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C#: Make program run even though it's minimized

I'm programming an application (WM 6.1) that should do things regardless if the program is active or minimized (user pressed the X button). This is where my problem occurs, my program is set on "pause" when the program is minimized. I need it to run even though it's in the background. How to solve this?

threads
Hi Pytagoras,
I haven´t made a lot of C# programs, but I think that only the main thread is pause when the program is minimized, but the additional threads don´t. So if you need something running on background you need to implement it on an additional thread...
See you
Pytagoras said:
I'm programming an application (WM 6.1) that should do things regardless if the program is active or minimized (user pressed the X button). This is where my problem occurs, my program is set on "pause" when the program is minimized. I need it to run even though it's in the background. How to solve this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Thanks for your reply
I'm new to threads, haven't really needed them before. So I found some examples:
Code:
class ThreadTest {
private void frmProgram_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
Thread t = new Thread (WriteY);
t.Start(); // Run WriteY on the new thread
}
static void WriteY() {
while (true) Console.Write ("y"); // Write 'y' forever
}
}
Of course I loaded my own method instead of the WriteY example method described here. The thread get started in the Load event of the main form, so it should execute. However, it doesn't work when the program is minimized, and with this thread way of doing it, it doesn't work when it's opened either. (the program should notice a sms ticking in, and do something based on it).
Any help would be greatly appreciated (there should be a dedicated forum on xda for this kind of things / different programming languages..just a comment)

Try something like this... should work...
Code:
class ThreadTest {
private Thread t;
private void frmProgram_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
t = new Thread(new ThreadStart(WriteY));
t.IsBackGround = true;
t.Start();
}
static void WriteY() {
while (true) Console.Write ("y"); // Write 'y' forever
}
}

Strange, it still don't work. I even tried with the code you posted without changing any of it, and still it don't run. It won't even write to the console

The issue is that the console.write is not showing on "Output Window"... see the code below... that it keeping update the file even if minimized...
Code:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Threading;
using System.IO;
namespace ThreadTest
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
private Thread t;
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
t = new Thread(new ThreadStart(WriteY));
t.IsBackground = true;
t.Start();
}
private void WriteY()
{
while (true)
{
FileStream fs = new FileStream("\\test.txt", FileMode.Create);
StreamWriter w = new StreamWriter(fs, Encoding.UTF8);
w.WriteLine(DateTime.Now.ToString());
w.Flush();
w.Close();
fs.Close();
}
}
}
}

Thank you for your help, but I get this when I run your code:
System.IO.IOException:
"The process can not access the file '\\test.txt' because it is being used by another process."

The possibility for that is that you are running the example more than once...
Pytagoras said:
Thank you for your help, but I get this when I run your code:
System.IO.IOException:
"The process can not access the file '\\test.txt' because it is being used by another process."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Ok, I don't know that went wrong, but I've created a new project, and here it worked.
However, it doesn't work with the sms detection I try to implement.
I'll post the code hoping anyone have some hints:
Code:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Threading;
using System.IO;
using Microsoft.WindowsMobile.PocketOutlook;
using Microsoft.WindowsMobile.PocketOutlook.MessageInterception;
namespace BackgroundTestApp
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
private Thread t;
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Start a new thread hoping that this will detect sms even if it's minimized
t = new Thread(new ThreadStart(startMessageDetection));
t.IsBackground = true;
t.Start();
// This works, but only when the program isn't minimized
//startMessageDetection();
}
/// <summary>
/// Load the message detection (sms)
/// </summary>
private void startMessageDetection()
{
MessageInterceptor messageInterceptor = new MessageInterceptor();
messageInterceptor.InterceptionAction = InterceptionAction.NotifyAndDelete;
messageInterceptor.MessageReceived += new MessageInterceptorEventHandler(messageRecieved);
}
void messageRecieved(object sender, MessageInterceptorEventArgs e)
{
if (e.Message is SmsMessage)
{
MessageBox.Show("Message recieved!");
}
}
}
}

