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[APP][4.4+] "App manager" - alternative to the default app manger

After so long of developing apps for other people, I've decided to make one 100% by myself, and publish it.
The app is basically an alternative to the default app-manager of Android, and it provides some unique features that helps you manage and uninstall apps quicker and easier.
If you've found this app useful, please support it by sharing/donating/comment on the play store.
Installation link :
APK mirror:
https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/androiddeveloperlb/app-manager/
ApkPure:
https://apkpure.com/app-manager/com.lb.app_manager
Some screenshots
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So, here's some information about it:
Background
How many times have you tried to uninstall an app but found it annoyingly hard, whether you've forgot its name or it's hidden in a bunch of many apps you have?
Have you ever wanted to uninstall a built in app, which came from the carrier/manufacturer?
Are you a programmer/tester and need to uninstall/reset your apps frequiently?
If so, this is the app for you.
Short description
As I've written ,the purpose of this app is to replace the default app-manager, and ease the uninstallation task as much as possible.
The app is free and supports Android 2.3 and above, but works best from Android 4.0.
The app has ads (banners) but you can easily remove them by donating.
Who is it useful for?
The app is intended for multiple kinds of people:
For the common user, it's easier to perform searches of apps, easier to unisnstall them, and easier to share them.
It's also easier to go to the play store page of the app ,give feedback about it and contact the developers.
For power users, it's easier to uninstall built in apps (AKA "system apps"), like the bloatware that come with the OS.
For developers, QA, and beta testers, it's easier to uninstall/reset the recently installed app, by using widgets.
You can also share apps as APK files, and see the version of the apps.
Features and advantages over other apps
Viewing of app types of apps, and not just those that you can launch (example: plugins, live wallpapers, keyboards,...).
Widgets, for quick uninstallation/reset of the most recently installed app.
Quick uninstallation of apps. For rooted devices, the uninstallation (and other operations) can be silent (in the background)
Easy uninstallation of apps that got admin privilages.
Ability to automatically add app shortcuts when they get installed, no matter how they got installed.
Also the ability to choose which launcher will create the shortcuts.
Easy to use - one click to uninstall. Long click for multi-selection
Context menu options on selected app:
Run
Share Play store link, Amazon AppStore link, or even APK file (no need for Root)
Manage
Open app on the Play store.
Kill background process, or stop the app (needs root)
Quick reset of the app (needs root).
disable/enable app (needs root).
Create shortcut.
Search the app via your search engine or the Internet.
Sort the apps bysize, name, by package name, by date installed, and by date updated
Filter apps by:
System/user apps,
Enabled/disabled apps
Installation path : SD card / internal storage
Ability to uninstall system apps (Root only, and might not work on some cases)
Ability to replace the default uninstaller .
Detailed yet short view of the installed apps, including app name, package name, date insalled and version information.
Safe and automatic deletion of certain folders after uninstallation, that some Android OS versions don't handle for some reason.
Theme chooser, in case you don't like the cards UI.
Hopefully more to come, will be written about on the play store
App translation
https://crowdin.com/project/com-lb-app_manager
Beta testing
Links for the beta testing group:
- https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.lb.app_manager
Articles
https://web.archive.org/web/2014050...roid/supercharge-your-android-app-management/
http://reviewttb.blogspot.in/2014/04/app-manager-review.html
http://iandroid.co.il/dr-iandroid/archives/16296
http://www.appbrain.com/app/app-manager/com.lb.app_manager
https://www.androidrank.org/application/app_manager/com.lb.app_manager
FAQ
The OS says the app runs in the background, or the app has a notification of its own. Why? Doesn't it consume battery?
The app is triggered by app operation events : uninstall, install, clear-data...
Upon each of those, it saves the state for various purposes, in the background. For example the removed-apps list, and the widget. Those have to be handled right away, so it must be done even if you don't see the app.
In the rest of the time, it does absolutely nothing.
This is why the app is so efficient in battery usage, that you won't see it in the list of battery-consuming apps. Meaning it doesn't even reach the 1% battery usage. I am sure it doesn't even reach 0.001% .
You can hide the notification, but sadly on some Android versions (8.0, but not 8.1 and above) you might see a different notification, that the app might use the battery. You can safely ignore it. I guarantee there is no noticeable difference in battery consumption.
In fact, due to the optimizations I've added for Android 8.0 and above, and because the app's process doesn't get killed so often, it might even be better in battery usage. The reason is that the app always had to listen to app-events, and before Android 8.0, the app got triggered by them, meaning its process started each time if it was killed before. Less CPU, more battery.
I have a Xiaomi device and the app fails to install any kind of app. How come ?
Seems it's an issue that will exist for quite some time, and that it is turned by default on Xiaomi devices and causes various issues (read here for example). This "feature" is called "MIUI optimization" , and for now you can only disable it on the "Developer options".
So, for now, you can overcome this by enabling developer options and there to disable "Turn on MIUI optimization".
Note that once you do this, the OS will reset a lot of apps, mainly in terms of permissions. This includes my app too.
Just a side note: Xiaomi is known as one that breaks a lot of apps, as it creates its own made up rules and permissions, very much against how Android works. This is also why there is a website that speaks about it, here, so for better handling of the app, also white list it from the various permissions Xiaomi has created, too.
Sadly I have no way to handle those things, as long as Xiaomi chooses to make their own non-standard rules.
I don't have a rooted device, but I still want to disable/uninstall a system app. Is it possible?
It's possible... to try, using a PC connected to your device.
I've made a tutorial for this here (old one here ).
If the OS would allow, you could uninstall or at least disable system apps this way.
I think I got some nasty app, which shows ads randomly or takes control of the smartphone in some way (or any other bad behavior that I don't like). Can this app help me find it and neutralize it?
Even though it wasn't originally intended for such a task, I've noticed it helped many people with it. There are multiple reviews telling that it helped them removing such "virus" apps. I've even done it myself on both my device and for my family-relatives.
So the answer is that it might help you. Here's what you can do to try to handle it:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=77987186&postcount=543
What are split-APK files? What are "APKS" that are being generated sometimes when sharing apps?
Split apk files (AKA "app bundle" apps) are not meant to be installed just like normal APK files. They are used as you use the app, getting installed by the Play Store, to use only the minimal things you will use on your device, with your Android version, with your CPU architecture, with your locales, with your screen density, and so on...
Not only that, but if you install such files on other configurations, they might not work properly or fail to install.
As far as I know, backup&restore of such apps is not even working on popular backup apps such as Titanium backup.
Currently the app allows to share such apps as APKS files, which is just a zipped file with all of the APK files of the app. This is similar to what's done on various other apps and services (SAI, ApkPure, APK-mirror,...) with various file extensions (APKS, XAPK, APKM,...).
To install them using my app (which supports all files that I've mentioned: APKS, XAPK, APKM ), you can currently do this only from other apps that trigger it. The most common way to do it is directly from file-manager apps, but this should also be possible via chatting apps and others.
If you wish to do it on your via the PC, you can do it too:
use adb command as such:
Code:
adb install-multiple apk1 apk2 ...
Why isn't there a permissions management feature?
For permissions management, I actually planned some management tool, but sadly Google has changed how permissions groups work, and so permissions sometimes go to a different group. For example, before Android P, the permission "WRITE_CALL_LOG" belonged to "Phone" permission group, but from Android P, it moved to "Call log" permission group, which never existed before.
Currently, Google removed all APIs to get which permission group has which permission. Even in the documentation there is no mention anymore which permission group holds which permissions. Not only that, but OEMs sometimes make up their own permission which aren't official in any way (see "auto start" that Xiaomi made, and the reason that "don't-kill-my-app" website exists, for example). I still hope that one day I will be able to get a reliable way to get the correct information, no matter which version of Android the app runs on.
Why isn't there an option to install an old version of an APK when I have a newer one installed?
Apps aren't designed to handle this situation. They are only designed to handle upgrades. So, Google made it impossible to do it starting from Android 7 (read here). If you want to try it anyway, you can do it using PC&adb tool, as written here.
Why isn't there a boot-up management feature? Memory freeing/boosting? CPU usage? RAM usage? Automatic-task-killing? Modify apps ?
Various features of those types are not documented and not recommended to be used. Those can ruin how the apps work, just like OEMs do it sometimes even by default. This can also cause false crashes, or crashes that can't be reported. For users, some of those functions have the false promise by various apps that say it will make reduce battery consumption (search google for "Android task killer myth").
It is not a good thing to alter how apps work and behave, and Google has rules about modifying APKs, so I do not want to take the risk in doing so.
As for viewing information alone, this is something that isn't useful for users, but more for developers who already have them via the various development tools and even apps that specialize about it.
This app was made for users and power users mostly, and I want to make it work properly as much as possible, without worrying that for some devices or at some day things will be broken. I prefer to have as little workarounds as possible.
That's why I decided to stick with things that are more standard, more commonly used, and more available to be used.
I have an SD-card. Why can't I set an installed app to be on it, properly?
Installing an app to the SD-card has various restrictions that determine whether it's possible or not, and how much it will affect how well the app behaves.
To do it here, you have to have a rooted device (or use a PC with adb command as written above), the OS should allow to do it, and the target app should allow to do it.
That being said, you might try your luck via the developer-settings of the OS (check how to enable it on Google for your device), via "force allow apps on external" preference.
Why not share version-name and app-name alone instead of version-code and package-name with others?
Simply put, version-name and app-name are not unique enough, depend on the current locale, can be of any length (so it can be too long) and not restricted by which characters are used (so can be problematic on some OSs).
That's while version-code is always an increasing number, and package-name is always safe to use and is considered as the ID of the app on the Play Store and probably on any app-store.
That being said, I might allow to customize what to share some day, and let users be responsible of possible issues if they might occur.
In the past versions, the app didn't need to run in the background, and didn't need to have usage-stats permission at all. What happened?
In one word: Google . Google has changed the rules:
- For running in the background , the reason is that a lot of types of global events (called "Intents") need to be handled only with an app that has a sticky notification (called "foreground service"). Before Android 8.0, it was possible without this requirement. The app would have been awakened for each such event, handle it and go to sleep, while the OS can kill it if needed. Now it's not possible (read here). Adding to this, is that Google forces all new apps and updated to existing ones to do it for Android 8.0 and above, by the end of the year (read here). This means you should expect more apps to show their notifications, or they will present a weaker functionality.
The good news is that this actually helps with battery usage on Android 8.0 and above. Instead of re-creating the process of App-Manager for each event, the process is already alive, so less CPU will be used. And, since it's already alive, handling it will take less time. So, less CPU and less time, meaning more battery for you. You can also hide the notification if it bothers you.
- For usage-stats permission, before Android 8.0 I could get the exact app-size without any permission. And, before Android 5.0, I could get the recently launched apps with a permission that doesn't require requesting in runtime. Because of the recent changes, this is not possible anymore without usage-stats permission. And, since getting app-size and sorting apps by recently launched - are quite basic features, I decided to request it all in the beginning together with the storage permission that was always a requirement.
Getting the app-size was tricky before Android 8.0, and so I added a fallback in case it's not working for some users, or working too slow for them. It wasn't perfect, but it was all I could do.
The good news about this, is that it's much more efficient than what I did before. Getting app size is super fast, and it will always work because there is now an official way to do it. In fact it's so quick that I've removed the fallback for Android 8.0 and above.
Privacy policy ?
Written on this post.

