Hello,
i installed an application that uses png images files...now i want to replace some of them with mine. I can extract thoose pngs from the apk in windows with winrar fine. So i know the file name, but when i search for thoose files in Android they are not there. So where do my installed apps go in the Android file system? Do they stay in the apk? Can i modify them there? I tried modifying the apk before installing it wich resulted in a failed installation
Im not trying to re-engineer an app, but I simply want to check out an apk to look at the placement of a certain line of code. When i open up the files within the apk though, i get a bunch of nonsense. How do I edit the files within the apk...i know theres a way, or else we wouldnt have custom roms.
Apktool (or some wrapper like Apk Manager). It's quite outdated, so you won't be able to decode some newer apks though.
Brut.all said:
Apktool (or some wrapper like Apk Manager). It's quite outdated, so you won't be able to decode some newer apks though.
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Click to collapse
gahh, i was hoping there would be an easier way than that xP...I experimented with apktool, but it wasnt recognizing the .apk i was typing in...i just suck with command prompt stuff
....thanks anyway though
schwartzman93 said:
gahh, i was hoping there would be an easier way than that xP...I experimented with apktool, but it wasnt recognizing the .apk i was typing in...i just suck with command prompt stuff
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Click to collapse
Brut.all also mentioned APK Manager in his post which is a script wrapper for his apktool that automates much of the process. It's available at the link I gave for both Windows and Linux. All you should need to do is run the script, place your apk in the appropriate folder created by the script, have the script decompile your apk, then you can find the decoded xml file(s) of interest.
thanks guys
i was having a bit of trouble with apk mananger, i couldnt get it to do anything with this one app, i would tell it an action and it just closed the script
EDIT: I figured it out
Hi guys, i'm using APK Manager and i was able to change the xml without having any trouble by decompressing the apk. I'm wondering what i need to do in order to resign the APK. I have already tried to compress the apk and then sign it, but streight away after I installed the apk i got in boot looping.
The file i'm talking about is the framework-res.apk
Any suggestion?
Thanks in advance.
Edit/
Solved.
Basically i was trying to sign framework-res.apk, instead i have found the solution in this forum that actually worked fine for me:
Code:
1. Place your original "framework-res.apk" into "\place-apk-here-for-modding\" folder
2. Run "script.bat"
3. Set Project (22) and choose the "framework-res.apk" (1)
4. Decompile (9)
5. Place or overwrite new Xmls and PNGs in "\projects\framework-res.apk\res\drawable or drawable-hdpi"
5. Recompile (11)
6. Answer "Yes" when it asks wheter it is system file
7. Answer "Yes" when it asks "would you like to copy over any additional files...?"
8. Script is paused => (don't press a key)
9. Go to the "keep" folder (it's in the same folder than "script.bat")
10. In this "Keep" Folder,
- delete "resources.arsc" file
- delete originals "stat_sys_battery.xml" and "stat_sys_battery_charge.xml" from the "keep\res\drawable" folder
- delete all originals PNGs that were meant to be edited
11. Go back to "script.bat" and press a key to let him finish the job
12. Your new "framework-res.apk" has been created in the "\place-apk-here-for-modding\" folder. It's called "unsignedframework-res.apk".. but he's not working yet.
13. Unzip all the content of the "unsignedframework-res.apk". You should have 5 objects (3 folders, 2 files).
14. Zip these files with Winrar/Winzip (whatever) but you must choose "No compression" method to zip it.
15. Rename this zip into "framework-res.apk".
15. Put it into an update.zip and it should be OK to flash trough the recovery mode.
Thanks anyway!
I have edited an apk after i unzipped it. But now i have problem to merge it back to apk. Can somebody teach me the steps to do this? Thanks.
I think an .apk is just a zip file basically so try to zip your files again and change the extension from .zip to .apk
i have tried but the apk file cannot be installed in my phone.
Probably because the file was signed and you did not sign it with the correct key again.
Here's the deal...I downloaded youtube v2.4.4 from here. I opened it in 7zip and extracted the res folder so I could re-theme it. I made my changes then put the res folder back into the original apk. Now this is where the problem occurs. I can't for the life of me figure out how to re-sign the .apk! I have tried every single apk-signer out there to no avail. I have put it in apkManager then decompiled it optimized PNGs recompiled then signed then zipaligned but EVERY time I install it on my phone I get either "Application not installed." or "There is a problem parsing the package." I have uninstalled all versions already on my phone through Titanium Backup prior to installing my themed one. I have manually put it in /System/app and changed permissions and rebooted. NOTHING I do works. I have adb and java installed and in the PATH. I have tried every possible solution I have found on the internet and none work. Any help would be appreciated. Thank You!
P.S. I have an HTC Thunderbolt running the latest build (3/17/12) of ThunderStick Full Blown Sense 3.0 (Thread for this ROM here)
Here is the edited res folder - Maybe someone can look at or use it for troubleshooting.
Thanks again for any input on this problem.
go to market and search and download zipsigner2. open it and navigate to the app and then chose and output and save it as an .apk file and it should install like normal
I am not smart with Android apps yet so I would apprecicate some help
I have a Nvidia Shield and I found an app to use 4k images on the Daydream (screen saver) versus the horrible default.
I found someone that made this app 9 months ago but the creator has been unresponsive.
Attached is the zip file I found and the APK file.
I found how to change the images in the .zip file but I can not get it load like the original .apk file he has.
I tried just chaning .zip to .apk but the Shield installer did not reconize it (it installed the original .apk file fine).
If I change the .apk file to .zip, it is not the same as the original .zip file so I cannot find how to change the backgrounds.
Both files are downloadable from the link below:
Need to copy and paste: plus.google.com/+JacobKlinker/posts/L6Jg7HKs3nx