Hi Pytagoras,
Sorry, with this part I can´t help you... never coded using this class...
See you,
Pytagoras said:
Ok, I don't know that went wrong, but I've created a new project, and here it worked.
However, it doesn't work with the sms detection I try to implement.
I'll post the code hoping anyone have some hints:
Code:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Text;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Threading;
using System.IO;
using Microsoft.WindowsMobile.PocketOutlook;
using Microsoft.WindowsMobile.PocketOutlook.MessageInterception;
namespace BackgroundTestApp
{
public partial class Form1 : Form
{
private Thread t;
public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
}
private void Form1_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
// Start a new thread hoping that this will detect sms even if it's minimized
t = new Thread(new ThreadStart(startMessageDetection));
t.IsBackground = true;
t.Start();
// This works, but only when the program isn't minimized
//startMessageDetection();
}
/// <summary>
/// Load the message detection (sms)
/// </summary>
private void startMessageDetection()
{
MessageInterceptor messageInterceptor = new MessageInterceptor();
messageInterceptor.InterceptionAction = InterceptionAction.NotifyAndDelete;
messageInterceptor.MessageReceived += new MessageInterceptorEventHandler(messageRecieved);
}
void messageRecieved(object sender, MessageInterceptorEventArgs e)
{
if (e.Message is SmsMessage)
{
MessageBox.Show("Message recieved!");
}
}
}
}
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I don't know what's happening, but I don't like the fact that messageInterceptor is local to startMessageDetection(). The thread will not continue forever, since it is not looping... the three operations in startMessageDetection() will be performed and the thread will cease. I would make messageInterceptor a member of the form, assign it in startMessageDetection(), and try it without the thread. Does this work?

try making it a process instead of an application. Processes are ment to be running in the background.

Socket Programming on HTC Magic

Hi, I have made an application on the phone which collects the data from the built-in sensors, and now I'm trying to use socket programming to send the data to my laptop. Basically, I put the following socketing code in my application code and wrote another server program on my laptop to set up the connection between the cellphone and the laptop. But it doesnt seem to work....my phone shows a debug message "No I/O"...meaning, I guess, the phone is actually not sucessfully connected to the laptop. Could anybody pls teach me the right way to do this? communication either through wifi (my laptop and phone both already logged onto the campus network), or usb(the phone is directly connected to the laptop by a usb cable). Thank you!
Client code on the phone:
public void listenSocket(){
//Create socket connection
try{
socket = new Socket("localhost", 4444);
out = new PrintWriter(new BufferedWriter(new OutputStreamWriter(
socket.getOutputStream())), true);
} catch (UnknownHostException e) {
socketMsg.setText("Unknown host: localhost");
} catch (IOException e) {
socketMsg.setText("No I/O");
}
}
Server code on the laptop:
import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;
import java.io.PrintWriter;
import java.net.ServerSocket;
import java.net.Socket;
class SocketServer1 {
public static void main(String[] args){
ServerSocket server = null;
Socket client = null;
BufferedReader in = null;
PrintWriter out = null;
try{
server = new ServerSocket(4444);
} catch (IOException e) {
System.out.println("Could not listen on port 4444");
System.exit(-1);
}
System.out.println("Server is ready");
try{
client = server.accept();
System.out.println("Server is not accepting data");
} catch (IOException e) {
System.out.println("Accept failed: 4444");
System.exit(-1);
}
try{
in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(client.getInputStream()));
out = new PrintWriter(client.getOutputStream(), true);
} catch (IOException e) {
System.out.println("Accept failed: 4444");
System.exit(-1);
}
//Clean up
try{
in.close();
out.close();
server.close();
} catch (IOException e) {
System.out.println("Could not close.");
System.exit(-1);
}
}
}
PS. I guess the problem may be the server_name and port_number set on my phone are not correct....

After a quick look, and please take into consideration I never did Android programming, in the client, instead of trying to connect to the server you are trying to connect to localhost, wich means, you are trying to connect to your phone. You need to replace localhost with the ip of your server. The port seems to be ok since you are opening a server socket in your server in the port 4444

helderp said:
After a quick look, and please take into consideration I never did Android programming, in the client, instead of trying to connect to the server you are trying to connect to localhost, wich means, you are trying to connect to your phone. You need to replace localhost with the ip of your server. The port seems to be ok since you are opening a server socket in your server in the port 4444
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi thank you helderp! I think I've figuired it out. what you suggested is one of the reasons.
just for your info, the other BIG reason, which is actually about android programming, is that in "AndroidManifest.xml" file should add in "<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET">"....