Thank you!
Very simple and useful app!

newHere:) said:
Thank you!
Very simple and useful app!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcomed, and I do hope that it will succeed as I wish to improve it even more and make other useful and cool apps.

cool app,very helpfull for me,because im test so many apps from here and now its much easier to deinstalling,i like it!!!

-CALIBAN666- said:
cool app,very helpfull for me,because im test so many apps from here and now its much easier to deinstalling,i like it!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that's actually why I made the app myself, since I am both a developer and a user that tries out many apps.

will try it!! sounds nice

I would like to get some feedback from you people:
1. What is the best feature that you liked on the app?
2. What is the best feature that you'd like to have?
3. In case you have a good English accent, have the ability to record your device, would you like to put your video review?
If so, I will put your video (if it's good enough) on the play store, along with credits (or you put them at the end of the video if you wish).
No ads in the video, please .

AndroidDeveloperLB said:
I would like to get some feedback from you people:
1. What is the best feature that you liked on the app?
2. What is the best feature that you'd like to have?
3. In case you have a good English accent, have the ability to record your device, would you like to put your video review?
If so, I will put your video (if it's good enough) on the play store, along with credits (or you put them at the end of the video if you wish).
No ads in the video, please .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well overall, the app is quite streamline and easy to navigate.
And the making of APK to share file is the best feature that I liked.
It would be nice if the app could have the feature to natively share apks of different apps, from within, using wifi direct, if another device has this installed. Would make it even better.
About the review, I have had some experience with them, so i'll give it a shot tomorrow morning, it's 10 pm here at the moment so I can't prepare and edit now.

