Related
how to change settings for tags?
when I choose tags in application it shows "no scaned tags"... but they work...
If you go to your apps, there is an icon that says 'liveware'. In the app you can choose smarttags and edit them.
If you use the smart tags, DL from market the xperia smart tags App. When it's Ok creat a widget for smarts tags xperia and tap on it. Now you set option for each tags.
Tell if it's that you wan't because i just have App, no smart tags in my package
Alternatively, look into NFC Task Launcher or NFC Tag Writer which work with NFC tags not through the smarttags method.
I find SmartTags pretty restrictive but coming from a Nexus S I am really used to using tags for much more automation (check-ins with Foursquare, tasker tasks, sending messages, running remote server commands etc)
plain or restricted NFC API ?
hi 3shirts,
I think you answer indirectly to the question I have yet I need some confirmation.
actually, I'm wondering if this phone has "full" NFC support or if Sony will only allow "NFC restrited" apps like max 4 smartags /per Xperia as up to now?
I need to replace my GalaxyS and I'm hesitating between Galaxy Nexus and Xperia S mainly for this NFC feature.
I plan to develop NFC apps and don't want to be restricted by such "marketing" feature.
can you confirm we can use the plain android NFC API on Xperia S and "talk' to more than 4 SmartTags, and on differents NDEF and not NDEF ones?
all the best
Rico
ze_rico said:
hi 3shirts,
I think you answer indirectly to the question I have yet I need some confirmation.
actually, I'm wondering if this phone has "full" NFC support or if Sony will only allow "NFC restrited" apps like max 4 smartags /per Xperia as up to now?
I need to replace my GalaxyS and I'm hesitating between Galaxy Nexus and Xperia S mainly for this NFC feature.
I plan to develop NFC apps and don't want to be restricted by such "marketing" feature.
can you confirm we can use the plain android NFC API on Xperia S and "talk' to more than 4 SmartTags, and on differents NDEF and not NDEF ones?
all the best
Rico
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use the Tag Writer app instead of the smarttag app.
As long as you disable or remove the smart tag app, you have full functionality of your smart tags. I even tested it by trying to write the sony tags, which worked (apparently they arent write protected but they aren't very large, so you can't write much ), but of course you lose the "functionality"(I use that lightly, since the smart tag app is...limited).
So you shouldn't have any problems at all, if you just avoid using the smart-tag app
Edit:
Actually, the creator of the NFC app owns both phones, and can compare the difference in functionality (which I don't think there is) you might want to send him a PM, krohnjw is his name on the forums
thanks a lot shmoejoe !
meanwhile I've found part answers by googleling on NFC ans Xperia keywords;
interesting thinhs on sonymobile dev world NFC page : developer(dot)sonymobile(dot)com/wp/2012/01/10/nfc-support-in-new-xperia-devices
I'll contact krohnjw check it whit him/her
besides, I'm not surprised to see that samrttags ae writable, because (if my understanding is correct) htis is the purpose for the smarttags to write down simplified URIs into them to launch actions (right? )
or is it only the aim of the smart tag app to match the tag Id and associate& store actions ?
cheers
Rico
Hmm, I will check out that link I think
I am rather new to this NFC world so I'm still trying to figure it all out as well (you lost me at the NDEF question). Once I figure it all out though, I believe I will start living off of it .
I currently only use it to mainly change my settings around and to launch a few apps, but I read that in some pleaces NFC is being used to pay for things and such (with Google Wallet?)? Now something like that really interests me .
I tried the Smart tag App, but it's really restricted (no air plane mode action for exemple).
So i bought NFC Task mananger, awsome app, lots of choices and actions.
