[Q] LWP...apk modification possibility? - Galaxy S II Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hey guys
Sorry if this doens't belong here.
I've recently purchased holo ring pro(for those who don't know it, its a pretty cool live wallpaper with a few rings spinning in the background) and to my surprise I found out that it doesn't allow some features like changing the background, it just lets you change its color.
So, of course I started googling and found the apk somewhere around. I unpacked it and found a folder with the default backround, so I guess that changing it for the background I want and repacking the apk should do the trick.
I tried installing that apk on my non rooted phone (for testing purposes of course :angel but of course it wouldn't pass the google license verification check
Now the thing is...I don't want to support piracy, I just want to make this small tweak to an app that I already bought so....is it possible to change the original apk and install it without license or checksum problems? Or finding the application files on my phone and changing them right there?
TL;DR - I wanna tweak an apk (of a paid app that I purchased) and install it on my non rooted phone. Is there any way to do it without rooting the device?
Thanks in advance !

Related

Removing useless apps and getting the TapNTap dock to work on other roms

Hey folks, I have two general questions.
Ill start with the first easy question.
I would like to get the dock app that comes in the stock rom in an apk that will work with other roms. The dock I am referring to is the one that shows the weather and news and other various information in a sort of gigantic widget and you can scroll thru the different screens in the dock for different information (and at the bottom is a list of all the installed apps). And I would like all of the apks that this dock app uses as well.
I have tried just pulling out the dock.apk file out of the stock image file and sideloading it, but the problem is, it crashes the tab on bootup with every rom I have tried.
This second question is a bit more tricky because every rom has different apps they decide to include that are simply not necessary. If an app is available on the Google Market, I dont want it preinstalled with the rom, I will install it manually myself. If an app is installed that does not make use of the hardware (see the Phone apk), this app is using resources for absolutely no reason I can see and should not be included with the rom.
So, what I am looking for is, a list of all apps that normally come on a stock Google phone (in other words, apks that are included with the Android stock rom BEFORE manufacturers add their usual crap to it) that can be safely removed from all roms for the Gtab because the Gtab does not have the hardware to utilize said app (I would think anything like messaging, the phone, or the gps).
I am not looking for guesses here, I am looking for someone who knows a bit about Android and can safely determine what can be removed that is COMPLETELY useless regarding the GTab because of its hardware.
If you are still completely confused, here is a link to a website where someone has done something similar to what I am talking about with Windows. Read the paragraph or two at the top and then click a link below the paragraph based on the version of Windows you have. This will tell you services you can safely disable. I am looking for the same thing for the Gtab.
http://www.blackviper.com/wiki/Main_Page

[Q] disabling device restrictions in an apk

Just wondering if this is possible. I want to get the LG SmartShare app working on my Galaxy S3 so I can mirror my phone screen to my LG TV. I found the apk, but it doesn't install as the manufacturer doesn't match.
I know you can modify the build.prop on your phone, but is it possible to change something in the apk then recompile it? I assumed it would be in the android.os.Build class, but I can't seem to find that in the apk.
I did come across this page - http://braiden.org/?p=281, but no idea how to do it.
Cheers

S8+ (samsung not rooted in general) how to overwrite/replace system apps

I am 99% sure this isn't possible but figured I'd ask in a more general forum (GS8+ was a bust) on if there is a way to replace system apps without root(or an easy way to change a system apk to 'clone' and install on the user side by looking like a different app.)
I've figured out what needs done to force the Samsung Dex app to run without the dock, but due to many reasons cannot side load the altered apk. Changing the app name, installation directory, etc. the phone still sees it as the same apk/app and will not install it. Can't change the version and overwrite from what I can tell because I can't sign it with the samsung key obviously.
thoughts? Directions?
Only thing I can see to do, is rewrite the app complete (names, folder structure, etc. of the needed parts) to actually make it a completely new app to the phone. This looks to be many many hours of work and the route I least want to go. If I can help it.
i know its a old thread, but what needs to be done to force Dex? I have a hard time on my note 10+ it keeps saying faulty usb-c port due to some kind of water not there.

Custom ROM, remove all permissions?

I'm going to be giving a phone to my grandma who will be using the phone half a world away. I wish to be able to customize this phone remotely after I've given this phone to her. For example, she may feel that the default dialer is too confusing -- I want to be able to change it, or at least allow another app to directly make calls to all (including emergency) numbers.
The thing is I have no idea what changes I may need to do (it all depends on her user experience), so I was thinking perhaps if I created a custom ROM that removed all permissions requirements (so for example, ACTION_CALL would only require normal, instead of system, permissions) I'd have the most flexibility in adjusting the UX.
No one else but my grandma will be using this phone, and no apps will be installed by anyone but me, so security doesn't seem to be an issue.
Is this a good idea? Would this be hard to do, or would it just be a search and replace job in the code?
thanks for any help!
customize it before you give it to her. It's better for her not to be using an insecure phone. the granma spy police might try to hack it

Change App Compatibility?

hello. i thought to be smart and download the APK through a downloader in browser on PC, but is still not able to install. it just says "App not installed".
ANYHOW... i feel this app should work just fine on the phone. problem is is that the company don't want it on other phones. so, there are some HTC and Sony apps from my past that won't install to a Coolpad phone i have.
is there any way to modify the APK so it will properly install? i don't believe the app to actually be incompatible, it is just proprietary to a different brand of phone.
the app i most want right now is > https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sonymobile.xperiaweather
i used this to download it > https://apps.evozi.com/apk-downloader/
thanks for reading! i await any responses
@sk74261700027
If your phone's Android is rooted, you can try to edit Android's build.prop file housed in /system, will say change there brand / model settings according to your needs. Use a "BuildProp Editor" app to manage this,
jwoegerbauer said:
@sk74261700027
If your phone's Android is rooted, you can try to edit Android's build.prop file housed in /system, will say change there brand / model settings according to your needs. Use a "BuildProp Editor" app to manage this,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
shoot. i have yet to figure out how to root this phone. it doesn't seem like there is any public root method for this phone yet. drat.
but if i could do that on the phone... shouldn't it also be possible to do this in the APK? i also don't know exactly what info that would be put there even if the phone was rooted. meh.
i figured worst case, i could use the regular Android software on PC to make changes to the APK. other then that, i think it could be possible to make changes to the APK with luckypatcher, but am not certain about that.
@sk74261700027
I never made use of LP.
You of course can try to decomplie an APK, rewrite app's source code and afterwards recompile it and then correctly sign the APK. Personally never have done so.
jwoegerbauer said:
@sk74261700027
I never made use of LP.
You of course can try to decomplie an APK, rewrite app's source code and afterwards recompile it and then correctly sign the APK. Personally never have done so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
oof. that sounds complicated. lol :/
i know there is Android Studio and SDK tools, but there is a lot there and i don't know exactly what is needed. i was just hoping that changing an APK for proprietary apps to install on non-proprietary devices was a normal thing, and that there would be a straight forward way to do this. sadly, i don't see any guides on this.
might just have to look around for something more generalized, like what you were talking about. i am surprised that there isn't a normal process for this type of thing. meh
well, thanks anyhow. thank you for replying here. at least that might give me an idea on where to go from here. in the meantime, imma just give this thread some more time. see if anyone knows anything more specific about this.
P.S. oh yeah! i do recall some kind of google market app that would allow you to change, or emulate, a device to download apps from the Play Store that are stated as not being compatible. will have to look for that and see if it still works. if someone knows where to find this, that would be really great.

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