?
This is currently a known issue. In the mean time, after pressing your Back key on the Cards page, press Menu then Refresh, and it will back out of the app properly.
9. My persistent search bar says “Google” where the microphone icon used to be?
This is a known issue. You’ll need to ditch the persistent search bar, and add the Google Search widget for the time being.
10. I flashed the .zip, but nothing happened, I don’t see Google Now ANYWHERE?
Just because you don’t see “Google Now” as an available app doesn’t mean it didn’t work. Open the “Google” app or add the “Google Search” widget. These will launch Google Now
If it's really not there, your recovery probably isn't playing nicely with the flashable .zips, in which case follow the Manual Installation instructions in the OP
11. I can’t add calendar entries via Google Now?
This seems to be an issue, but here’s a work around that should work. Google has a feature where you can text a number to add stuff to your calendar. First, you need to setup your Phone as a registered device. Go to www.google.com/calendar, and go to Calendar Settings. Click the Mobile Setup tab, enter your number, choose your carrier (not necessary), and click Send Verification code. Enter the verification code that you get via text, click Finish Setup. Now click Save and we're halfway there.
Now create a new contact on your phone called Calendar, and make the primary number 48368 (which is GVENT). Now you can use Google Now to "Text Calendar Lunch with Mom at Applebee's 1pm on Saturday". The event will be created on your calendar. Doing it this way, you will receive a confirmation text that the event was added as well. Don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but either way, still cool....
12. Why won't NFL Teams show up?
It looks like NFL teams are slowly rolling out. There have been a number of reports of users with m7 getting Football teams (myself included). Also, if you have access to a JB ROM, you can login to now on JB, manually add the football team, go back to your ICS ROM, and the team will still be there. Unfortunately in our version it's still a baseball icon for football
12a. Why can't I manually add sports teams?
AS PER THE OP: The JellyBean update for Google Now, which includes manually adding sports teams, has not yet been ported. Please refrain from asking about this update, since all we're going to do is give you a silly answer to match the silly question.
13. Voice seems to be working, but when responding, Now is cutting off the last word of the response?
Thanks to XDA user educ for finding this - I can’t confirm first hand it works but it looks promising and he said it worked for him - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1780585
14. I installed the “Offline” version, but Now won’t respond to my questions when I don’t have internet connection?
cajunflavoredbob addressed this best - “‘Offline’ means that offline message dictation works. Perhaps that should be made more clear in the op, but even the noobiest should realise that searching the Internet does in fact require the Internet. The offline version doesn't magically cache the whole google network.”
15. Double tapping the home key no longer launches S-Voice?
Install Home2Shortcut - Thanks to ilkevinli for the setup instructions:
“Home2 Shortcut does work. Your just not setting it up right.
1. Go into S-Voice settings and uncheck the "Lauch S Voice by double pressing ..."
2. Lauch Home2 Shortcut
3. In Step 1, choose S Voice
4. In Step 2, choose what you like
5. In Step 3, choose TouchWiz Home
6. In Step 4, hit close
Now when you double click the home button, choose Home2 Shortcut
Have fun.”
16. How can I get the “Swipe Up” gesture to launch Google Now?
Some launchers don’t support this. Two that have been confirmed to work are Holo Launcher and Nova Launcher. You can set the Swipe Up action to launch the “Google” app in Holo, and “Assigning swipe up to Nova setting Voice works AMAZING!!!” (Thanks crutzulee). Other launchers may support this, Sense (Rosie) doesn’t. Let me know about any more confirmed working or not working launchers, stock or otherwise (homeslice976 on xda)
APEX Launcher also works "The "swipe up" gesture works well with these steps: menu>Apex settings>behavior settings>select "swipe up">select "launch app">select "Google">"OK">home. Works great, launches reliably." - @gershomww Thank!
17. After installing this, when pressing the button on my BT headset, it launches the crappy ICS Voice Dialer, can I change this to Google Search?
We've come across 2 ways to accomplish this, however, once you default it to the Google Now Voice Search, it won't listen through the headset, or play Now's audio through the headset, this will all be done via the speaker and mic on the device. But at least it will launch Now Search, and as long as the phone is close to you, your mic should pick you up (Now's voice recognition seems to be awesome). Anyone smart enough to figure out how Voice Dialer can listen through the headset and play it's audio through the headset and can apply it to Velvet?
Method 1: Install Bluetooth Launch from the Market. Move Velvet.apk from /system/app/ to /data/app/ and reboot. Setup Bluetooth Launch to launch Google Search/com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox.VoiceSearchActivity. A few users have reported this working for them (though you may need to setup Google Now again).
If after moving Velvet.apk to /data/app/ and rebooting you no longer have Google Search anywhere (app, widget, etc), or if this for some other reason doesn't work, move Velvet.apk back to /system/app/, reboot, and verify Now is working again. Then do this:
Method 2: Uninstall Bluetooth Launch from your phone and reboot. Ensure it's still uninstalled, and no longer in /data/app/ (com.kin.bluetooth_launch-1.apk). Place this (waiting for permission from Bluetooth Launch's dev, Guardian Bob, before sharing publicly. In the meantime, shoot me a PM) modified Bluetooth Launch apk in /system/app/, set permissions to RW/R/R, and install it. Once installed, open the app and set it to launch Google Search/com.google.android.googlequicksearchbox.VoiceSearchActivity, then reboot. Now your BT button on your headset should launch Google Now.
18. Google Now seems to have installed properly, and is working, but everytime I open Google Now I have to go through the setup process where I tell it "I'm in", why?
A couple users have reported this issue, and said that by simply flashing the uninstall .zip, then reflashing the mod, it began working properly
19. Other weird issues? Still having trouble and don’t know what to do?
Try flashing the Google Now Remover (http://www.mediafire.com/?whihy17x6q8l31f) and then try flashing the Google Now flashable .zip of your choice and see what happens.