[Q] WP7 facebook application, posting blank status updates only

Hi ive written a simple application for windows phone 7 that posts a status update to the users wall. This is all working correctly except for the fact that when the status update is done it is always empty. I am trying to make it so that the user can enter what they would like to say in a text box, but obviously so far this isnt working and all that is being sent is an empty status update. I am connecting to the facebook api and the authentication all works correctly or the post would not be sent at all. Ive searched all over the web and havent found anyone with the same issue as of yet.
Here is the status update code that I am working on:
Code:
private void PostStatusUpdate(string status, Action<bool, Exception> callback)
{
var request = HttpWebRequest.Create("https://graph.facebook.com/me/feed");
request.Method = "POST";
request.ContentType = "application/x-www-form-urlencoded";
request.BeginGetRequestStream((reqResult) =>
{
using (var strm = request.EndGetRequestStream(reqResult))
using (var writer = new StreamWriter(strm))
{
writer.Write("access_token=" + _accessToken);
writer.Write("&message=" + HttpUtility.UrlEncode(status));
}
request.BeginGetResponse((result) =>
{
try
{
var response = request.EndGetResponse(result);
using (var rstrm = response.GetResponseStream())
{
var serializer = new DataContractJsonSerializer(typeof(FacebookPostResponse));
var postResponse = serializer.ReadObject(rstrm) as FacebookPostResponse;
callback(true, null);
}
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
callback(false, ex);
}
}, null);
}, null);
}
[DataContract]
public class FacebookPostResponse
{
[DataMember(Name = "id")]
public string Id
{
get;
set;
}
}
private void PostUpdate_Click(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
PostStatusUpdate(this.StatusText.Text, (success, ex) =>
{
this.Dispatcher.BeginInvoke(() =>
{
if (success && ex == null)
{
MessageBox.Show("Status updated");
NavigationService.Navigate(new Uri("/Views/MainPage.xaml", UriKind.Relative));
}
else
{
MessageBox.Show("Unable to update status");
}
});
});
}
Has anyone encountered this before / know any solution to this problem?
Any insights into this would be much appreciated

You are using the asyncronous method with no callback function
Looks like you should be using a callback function - See examples here
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/lib...est.begingetrequeststream(v=vs.90).aspx#Y1760
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/lib...brequest.begingetrequeststream(v=vs.100).aspx
Also, did the same code work at one point?
It could be as simple as not closing your connections. I ran into this in the Weather City Editor that I wrote for Windows Mobile.
When I added code to hit accuweathers site to look up the code, I had forgotten to close the connection. I would need to wait until the connection timed out before it would work again.
I think yours is differnt though, since it is updating blank.
But, you could just use GetRequestStream, which does not need the callback function, synce it is not asyncronous. See example code: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/d4cek6cc.aspx

Thanks for the reply
Thanks for the reply, the code has never worked so far it has only posted blank facebook statuses, I will see if adding an asynchronous call back makes a difference.
Thanks

[Guide] PHP Development on Android [25 May 2015]

Thread link
[Guide] PHP Development on Android
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WHAT?
Yes, you can develop with PHP on your Android device, no I am not mad (yet) - not guaranteed for lifetime. This guide is just to help you starting and hopefully kicks off some discussions about this (currently) not very common opportunity.
WHY the heck...?
Well, by now it's just playing with our devices, sure. But let's face it and let's see the potential of an Android device in the future, maybe in only a few years. Do I have to boot my computer or notebook or is it more likely I just wake my smartphone or tablet and give it a power source by placing it in the stand? Either way, it also makes fun playing around by now and using a maybe older device as a low power consuming web app server.
But PHP is ridiculous, scripting for kids, security flaws, inconsistencies, ugly syntax...
PHP is one of the most important scripting languages in the web. It's not perfect, sure, but you can create really big projects like Wordpress and vBulletin and therefore also our beloved XDA. However, this is a thread about how to start PHP developing on an Android device, not about how great or how bad this programming language is.
You have a question? Post it in the thread.
You have improvements? Post it in the thread.
You know better apps? Post it in the thread.
You don't like PHP? Well, move along...
My test set up
Hardware
Android device (Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE GT-I9305, running Android 5.0.2)
Chromecast
FHD TV
USB OTG cable
USB keyboard
Software/Apps
code editor
web server with PHP support
I develop and apply the programs locally, means, code editor and server are on the same device. Uploading or managing files remotely is not not required in this case.
Optional and recommended accessories and apps
Hardware
Bluetooth input devices, so you can charge your device
USB cable to charge your device, you'll need it
alternatively use wireless charging if your device supports it
Software/Apps
DynDNS client
port forwarder (needs root to forward to standard port 80)
SFTP/FTPS server/client
SSH server/client
server monitor
The apps will raise the battery consumption, so for longer development sessions, use Bluetooth keyboards and mice or a BT keyboard with an integrated touchpad. Charge your device.
DynDNS client makes your device available to the internet using a simple subdomain name instead of the ip address. The port forwarder can redirect incoming HTTP requests to port 80 for example. To upload and manage your files from your Android device to a web server from your web hoster, you can use secured FTP (SFTP/FTPS) and SSH clients or use servers, if you upload from an Android to an Android device.