I like this, for me the most useful part is the sorting by install and updated. Enough that I did the donation thing to get rid of the ads.
Some suggestions:
Tabs or Drawers / Categories with Tags
- The way this would work is that you can tag apps with categories (each app being able to be tagged with as many categories as the user likes). For instance, I may make a category for frequently used and camera. I would tag my several camera apps with the camera tag, and the one I use most I would also tag with the frequently used tag.
- Then, when searching I could search for the tags as well, such as searching frequently used and all those with that tag would come up.
- Going a step further is the creation of preset tag search tabs. So at the top, or side or wherever it fits best, there may be a place for the Camera Tab Search that I would select it and see all my camera apps.
I think the above feature would make organizing and accessing the apps even more awesome.
The next suggestion is moving towards replacing the stock app manager.
- I use XPosed with Gravity Box. I set up the long press of the home button to launch your App Manager.
- I also use the GEL Settings that changes the Home Button into the Apps Button when you are already on your home screen. It would be awesome if you did the same, but instead made it link to your app.

KNIGHT97 said:
Well overall, the app is quite streamline and easy to navigate.
And the making of APK to share file is the best feature that I liked.
It would be nice if the app could have the feature to natively share apks of different apps, from within, using wifi direct, if another device has this installed. Would make it even better.
About the review, I have had some experience with them, so i'll give it a shot tomorrow morning, it's 10 pm here at the moment so I can't prepare and edit now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for sharing your opinion.
About sharing via Wifi-Direct, isn't it already possible in case both devices have an app for sharing stuff over Wifi-Direct?
For example, using "SuperBeam" ? I never tested the app or the feature, but I think it's already possible, no?
Some Roms (and I think it includes some stock Roms) even have this built in, as I remember.
Not sure though, if any of those solutions share APK files, or just media files.
Since I don't have multiple devices, I can't check it out, and I'm not sure if I will be able to develop it in a way without any bugs...

AndroidDeveloperLB said:
Thank you for sharing your opinion.
About sharing via Wifi-Direct, isn't it already possible in case both devices have an app for sharing stuff over Wifi-Direct?
For example, using "SuperBeam" ? I never tested the app or the feature, but I think it's already possible, no?
Some Roms (and I think it includes some stock Roms) even have this built in, as I remember.
Not sure though, if any of those solutions share APK files, or just media files.
Since I don't have multiple devices, I can't check it out, and I'm not sure if I will be able to develop it in a way without any bugs...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, many apps have this feature, but I just asked for it because this app already has many different methods of sharing an app, and this could make it even faster and better, due to more streamlined representation of your apps. But if it's hard for you, don't worry, no one's forcing you; you are the Dev, you decide how you app is.
But the functionality is quite great.

maddbomber83 said:
I like this, for me the most useful part is the sorting by install and updated. Enough that I did the donation thing to get rid of the ads.
Some suggestions:
Tabs or Drawers / Categories with Tags
- The way this would work is that you can tag apps with categories (each app being able to be tagged with as many categories as the user likes). For instance, I may make a category for frequently used and camera. I would tag my several camera apps with the camera tag, and the one I use most I would also tag with the frequently used tag.
- Then, when searching I could search for the tags as well, such as searching frequently used and all those with that tag would come up.
- Going a step further is the creation of preset tag search tabs. So at the top, or side or wherever it fits best, there may be a place for the Camera Tab Search that I would select it and see all my camera apps.
I think the above feature would make organizing and accessing the apps even more awesome.
The next suggestion is moving towards replacing the stock app manager.
- I use XPosed with Gravity Box. I set up the long press of the home button to launch your App Manager.
- I also use the GEL Settings that changes the Home Button into the Apps Button when you are already on your home screen. It would be awesome if you did the same, but instead made it link to your app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing your opinion.
About the tagging suggestion:
Do you mean auto-tagging, or letting the user tag them? or maybe scan the play-store and tagging the apps using the category they were in...?
Currently, it's a rather time consuming thing to add this feature of tagging, especially if I will add a server side storage that will hold the tags of all the users.
It's a very good suggestion, though, and I will keep it in mind for future releases.
For now, if you wish to organize apps, there are plenty of launchers out there that do the job by putting the apps shortcuts into folders . Some, like "everything.me" launcher, will do it for you.
About having tabs of tags, I think it's against the guidelines of Google to have too many tabs (think how annoying it will be when you create many tags). Maybe a navigation drawer is better.
BTW, I also use Nova launcher, and I've tried a lot of launchers.
About replacing the stock app manager, that was my goal, but I still need to handle operations that I didn't find how to deal with, such as clearing the default of apps, getting the size of them correctly, toggling notifications on/off,...
I'm familiar with using XPosed, but didn't use Gravity Box module. I'm not sure what this module does (I've read its description now) ...
I didn't understand what you did with GEL settings. Did you make it so that the home button of the navigation buttons changed to anything you wish on certain cases?

KNIGHT97 said:
Yeah, many apps have this feature, but I just asked for it because this app already has many different methods of sharing an app, and this could make it even faster and better, due to more streamlined representation of your apps. But if it's hard for you, don't worry, no one's forcing you; you are the Dev, you decide how you app is.
But the functionality is quite great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My app only uses the apps that are already installed on your device. That's how Android works (using "send" intents in this case).
For example, if you had "WhatsApp" installed, it will be shown on the dialog I've made, and if "WhatsApp" supports sending APK files, it will also work (sadly I think it doesn't, but I'm pretty sure "Telegram" does).
BTW, the dialog I've made isn't the native one just because I wanted to add some features to it and I also didn't like how slow the default one is.
Can you please check if Wifi-direct is possible for this task, before I consider adding this feature? I will also try it out at the office if I get the chance.