I would really love to see this. Its one of the features I really think makes JB cool.

The actual file is called velvet.apk and I can't get it to work as it is API 16 (jellybean) and its odexed.

There a deoxed version out, but it still doesn't work because like said above the api, is for jelly bean. We need a dev to decompile find change recompile for ics
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

I hope they can get it to work on ICS, or that my Padfone gets JB quick

I played around with it and got it working on ics. Still buggy and it has no voice support (at least on my phone) yet.
I'll upload the apk later when I'm at home .

me cant wait too.. please devs, do something.

MaR-V-iN said:
I played around with it and got it working on ics. Still buggy and it has no voice support (at least on my phone) yet.
I'll upload the apk later when I'm at home .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You'll be my hero if you get it to work fully on ICS!

MaR-V-iN said:
I played around with it and got it working on ics. Still buggy and it has no voice support (at least on my phone) yet.
I'll upload the apk later when I'm at home .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll wait for your post
Sent from my Xperia Neo on Ics

http://d-h.st/y44 - have fun
GUYS PLEASE: Search this thread for a newer version before complaining about any errors. If you get problems, please full logcat! - We don't need a spammed thread.

MaR-V-iN said:
http://d-h.st/wst - have fun
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"There is a problem parsing the package".
How to install ?

MaR-V-iN said:
http://d-h.st/wst - have fun
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesthat one work properly? and also on unrooted devices?

Downloaded.
Got parse error on install.

Sorry uploaded APK with wrong Manifest file.
Wait a minute...
This one should work: http://d-h.st/y44
GUYS PLEASE: Search this thread for a newer version before complaining about any errors. If you get problems, please full logcat! - We don't need a spammed thread.

MaR-V-iN said:
Sorry uploaded APK with wrong Manifest file.
Wait a minute...
This one should work: http://d-h.st/y44
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also without root?
---===:::Greetzz, jojoost:::===---
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

I try to install and nothing.
I set permissions, reboot and wipe dalvik cache and nothing.

MaR-V-iN said:
Sorry uploaded APK with wrong Manifest file.
Wait a minute...
This one should work: http://d-h.st/y44
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol you had minimal sdk version=16 in manifest while ics sdk version is 15
Any updates on voice input? whats the main problem of it not working? It's depending on libs or something?

Should I install this as a normal APK?

Yes it does not require root, install as usual app (does not require to be in /system/app)
I disabled some things in voice input initializing code that require api 16, have to look deeper to resolve this, but i have no free time at the moment, so this will not be done tomorrow
The other idea is to port the missing JB apis to ICS, this should allow other JB apps to run too.
@seahorsepip while playing around with jb apps i changed my api version in build.prop to not require recompile any time - forgot this change for velvet...

Hack to Enable full Flash for Any Website

I was able to work out a hack which will allow desktop level flash in the Surface browser, even on sites that are not approved by Microsoft. So if there is a site that you like, but flash doesn't work, because Microsoft hasn't deemed it worthy enough yet, here's a way to manually enable Flash. (For those who aren't aware - only Microsoft approved sites are allowed to use Flash - its not universal - a site apparently has to be approved and put on a list for Flash to work - basically Microsoft censors the content that you see based upon whether or not the site meets their "criteria")
This hack is for the desktop Surface browser, not the metro Surface browser.
The downside with this hack is that, so far it appears that it only works for one website at a time.
Major disclaimer that you've heard a million times before - Tinkering with the registry has its risks - If you screw something up don't blame me.
How to do it:
1. Start
2. Swipe up from bottom and Select: "All apps" on bottom right menu
3. Select: Command Prompt
4. type regedit at the cursor and press enter
5. User account control appears - Do you want program to make changes - Yes
6. Path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer
7. Make Sure "Internet Explorer" is selected then go to "Edit" and Select "New" and "Key" from the menu that appears.
8. The New Yellow Key folder will appear on the file tree - name it: Flash
9. If you click View and Refresh, the new Key "Flash" should be just below "Feed Discovery" in the tree.
10. Make sure your new key "Flash" is selected (the only assigned value at this point will read: "Default")
11. Now go to Edit/New and select "String Value" Name the new value DebugDomain
10. Double Click the new string value. Edit box will open. In the field: "Value Data" put the domain of your website for example "www.myflashcrippledsite.com"
11. Click OK Close Regedit and your done.
12. In the Desktop Browser Make sure the setting ActiveX Filtering is unchecked. (Right side of browser where there are the Home, Favorites and Gear icons - select the little round Gear (tools icon) and then Safety and then uncheck ActiveX Filtering
View attachment 1439531
Now try browsing your site -might have to restart the browser or refresh your page - its worked for me without a restart of the computer but you might need to restart the Surface itself (Right swipe, Settings, Power, Restart.)
If you have problems, make sure you use the right domain for your website for example www.microsoft.com not http//www.microsoft.com
Also remember this works in the Desktop version of the browser not the metro version accessed from the Start screen.
And like I said above, make sure you don't forget to uncheck "ActiveX Filtering" or Flash still won't work.
For now, to view another site, you need to change the DebugDomain value to the domain of your new site - pretty quick once the key has been made, and shouldn't require a restart of the computer. Tomorrow I'll see if there's a way to put multiple DebugDomain keys.
Sorry if this is unclear, I just figured this out then typed it at 2:30 in the morning. I've tested it on a couple of sites with success. But this is still very experimental, haven't done much testing as its too late - more tomorrow.
But I'm simultaneously thrilled and annoyed at this - because after seeing how well flash works on many crippled sites, it makes me really angry that this function isn't on by default and I have to jump through ridiculous hoops just to get flash to work.