Code editors
To write code, you'll need code editors and some of them are quite good for doing that. Try some of these following, if you don't have any yet.
AIDE Web - Html,Css,JavaScript - paid: IAP
Updated: December 11, 2014
Current Version: 1.0.3beta
AWD - PHP/HTML/CSS/JS IDE - paid: IAP
Updated: April 30, 2015
Current Version: 0.41
XDA application thread by @divers
DroidEdit (free code editor) - paid: DroidEdit Pro (code editor))
Updated: March 03, 2015
Current Version: 1.23.0
Quoda Code Editor - paid: IAP
Updated: August 14, 2014
Current Version: 1.0.1.2
Turbo Editor ( Text Editor ) - paid: IAP, Turbo Editor PRO (Text Editor)
Updated: May 15, 2015
Current Version: 2.1
XDA application thread by @Vlad Mihalachi
Web servers with PHP support
Some web servers with integrated PHP interpreter are listed below. A lot of those on Google Play have a free trial period, so try before you buy.
Down below you find three free web servers with PHP interpreter. I also checked which server software they're running and it's version, as well as the version of the PHP interpreter.
AndroPHP
Updated: February 8, 2013
Current Version: 1.2.0
Web server: Lighttpd 1.4.29
PHP version: 5.4.8
View the complete output of phpinfo() as PDF (196 kB)
Palapa Web Server
Updated: August 26, 2014
Current Version: 2.1.1
Web server: Lighttpd 1.4.32
PHP version: 5.5.15
View the complete output of phpinfo() as PDF (291 kB)
Server for PHP
Updated: May 24, 2015
Current Version: 1.7.0
Web server: PHP 5.6.9 Development Server
PHP version: 5.6.9
View the complete output of phpinfo() as PDF (361 KB)
This one is basically a server collection, tons of servers for all your needs. Slightly outdated, no update for quite a long time, therefore an old PHP version. Hopefully the app gets new and updated servers. Trial version available.
Servers Ultimate (7 days trial) - paid: Servers Ultimate Pro
Updated: June 16, 2014
Current Version: 6.3.10
Web server: Lighttpd
PHP version: 5.4.8
View the complete output of phpinfo() as PDF (197 kB)
XDA application thread by @Themuzz
Web server monitor
To monitor your mobile web server, I recommend to set up a server monitor app, like Monyt - Server Monitor. The app itself is a client, pulling information from a script you have to place on your server. Just for the records, it's a PHP script.
Monyt - Server Monitor
Updated: March 15, 2013
Current Version: 1.1.4
XDA application thread by @evilsocket
Install Monyt - Server Monitor from Google Play store (on any Android device, this is basically only the client)
Paste the PHP code into a *.php file (link in the Google Play description) (on the server)
Configure the app, at least enter the URL to the PHP script
The monitor app can also be installed on your mobile server.
Some screenshots made on a Sony Xperia Z3
Current link and content of the PHP script: http://www.monyt.net/monyt-server-script.txt
PHP:
<?php
error_reporting(0);
define( "MONYT_SCRIPT_VERSION", "1.0.1" );
if( isset($_GET['version'] ) )
{
die( MONYT_SCRIPT_VERSION );
}
else if( isset($_GET['check']) )
{
$aCheck = array
(
'monyt' => MONYT_SCRIPT_VERSION,
'distro' => '',
'kernel' => '',
'cpu' => '',
'cores' => ''
);
$sDistroName = '';
$sDistroVer = '';
foreach (glob("/etc/*_version") as $filename)
{
list( $sDistroName, $dummy ) = explode( '_', basename($filename) );
$sDistroName = ucfirst($sDistroName);
$sDistroVer = trim( file_get_contents($filename) );
$aCheck['distro'] = "$sDistroName $sDistroVer";
break;
}
if( !$aCheck['distro'] )
{
if( file_exists( '/etc/issue' ) )
{
$lines = file('/etc/issue');
$aCheck['distro'] = trim( $lines[0] );
}
else
{
$output = NULL;
exec( "uname -om", $output );
$aCheck['distro'] = trim( implode( ' ', $output ) );
}
}
$cpu = file( '/proc/cpuinfo' );
$vendor = NULL;
$model = NULL;
$cores = 0;
foreach( $cpu as $line )
{
if( preg_match( '/^vendor_id\s*:\s*(.+)$/i', $line, $m ) )
{
$vendor = $m[1];
}
else if( preg_match( '/^model\s+name\s*:\s*(.+)$/i', $line, $m ) )
{
$model = $m[1];
}
else if( preg_match( '/^processor\s*:\s*\d+$/i', $line ) )
{
$cores++;
}
}
$aCheck['cpu'] = "$vendor, $model";
$aCheck['cores'] = $cores;
$aCheck['kernel'] = trim(file_get_contents("/proc/version"));
die( json_encode($aCheck) );
}
$aStats = array( 'monyt' => MONYT_SCRIPT_VERSION );
$aStats['uptime'] = trim( file_get_contents("/proc/uptime") );
$load = file_get_contents("/proc/loadavg");
$load = explode( ' ', $load );
$aStats['load'] = $load[0].', '.$load[1].', '.$load[2];
$memory = file( '/proc/meminfo' );
foreach( $memory as $line )
{
$line = trim($line);
if( preg_match( '/^memtotal[^\d]+(\d+)[^\d]+$/i', $line, $m ) )
{
$aStats['total_memory'] = $m[1];
}
else if( preg_match( '/^memfree[^\d]+(\d+)[^\d]+$/i', $line, $m ) )
{
$aStats['free_memory'] = $m[1];
}
}
$aStats['hd'] = array();
foreach( file('/proc/mounts') as $mount )
{
$mount = trim($mount);
if( $mount && $mount[0] == '/' )
{
$parts = explode( ' ', $mount );
if( $parts[0] != $parts[1] )
{
$device = $parts[0];
$folder = $parts[1];
$total = disk_total_space($folder) / 1024;
$free = disk_free_space($folder) / 1024;
if( $total > 0 )
{
$used = $total - $free;
$used_perc = ( $used * 100.0 ) / $total;
$aStats['hd'][] = array
(
'dev' => $device,
'total' => $total,
'used' => $used,
'free' => $free,
'used_perc' => $used_perc,
'mount' => $folder
);
}
}
}
}
$ifname = NULL;
if( file_exists('/etc/network/interfaces') )
{
foreach( file('/etc/network/interfaces') as $line )
{
$line = trim($line);
if( preg_match( '/^iface\s+([^\s]+)\s+inet\s+.+$/', $line, $m ) && $m[1] != 'lo' )
{
$ifname = $m[1];
break;
}
}
}
else
{
foreach( glob('/sys/class/net/*') as $filename )
{
if( $filename != '/sys/class/net/lo' && file_exists( "$filename/statistics/rx_bytes" ) && trim( file_get_contents("$filename/statistics/rx_bytes") ) != '0' )
{
$parts = explode( '/', $filename );
$ifname = array_pop( $parts );
}
}
}
if( $ifname != NULL )
{
$aStats['net_rx'] = trim( file_get_contents("/sys/class/net/$ifname/statistics/rx_bytes") );
$aStats['net_tx'] = trim( file_get_contents("/sys/class/net/$ifname/statistics/tx_bytes") );
}
else
{
$aStats['net_rx'] =
$aStats['net_tx'] = 0;
}
die( json_encode( $aStats ) );
?>

