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Hey guys/girls. I'm creating a theme for Andromeda 3 and one thing I cannot fifure out is how to make my theme CWM flashable to test it.
I opened the zip from a different flashable theme, replaced the framework-res.apk and twframework-res.apk with the modified ones from Andromeda and repackaged them using Winrar. I have followed the guides to resign the APK's and ZIP but no mater what I do, after a reboot I get a solid black screen and the phone vibrates.
Im not sure what I am doing wrong because I thought that was all that went into creating a CWM file.
Thanks in advance......
7 posts under this one
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1037842
the meta info is alot more specific than just swap any other files...
Thanks, I found that one about 5 mins ago but couldn't seem to find it when I searched the forum before posting. Must have missed it
Should also point out that if you're decompiling the framework apks with apktool, modifying any of the xml's or code, and recompiling, you'll need to sign the resulting apk or you'll end up with a boot loop.
modest_mandroid said:
Should also point out that if you're decompiling the framework apks with apktool, modifying any of the xml's or code, and recompiling, you'll need to sign the resulting apk or you'll end up with a boot loop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I'm just opening the apk's with winrar. I make the changes to the folders/files and rezip them with Winrar with Store mode (no compression?) Then I resign them with testsign.jar.
I have read the themeing guides but they are really lacking in the small details dept.
modest_mandroid said:
Should also point out that if you're decompiling the framework apks with apktool, modifying any of the xml's or code, and recompiling, you'll need to sign the resulting apk or you'll end up with a boot loop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong.
Never resign system apks such as framework-res or twframework-res. His problem has nothing to do with the signature.
If you are simply copying over files inside the apk and getting this error, then you are adding more files than was originally inside the apk. I repeat, DO NOT ADD FILES THAT ARE NOT ALREADY INSIDE UNLESS YOU KNOW HOW TO RE-COMPILE THE RESOURCES.ASRC!
Also, use 7-zip to edit apks when you just want to overwrite files. Never unzip, or re-zip. Just right-click > 7-zip > Open Archive > Drag and drop files > close the window > you're done
Edit: Also, this goes in Q&A not General.
ryude said:
Wrong.
Never resign system apks such as framework-res or twframework-res. His problem has nothing to do with the signature.
If you are simply copying over files inside the apk and getting this error, then you are adding more files than was originally inside the apk. I repeat, DO NOT ADD FILES THAT ARE NOT ALREADY INSIDE UNLESS YOU KNOW HOW TO RE-COMPILE THE RESOURCES.ASRC!
Also, use 7-zip to edit apks when you just want to overwrite files. Never unzip, or re-zip. Just right-click > 7-zip > Open Archive > Drag and drop files > close the window > you're done
Edit: Also, this goes in Q&A not General.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, thanks man.
Will I need to resign the final theme.zip before flashing it?
Also, can't I just grab the updater-script from another theme.zip and us it in my mine?
ryude said:
Wrong.
Never resign system apks such as framework-res or twframework-res. His problem has nothing to do with the signature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't say anything about resigning? Apktool creates an entirely new, unsigned apk, which unless I'm extremely mistaken you'll need to use if you intend to modify certain resources.
modest_mandroid said:
I didn't say anything about resigning? Apktool creates an entirely new, unsigned apk, which unless I'm extremely mistaken you'll need to use if you intend to modify certain resources.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He doesn't need to use apktool, because he isn't edited any code.
timbrendelaz said:
Ok, thanks man.
Will I need to resign the final theme.zip before flashing it?
Also, can't I just grab the updater-script from another theme.zip and us it in my mine?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you don't have to sign CWM zips because Clockwork doesn't check for a signature.
You could use another updater-script, but the problem with that is if it tries to perform an action on a file or folder that isn't inside your zip it will crash while flashing. You'll be left with a bricked phone and have to ODIN back to restore.
ryude said:
He doesn't need to use apktool, because he isn't edited any code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But what if he is lol? Cause that's what im trying to do and having some issues. Know of a good thread on this? Editing xml that is
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TXLunchbox said:
But what if he is lol? Cause that's what im trying to do and having some issues. Know of a good thread on this? Editing xml that is
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're editing code, I recommend using apk manager since it will automatically recompile the resources.asrc for you. Just make sure to downgrade the apktool that comes with it to 1.3.1, 1.3.2 is known to cause problems with xml edits.