Awesome, have a script!
Works for me with just a page reload; thanks!
I wrote some scripts to automate this (scripting being the easiest way to do third-party code on Windows RT); see the attached file. You'll either need to run the EnableFlash script as Admin every time, or run the SetFlashRegPerms script as Admin just once first. If you put the EnableFlash script in a location that is in your PATH, you can easily launch it from any cmd or Powershell prompt.
I love Love LOVE that Windows RT can be scripted, and that people can run stuff as Admin so easily.

Dear all, I have just found a better solution to this problem.
See the thread here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=33414039#post33414039
This works on all websites you manually add, as many as you would like without the hassle of going trough the registry.

Wow I go to bed at 3:00 AM and by breakfast there's already a script for my solution as well as an alternative solution - gotta love XDA.
Thank you GoodDayToDie and Marvin_S for responding so quickly. I noticed Marvin_S started a new thread to fully explore enabling flash by editing the whitelist - sounds like a good alternative.
I feel much more positive about the Surface now - Lack of Flash support was one of the biggest negatives for this device and it was really bothering me.
And its nice to see that we have easy control over the OS in terms of changes and improvements - a big plus and bodes well for the Surface's future.

[TOOL] ApkSpy v1.8 - Resurrected (APK: view manifest on PC and/or Install APK via PC)

APKSPY - RESURRECTED​
First:
I want to thank @ido for the original application -- It was his idea (and his code I've hacked :cyclops and modified.
Second:
Since Ido seems not to be active anymore I'll re-publish the application here.
Unless for some reason Ido will specifically ask me to remove it.
The original post
ido said:
ApkSpy is a simple tool I hacked up tonight which allows you to easily view the manifest of an APK (screenshots attached - not up to date though) just by double clicking it. (It can even associate with the .apk filetype, yay!)
ApkSpy relies on the aapt.exe tool from the android SDK, so you must have that installed (or just copy aapt.exe from somewhere, that's the only file needed to run ApkSpy).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Third:
Requires Microsoft©® .Net Framework v4
(Kind of since I've done it some time ago and waited for Ido [the orignal developer] to respond and allow or disallow me to re-publish... So, I don't remember all the changes I've already done...)
v1.8.19 CHANGELOG:
Fixed some Date parsing function (zipped file with no time stamp) in ZipStorer (by @Jaime Olivares) maybe causing some of the error reported here...
v1.8 CHANGELOG:
Changed Icon - CONTRIBUTED BY @Jarmezrocks
Removed unneeded tabs (System, Batch Rename, Log)
Minimize / Maximized restored back
v1.7 CHANGELOG:
(Actually 4.1.7.870, but the first and the last parts are internally used :fingers-crossed:)
Try to automatically find adb.exe and aapt.exe in ApkSPY directory or in PATH variable: If failed finding any of the executables, the user is asked to manually locate them
(★ Currently the location is not saved... ★).
Check if the ADB server is running and Start or ask if to Restart ADB server
Tidy up the code
Refining the original libraries written by Ido related to ADB and AAPT
Some more minor code updates
Revised most of the "General" tab (other tabs ware not touched) of the UI:
Grouped and ordered controls on form
Added DropDown of devices attached (★ Not automatically updating upon plugging... ★)
Added some control over ADB actions
Added status bar that some other details are shown, e.g. device type (Nexus, I9100...), OS version (4.1.2, 4.4.2...) and OS build (KOT49H, KVT49L...)
Added (nice looking) information panel with clickable links (for actions on the form) and coloring
Other changes (I can't recall right now, since I've done it some time ago and waited for a response from Ido for permission to republish)
(★ Maybe I'll add an option for this later, depending on my -- not to much -- free time and requested by users .... ★)
Known bugs:
Sometimes ADB fails to return build.prop property for the status bar (however it has not caused any critical problem, so (I think) it can be safely ignored) -- haven't been able (yet) to find the exact state it is happening
Please take the time to look at the application ABOUT tab
Any Other ideas are welcome!
If you like it, Don't forget to Thank me
If you enjoy using this application as much as I have enjoyed re-writing it
please donate to show your appreciation​

RESERVED

Nice
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

Good news
Bug report, every time I open this program, this dialog pops up, after click OK, this program works well.
PS, aapt.exe is in the same dir with ApkSpy