Reserved

Bump... 1 month online and 181 views but no reaction
Somewhere a PHP developer... or a somehow interested one in any kind of coding on Android... or at least someone who heard about PHP or Android?

Hellow, i have been developing php on my android since 2013
The app that I used was AndroPHP but now is off the playStore
Also i have found an error on the Palapa Web Server on the moto g since it can't install the services and is useless to my client since he is buying moto g as the main device, I have a nexus 6 and an Intel tablet and i dont have this problem
I think i have the apk of AndroPhp somewhere in case someone need it

atondo27 said:
Hellow, i have been developing php on my android since 2013
The app that I used was AndroPHP but now is off the playStore
Also i have found an error on the Palapa Web Server on the moto g since it can't install the services and is useless to my client since he is buying moto g as the main device, I have a nexus 6 and an Intel tablet and i dont have this problem
I think i have the apk of AndroPhp somewhere in case someone need it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your post. Developing PHP on Android since 2013 is quite a long time, but obviously it was possible. Do you still develop on Android and what's your setup like keyboard, mouse, monitor etc.?
I think I'll just remove the Palapa Web Server, which was removed recently from the Play Store. Can you suggest other code editors or development environments/servers?

atondo27 said:
Hellow, i have been developing php on my android since 2013
The app that I used was AndroPHP but now is off the playStore
Also i have found an error on the Palapa Web Server on the moto g since it can't install the services and is useless to my client since he is buying moto g as the main device, I have a nexus 6 and an Intel tablet and i dont have this problem
I think i have the apk of AndroPhp somewhere in case someone need it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, also noticed that the amazing small and free Androphph is no longer on the playstore. Any ideas as to why it was removed? To be honest that app was rock solid in php/mysql.

ProjectER said:
Hi, also noticed that the amazing small and free Androphph is no longer on the playstore. Any ideas as to why it was removed? To be honest that app was rock solid in php/mysql.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have been strugling with Androphp and Lolipop on the Moto G. Its been like 1 year since it was removed.
you can download the apk from here:
***.apk4fun.com/apps/com.ayansoft.androphp/
www
I'm using that version on some deployments