1. Set new project apk.
2. Decompile apk, if it's a system apk use the option for dependency apk and use twframework-res.apk as the dependency apk.
3. Edit your xml files.
4. Recompile, when asked use yes twice. It will tell you to delete files in the Keep folder.
5. Delete the resources.asrc if you edited any xml/added new files. Delete the files that you added/edited.
6. Once you're done it will automatically copy over the signature and use the compression that you set (default level 9, I recommend level 0).
Don't worry that it says "unsignedFramework-res.apk", it will work since it's a system apk because system apk signatures get copied over to the new file. Just rename it to Framework-res.apk or whatever you need it to be called.
ryude said:
He doesn't need to use apktool, because he isn't edited any code.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hence the 'if' in my original statement, you know, 'if' he ever chose to in the future.
I've looked around for some good tutorials on decompiling APKs using APKTool but haven't been able to get a few questions answered. Hoping someone can guide me with this process a bit since I'm really new at it.
A few things first: I am running CM 7.1 on a Droid Incredible (orig) and I'm also on Windows, not Linux. I'm looking to make some changes to the code of an APK and have APKtool downloaded. Questions I have so far are:
1) Do I need to use the CM 7.1 framework-res.apk file for any decompiling / /recompiling work on this 3rd party APK? Or can I do all the work without it? No one seems to have a clear answer on that and I'm not sure exactly what the framework-res.apk is for exactly.
2) After I decompile an APK and make code changes to a SMALI file, is there anything I need to do special before running the compile command?
3) After I have a newly compiled APK, what do I need to do to make this work on my phone? If I do nothing, the overall file size of the compiled APK seems much smaller than the original one that I decompiled so it seems like something is wrong. Plus it won't install. I saw one video where the newly compiled APK is renamed to .ZIP and the contents are put into the ORIGINAL APK (also renamed to .zip), overwriting all the original contents. Is this required?
4) I've also read that APKs need to be signed to install on Android. Is this correct? I found "SignApk" online which seems like it just asks you to rename your APK to app.apk and it does the signing by running a .BAT file. Is that all I have to do before installing the APK on my phone?
Would really appreciate any help on this. Or if there's a great tutorial out there on doing this, I'd be happy to read through.
Thanks for any help in advance!
I want to know these too! Hope someone helps
Is it possible to modify code in a system .odex file without de-odexing?
Here is what I've been trying, without success (Windows computer, Samsung Epic 4G Touch phone, stock ROM with 2.3.6):
On my computer, using Android Commander, I pull a .odex from /system/app to my computer. There is a corresponding .apk, but I leave that alone. I also pull the entire /system/framework folder.
On my computer, from the location containing the framework folder and the .odex file, I run "java -jar baksmali.jar --api-level 10 -d framework -x <FILE_NAME>.odex". This creates an "out" folder, with the com/android/<FILE_NAME> folder structure and the code.
I modify the code (.smali files).
I rename the original .odex file and run "java -jar smali.jar --api-level 10 out/ -o <FILE_NAME>.odex". This creates a new .odex file that, as far as I can tell, should have the updated code in it.
Using Android Commander, I push the new .odex to /system/app on my phone, change the permissions to 644, and reboot the phone.
The changes aren't having an effect. In fact, the status bar is completely gone (the example I'm working on is a mod to the status bar in SystemUI.odex).
Any idea what I'm doing wrong?
So I'm getting the feeling that it's not possible to edit odexed apks. Is there anyway to de-odex just a single apk rather than the whole rom?
Brent212 said:
So I'm getting the feeling that it's not possible to edit odexed apks. Is there anyway to de-odex just a single apk rather than the whole rom?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1208320
Basically, no odex can be edited and put back that easy. Wrapping and Signing ODEX style is required.
Awesome! That thread's perfect. I'm hoping I can deodex, mod the code, create a classes.dex file and put it in with the .apk, zipalign it, and just replace the existing .apk and .odex with the new .apk.
That thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1208320) had the answers I was looking for.