I got this errors:
1:
2:
Error in property: [email protected]@usrdata

cmlx said:
Good news
Bug report, every time I open this program, this dialog pops up, after click OK, this program works well.
PS, aapt.exe is in the same dir with ApkSpy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey dude,
I am not sure what you are doing wrong on your PC but it's certainly not the app as it works perfectly fine on my computer? Out of interest and for the sake or helping the new dev I thought I would raise a few points just to eliminate any finger pointing. There's a wishy-washy area when it comes to building/hacking things that were originally someone elses work...so yeah one can easily make great improvements yet open the door to bugs at the same time too. Anyway...thought I'd ask this:
Does aapt sit on your path? I know you said it is in the same directory, however just like a batch script in Windows it needs to "CD" or change directories to the %~dp0 if it is to understand what an executable is that happens to be sitting in the same directory as it's self. So this is is kinda directed at the new dev now. What I think is happening is that aapt is assumed to be in the system path when quite often it is not (i.e. those on XDA who have not yet played with the Android SDK properly). Put simply unless the application knows it is in the same directory as your executable it won't at all understand what aapt is. Does that make sense?
@dmagician , I would make sure that the apkspy app can do a check (even if it is a string search for the first few lines returned from aapt.exe), a simple if statement before throwing that error ....actually it would likely be an 'if not' statement. I don't have any of the code in front of me atm but I can help you out if you like? I was hacking this app myself sometime ago when ido first released it just using reshacker.
Note: If you are stuck and don't have source code you technically could write a full AutoIT wrapper for this app that could do all the checks and more and then bundle everything up into the one exe still. Check out the newer WinAPI stuff for AutoIT and in particular "Run binary" (yes that's correct you can just about run anything repackaged now and not need to deploy the original exe's or even libraries....they can all be stream fed to AutoIT @Compile time and need not be typically "installed" like you used to have to do. Anyway...I am waffling on shoot me a PM man.
@cmlx, to overcome your ApkSpy woes, and until dmagician can put his finger on what the cause is or what ido did when building it ages ago.....then you will firstly need to be patient (props to dmagician to figuring sh!t out so far) but till then where ever you have dumped the ApkSpy and aapt.exe on your system; just copy the address and put it on your system path. To do this 1) right click on My Computer or Computer if you are on Win 7 or 8. 2) Choose properties. 3) Advanced System settings and then at the bottom of tab you will see 'Environment Variables', click it and you will see some "User" and "System" options. Depending on your User access rights on the system you are running on (hopefully you are running as Admin surely?) then you can choose to edit your main system path or create a new variable in your user settings called 'path' Note User variables are always postfix to system variables but should always work anyhow.
Disclaimer: cmlx, if however you have already got an aapt.exe already existing on your system path but it is dodgy then you have to ensure that the good aapt.exe in your app directory is placed on path BEFORE the dodgy one....just sayin. Cause your system searches till it finds what it wants and then doesn't search anymore. Simple but can stuff people up quite often....and likely your case. Nowdays we tend to work from the known application location and not from a "Global environment path" when we know that there are going to be conflicts...and I can assure you that aapt is possibly the worst and most modified binary out there LOL. Hence this is also a note to the dev to ensure that ApkSpy reads from the current directory.....or like I am suggesting, wrap aapt up in the main application as well and that way there is no confusion EVER.
And I am done.....
Oh wait no I am not....sorry bug reports LOL :good: you thought I was all praise eh? Got another thing coming man
OK....so um the red boxes should explain everything. A picture says a thousand words (and yeah I needed at least 1 picture for this god damned long arsed post - sry). Um why in gods name would you remove the minimise and expand buttons? WTF? Anyway...it works but errrm yeah it doesn't wrap the text anymore? and it cuts the words off lol.
Other than that....I only really have one suggestion and it isn't even really a suggestion as I have kind of already made it so I can just give it to you if you want it? And that is that most people (well I can't say most as I am not speaking for everyone) tend not to like how apps take over their system. This isn't your fault at all in anyway as the first dev thought it was a good idea back then.....and back then hardly anything in Windows knew what a freakin apk was so it was a GOOD thing.....However now, every man and his dog wants to steel .apk extension for himself. I myself tend to be all over the shop with apks so I tend not to want to have any particular Windows app take it away from my control. I use WinZip as the main app for simple double click open as I want to see the contents of apks without needing to decompile them (great for theming) however I have apk shell extensions displaying the apks main icon to explorer, so if I set WinZip as default I get a nice lumping hunk of gold turd/box running rampet all over my Windoze bro ......so if you like I can show you my code that allows me to have default apps for specific tasks without interfering with anyones existing sh!t It looks neat too as you can right click any apk and just choose from a dropdown list what particular app you want at the time. If one has the need to use more apps then they need only put those apps in a list. There is nothing worse than double clicking an apk to find that Bluestacks or some other rubbish Windoze crApp has taken offf with your apk.
Lastly I thought I'd ask, Why no config file? Why store everything in memory? I know it's only small....but seeking for things everytime it is executed is a pain in the arse and not good practice. At the very least if you have no idea how to make an exe totally portable then you could reference a config file in the same directory....Or do as most do and write entries to the registry all neat and tucked away. If we get paranoid about "portable-ness" then we write to temporary space in the registry and make sure we clean up upon closing and/or inspect at runtime. simple!
I have plenty of AutoIT scripts that do exactly that too, so if you are stuck for ideas let me know. Anyway I have rambled enough, good luck and I will keep reporting bugs haha
Edit: That's waaaay too many emoticons. Oooops someone is a little high aren't they?
PS: I have attached my PNG of the icon I used for this bugger waaaaaay back....it's less generic and feel free to take it and abuse it and do as you please.

cmlx said:
Good news
Bug report, every time I open this program, this dialog pops up, after click OK, this program works well.
PS, aapt.exe is in the same dir with ApkSpy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I know of this one (and I've specifically wrote about it in the OP), it is NOT related to AAPT executable but to the way ADB is acting (sorry, out of my hands... :angel:
Explanation
The error comes from the application when trying to query the "ro.build.id" property via adb ('ADB shell getprop "ro.build.id" ') command.
I've came across this one but cannot determine the exact situation it is happening (as it can occur when first launching of the app, but after the app is loaded, clicking on refresh does not show this error)...
[ I've tried it on with the (only) two devices I own (1st dev. is stock (only the kernel is changed) 4.4.2 Nexus 4, 2nd dev. is S2-i9100 with customized RR ROM)and it seems to happen ONLY on the S2...]
It looks that in times, the getprop is being executed before the whole "build.prop" is being processed by ADB (This one I cannot control since it is happening on the ADB shell side [running on the device] -- unless MAYBE doing some [UGLY] delay after first initialization of ADB, which is, by far NOT best practice of process handling according to the literature)...