[GUIDE] Create “deathless” Android application: Protected from removal and stop

Author: Apriorit (@andruwik777, Driver Development Team)
Some types of applications require that the end users can not be able to remove or at least stop the application. For example, all types of Parental Controls, Data Leak Prevention, and applications with similar concepts should work on devices regardless of the user’s intentions. On the other hand, when trying to search proven solutions for implementing such applications, we cannot find some comprehensive answers in the Internet. This article describes one of the possible solutions.
Intro
Though, there are individual solutions for the "Disable force stop and uninstall button on Android" tasks, but in order to activate these buttons, you simply need to perform the user’s actions in reverse order.
As for the task of creation of an unkillable application, there are opinions that it cannot be supported by the concept of Android (1, 2, 3), because the basic idea of this OS is to give the user permission to work with his device as he wishes.
However, we are going to consider one of the ways to create an application that can be stopped or removed only by the user (Admin), who installed it.
The task
Appearance of the application
Task: Create the TryStopOrUninstallMe application.
After the application start and security policy acceptance, within a 10 seconds timeout, application displays the information that it successfully works (Toast with the “Ooops! Try to kill me ” text).
If you stop the service, it will be restarted no later than in 2 seconds (by timeout).
The ForceStop and Uninstall buttons are inactive in the application menu. When you try to activate these buttons by disabling DeviceAdministrator for the application, phone is locked. At the same time the previous user password is deleted and further calls can be made only after unlocking the phone by administrator, who knows the password.
Used technologies
Programming language: Java.
Used libraries and technologies: Android SDK.
Minimum supported version of Android: 2.2
Maximum supported version of Android: 5.0.2 (the newest one for today)
ROOT-permissions requirements on the device: not required
Testing: the application was tested on Nexus 5 with Android 5.0.1.
Pending issues
In order to keep this article short and because of the triviality of the problem, we do not consider:
1. Creation of start Activity, in which the administrator would set a master password. Instead, we have simply hardcoded it (e.g., "12345");
2. Application startup at system startup.
The general principles of the mechanism
The following approaches will be used to implement this idea:
1. Disabling the application forced stop and uninstall will be implemented using Device Administration API. Although it is designed for a little bit different purposes (some of which will be shown later), we’ll use it as a "deactivator" of the ForceStop and Uninstall buttons for our application (a side effect is actually what we need):
To uninstall an existing device admin application, users need to first unregister the application as an administrator.
2. There is no standard mechanism to disable the DeviceAdmin mode unlocking for user. However, we can sign up to receive event alerts on removing our application from the list of administered ones. And in this case we can:
1. Reset the current password for device locking (one of the DeviceAdmin API purposes);
2. Lock the phone (another great DeviceAdmin API feature).
3. Our application will use the service to run in the background. For the cases when user tries to stop our service (Settings -> Application -> RunningServices) we will implement auto-start using the AlarmManager system mechanism.
4. If user stop the service and have enough time to go to the application menu until the system restarts the service, then the application (not the service) stop button will be available for him.
After application is stopped, nothing can be restarted by itself. Thus, to deprive user of this chance, we will redirect him to his desktop and lock the device. While user is returning to the target Activity, system has enough time to restart the service (during my testing, it always takes 1-2 seconds).
Graphical representation
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Implementation of the mechanism
Activation of the mechanism for self-protection against the application stop and uninstall, and the service launch (MainActivity.java)
Code:
public class MainActivity extends Activity {
private static final int REQUEST_CODE = 0;