The trick was to either rename the new .odex to classes.dex and put it into the .apk, and zipalign the .apk (although I have a feeling that wasn't actually necessary), or to copy the signature from the old .odex file to the new one.
Brent212 said:
That thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1208320) had the answers I was looking for.
The trick was to either rename the new .odex to classes.dex and put it into the .apk, and zipalign the .apk (although I have a feeling that wasn't actually necessary), or to copy the signature from the old .odex file to the new one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Odex is not dex. And vice versa. Remember that. When compiling, the result is always dex. To have odex, you need to wrap it with dexopt-wrapper within your phone.
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Hello,
I a quite new to Android development/hacking and need some clarification regarding signing system apps.
I did not find any answer yet that fully helped me solve my problem...yes, I did use search on the forum and even Google :laugh:
Scenario:
Let's assume I wanted to modify some system apks (in /priv-app or /app doesn't matter).
All those apks I want to modify do rely on the same framework.apk.
As far as I know, if I modify a system apk all other system apks that rely on the same framework.apk have to be resigned using the same certificate.
1) Is this correct (any pitfalls there)?
2) Do I have to resign the used framework.apk with the same certificate also?
3) Do I have to take other files/things into consideration that would have to be changed / resigned / etc.?
Thanks in advance! :good:
Regards
Markus
deomaki said:
Hello,
I a quite new to Android development/hacking and need some clarification regarding signing system apps.
I did not find any answer yet that fully helped me solve my problem...yes, I did use search on the forum and even Google :laugh:
Scenario:
Let's assume I wanted to modify some system apks (in /priv-app or /app doesn't matter).
All those apks I want to modify do rely on the same framework.apk.
As far as I know, if I modify a system apk all other system apks that rely on the same framework.apk have to be resigned using the same certificate.
1) Is this correct (any pitfalls there)?
2) Do I have to resign the used framework.apk with the same certificate also?
3) Do I have to take other files/things into consideration that would have to be changed / resigned / etc.?
Thanks in advance! :good:
Regards
Markus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All system apps have to be signed the same way, yes. You can sometimes mod your services.jar to turn off signature verification but that can leave you a bit more open to malware.
When you mod a system app, you just have to make sure you use the original signature in the new version. The only exception to this is if you change anything in the manifest. Then you will need a new signature, which means either signing everything else with that signature or doing the services.jar I mentioned earlier.
Hello Ticklefish,
first of all: Thanks a lot!
To summarize your answer:
1) Modding services.jar is out of the question! Would never have done this anyway...(risky from a malware point of view)
2) In case I modify a system apk WITHOUT altering the manifest.xml I can reuse the old apk signature for my new apk (the whole META-INF folder has to be copied over to the new apk?)
Nothing else has to be adjusted?
I suppose I still can do a zipalign afterwards in that case?
3) In case of modifying the manifest.xml I would have to resign ALL system apks.
All of them or only those that rely on the same framework as the modded apk?
Do I have to resign the framework apk as well?
I am asking, because I will have to mod several apks relying on different frameworks: At least one where I have to alter manifest.xml...
Thanks in advance
Markus
deomaki said:
Hello Ticklefish,
first of all: Thanks a lot!
To summarize your answer:
1) Modding services.jar is out of the question! Would never have done this anyway...(risky from a malware point of view)
2) In case I modify a system apk WITHOUT altering the manifest.xml I can reuse the old apk signature for my new apk (the whole META-INF folder has to be copied over to the new apk?)
Nothing else has to be adjusted?
I suppose I still can do a zipalign afterwards in that case?
3) In case of modifying the manifest.xml I would have to resign ALL system apks.
All of them or only those that rely on the same framework as the modded apk?
Do I have to resign the framework apk as well?
I am asking, because I will have to mod several apks relying on different frameworks: At least one where I have to alter manifest.xml...
Thanks in advance
Markus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're modifying an APK without changing the manifest, the best method is to use 7zip or similar to open the new APK and drag the modded files over to the original APK. That way you're still using the same META-INF at the same compression ratio.
Or use Tickle My Android (https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1633333) to do it for you....cough...cough...