1.4 euros for the app and 13 euros for 10 tags. Less than the 4 officials smart tags =)
thanks both for your inputs,
Shmojeo, you read right about other NFC features,
currently there're 3 ways to use NFC : reader mode(the one we're discussing about here), P2P (beaming between 2 NFCphones) and card emulation.
the later is for payement, loyalty/coupons etc, and maybe everything we can imagine to get access to the tags stored data.
yet Google doesn't give access to what they call the "secure elements" which is somewhat equivalent to accessing sim card or banking card data.
it's probably because they want to promote the google wallet ;-)
I've read somewhere (may be here on xda) that patches are coming to get around this.
cheers
rico
Incidentally. You don't even lose the functionality of SmartTags because you can write the URI that they use back to them (or any tag for that matter) and get the functionality back.
See this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1544570
I know that
I meant more that you can't use the smart-tag app functions when you rewrite it, which isn't a loss because the NFC writing app does more and works better, you just can't use the sony app for it .
More smat tags in Xperia S
ze_rico said:
hi 3shirts,
I think you answer indirectly to the question I have yet I need some confirmation.
actually, I'm wondering if this phone has "full" NFC support or if Sony will only allow "NFC restrited" apps like max 4 smartags /per Xperia as up to now?
I need to replace my GalaxyS and I'm hesitating between Galaxy Nexus and Xperia S mainly for this NFC feature.
I plan to develop NFC apps and don't want to be restricted by such "marketing" feature.
can you confirm we can use the plain android NFC API on Xperia S and "talk' to more than 4 SmartTags, and on differents NDEF and not NDEF ones?
all the best
Rico
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have write 5 SmartTag in my Xperia S (two time favorite) i have try to get more but seems no way, i believe is the Sony application limitation
ze_rico said:
htis is the purpose for the smarttags to write down simplified URIs into them to launch actions (right? )
or is it only the aim of the smart tag app to match the tag Id and associate& store actions ?
cheers
Rico
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's only launch liveware, we have instal it in a Nexus S and work exactly like in my Xperia S
PS you need the both app: Liveware & Smarttag and of course NFC enabled mobile
Check out what Blackberry is up to:
Code:
youtube. - com/watch?v=EFBh9Hc6P-8
forums.crackberry. - com/blackberry-bold-9930-9900-f235/blackberry-bold-9900-nfc-724062/
Do you know any solution to do this with Android NFC phones?
Please use the Q&A Forum for questions &
Read the Forum Rules Ref Posting
Moving to Q&A
Hi lufc,
thanks - sorry that I posted in the wrong forum.
Anyway, this is one of few uses of NFC that I have seen so far, which takes advantage of being able to interact with your environment. Still it would be interesting if there are any apps for Android that enable you to use your smartphone as key.
This would not currently be possible on Android. What BlackBerry are demonstrating is card emulation. Card emulation allows your phone to interact with existing infrastructure by emulating a RFID card. However, card emulation requires access to the secure element, which Google have not provided to developers. Google are trying to push P2P NFC connections as an alternative, but very few existing and deployed access systems work like this.
To summate: technically it is indeed possible on Android (Google Wallet uses card emulation). However, Google restricts card emulation so that only they can use it. Being able to open the doors of your office or school with your phone is not possible.
LoveNFC said:
This would not currently be possible on Android. What BlackBerry are demonstrating is card emulation. Card emulation allows your phone to interact with existing infrastructure by emulating a RFID card. However, card emulation requires access to the secure element, which Google have not provided to developers. Google are trying to push P2P NFC connections as an alternative, but very few existing and deployed access systems work like this.
To summate: technically it is indeed possible on Android (Google Wallet uses card emulation). However, Google restricts card emulation so that only they can use it. Being able to open the doors of your office or school with your phone is not possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using P2P NFC would mean though, that the element at the door would need to be a powered device and cannot be a passive NFC tag?
They have a live demo now at world.BlueID.eu
Funny how you are able to do this with Japanese phones already
I will be developing an app to utilize NFC tags for parts identification. More or less I will need to write stuff into NFC tags, read data from NFC tags, act upon that data - open a webpage, fetch something from external database etc. This will also be more of a proof of concept than a commercial app. I am not aiming for performance either.
The thing is - I am not a professional developer nor I am planning to become one. I am a mechanical engineer with some programming done in the past - I've programmed microcontrollers to work with MEMS sensors and made some basic Visual Basic apps.