@override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
try {
// Initiate DevicePolicyManager.
DevicePolicyManager policyMgr = (DevicePolicyManager) getSystemService(Context.DEVICE_POLICY_SERVICE);
// Set DeviceAdminDemo Receiver for active the component with different option
ComponentName componentName = new ComponentName(this, DeviceAdminDemo.class);
if (!policyMgr.isAdminActive(componentName)) {
// try to become active
Intent intent = new Intent(DevicePolicyManager.ACTION_ADD_DEVICE_ADMIN);
intent.putExtra(DevicePolicyManager.EXTRA_DEVICE_ADMIN, componentName);
intent.putExtra(DevicePolicyManager.EXTRA_ADD_EXPLANATION,
"Click on Activate button to protect your application from uninstalling!");
startActivity(intent);
}
} catch (Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
startService(new Intent(this, BackgroundService.class));
}
}
Everything that is done in the main (and only one) Activity is DeviceAdmin activation and service launch. It is expected that the device administrator activates the protection by pressing Activate.
Otherwise, the user can stop or remove the application in a standard way.
The service launch and its running (BackgroundService.java)
Code:
public class BackgroundService extends Service {
private static final int FIRST_RUN_TIMEOUT_MILISEC = 5 * 1000;
private static final int SERVICE_STARTER_INTERVAL_MILISEC = 1 * 1000;
private static final int SERVICE_TASK_TIMEOUT_SEC = 10;
private final int REQUEST_CODE = 1;
private AlarmManager serviceStarterAlarmManager = null;
private MyTask asyncTask = null;
@override
public IBinder onBind(Intent intent) {
return null;
}
@override
public void onCreate() {
super.onCreate();
// Start of timeout-autostarter for our service (watchdog)
startServiceStarter();
// Start performing service task
serviceTask();
Toast.makeText(this, "Service Started!", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
}
private void StopPerformingServiceTask() {
asyncTask.cancel(true);
}
private void GoToDesktop() {
Intent homeIntent= new Intent(Intent.ACTION_MAIN);
homeIntent.addCategory(Intent.CATEGORY_HOME);
homeIntent.setFlags(Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK);
startActivity(homeIntent);
}
private void LockTheScreen() {
ComponentName localComponentName = new ComponentName(this, DeviceAdminDemo.class);
DevicePolicyManager localDevicePolicyManager = (DevicePolicyManager)this.getSystemService(Context.DEVICE_POLICY_SERVICE );
if (localDevicePolicyManager.isAdminActive(localComponentName))
{
localDevicePolicyManager.setPasswordQuality(localComponentName, DevicePolicyManager.PASSWORD_QUALITY_NUMERIC);
}
// locking the device
localDevicePolicyManager.lockNow();
}
@override
public void onDestroy() {
// performs when user or system kills our service
StopPerformingServiceTask();
GoToDesktop();
LockTheScreen();
}
private void serviceTask() {
asyncTask = new MyTask();
asyncTask.execute();
}
class MyTask extends AsyncTask<Void, Void, Void> {
@override
protected Void doInBackground(Void... params) {
try {
for (;;) {
TimeUnit.SECONDS.sleep(SERVICE_TASK_TIMEOUT_SEC);
// check if performing of the task is needed
if(isCancelled()) {
break;
}
// Initiating of onProgressUpdate callback that has access to UI
publishProgress();
}
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
return null;
}
@override
protected void onProgressUpdate(Void... progress) {
super.onProgressUpdate(progress);
Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(), "Ooops!!! Try to kill me :)", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
}
}
// We should register our service in the AlarmManager service
// for performing periodical starting of our service by the system
private void startServiceStarter() {
Intent intent = new Intent(this, ServiceStarter.class);
PendingIntent pendingIntent = PendingIntent.getBroadcast(this, this.REQUEST_CODE, intent, 0);
if (pendingIntent == null) {
Toast.makeText(this, "Some problems with creating of PendingIntent", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
} else {
if (serviceStarterAlarmManager == null) {
serviceStarterAlarmManager = (AlarmManager) getSystemService(ALARM_SERVICE);
serviceStarterAlarmManager.setRepeating(AlarmManager.ELAPSED_REALTIME,
SystemClock.elapsedRealtime() + FIRST_RUN_TIMEOUT_MILISEC,
SERVICE_STARTER_INTERVAL_MILISEC, pendingIntent);
}
}
}
}
Everything here is also relatively simple.
At the start, service activates reset mechanism. If for some reason it is stopped, PendingIntent with information about our service will be created and transferred to the AlarmManager system service indicating restart timeout.