You can zipalign afterwards, just remember that any further changes will affect that zipaligning so you'll have to do it again.
As far as resigning the APK goes, all I know is that you have to change every file that uses the same key/signature as the app you resigned so that they all match.
I have to confess that I've never actually done this. I rarely change the manifest myself and, when I do, I disable signature verification. Yes, it makes you more prone to malware but as long as you're careful about what you install you should be okay.
deomaki said:
Hello,
I a quite new to Android development/hacking and need some clarification regarding signing system apps.
I did not find any answer yet that fully helped me solve my problem...yes, I did use search on the forum and even Google :laugh:
Scenario:
Let's assume I wanted to modify some system apks (in /priv-app or /app doesn't matter).
All those apks I want to modify do rely on the same framework.apk.
As far as I know, if I modify a system apk all other system apks that rely on the same framework.apk have to be resigned using the same certificate.
1) Is this correct (any pitfalls there)?
2) Do I have to resign the used framework.apk with the same certificate also?
3) Do I have to take other files/things into consideration that would have to be changed / resigned / etc.?
Thanks in advance! :good:
Regards
Markus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I usually use Mixplorer, (if you use your phone to de/re-compile). Click on compiled apk, select 'explore' and a new tab opens with the contents of the apk. Delete the manifest that was created in recompile, then go to folder with decompiled apk, /original, and long-press to select android manifest xml, and META-INF folder. Choose copy, and paste them into new apk.
Hi, I'm trying to modify /system/framework/framework-res.apk (on the stock Samsung Oreo ROM), more exactly config_locationProviderPackageNames in res/values/arrays.xml so that I can add org.microg.nlp as location provider. I've used the latest apktool (2.3.4) to unpack and repack the apk. I'm replacing it from TWRP and I checked that it has the same owner and rights. And after rebooting the device never finishes booting up (stuck at Samsung logo and blue led).
If I boot back to recovery and put back the original framework-res.apk the system boots fine.
What else do I need to do to make it accept the modified framework?
hey
Are you ONLY modifying the apk?
I would say there is a lot of things to check. It could be that the apk is being rejected by your handling of it. Compare both versions by 7zip lz4 without extracting. Try and use the best tools during the process.
Also more than likely you're conflicting with a service or permission that a perfect apk can't fix.
Have you tried a search in your ROM to see if any files might be associated with the result you want?
Stuff like...
com.android.location.provider.jar
com.android.location.provider.odex
com.android.location.provider.xml
Try doing all the work from your phone without any windows apps. FX explorer and symlink the apk.
Now that everything I said was probably wrong, someone else can tell you how. I'd try fx and symlink, though. It may just align the planets for you
I'm only modifying one XML resource file, but I don't know what else apktool is doing to the apk.
I'm replacing the original framework-res.apk from TWRP, by cat-ing the modified apk over the original, and I've double checked that the ownership and permissions are unchanged.
I guess I can try using another unpack/repack tool and see if it turns out any better, but I've been told that apktool is as good as it gets.
Perhaps it's because the ROM expects the apk to be signed with a certain key? I don't suppose that the key used by Samsung is available somewhere inside the ROM is it?
wirespot said:
I'm only modifying one XML resource file, but I don't know what else apktool is doing to the apk.
I'm replacing the original framework-res.apk from TWRP, by cat-ing the modified apk over the original, and I've double checked that the ownership and permissions are unchanged.
I guess I can try using another unpack/repack tool and see if it turns out any better, but I've been told that apktool is as good as it gets.
Perhaps it's because the ROM expects the apk to be signed with a certain key? I don't suppose that the key used by Samsung is available somewhere inside the ROM is it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@wirespot - Did you ever solve the problem you described in this thread?
Not really. My last attempt was to use Runtime Resource Overlays (RROs) to override certain framework values in order to allow org.microg.nlp to run side by side with Google's service.
I will provide them below but it ultimately didn't work. The RRO apk was installed correctly, I could access the NLP settings in the system settings but the main app still could not detect or connect to the service and none of the apps that use location would work.
