Okay so I am trying to reverse engineer an android app, whatever you want to call it. Anyways I get the apk, and I rename it as a .zip. I use the dextojar to change the classes.dex to a jar so I can use a decompiler to look at the code. I found what I wanted to change so I used a smali converter and changed the classes.dex to the smali files.. changed the smali to my liking then converted back to the classes.dex, put it back into the zip and then back to apk and the phone itself.
I have done this before, it has worked before... now no matter what app I do this to, it doesn't work? I tried on a nexus 5 and a 2013 nexus 7
Is it because of the android update? Any ideas would be helpful...
Thanks!
Related
I've successfully used MM to push a solitary modified XML into the framework-res.apk, but it wasn't very graceful. There was no request to reboot, and the phone sort of hanged, rebooted by itself without the bootanimation and straight to the lock screen.
A subsequent reboot straightened everything out with the results of the new XML apparent. Is it the intention of MM to push XML files or only image files?
yes thats what it is for.. It can't write new ones tho.. Only overwrites...
The hanging half reboot is normal... Happens to me all the time when I modify the framework..
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
OK, great, thanks. One more question regarding the editing the compiled XML files if I could. Right now, in order to decompile an XML, I take an APK and extract it with the APK tool and overwrite the existing XML with the one I want to edit. I then zip the APK, then decompile it in order to edit it with Notepad++. I do the reverse of those steps in order to convert the decompiled XML back to the compiled format.
Is there an easier way of either using the APK tool or a different method altogether to convert the XML back and forth from one format to the other?
Apk manager takes some if that hassle away.. Its in the android themes section or the g1 section... Not sure which but danesh is a knowledgeable person and does good work with brut making all this easier..
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Right, that's the app I'm using to go back and forth between formats already. But, it seems a little long winded simply to do this seemingly simple task with having to compile the entire APK. Anyway, I've asked there with no response.
I suppose it's the only way then.
I've been trying to make a couple of modifications to framework-res.apk and I've been having a lot of trouble. I've bootlooped the DX2 more than a few times (and was able to recover with the recently released SBF).
I've tried making one change, I've tried signing the file, I've tried not signing it, I've tried different compression levels on the zip, all with no luck. The one time I got my apk into the phone with my change on board (I verified that it was there) my change was ignored by the phone. (I've been trying to replace /res/drawable-hdp/zz_moto_list_texture_bg.png to change the default list background from the light gray to black.)
Has anyone been successful making modifications to this file in a DX2? If so, how did you do it?
What did program did you zip it with?
What was the compression set to?
Did you sign the file? If so, with what program and key?
What method did you use to drop framework-res.apk back into the phone?
Are there any files that should not be modified? (I've heard to leave the ".9" files alone.)
Thanks,
Chris
I've been trying to do the exact same thing and haven't got too far. I'm doing dev stuff thru Ubuntu and it seems to be very friendly along with gimp. I've actually been able to drag and drop replacement files without extracting the apk but haven't been able to flash it inside a theme. I haven't actually tried just replacing the framework.
Staying tuned...
Sent from my DROID X2 using XDA App
You can make a theme at uot.dakra.lt and flash the .zip file to your phone.. jus upload your framework-res.apk to the site once you make it, but anyway, they modify the file and it worked for me.
Peperm1nt said:
You can make a theme at uot.dakra.lt and flash the .zip file to your phone.. jus upload your framework-res.apk to the site once you make it, but anyway, they modify the file and it worked for me.
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Yes I've been using this but it's not really set up for blur. we're talking about going deeper than UOT can reach with current software.
Sent from my DROID X2 using XDA App
You can recompile and decompile with apkmanager, but its not without some hiccups. First, it compresses the resources.arsc which unlike the rest of the apk needs to be decompressed. To fix this I pull it out then with 7zip I add it back to the framework-res archive with zip as the format and store as compression. That fixes the boot-loops. Even after that there's been some minor problems with it recompiling certain .xml a little goofy.
But at least it doesnt cause a boot loop.
I tried to decompile, modify 1 xml file and recompile the framework-res.apk.
But everytime I do it, I either get into a boot loop, or when In succeed it displays glitches (like notification bar, and messed up lock screen, and settings)
This is for AURORA ICS 4.0.3 and I do have the latest aapt.exe file .. so I don't know what is wrong!
I tried to use the original framework-res but replace the resources file inside, stored and compressed methods.
Tried to get the compiled framework-res but add the META-INF and Manifest file (again, both with compressed and stored resources file) and always.. it just glitches or bootloops.. and the mod that I tried (ICS on screen buttons or the CRT effect when you switch off the screen, mainly used in Oxygen roms, but it's available in all ROMs).. it never works.. only glitches the lock screen, notification bar etc..
Any help?
Thanks.
I might know the answer to this..
Which files are you modifying in framework-res? And how are you pushing it back to your phone?
Sent from my U20i using xda premium
Would be great
I am modifying some files in the values folder, bools.xml, arrays.xml .. but even if I edit bools.xml alone, it still glitches.