AndroidDeveloperLB said:
My app only uses the apps that are already installed on your device. That's how Android works (using "send" intents in this case).
For example, if you had "WhatsApp" installed, it will be shown on the dialog I've made, and if "WhatsApp" supports sending APK files, it will also work (sadly I think it doesn't, but I'm pretty sure "Telegram" does).
BTW, the dialog I've made isn't the native one just because I wanted to add some features to it and I also didn't like how slow the default one is.
Can you please check if Wifi-direct is possible for this task, before I consider adding this feature? I will also try it out at the office if I get the chance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, telegram is the only one which would let you send apk files.
But I am not a dev, so I won't be able to check or add things. I am just a tester for the apps and roms and sometimes co-operate with reviews.
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So I found a small bug, in the sharing menu of the app, aside the regular apps, it also displays apps from music streaming services, but only the ones which allow uploading of content, like grooveshark.

KNIGHT97 said:
Yeah, telegram is the only one which would let you send apk files.
But I am not a dev, so I won't be able to check or add things. I am just a tester for the apps and roms and sometimes co-operate with reviews.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About checking it, I didn't mean that you'd develop anything, not even search the internet about it.
I meant installing an app that lets you send files over WIFI-Direct (like the app I've mentioned), open it (not sure, but I think it's needed so that it would be enabled), and then use my app to send the APK via this app.

AndroidDeveloperLB said:
About checking it, I didn't mean that you'd develop anything, not even search the internet about it.
I meant installing an app that lets you send files over WIFI-Direct (like the app I've mentioned), open it (not sure, but I think it's needed so that it would be enabled), and then use my app to send the APK via this app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My bad, got you wrong there.
So I tested with Superbeam(tried other apps too, but just won't show them in share menu) and it works fine. The transfer is carried out normally like choosing a file to be transferred from any other app.
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Going to sleep for now. Will test, review and report further tomorrow morning.

KNIGHT97 said:
My bad, got you wrong there.
So I tested with Superbeam(tried other apps too, but just won't show them in share menu) and it works fine. The transfer is carried out normally like choosing a file to be transferred from any other app.
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Going to sleep for now. Will test, review and report further tomorrow morning.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure I understood :
Did it show up there ?
Did you succeed transferring the APK file using WIFI-Direct?
If so, that's great news. I wonder though how come WIFI-Direct sharing isn't a built in feature on Android.
I think it should be easy as using the Bluetooth.
Also I don't get why Android-Beam uses Bluetooth instead of WIFI-Direct (as done on Samsung's devices). In fact, maybe Google could make the files transfer faster by harnessing both Bluetooth and WIFI-Direct together.

Thanks very handy.... Donated.... And again cause I'm
.. And again

Christiancs1969 said:
Thanks very handy.... Donated.... And again cause I'm
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow. Thanks. :good:
You are the first one who is...

Well one more for luck then.....
Seriously... Its very handy thanks

[GUIDE] My Android Tools(Pro) - one of my fav apps

I'm surprised no one has reviewed this app but I'll give it a shot. *edit- attached pics keep going away each time I edit this post. Take a look at the attachments for screenshots.
My Android Tools (free version)
My Android Tools(Pro)
This is an app I stumbled across by chance or mentions in random forum posts and maybe those who've played with it do only a few things such as disable startup items but it's a lot more powerful than that in regards to blocking in-app ads and trackers.
Now, blocking stuff is a multi-prong approach.
You have Adaway for removing the DNS requests for both apps and browser traffic. MAP targets in-app stuff- not browser traffic. That's why you'd do something like Adaway + MinMinGuard/Adblocker XPosed modules. They actually target blocking the code in the app.
something like XPrivacy for sending random info instead of what an app wants from you
And a bunch of apps and XPosed modules to do things like block receivers or in-app ads.
I've whittled it down to Adaway + *Youtube Adaway + *CrappaLinks + My Android Tools(Pro)
*XPosed Modules
from now on I'm calling My Android Tools MAP
First, make a backup of your ROM
Next, make a backup in the About screen in MAP. The optional thing is if you want MAP to open after every app install/upgrade for review of new and updated apps.
*screenshot
The 3 things we'll look at are Services, Broadcast Receivers and Activities.
Services- things that run whenever
Broadcast Receivers - things that respond to system events (boot, connectivity changes, timezone changes, packages added, etc)
Activities - ads and junk that pop up on your screen. Developers add 3rd party sdk's to show pop-ups and stuff. This is how XPosed Modules such as MinMinGuard and Adblocker work
ContentProvider - still haven't figured out if I find stuff here yet. Maybe in Google Play Services it might have some analytics provider but it's basically things that share things with other apps.
*screenshot
Under Services I mainly look at Analytics and Campaign Tracking svcs. It's up to you but these do offer legit tracking analytics to developers.
Google to see what they do
*screenshot
Broadcast Receivers a few apps that do look at a limited selection of these like XPosed module ReceiverStop
mainly I look at 2 of them:
android.intent.action.BOOT_COMPLETED
com.android.vending.INSTALL_REFERRER
*screenshot
Finally, Activities
This is how MinMinguard and the like block things. We're going to block more because MinMinGuard just has a hardcoded list (see above link to its source code. That's what frustrated me about MinMinGuard. If I'm going to block this stuff I'd rather not have a hardcoded list as ad blocking should be equal opportunity if a user is going that route.)
under here it's really about getting familiar with names of ad networks. Here's a hint
I just downloaded a random app to find one with a bunch of fun things.
*screenshot

Great guide, thank you.

royeiror said:
Great guide, thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yw, thanks for the nudge to put it together
Also, note disabling some activities core to an app can cause loss of functionality, force closes, icon removed from the app drawer, etc. That's why I toggle showing the long description of things (that <> button) so I know which are main pieces.
Unity is a library for game development so most of it is actually the app if you see that one a lot.
Sometimes I use the search to look for ad, analytic, track, campaign

Official worst app I've seen for ad activities : agar.io
It's one of the Google recommended apps of 2015 and I was able to find and block 35 ad network activities.
I can't imagine what it's like to actually play the app and what info about you gets collected

@jawz101 : There is an older thread where is shared this app along with an guide which stuff to disable: [SHARE] [APP] MyAndroidTools + Guide to disable some Play Services processes Add it to OP...

@Force I'm wary of disabling too many Google Play Services. I mainly look at the analytics and ads stuff but even then I wonder what repercussions any of it has on battery life. Say, if an app calls for a specific function and it's no longer able to retrieve the information would it cause a force close or get hung in some loop and chew up CPU? I dunno.