CyberianIce said:
I got this errors:
1:
2:
Error in property: [email protected]@usrdata
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which came first, the "SpkSpy spy stopped working" or the "Error in property" (if anyways related)?
Was it on the same run or two different runs?
As of the 1st one:
I do not have enough information from your post to check it up...
I'll post a new version which shows the exception details
As of the 2nd one:
Can you send me a copy of your /system/build.prop (so i'll be able to dig trough it and check it)?
It looks like my name-value splitter character exist as part of a given value in your build.prop .

Wooow, Long one! But it is nice to know people are using (trying) it!
Jarmezrocks said:
Hey dude,
I am not sure what you are doing wrong on your PC but it's certainly not the app as it works perfectly fine on my computer? Out of interest and for the sake or helping the new dev I thought I would raise a few points just to eliminate any finger pointing. There's a wishy-washy area when it comes to building/hacking things that were originally someone elses work...so yeah one can easily make great improvements yet open the door to bugs at the same time too. Anyway...thought I'd ask this:
Does aapt sit on your path? I know you said it is in the same directory, however just like a batch script in Windows it needs to "CD" or change directories to the %~dp0 if it is to understand what an executable is that happens to be sitting in the same directory as it's self. So this is is kinda directed at the new dev now. What I think is happening is that aapt is assumed to be in the system path when quite often it is not (i.e. those on XDA who have not yet played with the Android SDK properly). Put simply unless the application knows it is in the same directory as your executable it won't at all understand what aapt is. Does that make sense?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
As I've replied to @clmx, This error is not related to AAPT (either executable [location or whatever] or results), but to the ADB command being used...
Jarmezrocks said:
@dmagician , I would make sure that the apkspy app can do a check (even if it is a string search for the first few lines returned from aapt.exe), a simple if statement before throwing that error ....actually it would likely be an 'if not' statement. I don't have any of the code in front of me atm but I can help you out if you like? I was hacking this app myself sometime ago when ido first released it just using reshacker.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I did not understand... Check for what?
Jarmezrocks said:
Note: If you are stuck and don't have source code you technically could write a full AutoIT wrapper for this app that could do all the checks and more and then bundle everything up into the one exe still. Check out the newer WinAPI stuff for AutoIT and in particular "Run binary" (yes that's correct you can just about run anything repackaged now and not need to deploy the original exe's or even libraries....they can all be stream fed to AutoIT @Compile time and need not be typically "installed" like you used to have to do. Anyway...I am waffling on shoot me a PM man.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not need the Auto-IT to wrap these files (although I am using it for other automation in windows), as I can do it right in the C# code (on one of my early versions these files was embedded...)
BTW, I know there are some antiviruses out in the wild that do not like the embedded executables -- but it can be done -- and probably will save some time to anyone using this app...
If it will be required / asked, I'll embed the 4 binaries (AAPT.EXE, ADB.EXE, and two DLL's AdbWinApi.dll and AdbWinUsbApi.dll [I'm not sure both are required]) needed by the application.
Jarmezrocks said:
@cmlx, to overcome your ApkSpy woes, and until dmagician can put his finger on what the cause is or what ido did when building it ages ago.....then you will firstly need to be patient (props to dmagician to figuring sh!t out so far) but till then where ever you have dumped the ApkSpy and aapt.exe on your system; just copy the address and put it on your system path. To do this 1) right click on My Computer or Computer if you are on Win 7 or 8. 2) Choose properties. 3) Advanced System settings and then at the bottom of tab you will see 'Environment Variables', click it and you will see some "User" and "System" options. Depending on your User access rights on the system you are running on (hopefully you are running as Admin surely?) then you can choose to edit your main system path or create a new variable in your user settings called 'path' Note User variables are always postfix to system variables but should always work anyhow.
Disclaimer: cmlx, if however you have already got an aapt.exe already existing on your system path but it is dodgy then you have to ensure that the good aapt.exe in your app directory is placed on path BEFORE the dodgy one....just sayin. Cause your system searches till it finds what it wants and then doesn't search anymore. Simple but can stuff people up quite often....and likely your case. Nowdays we tend to work from the known application location and not from a "Global environment path" when we know that there are going to be conflicts...and I can assure you that aapt is possibly the worst and most modified binary out there LOL. Hence this is also a note to the dev to ensure that ApkSpy reads from the current directory.....or like I am suggesting, wrap aapt up in the main application as well and that way there is no confusion EVER.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The application IS searching for AAPT and ADB executables; The order is
Application directory (where ApkSpy.exe resides)
PATH environment variable
Jarmezrocks said:
OK....so um the red boxes should explain everything. A picture says a thousand words (and yeah I needed at least 1 picture for this god damned long arsed post - sry). Um why in gods name would you remove the minimise and expand buttons? WTF?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mostly I like it this way, otherwise - No specific reason...
It will be back in the next version...
Jarmezrocks said:
Anyway... it works but errrm yeah it doesn't wrap the text anymore? and it cuts the words off lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This Tab was NOT changed by me in any way... To be honest, I've thought of removing it completely -- But -- out of respect to Ido's work -- I've left it in.
I assume it is not wrapping due to Font size changed by me globally...
I'm seriously giving it second thoughts -- if it should stay at all (It was originally meant for batch rename of multiple APK's... I haven't used it even once...)...
I'm Really, REALLY, think of removing it completely (unless someone is / will be using it -- then I'll fix it all)...
Jarmezrocks said:
Other than that....I only really have one suggestion and it isn't even really a suggestion as I have kind of already made it so I can just give it to you if you want it? And that is that most people (well I can't say most as I am not speaking for everyone) tend not to like how apps take over their system. This isn't your fault at all in anyway as the first dev thought it was a good idea back then.....and back then hardly anything in Windows knew what a freakin apk was so it was a GOOD thing.....However now, every man and his dog wants to steel .apk extension for himself. I myself tend to be all over the shop with apks so I tend not to want to have any particular Windows app take it away from my control. I use WinZip as the main app for simple double click open as I want to see the contents of apks without needing to decompile them (great for theming) however I have apk shell extensions displaying the apks main icon to explorer, so if I set WinZip as default I get a nice lumping hunk of gold turd/box running rampet all over my Windoze bro ......so if you like I can show you my code that allows me to have default apps for specific tasks without interfering with anyones existing sh!t It looks neat too as you can right click any apk and just choose from a dropdown list what particular app you want at the time. If one has the need to use more apps then they need only put those apps in a list. There is nothing worse than double clicking an apk to find that Bluestacks or some other rubbish Windoze crApp has taken offf with your apk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The application is NOT taking over anything, Unless you've clicked the asterisk ("*") button on the System Tab...
Was it registered for you without clicking this button?
If so, I'll recheck the code (may be it's some residue from the original code).
BTW
As the previous part of the answer I've wrote -- this one was left in as of respect to @ido's work...
2nd BTW
I'd like to see that explorer extension (and [preferable] the code of it - if you are willing to share it) you ware writing about...
Jarmezrocks said:
Lastly I thought I'd ask, Why no config file? Why store everything in memory? I know it's only small....but seeking for things everytime it is executed is a pain in the arse and not good practice. At the very least if you have no idea how to make an exe totally portable then you could reference a config file in the same directory....Or do as most do and write entries to the registry all neat and tucked away. If we get paranoid about "portable-ness" then we write to temporary space in the registry and make sure we clean up upon closing and/or inspect at runtime. simple!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, I've thought of it... But... I was thinking, that (at least) everyone is as geeky as me dauuh , and the most are setting the path correctly...
It'll be added in next version (I hope... TIME, TIME!!!! :cyclops...
Jarmezrocks said:
I have plenty of AutoIT scripts that do exactly that too, so if you are stuck for ideas let me know. Anyway I have rambled enough, good luck and I will keep reporting bugs haha
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I prefer writing my own code (sorry, I'm a developer in heart and soul...) then using automation like Auto-IT...
Jarmezrocks said:
Edit: That's waaaay too many emoticons. Oooops someone is a little high aren't they?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jarmezrocks said:
PS: I have attached my PNG of the icon I used for this bugger waaaaaay back....it's less generic and feel free to take it and abuse it and do as you please.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(@Jarmezrocks please see my PM to you.)
PHEW...
Long Answer, BUT HEY, I'm not the only one writing longies... :angel: (and i like referencing each and every part separately)...