What would be the best way forward? Should I just stick to developer.android.com and Eclipse, or there is some software or super-duper tutorials that can make my life easier?
Hi,
I made a new app: NFC Safe!
With NFC Safe you will be able to encrypt your private data with a NFC Tag (e.g. NFC Key Fob). You can add unlimited custom folder and entries. You will have only access to those entries with the specific NFC Tag! This is much more secure than protecting your data only with a password!
You can use any NFC Tag for this app! Your NFC Tag will be written with some data so it can only be used for this app.
NFC Safe | Windows Phone Apps+Games Store (United States)
Would be nice, if you test my app! My app is available for free!
With one of the next releases it will be also possible to encrypt/decrypt media files (images, audio, etc.)
Best Regards,
Sascha
I don't have any NFC tags on me right now nor would i really use this, but i have to say, this is a really cool idea!
While I understand if you're hesitant to post it, I'd want to review the app's source code before using it myself. Getting cryptography right, even when just using existing and well, implemented pieces, is vastly harder than getting it wrong. What algorithm do you use to encrypt the data? How about generating the key data? Are you using secure buffers? Initialization vectors? How are you detecting which key is correct for the data you're trying to access; is there a hash? What hash function? There are a lot of other important questions here, too.
With that said, the idea is fantastic. It would be especially great if you could support two-factor authentication (password + NFC tag, in this case) for extra-sensitive data, although password management in crypto has its own set of problems (what key derivation function, with what parameters? How are the password verifiers stored? Etc.)
Sorry for late reply!
xandros9 said:
I don't have any NFC tags on me right now nor would i really use this, but i have to say, this is a really cool idea!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then you should buy an NFC Tag! They are really cheap. For example you could buy a NFC keyfob, so you will have your NFC tag always in your pocket and as said, such a NFC Tag costs ca. 1 USD at ebay
GoodDayToDie said:
While I understand if you're hesitant to post it, I'd want to review the app's source code before using it myself. Getting cryptography right, even when just using existing and well, implemented pieces, is vastly harder than getting it wrong. What algorithm do you use to encrypt the data? How about generating the key data? Are you using secure buffers? Initialization vectors? How are you detecting which key is correct for the data you're trying to access; is there a hash? What hash function? There are a lot of other important questions here, too.
With that said, the idea is fantastic. It would be especially great if you could support two-factor authentication (password + NFC tag, in this case) for extra-sensitive data, although password management in crypto has its own set of problems (what key derivation function, with what parameters? How are the password verifiers stored? Etc.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi thanks for your feedback and your questions! I think you misunderstood my app. It's not a military app, where the highest security is important! My app doesn't need to encrypt the data, because the data is stored on your Windows Phone in the application data storage. Noone has access to this. If ever any person has access to those data, you and all other Windows Phone users have a very big problem!
So, my app is an app, not a Windows Application, where virus, NSA, etc. have access to your data There are a lot of apps which protect your personal data with a password. So if someone else has your phone (stolen, or a friend while you are not watching at it), he will be able to see your data, if the know your password (this is not impossible!) or guess your password! So my app protects your data with an NFC Tag. It's very comfortable to use and faster than typing a password and also more secure, because the third-person needs your phone AND your NFC Tag.
However, my app also encrypts the whole data, so even if someone have access to the application data storage, he will be unable to read your data. Windows Phone has a built in encryption mechanism, which can be used from an API. I'm using this encryption mechanism. This mechanism uses Triple-DES. It uses the user credentials and a randomly generated password (GUID with 36 chars/numbers and "-"-sign) to encrypt the data.
Hi! Welcome to XDA-Developers, where all of your assumptions about what cannot be accessed on the phone are wrong, or will be shortly!
OK, that's half a joke. But only half... as it turns out, the claim that "... Windows Phone in the application data storage. Noone has access to this." has been untrue for months. Check the Dev&Hacking forum, especially the Interop-unlock and SamWP8 Tools threads. We have the ability to access the entire WP8 file system. Currently that access is only via MTP (USB connection), but I and other people are working on extending it to homebrew apps as well.