Anyone having FCs with the latest version?? It doesn't seem to open at all.. I have a note 4 N910C, on 5.1.1 COJ5, rooted, xposed.

i have been using this for many roms and it saves loads of ram and helps your phone/tablet boot up quicker,i read somewhere that it dont work with xposed or mm both are wrong because i use it on AICP MM ROM and have Xposed installed for XinternalSD and have had no problems at all.

I do submit any crashes if they happen and have emailed the dev in the past when crashes happened. I used to get app crashes until several months ago when trying to backup the current config or when clicking the Content Providers menu option but no longer. Sometimes I completely wiped my device to get it to stop crashing. Since it's been updated these past few months those problems don't occur.
You may want to try reinstalling the app, clearing its data, rebooting, etc to see if something fixed your app crash. Make sure your device I is rooted and the My Android Tools app does indeed have root privileges. Given the nature of the app it may take some error submissions and logcats sent to the dev.

Good to see that somebody reviewed and created a thread for this great app.
Just one question here (if someone could help out) - unlike other apps, Skype seems to be way too stubborn. By mistake I once turned off the connectivity change broadcast receiver. Now, no matter what I do I cannot toggle this receiver back on. WHY? I tried pretty much everything. Rebooting, enabling the receiver from within SD Maid pro, tried making a backup of MAT and then editing this backup manually to remove the tweak for skype but it all failed. With other apps I can toggle their receiver, activities and everything however I see fit and the toggles remain put. With Skype, however, it's a fail. Any help?

Let x

Great tutorial.
As you seem to be very clever with MyAndroidTools, do you have any idea how to spot the services to disable with MyAndroidTools, in order to kill UC news inside the 11.4.5.1005 UC browser last release :
For more or less one week, UC browser has become unusable for Android nowadays with forcing every user with b******* news, foxnews search engine, star magazine search engine, googlenews search engine, yahoo search engine, uc browser search engine, 9app, music player and many more.
Do you think MyAndroidTools could be able to strangle this overwhelming flow of stupidity ?
If yes, there are so much possible items among Services (run whenever), ...
What could be a method to spot the tap and turn it off?
thx

is there any FOSS alternative?

Can't locate in the Play store?
Has the app been removed from the play store? If so is there any chance you could make the file available here? This has been a favorite app of mine for quite sometime. Would hate to see it fade into oblivion.

Guys this was a one-stop app for me...can somebody make the apk here??

Sivabalan said:
Guys this was a one-stop app for me...can somebody make the apk here??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know if I would be violating any XDA rules or not. For sure this app is no longer available on the Play store and the developer unfortunately didn't respond to my email. If I can be assured that I'm not violating any XDA rules, I'll gladly share. PS, I love this app I use it for so many things

Bobbaloo said:
I don't know if I would be violating any XDA rules or not. For sure this app is no longer available on the Play store and the developer unfortunately didn't respond to my email. If I can be assured that I'm not violating any XDA rules, I'll gladly share. PS, I love this app I use it for so many things
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Buddy it's available in apk mirror portal.

App was removed from Play Store how to get the Pro now?
I bought it but if it's in my library its a pita to search a misplaced tap and you back to the top of the list

How I can get this app? It's no longer in the AppStore. I bought the Pro Version.

Bobbaloo said:
I don't know if I would be violating any XDA rules or not. For sure this app is no longer available on the Play store and the developer unfortunately didn't respond to my email. If I can be assured that I'm not violating any XDA rules, I'll gladly share. PS, I love this app I use it for so many things
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought it on google play and suddenly it disappeared. I contacted the creator and he wrote me he violated some rules (?) of google play and they cutted off his account, but he send me the full apk. But I don't know if I can share it here and if he wants to share the full version. Anyway it's still possible to find it on some websites (apkmirror and something else).
I'm satisfied with it, expecially after I lost money buying autorun manager pro (the developer is not releasing new version, he said he's not interested in it anymore).
Anyway, if someone has any alternative to suggest to My Android Tools Pro it would be good.

General Thread for useful apps without rooting

Hello everyone.
Because I passed over the "rooting" period, I am more interested in getting the max out of this phone without rooting it.
This thread I intend to make it about apps (useful ones) that requires no root in order to work.
I would start with an ad blocker.
My favourite tool is Blokada - https://blokada.org/
Plain and easy to install and use and works fine.
Next is Vanced - a more adVanced YouTube player. https://vancedapp.com/
Simple to install but, before using it, you must disable MIUI optimization
Another app that worth mentioning is Twilight. If you are a night phone user, this app is here to protect your eyes.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.urbandroid.lux
MIUI - Contacts and dialer
If the stock (Google) dialer and contacts is not for you, you can try the MIUi - Contacts and dialer app, slightly more aesthetic.
Xiaomi Contacts and dialer 12.2.4.5 APK Download by Xiaomi Inc - APKMirror
Xiaomi Contacts and dialer 12.2.4.5 APK Download by Xiaomi Inc - APKMirror Free and safe Android APK downloads
www.apkmirror.com
If you want a more loud sound - even if on this stereo speakers phone isn't really necessary, you can use Volume Booster. Beware of not setting it over 20% otherwise you will risk hearing and speakers problems.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.goodev.volume.booster
I will update the list with some other apps.
If you have something to add, please feel free to share.

WaveUp can turn the screen on and off "automatically" via waving over the proximity sensor. For users of "book covers" the app is quite useful, as you can set it so that the screen is activated by opening the cover and deactivated after a predefined time after closing it.
WaveUp - Apps on Google Play
Turn on the display by waving
play.google.com

Termux. It's impressive what it can do without root.
Does having to use adb to grant permission count? If not any Package Disabler can do some damage
SD maid, it may be an old app but it still does thinks better than a lot of apps.
Can't forget about how useful Mixplorer can be. I have not looked for a different file browser because it I can't think of anything it can't do.
Adaway works without root now, not sure how well because I go nuts not having root, lol
And my newest discovery, the one that actually caused me to get rid of Chrome completely because I found Bromite.
Yes Bromite (Google it) it's such an amazing web browser.
Turmux
Package Disabler
SD Maid
Mixplorer
Bromite (Just try it, you won't regret it. Not on Play Store, Google is afraid of it)
GitHub - bromite/bromite: Bromite is a Chromium fork with ad blocking and privacy enhancements; take back your browser!
Bromite is a Chromium fork with ad blocking and privacy enhancements; take back your browser! - GitHub - bromite/bromite: Bromite is a Chromium fork with ad blocking and privacy enhancements; take ...
github.com