dmagician said:
PHEW...
Long Answer, BUT HEY, I'm not the only one writing longies... :angel: (and i like referencing each and every part separately)...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh yes. I write long messages sometimes when my medication has kicked in and I am high....not my fault I kinda need to get all the info out of my head in one go while I am awake.....or else there would just be zeds on the response zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz lol :laugh: (ref narcolepsy).
I commend you on your efforts at responding to such gibberish and making good sense of it! :highfive:
I have responded to your PM accordingly, and hopefully covered all you need? I have attached all info and sources etc.....well most of it...actually a fair bit of it you will have to workout your self but that is part the fun. Shoot me any questions if you need to...although I have a feeling that you will have mostly all of it covered as you are streets ahead of my knowledge already. I may have misjudged a little in my previous post (although hopefully not to make you feel any less than you actually are? please excuse me if I had said anything that may offended - being naive or what ever....you ARE definitely on the right track). As for the middle menu....I think you could easily remove it and not offend the original dev. It wasn't being used as you mention...and I think it could make way for more/better functionality don't you think? (discuss). However I would ensure all the things I mentioned in my PM first before going too deep and releasing on here.
Good move on bringing the buttons back. They were functional. But I DO like the single button close GUI myself on just about everything else....It looks clean. We have similar taste in that regard. It just isn't functional for me to pressing the task notification desktop link everytime I want to minimise the app LOL.
The rest I we can discuss via PM, this is pretty much only posted here as an open area for other forum members to provide input and opinion (or complaint....like how often it usually is, eh?).

CyberianIce said:
I got this errors:
1:
2:
Error in property: [email protected]@usrdata
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd got the same error!
For me it helped to copy two files to the install dir
"adb.exe" and "AdbWinApi.dll"
Both are installed with the well known MyPhoneExplorer into "Program Files\MyPhoneExplorer\DLL"
Hope it helps!

Feature Request
I use this tool for testing new APK builds on a project I am working on it. It allows me to quickly verify the version number and push to the device. However, since I am usually installing another version of an existing installed APK, I must manually uninstall before using APKSPY. Would it be possible to add a check box that would uninstall any previous versions? It would be really helpful.
Nevermind - I didn't fully read the message presented when it fail. It say uninstall/update and it allows the installation. HOWEVER, that brings up a question... Does it uninstall or does it update? There is a difference as you know.
Thanks,
Jonathan

Hi, I try to run this on Mac via Wineskin Winery, but no luck. Do I need something like .Net, or something else to run ApkSpy?
Thank you.