To push it back: I go to recovery mode on my phone, plug it into my linux machine (the system partition mounts), paste the new framework-res.apk to replace the old one, fix permissions (otherwise it boot loops), and restart the phone. This method works for other files and never had any problems, like the android.policy.jar
Would be great if you can help me. Thanks
Well, the XML files you're editing are all part of resources.arsc so it's something to do with that which is causing the problem. I used to get all sorts of annoying bugs when I edited anything in resources.arsc and I eventually found out that I was pushing the final apk back to the phone incorrectly.
I use a Windows PC, not Linux, so I might not be that helpful but this is what I do to modify and replace framework-res.apk. Hopefully it'll help. What I do is..
Decompile framework-res.apk
Make my changes
Recompile the file
Use a program like 7zip to open the old and the new files
Drag and drop the "res" folder from the new file into the old
Extract resources.arsc from the new framework-res.apk and add it to the old one in "STORE" mode, so it's not actually compressed
Go into recovery, mount the system partition and push the old file
..and that's it. Works a charm every time.
I would have thought that you would need to do the same thing on Linux but with the additional step of correcting the permissions. If you do all that and it still doesn't work, then there has to be a problem with the actual mod you're trying to do.
Thank you very much, I actually tried that method. It sort of worked, but everytime it breaks the notification bar. It becomes like double the size and I'm not sure why.
Thanks.
Then the issue must be with the modification itself. What exactly are you changing to what?
Sent from my U20i using xda premium
I tried different ones.. but even a simple one.. enable CRT animation.. which is pretty much open bools.xml and edit one true to false.. it breaks it :/
I used dex2jar to decompile classes.dex , and used jdgui to convert those files into java files to edit, now I don't know how to recompile back, I'm not even sure it will work properly, or at all, but worth a try, I was trying to mod the vanilla Messaging app and remove all the attachment options for videos, pictures etc. because it's a waste of space, any help?
Use baksmil n smil tool ita simple.....
don't forgot hit thanx....
Probably might not work. The java files you get aren't quite the right ones. They will give you an idea of what to edit in the smali though.
Seeing as it is the stock messaging app, you would be better to download the source of the app from AOSP, edit that and compile. As said above, dex2jar does not give perfect Java code, so even if you did recompile it, you might not get a working app.
Or you could use baksmali to decompile the app to .smali format, and then use smali to recompile after editing the .smali files (not as easy to edit as Java source files).
The Smali Files are the machine language file type thing isn't it?, I've learnt the basics at Uni (using Spim), and understand what each thing does, but as it isn't directly coded, there isn't enough comments, for me to do anything with, I need to have some kind of info about what this does and what that does.
And about AOSP, I've tried downloading the source and It should be all downloaded and I've tried compiling it for my device (Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray (ST18i, Urushi) but it always comes up with errors, so I have put that stuff aside and gone back to attempting to mod some apps (First time, newbie), but I don't know where the Messaging App would be and how to change it. Sony Ericsson have Source Code for their Stock rom right?, I have tried getting hold of that, but have no idea how to read the file, and edit it, so it's much like AOSP. How to read files and how to edit and compile them?.
I own a BB Playbook tablet for about a year now (bought it during the when it was about 200$ because I needed a 7'', the hardware was specs were nice at the time and the company promised Android app support). Regardless of the sanity of my decision the device saves me about 2 hours per day (I use it mainly to read pdf and build an xls database).
I've converted many apk to bar in order to sideload them to my device (not all of these work). Recently I tried Firefox on my Xperia mobile and was quite pleased with the ABP plugin So I tried to convert the apk but both the apk2bar and the Blackberry Graphical Aid Tool complain that the version number is too long...
Anyone knows how to shorten it? In what file is it located? Or anyone up for the task.
Keep in mind I'm not a dev.
Thanks in advance
android:versionName is what you need to change.
Thanks for the reply.
Tried the apps from your sig. I managed to edit AndroidManifest.xml. Recompiling (after the changes) doesn't seem to work (the result apk is much smaller... many files/folders from the original FF apk were not in the project folder or compiled apk).
Tried unpacking + zip + sign but this last step is failing. Wanam APK suite keeps giving an error message. My box runs Win7 x64 and at first I only had Java RE x86 7.10... it didn't find Java in my machine and stated signing would not work; after I installed the x64 it gives no preemptive messgae and I progress further but the signing process fails
frmariam said:
Thanks for the reply.
Tried the apps from your sig. I managed to edit AndroidManifest.xml. Recompiling (after the changes) doesn't seem to work (the result apk is much smaller... many files/folders from the original FF apk were not in the project folder or compiled apk).
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Hi.
Look at the files in the apk before decompiling it and you'll see that all those files and folders aren't there to begin with. All those files and folders are from the decompiled resources.arsc so it's normal for them not to be there when recompiled, and when you add the resources.arsc, manifest and meta folder from the original apk to the recompiled apk, it will become larger.
I noticed yesterday I had put an old apktool in the folder but have corrected it now so download and try again.
I was attempting to do the same so I decompiled and edited the android:versionName and the android:versionCode . After doing that, recompiling and resigning I was able to convert using apktobar and load to the playbook with no issues......except the app opens to an all white page and nothing beyond that will work! Just to be clear I was attempting to convert Firefox as well. Hope someone has some helpful hints that could fix it!