Bitwarden - Easily best password manager, recently Gboard added integration for it you can auto-fill passwords for sites and apps easily.
KWGT - Insane customisability, visit /r/AndroidThemes for ideas. This is my desktop @ ArrowOS.

k3lcior said:
Bitwarden - Easily best password manager, recently Gboard added integration for it you can auto-fill passwords for sites and apps easily.
KWGT - Insane customisability, visit /r/AndroidThemes for ideas. This is my desktop @ ArrowOS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh Gboard how did I forget that. It's basically the first app I always install after a factory reset or whatever

A different launcher, less useless gimmicks and focused on productivity.
Ratio Launcher
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bllocosn

Here's another app that might be useful for some.
SystemUI - to slightly modify some hidden options on UI. No root, just ADB to grant some permissions
SystemUI Tuner - Apps on Google Play
PLEASE READ ENTIRE DESCRIPTION BEFORE INSTALLING
play.google.com

If you are annoyed with your default messages app, coz of the cluttered unorganised ui, and u get lot of sms then try Sms Organizer from "Microsoft". I have been using this app since it first came out, it basically organises all ur messages automatically into categories like transactions, personal, promotion etc. and it only shows you what's important in a message in the popup or notifications panel, for example it will only show you the OTP if u got one msg of it, it will show you the amount debited/credited to ur account if u gat a transaction msg, it will tell u if u got cashback, it will remind you for ur upcoming event and online order delivery stuff. So the conclusion is you must use this app as ur default messenger no matter what phone u r using, this will make your life 10 times easier and the ui is super clean too, it also has dark(amoled) mode.
Here is the link- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.android.smsorganizer

From F-Droid repository:
* OsmAnd+ - maps and navigation
* Mull - cleaned version of Firefox Browser
* NewPipe - YouTube frontend.

Freeware. No ads. No bs.
Make installable copies of all your apps and updates. Take Playwhore out of the reload loop.
APK Export (Backup & Share) - Apps on Google Play
Manage and extract your apps.
play.google.com
A VNP based Firewall that uses almost no battery. Works best with Pie or lower though.
Logging doesn't work with 10 up, I believe... test it and let me know.
Karma Firewall - Apps on Google Play
Karma Firewall app lets you block internet traffic to and from specific apps.
play.google.com

I'm quite a fan of NoRoot Firewall:
NoRoot Firewall - Apps on Google Play
Firewall WITHOUT ROOT. Host name name filtering, fine-grained access control.
play.google.com
I don't trust a lot of apps and NoRoot works well. It blocks all apps by default and you can choose to allow Internet over wifi, data, both or neither. It also supports filters so you can globally block particular sites.
It's usually the first thing I install when I gte a new phone or reinstall.
You do have to keep in mind that if a trusted app can't access the Internet, NoRoot may be blocking it, so you just enable it and away you go.
Cheers
Steve

IMHO a must have app is the:
Download Progress++
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ceco.sbdp.pro&hl=gsw&gl=US
Came from an xposed module. Now works as an app without anything else.
Should be a default android option.

Hey!
Hope you're doing well!
Sorry for reviving this old thread but I would like to add two new apps:
GOVPN: non-invasive ad-supported VPN. Allows to choose the desired location, unrestricted and unlimited. Did some tests with online streaming and went all good.
VPN secure fast proxy by GOVPN - Apps on Google Play
VPN for safe web browsing. Unlimited, many countries
play.google.com
Activity Launcher
Gives access to internal apps to be launched, apps usually not available in a normal state of the phone.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.szalkowski.activitylauncher

Time to add on to the list:
Migrate : Helps restore apps and app data when switching between Custom ROMS, outdated as of now but still works.

Naveenthemi said:
Time to add on to the list:
Migrate : Helps restore apps and app data when switching between Custom ROMS, outdated as of now but still works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thread requires non-rooted apps

Question What are the non essential APKs to remove if i care about privacy or debloating?

After the fiasco of debloating so much my battery was permanently on energy saving mode and my GPS wasn't working correctly with some apps i decided to reset from factory and try again. Does anyone know more or less which apks are entirely non essential, spyware, bloat, or google stuff that can be removed?

FB, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, etc are all trashware and major privacy threats.
If you insist on using them do so by browser login only.
Use Karma Firewall to lock apps down so they can't connect with the internet.
I prefer to use a package disabler as you can make changes on the fly, use it for troubleshooting and completely clear system app data with no nulls left behind.
Dependencies... many apks rely on other apks to be fully functional. Names can be misleading.
Many of the Samsung apks just sit there and do nothing unless called upon. Many smaller ones are used to modify the UI and will cripple it if removed.
I disable all cloud apks especially Google backup Transport (I don't use it for backup). I normally keep Google play Services disabled unless needed for Gmail or Playstore
Playstore disabled unless needed.
All OTA updates are always disabled to avoid rude surprises.
Bixby never runs. All MS junk never runs.
Google Firebase, all carrier, Samsung and app feedback disabled.
I have about 80 packages always disabled and about 7 that are sometimes used which include "problem" apps on my N10+'s. I have one running on Android 9, one on 10. Both are package disabled profiles are almost identical.
The Android 10 variant has over 100 more apks than the 9 variant, many of these are all essential system apks the modify the UI so it's compatible with Android 10. The result is both devices look and behave almost identically. Samsung went to a lot of trouble to make Android 10 functional, don't undermine this by blinding disabling apks as the results will be less than optimum
What's also interesting is the Android 10 variant gets near the same or better battery life as the 9 variant. Those additional Samsung system apps impact on battery life are not perceivable.
Play with it, each device, user needs and setup are unique. One size does not fit all. You need to learn what's best for you on that particular variant. Fun times...