Ja_som said:
Hi, I try to run this on Mac via Wineskin Winery, but no luck. Do I need something like .Net, or something else to run ApkSpy?
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only requirement is the Microsoft .Net 4.
(I'll add this to OP)

jmo said:
I use this tool for testing new APK builds on a project I am working on it. It allows me to quickly verify the version number and push to the device. However, since I am usually installing another version of an existing installed APK, I must manually uninstall before using APKSPY. Would it be possible to add a check box that would uninstall any previous versions? It would be really helpful.
Nevermind - I didn't fully read the message presented when it fail. It say uninstall/update and it allows the installation. HOWEVER, that brings up a question... Does it uninstall or does it update? There is a difference as you know.
Thanks,
Jonathan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I know there is difference between the two (update vs uninstall and install again).
It is updating the application (like using "adb install -r apk_file_name.apk"), not doing remove and install

Removed unneeded tabs (System, Batch Rename, Log)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The unneeded Batch Rename tab was the only tab I needed really. :laugh: Luckily I found Ido's original version. It's ideal for renaming all those apk's I downloaded and still have the package name when I back them up to my PC.
I have an Asus Memo Pad 10 and an Asus Memo Pad 7 and neither are recognised by APKSpy. Not that it's a problem as I have no problem copying to and from them with Windows Exploder or Total Commander.
Other than that, it's been a handy little app for this tablet/smartphone virgin newbie.
Martin.

wolrik said:
The unneeded Batch Rename tab was the only tab I needed really. :laugh: Luckily I found Ido's original version. It's ideal for renaming all those apk's I downloaded and still have the package name when I back them up to my PC.
I have an Asus Memo Pad 10 and an Asus Memo Pad 7 and neither are recognised by APKSpy. Not that it's a problem as I have no problem copying to and from them with Windows Exploder or Total Commander.
Other than that, it's been a handy little app for this tablet/smartphone virgin newbie.
Martin.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello.
1st:
I can -- if requested - re-add the Batch rename.
2nd:
I don't know why these two devices are not being recognized -- unless not being recognized by ADB itself -- since I'm spawning devices by parsing the resulting text of "ADB devices" command, So unless being unrecognized by ADB, there should be NO PROBLEM detecting ANY android device with ADB on...
if you have any exception messages thrown by the application, please post them here.

dmagician said:
Hello.
1st:
I can -- if requested - re-add the Batch rename.
2nd:
I don't know why these two devices are not being recognized -- unless not being recognized by ADB itself -- since I'm spawning devices by parsing the resulting text of "ADB devices" command, So unless being unrecognized by ADB, there should be NO PROBLEM detecting ANY android device with ADB on...
if you have any exception messages thrown by the application, please post them here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No need to re-add the tab just for me, but thanks for the offer. As I get to know my way around Android I'll probably need such things less and less.
Sorry, but I know nothing about ADB other than APKSpy needing it. As you can see from the attached pic, the Asus is recognised by Total Commander
Martin.

Hi dmagician,
Nice work, and a shout-out to Ido who originally created it.
I have a feature request:
Could you add the option to remove certain permission(s) and save the modified APK file?
There are many apps which I feel allow themselves way too much permissions, and this option could be very useful to tame them apps.
One more thing:
I noticed that APKSpy v1.8.2 doesn't work with the latest version of AAPT.exe (1432KB), from the Android SDK r24.
So I had to use a previous version of AAPT.exe (833KB), which worked.
Thanks,
Eric

Hey does anybody know where the name of the apk is in the XML files inside the apk?

[Root] [HD 10 Suez] Remove parental control applications/restrictions [May 2019]

I've tried to complete this mission a few times, each ending in disaster...until now.
Summary:
The parental control applications too are restrictive. Amazon made some slight changes to the Android code which gave these applications full, and in my opinion unnecessary control of the tablets and the security options. Disabling or uninstalling them can and will eventually cause you to reflash stock firmware. That's because they are labeled as "device/profile owner applications". Located in /data/system is 'device_owner.xml'. That file configures the apps as device/profile owners and doing anything to stop them results in a disaster, often unfixable without reflashing stock. The idea was to trick FireOS by switching device owner applications right from under it's nose. It's not easy but it is possible.
This will be along guide. one or two of these steps may not even be necessary but I am going to present them as I did them and was successful. Beyond that you are free to remove steps and try the process at your will. However any deviation from the guide can result in damage to your device. Even this guide may result in damage to your device, because not everyone's results will be the same. From here on out you are on your own and I am not responsible for any damage done to your devices. This will take some time, if you do not have it it is recommended you do not continue until you do. It will not be possible to pause for extended periods through this guide. This WILL REQUIRE a factory reset. You must be rooted or have an unlocked tablet to complete the guide. You must also have the Google play store and related services installed as system applications in priv-app folder. For this it's recommended to flash a pico Gapps package in TWRP.
THIS OPERATION WAS PERFORMED ON A DEVICE THAT WAS DEODEXED ON 5.6.1.0 WITH A 5.3.6.0 (LATEST FIREOS) BOOT IMAGE. This will not likely work on a stock ROM that has not been deodexed.
Instructions:
1. You need to download an application that uninstalls system applications. Any one of them will do so long as it works. You will absolutely need to download an application that does this. Also download a root file explorer.
2. Uninstall the application called 'Managed provisioning.' then open a shell using a terminal emulator or ADB. Then type the commands below.
Code:
adb shell
su
settings put global device_provisioned 0
3. Go to settings > security > device administrator and make sure Google pay is a device administrator. This is very important and you must not miss this step.
4. Using a root explorer, go to /data/system and copy device_owner.xml to your internal storage. If using your PC please use Notepad++, though it's recommended you complete the following tasks on your device.
4b. Go to system/etc/permissions/ and open handheld_core_hardware.xml in a text editor. Find the line that says: <!-- feature name="android.software.managed_users" --> and replace that line with the one below, save the file and reboot:
Code:
<feature name="android.software.managed_users" />
5. Then go to your internal storage and open the file device_owner.xml in a text editor. Replace the lines of text with the text below, making sure the format is NOT changed from the original and save the file:
Code:
<profile-owner package="com.google.android.gms" name="Google Play services" userId="0" component="com.google.android.gms/com.google.android.gms.mdm.receivers.MdmDeviceAdminReceiver" />
6. NOTE: this step CANNOT be done in TWRP. Again Using a root explorer, copy and paste device_owner.xml to /data/system, overwriting the current one (remember to back up the original). Set permissions to rw (0600) and reboot. If there are no errors or popups and your home and recents button still work after rebooting, continue to the next step.
7. Reboot to recovery and clear/wipe cache and dalvik and reboot system. When booted, if no pop errors from anything, open the uninstaller app you downloaded and uninstall Parental Controls and Parental monitoring. Again reboot to recovery and wipe cache and dalvik and reboot system.
8. Again if no errors, reboot to recovery again and this time do a factory reset. This step is very important and cannot be missed. It is absolutely required that the data be wiped on the device or the device and system will recognize it is no longer owner of said device and it will start shutting you out of security and other options on the device.
9. When rebooted, Open the shell in terminal emulator again or ADB and type the following command below. A reboot should not be necessary when done:
Code:
su
settings put global device_provisioned 1
10. Download an activity launcher (I use activity manager and yes you need to pay a slight fee to use the root part of the launcher, but it's worth it.) Scroll settings and search for 'generic lockscreen set' and long press it to open it with root access. All of your lock screen options should be open and available to you even after removing the parental applications. If they are congratulations you have now remove parental applications and the restrictions that came with them from your device. Go back to /data/system and you will also notice that the device_owner.xml is gone. Killing 2 birds with one stone. If any lockscreen options are blocked then you have failed to properly remove the parental applications and the policies that go along with them.
NOTE: You may need to deactivate 'smart lock' and trusted gms as that may interfere with some lock screen options.
I'll let you guys decide, but I think the device is vastly improved in terms of performance and in Internet connectability after removing these applications.