As a task, service creates a thread, which uses an infinite loop to periodically display the "Ooops !!! Try to kill me " message on the user’s desktop.
The service “autostarter” code (ServiceStarter.java)
"Autostarter" is presented by a standard BroadcastReceiver, in which the attempt to start the service is performed.
Receiver triggers according to timeout due to the AlarmManager service, because receiver was registered at the start of the service.
If the service is already running, then the second onCreate for it will not be called. And that is exactly what we need.
Code:
public class ServiceStarter extends BroadcastReceiver {
@override
public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
Intent serviceLauncher = new Intent(context, BackgroundService.class);
context.startService(serviceLauncher);
}
}
The DeviceAdmin component code (DeviceAdminComponent.java)
We need DeviceAdmin in order to:
• prohibit user to stop or uninstall the application;
• have the possibility to change the password and lock the device if user attempts to disable the DeviceAdmin component.
Also note that the administrator password is hardcoded as the "12345" string.
The onDisableRequested code works out after the confirmation of the DeviceAdmin deactivation, but before the deactivation itself.
Code:
public class DeviceAdminComponent extends DeviceAdminReceiver {
private static final String OUR_SECURE_ADMIN_PASSWORD = "12345";
public CharSequence onDisableRequested(Context context, Intent intent) {
ComponentName localComponentName = new ComponentName(context, DeviceAdminComponent.class);
DevicePolicyManager localDevicePolicyManager = (DevicePolicyManager)context.getSystemService(Context.DEVICE_POLICY_SERVICE );
if (localDevicePolicyManager.isAdminActive(localComponentName))
{
localDevicePolicyManager.setPasswordQuality(localComponentName, DevicePolicyManager.PASSWORD_QUALITY_NUMERIC);
}
// resetting user password
localDevicePolicyManager.resetPassword(OUR_SECURE_ADMIN_PASSWORD, DevicePolicyManager.RESET_PASSWORD_REQUIRE_ENTRY);
// locking the device
localDevicePolicyManager.lockNow();
return super.onDisableRequested(context, intent);}}
Results
Thus, without using ROOT-permissions, incidents, or undocumented system features, we have managed to create the application that is practically impossible to be stopped or removed without knowing the administrator password. Although in some cases you can try to do it.
After studying this technique, we once again come to the conclusion that:
• it is almost always possible to find loopholes to circumvent any restrictions;
• it is strongly not recommended to install applications from untrusted sources. Especially if it requires the acceptance of the DeviceAdmin policies…
And what about you? Do you know a way to create a similar system?
Download sources at www(dot)apriorit(dot)com/dev-blog/355-create-deathless-android-applications.
This article is the intellectual property of Apriorit Inc. and their authors.
All materials are distributed under the Creative Commons BY-NC License.

Very, very cool.
How would you go about doing the same when a phone was rooted and/ or the user had access to ADB?

Creed14 said:
Very, very cool.
How would you go about doing the same when a phone was rooted and/ or the user had access to ADB?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was going to ask the same thing. Is the protection absolute?
Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

Hello guys.
Thanks for questions and sorry for delay.
Do you ask exactly about ADB commands?
I am not sure all devices have similar behavior (but I really hope they do it), but my devices (moto X 1st gen; Android 4.4.4; both root and non-root) don't start adb demon on the device after it locks with some screen lock (pin/pattern/password).
So, you can't access to your device via adb commands if it has been previously detached from the PC.

Really? Cuz ADB is the most common suggestion for getting past a lockscreen if you forget the password. Not to mention from a softbricked phone, you should even be able to use it

You can try to overcome your own password via adb and share you results here (device brand, model, root/non-root, Android version etc.).
For the purity of the experiment I suggest to perform the next steps:
1) Unplug the device from the PC
2) Set your device screen lock password to "12345"
3) Reboot the device
4) Plug the device to the PC and try to unlock the device (or to find the correct password) using ADB.
The intrigue persists ...