Moving on... 3DES (even if used with a good mode of operation and a unique initialization vector, which I am guessing you probably didn't do) is obsolete and should not be used anymore. While it is considered adequate for existing code, it should not be used in new software, and cryptographers have been recommending a move to newer ciphers (such as AES) for years. As for using a GUID as a password, GUIDs are 128 bits (the dashes don't count, because they are always the same value in the same place, and each of the other 32 digits is hexadecimal only, meaning merely 4 bits of data), which is plenty if they are generated securely; however, most GUID generators do not use cryptographically secure random number generators. GUIDs are supposed to be unique (that's what the U stands for), but are not guaranteed to be unpredictable (which is one of the key requirements for an encryption key), and the way they are generated reflects this.
Oh, and good security is important in an awful lot more places than "a military app"! In fact, there's no such thing as "military-grade" encryption, really; there's only good encryption, and encryption which shouldn't be used for any purpose. For example, modern TLS (Transport Layer Security, the replacement for SSL or Secure Sockets Layer) cipher suites are intended to be secure even against governments and megacorporations (although there is of course suspicion as to whether the NSA have broken some of those cipher suites)... but TLS isn't just used on extremely sensitive stuff like top-secret documents and such, it's also used when browsing Facebook and Twitter, or accessing Gmail, or many other things of similarly minor sensitivity.
Thank you for explaining the intended use cases of the app, though. Do please be careful when making claims such as that something is "much more secure", though; you are liable to mislead people. TrueCrypt, a PC app that performs disk encryption and is intended to stand up to very powerful adversaries, uses only a password most of the time - but I would expect that, given a well-chosen password, it is more secure than this app. There are many critical components to security, and only the weakest link in the chain matters.
For what it's worth, if you are interested, I would be happy to help secure the app (on my own time, free of charge) as it sounds like something that I would quite like to use, if I could trust its security.
What exactly is your problem?!?!
I said, that noone has access to the Application Data Storage and this is true! There is no Virus available for Windows Phone and there is no App in the Store available which has access to another app's data storage! We are not talking about some special cases where the third-person already have STOLEN your device, because nothing in this world is safe! NOTHING! Everything can be hacked! Also I didnt know that all current Lumia devices were hacked. Other devices are not relevant (Nokia has a market share of more than 90%!).
The built-in encryption mechanism in Windows Phone is the same almost ANY Windows Phone app uses! Any banking app, Facebook, eBay, PayPal. The Wallet feature of Windows Phone uses it. If you have set up accounts (E-Mail, Microsoft Account, Office365, etc.) your passwords were encrypted with the SAME API my app uses. So if you think this API is totally unsafe, WHY THE HELL are you using Windows Phone? Also Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 8.1 uses THE SAME API for a lot of thinks. So please don't use Windows anymore!
I said, my app is more secure THAN AN APP which only uses a password and that is true. Also my app additionally encrypts the data and not only block the access to the data (which a lot of other apps only do!).
Please decrypt the attached file and tell me, how you did that and how long it took Thanks!
Whoa, whoa, calm down.
First of all, don't count on that "no app in the store..." business; There's *probably* no malicious app that can do so, but OEM apps can, if they have som reason to do so, access other app's install and data folders. I've written apps (using the Samsung OEM components, which are clumsy for the purpose but *do* work) to do it myself. It's not something you're likely to see in widespread use, but it's possible.
If you aren't bothering with the case of your phone being stolen, what's the point of the encryption anyhow? I mean, prevention of data loss in the event of device theft is one of *the* key use cases for data storage encryption! It's the rationale behind things like BitLocker (which is available on WP8, but only if the user has connected their phone to a company's Exchange server that pushes a policy requiring device encryption).