Edit: forgot a step. Can't believe I did that.
Sent from my Amazon KFSUWI using XDA Labs

I must have goofed. I did a factory reset and now my tablet is back to stock. lol
Edit: I take that back. I tap on parental controls and nothing happens lol
Edit2: Yep It's running good. You were right too. It seems like it runs a lot smoother without amazon's parental controls.

Shadow Death said:
I must have goofed. I did a factory reset and now my tablet is back to stock. lol
Edit: I take that back. I tap on parental controls and nothing happens lol
Edit2: Yep It's running good. You were right too. It seems like it runs a lot smoother without amazon's parental controls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cuz I'm pretty sure without the support of manage profiles, the parental applications actually cut down on a Wi-Fi speed. I don't think it's cutting short the connection, rather the metrics and scripts associated with other apps and configs, cause it to constantly disconnect and reconnect. also fireOS doesn't like when you have more than one network saved at a time, in the same area. You can also delete etc/wifiloglevels.sh if you are on the deodexed rom. Can also set the value of the line in build prop for wifi rssi levels to ""

Shadow Death said:
I must have goofed. I did a factory reset and now my tablet is back to stock. lol
Edit: I take that back. I tap on parental controls and nothing happens lol
Edit2: Yep It's running good. You were right too. It seems like it runs a lot smoother without amazon's parental controls.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Add: you Dan probably reinstall the managed provisioning app. It might let you create a work profile I am not sure. I am going to experiment with that more tomorrow.

I'd like to add that I am on the same battery cycle as the other day when I started this process at 65%. I haven't been as aggressive in my use as much as normal this weekend but I haven't had to put it on the charger all well and usually I have to do that a few times a week if I really use it.

I forgot to mention that step 4 and possibly 5 seem jumbled.

Shadow Death said:
I forgot to mention that step 4 and possibly 5 seem jumbled.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you using the app?

DragonFire1024 said:
Are you using the app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure what app you mean. What I meant was this part:
Using a root explorer, go to /data/system and copy device_owner.xml to your internal storage and open it in a text editor. If using your PC please use Notepad++, though it's recommended you complete the following tasks on your device. Open system/etc/permissions/handheld_core_hardware.xml in a text editor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Shadow Death said:
I'm not sure what app you mean. What I meant was this part:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll fix it tomorrow. Thanks.

DragonFire1024 said:
I'll fix it tomorrow. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I figured out what you meant but I thought I would point it out just in case others can't.

Shadow Death said:
I figured out what you meant but I thought I would point it out just in case others can't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Worded it a bit better and broke it apart somewhat. I definitely saw where one would get lost right there. Good eyes!

Hi Dragon Fire,
Is it now working ok? I have the HD8 (7th generation) and would like to eliminate the restrictions of the parental control.

masterted said:
Hi Dragon Fire,
Is it now working ok? I have the HD8 (7th generation) and would like to eliminate the restrictions of the parental control.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Every thing is working so far as I can see. There is a slight delay with some apps that require a lock screen be activated for them to work. I use a WiFi app my provider provides and it requires a screen lock. It failed to recognize it at first. Clearing the providers app cache and restarting it worked.
Sent from my Droid RAZR M using XDA Labs

Hi guys, I got a couple questions about this process...
Could someone who did it already check to see if it is possible to change the language of the tablet? On my own tablet, I get a message about parental controls being required, however my own tablet was rooted and debloated a different way last year. In my case, I don't care about changing the language, and I'm totally satisfied with the results I got.
I ask because I'd like to do this "stock Android look & feel" process for a friend (they do not even have an Amazon account, nor want one), but they need to be able to switch language between English and Spanish on a regular basis, and I don't want to mess up their tablet with mods that would prevent this.
Thanks for any insights you guys might have on this... really appreciate the hard work and vast knowledge represented here on XDA.

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