blackhawk said:
FB, WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, etc are all trashware and major privacy threats.
If you insist on using them do so by browser login only.
Use Karma Firewall to lock apps down so they can't connect with the internet.
I prefer to use a package disabler as you can make changes on the fly, use it for troubleshooting and completely clear system app data with no nulls left behind.
Dependencies... many apks rely on other apks to be fully functional. Names can be misleading.
Many of the Samsung apks just sit there and do nothing unless called upon. Many smaller ones are used to modify the UI and will cripple it if removed.
I disable all cloud apks especially Google backup Transport (I don't use it for backup). I normally keep Google play Services disabled unless needed for Gmail or Playstore
Playstore disabled unless needed.
All OTA updates are always disabled to avoid rude surprises.
Bixby never runs. All MS junk never runs.
Google Firebase, all carrier, Samsung and app feedback disabled.
I have about 80 packages always disabled and about 7 that are sometimes used which include "problem" apps on my N10+'s. I have one running on Android 9, one on 10. Both are package disabled profiles are almost identical.
The Android 10 variant has over 100 more apks than the 9 variant, many of these are all essential system apks the modify the UI so it's compatible with Android 10. The result is both devices look and behave almost identically. Samsung went to a lot of trouble to make Android 10 functional, don't undermine this by blinding disabling apks as the results will be less than optimum
What's also interesting is the Android 10 variant gets near the same or better battery life as the 9 variant. Those additional Samsung system apps impact on battery life are not perceivable.
Play with it, each device, user needs and setup are unique. One size does not fit all. You need to learn what's best for you on that particular variant. Fun times...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The easy stuff to remove are those bloat crap, its the other background stuff that worries me, THAT is the stuff that you never know how important it is or it could be some background data collection i wanna get rid of. I removed all google services and some apps didn't want to update anymore (did some just use google services even without an account to update?)
From what i understand Bixby is security related, and a lot of it is required to keep the device functioning, however i never used its features and i believe them to be somewhat privacy intruding, same with find my devices and such. That's why any help on a list would be appreciated.
I dont suppose you would also happen to know what's a good browser for the phone? i was using Firefox then DuckDuckGo then Brave but from my understanding there's little difference between them.
At least now i learnt my lesson, next time im just buying a phone compatible with /e/OS or lineage.

hahaNSAgoBRRRR said:
The easy stuff to remove are those bloat crap, its the other background stuff that worries me, THAT is the stuff that you never know how important it is or it could be some background data collection i wanna get rid of. I removed all google services and some apps didn't want to update anymore (did some just use google services even without an account to update?)
From what i understand Bixby is security related, and a lot of it is required to keep the device functioning, however i never used its features and i believe them to be somewhat privacy intruding, same with find my devices and such. That's why any help on a list would be appreciated.
I dont suppose you would also happen to know what's a good browser for the phone? i was using Firefox then DuckDuckGo then Brave but from my understanding there's little difference between them.
At least now i learnt my lesson, next time im just buying a phone compatible with /e/OS or lineage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What OS version are you using?
Bixby can be wiped, however Bixby Vision and Bixby Vision Framework are used with the cam to read QR codes though. You have to test to see if more of Bixby is needed for QR codes. I don't use this feature. The Bixby eula is a *****.
Knox are the Samsung security apps. They ones I can disable cause no harm, not sure if that holds true with all of them though. I do not disable knox attestation com.
Knox is a default system Administrator on stock Samsung's. No idea what disabling that will do... be careful. Samsung Pass is also a default system Administrator. I leave these alone.
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blackhawk said:
What OS version are you using?
Bixby can be wiped, however Bixby Vision and Bixby Vision Framework are used with the cam to read QR codes though. You have to test to see if more of Bixby is needed for QR codes. I don't use this feature. The Bixby eula is a *****.
Knox are the Samsung security apps. They ones I can disable cause no harm, not sure if that holds true with all of them though. I do not disable knox attestation com.
Knox is a default system Administrator on stock Samsung's. No idea what disabling that will do... be careful. Samsung Pass is also a default system Administrator. I leave these alone.
View attachment 5475479
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SM-A325M. Dunno what the M stands for, its the southamerican market one. Sadly reading QR codes is something i will have to do. Although i dont know how intrusive or concerning Bixby might be regarding privacy. I know that Knox is all just security related but i always enjoyed to remove the features i wasn't gonna use. Sadly the harder parts to remove are the things that start with samsung and are necessary for some things to work.

OS version Android 9,10 or 11?
The goal is to remove only the trouble makers not damage the functionality or usability of your phone.
Even after 2 years I'm still exploring my N10+. If the feature has been arbitrary blocked you'll never know it was there and/or it may cause erratic behavior with other apps.

blackhawk said:
OS version Android 9,10 or 11?
The goal is to remove only the trouble makers not damage the functionality or usability of your phone.
Even after 2 years I'm still exploring my N10+. If the feature has been arbitrary blocked you'll never know it was there and/or it may cause erratic behavior with other apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
11. Yeah, i dont remember what you did say, its just that im a guy that really likes the simple things on a phone. Yeah im THAT kind of guy that sometimes wonders if there's an use to a phone to begin with.
To make things a lot simpler is there any way to check which apps use data or send info back to google or samsung or log my activity for example?

Im also noticing after setting back to factory settings that the phone keeps showing me a notification to copy and paste data from the previous phone using smart switch, OR log in to google. I do not want to log in to google at all and while this notification does not prevent me from doing anything is there a way to stop the phone from constantly asking me this?

Hi guys,
Anyone know what's the best package disabler to use?
Thanks

Jaysmith696 said:
Hi guys,
Anyone know what's the best package disabler to use?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally use ADB.

It is much easier to block Internet access of apps you don't trust than removing them with the risk of breaking your system. Use NetGuard if your not rooted, or AFWall if you are or need to use VPN.

Jaysmith696 said:
Hi guys,
Anyone know what's the best package disabler to use?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this.

appmanager.apk

How to stop Google from disabling already installed apps "for our protection"?

My Google Play Protect is turned OFF - yet Handcent Next SMS app was disabled from my phone as well as everyone else's recently. Why Google did it is a separate story [issue has apparently been resolved with a new version of app] - but let's talk about how Google does this?
I manually reinstall the old .apk which reactivates the app, but Google nukes it within 24 hours.
What can be done to stop Google from doing this?
If you feel that Google should do this 'for our protection,' I respect your opinion, but this thread isn't about that. What can be done in Settings to prevent / stop Google from disabling an already installed app on our phones? This is not about the Play Store. It's about already installed apps on our phones. Play Protect is OFF.
There are reasons people want older versions of apps - such as features no longer available on new versions of a given app.

Disable all Google apps that are set as System Administrator including Find my Device, etc.
Disable Google play Services when not needed.
If Google play Services in enabled on a reboot it will trigger that type of behavior.
This may or may not work on a non Samsung device. Google apks are drooling pigs... and only getting worse.