If anybody else wants to build or use the RRO apk I'm attaching the relevant files as well as the apk. Please note that the built apk only has "org.microg.nlp" as service in arrays.xml (but I provide an arrays.xml with all three services).
apktool.yml is provided as txt file because it wouldn't let me upload it otherwise, remove the .txt. It's used if you build the package with apktool. Remember that you'll also have to generate your own certificate and sign the package in order to install it.
Also some links that may help:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-how-to-make-gsis-overlay-file-for-your-phone.3878974/
https://github.com/ReinhardStrauch/framework-res-overlay-sample
https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/110927/how-to-mount-system-rewritable-or-read-only-rw-ro
https://source.android.com/devices/architecture/rros#configuring-overlays
https://source.android.com/devices/automotive/hmi/car_ui/appendix
https://source.android.com/devices/automotive/hmi/car_ui/rro#step_6_dump_the_idmap
https://dzone.com/articles/customizing-android-devices-using-the-runtime-reso
https://dzone.com/articles/android-solution-install-parse-1
https://stackoverflow.com/questions...s-not-recognized-internal-or-external-command
https://github.com/lineageos4microg/android_prebuilts_prebuiltapks/issues/22
wirespot said:
I guess I can try using another unpack/repack tool and see if it turns out any better, but I've been told that apktool is as good as it gets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For decompiling and building Android Oreo, I prefer version 2.3.1 of APKTool to other versions of APKTools.
wirespot said:
I'm only modifying one XML resource file, but I don't know what else apktool is doing to the apk.
...
Perhaps it's because the ROM expects the apk to be signed with a certain key? I don't suppose that the key used by Samsung is available somewhere inside the ROM is it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wirespot said:
Hi, I'm trying to modify /system/framework/framework-res.apk (on the stock Samsung Oreo ROM), more exactly config_locationProviderPackageNames in res/values/arrays.xml so that I can add org.microg.nlp as location provider.
What else do I need to do to make it accept the modified framework?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not tried modifying framework-res.apk of a Samsung Android Oreo nor have I particularly tried the location services mod you are attempting (though I might get around to trying it someday) and do not know if it is valid to to accomplish what you want with it, but believe that the process should be similar to modding the file on LG Android Oreo. I shall try to guide you to how to prepare a framework-res.apk that is proper.
To answer your question about expecting a certain key. The answer to that is that that is usually the case. The signing scheme checks on system apps; however is usually not as thorough as non-system apps. framework-res.apk is also special in that it is not a running app and is instead used as a cache of system resources and system meta information. In the past, before Android Oreo, a rebuilt framework-res.apk may be made to work simply by including original signature files (META-INF) and corresponding AndroidManfest.xml file from the original framework-res.apk into the rebuilt fraemwork-res.apk file. The system would evaluate these files, and pass a check for valid platform signature. With Android Oreo, it appears that there is an additional check that was not present in the past; my best guess is that the system is checking for the V2 signing scheme signing block within the V2 Signing Scheme APK file structure. The check does not, however, thoroughly validate the signing block information.
Your mod seems rather simple and, given your previous posts, would only involve a modification to framework-res.apk "resources.arsc" member file (which contains the compiled "res/values/arrays.xml" file). If the rebuilt "resources.arsc" can be used to update ("Update" is an actual ZIP archive operation) the original framework-res.apk's member file, the updated framework-res.apk should work (and remained zip-aligned if originally zip-aligned), so long as the packed file size of the updated member file is less than or equal to the packed size of the original member file, plus up to 4 bytes depending on proximity to the next member file data if original framework-res.apk is zip-aligned as expected. If the packed modified member file(s) are larger, the original APK file structure would likely not be preserved, and a different method might have to be used. Also note that 7-Zip is not reasonable software to use for this, despite it being included with many tools on XDA to modify APK files; the software has had a history of rearranging unnecessarily zip file table entries when a change is made to an archive. Use a different tool that does not do this, such as WinRAR (I have tested version 5.61).
For normal apps, one may not copy over "resources.arsc" or resources from two different app builds and have things work correctly when the app runs; one would also need to make corresponding changes in the *.dex APK member files. framework-res.apk, not being an app the runs, has no corresponding *.dex files, and one need not worry about corrupting the relationship between the *.dex files and the resource files because none exists to corrupt.