Thank your for your reply. Phone is unlocked Samsung Galaxy S10e.
It sounds like the suggestion is to disable a plethora of apps and services that would have the end result of transfroming the phone into more or less a device that doesn't use anythig Google, even services that we actually may need..
Is there an app that could accomplish this, I mean all that's needed is to block disabling one single app.
I don't need to password protect usage or anything else - just prevent anything from disabling the app / removing it. Thank you.
Can I do anything to lay a trap so that we could see the mechanism which Google uses to disable an already installed app on your phone - it's not Play protect, It's OFF on my phone.
I mean, I will eventually start looking for another app - it's not really about that - but I mean think about it, do you really want them to disable your apps, with *no warning*, no *hey we've discovered a security issue, you might want to be aware of* - instead they just nuke an app we've used for like a decade, no explanation, just because they feel it's good for us, I mean are we in China? Or worse yet, Russia?
Anyone else bothered by this? I'd just like to see if anyone knows a way for us to have a choice, that's all.

8
c627627 said:
Thank your for your reply. Phone is unlocked Samsung Galaxy S10e.
It sounds like the suggestion is to disable a plethora of apps and services that would have the end result of transfroming the phone into more or less a device that doesn't use anythig Google, even services that we actually may need..
Is there an app that could accomplish this, I mean all that's needed is to block disabling one single app.
I don't need to password protect usage or anything else - just prevent anything from disabling the app / removing it. Thank you.
Can I do anything to lay a trap so that we could see the mechanism which Google uses to disable an already installed app on your phone - it's not Play protect, It's OFF on my phone.
I mean, I will eventually start looking for another app - it's not really about that - but I mean think about it, do you really want them to disable your apps, with *no warning*, no *hey we've discovered a security issue, you might want to be aware of* - instead they just nuke an app we've used for like a decade, no explanation, just because they feel it's good for us, I mean are we in China? Or worse yet, Russia?
Anyone else bothered by this? I'd just like to see if anyone knows a way for us to have a choice, that's all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also very much bothered by it. Like, on my older phone google just outright disabled the font manager app, that was a system/vendor app. What risk would that app would pose, if it was risky it surely wouldn't be pre-installed! Moreover it was just a font manager!!!

Gmh rafi said:
8
I'm also very much bothered by it. Like, on my older phone google just outright disabled the font manager app, that was a system/vendor app. What risk would that app would pose, if it was risky it surely wouldn't be pre-installed! Moreover it was just a font manager!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The app may have been compromised. Scan the apk with online Virustotal.
Google on the other hand has long been compromised
Blocking Playstore with Karma Firewall will stop this behavior.

blackhawk said:
The app may have been compromised. Scan the apk with online Virustotal.
Google on the other hand has long been compromised
Blocking Playstore with Karma Firewall will stop this behavior.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It isn't about if the app was compromised or not, it's just that google doesn't give us the choice. That's what iritates me. Just as @c627627 said, isn't it more like china or Russia? Dictating without our consent.

blackhawk said:
The app may have been compromised. Scan the apk with online Virustotal.
Google on the other hand has long been compromised
Blocking Playstore with Karma Firewall will stop this behavior.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyway, karma is the best firewall after all

Gmh rafi said:
Anyway, karma is the best firewall after all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's great. My one Note 10+ is still running on Pie. Karma's logging feature is fully active in that version. Even tags/time stamps each app that connects. That functionality was lost with Android 10☹ It still will block but it greatly reduces its use for fast troubleshooting.
One reason I still run Pie.
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I would still scan that app to be on the safe side. I use ApkExport to make installable copies of all my apps and updates and take Playstore out of the loop. This protects those apps is case of bad upgrades or deletion from Playstore. Makes reloading much faster and no guessing/searching.

I have discovered [the hard way] how to successfully deal with this.
Fact: Turning OFF Google Play Protect does not turn OFF Google Play Protect. Google *will* scan and disable anything it wants using Play Protect, *regardless* of whether your Play Protect is ON or OFF.
Play Protect OFF button is there as an illusion that you have a choice, you do not. Your phone may have any app disabled any time by Google... for your protection of course. For our protection.
Now here's the correct way to do this:
Google Play Store > [upper right corner] Tap your name icon > Play Protect >
You will see your disabled app listed, with two options:
Uninstall
and
Enable app
The *only* correct way to re-enable it, is to TAP on Enable App here > Enable [to confirm.]
Doing anything else, such as uninstalling/reinstalling/manually installing an .apk file will only _temporarily_ work.
Google will disable it again, 24 hours or so later...
So you must follow exact procedure above to Enable App if you wish to continue to use it, after it has been flagged by Google Play Protect.
Being able to re-enable it is a big deal. You don't get to do that in China or Russia so tank you Google for giving us this choice.

c627627 said:
I have discovered [the hard way] how to successfully deal with this.
Fact: Turning OFF Google Play Protect does not turn OFF Google Play Protect. Google *will* scan and disable anything it wants using Play Protect, *regardless* of whether your Play Protect is ON or OFF.
Play Protect OFF button is there as an illusion that you have a choice, you do not. Your phone may have any app disabled any time by Google... for your protection of course. For our protection.
Now here's the correct way to do this:
Google Play Store > [upper right corner] Tap your name icon > Play Protect >
You will see your disabled app listed, with two options:
Uninstall
and
Enable app
The *only* correct way to re-enable it, is to TAP on Enable App here > Enable [to confirm.]
Doing anything else, such as uninstalling/reinstalling/manually installing an .apk file will only _temporarily_ work.
Google will disable it again, 24 hours or so later...
So you must follow exact procedure above to Enable App if you wish to continue to use it, after it has been flagged by Google Play Protect.
Being able to re-enable it is a big deal. You don't get to do that in China or Russia so tank you Google for giving us this choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Blocking Google Playstore with Karma Firewall will probably stop it.
I have some apps long gone from Playstore, it ignores them if it runs. I don't know... maybe time to scan those apps you have getting wacked off with Virustotal, again.
They may have been compromised.
I always keep backup installable copies of all my apps for reloads or in case something else goes south.

Thanks for this but, in my case, a certain app has parts of its features stop working and THEN play protect disables it all. If I enable it in play protect section then some features are missing, until I uninstall the app and reinstall. But then I face the same issue with play protect slowly dismantling my app and the finally disabling it.
I wondered, what if I enable it once I get the prompt in play protect section then just install the app again without uninstalling it. Would that work without play protect disabling it again?