If you were honestly worried about market share, you probably wouldn't target WP at all; Nokia's fraction of the WP market share is lower than WP's fraction of the smartphone market share. Nonetheless, you are correct that, at this time, Nokia WP8 devices haven't been cracked. Nor have HTC's phones. I'm confident that this will change in time, though. You might have misunderstood my little joke at the start of my last post... but breaking into smartphone operating systems, getting past the lockdown policies that say "noone[sic] has access" (it's "nobody" or "no one", by the way) and taking those decisions into our own hands.
I guarantee you that the vast majority of WP apps don't use 3DES. I *know* full well that the Microsoft code doesn't; they had already deprecated that cipher years ago, when I interned there, long before even WP7 existed; its use was prohibited for new code. Just because you used the DPAPI (Data Protection API) doesn't mean you used it correctly (and by the way, that internship involved working on encryption in Windows, writing test tools for it). Please don't take this as some kind of personal insult; in my line of work (security engineer), I see a ton of misuse of cryptography. It is, as I said in my first post, hard to get right. That's why I offered to help.
I'm not going to bother taking the time to figure out what cipher you used on that file, and what its contents are supposed to look like enough to start doing any cryptanalysis, but I guarantee you it's not very good. There are repeated patterns, including long strings of null bytes, that are phenomenally unlikely to occur in a file that short after passing it through even a half-decent cipher (we're talking 1-in-several-billion chance here, no joke). Coming to this conclusion took all of a few seconds, by the way, using no tool more sophisticated than Notepad++. If I was pulling it off of a phone, I'd have a lot more idea of what type of plaintext to expect, and I could examine the decompilation of the app to see what ciphers were used, which would make things a lot easier. I'd say "for all I know, you just took the output of CryptGenRandom and put it in a file" but if you had, it wouldn't have had obvious patterns in it... in any case, it doesn't matter. I don't have to prove anything to you. I'm *trying* to help, and offer some good advice as well, but I can't force you to take it. There's no call for getting defensive, though. I wrote a file encryption utility myself one, in fact. It sucked, so then I wrote a program to break its encryption. Both experiences (but mostly the latter) taught me things.
A new version is available now, which includes image/photo encryption, OneDrive backup, bugfixes and other small improvments!
http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=0a8656d4-ed32-4bb5-baac-1317827e18d8
Hi,
I have a question:
My app is available in German and English since one year now! It was downloaded over 1000 times in Germany, but only 80 times in USA, UK, etc. I got 40 reviews (4-5 stars) in Germany and only one bad review in USA. So could someone explain what's wrong with my app? Is it not visible in the US Windows Phone store? Is my app very bad translated? Are there no Windows Phone users in the USA? Or maybe no one use NFC in the USA?
Best regards,
Sascha
Sorry, I don't tried your app yet but will try to answer your questions.
First, probably it's something wrong with your marketing, not the app Le me say: 1080 downloads per year - it's too small number (even 1000 in Germany). For example, my "marketplace entry ticket", "Lunar Lander Touch" app, very unpopular and underrated (but it's still one of my favorite games on WP, and good alcohol tester ), has 4078 for the year 2013.
As for NFC: I've tried to use it but stopped because of very uncomfortable WP implementation. That service should work flawlessly, without user interaction, stupid questions and dialogs, to be useful and popular. But unfortunately it's not (for the Windows Phones). Microsoft must add an option to disable NFC warnings.
P.S. I may recommend you to use "Snowden case" for advertizing
Thanks for your feedback!
Yes, I know that the download numbers are very bad, but I don't have an idea how to improve this. Because of my app is free and my private hobby I don't have money to buy ads, etc.
Improving my app had not effect. Thanks to DVLUP I "bought" ads for 50$ with AdDuplex, but this also had no effect.
It's really hard for individuals to get their apps famous and in a higher ranking in the Windows Phone Store without investing money
I understand... AdDuplex is really bad: I've tried once ($100 from DVLUP meeting plus I've bought another $100 coupon for $40) during a week - no results at all. Complained to AdDuplex support and manager gave me additional $300 for free, to spend within one day (sic! He-he, I wish to get $300 daily from my app!) - still no visible results, just a regular download fluctuations...
What you may try: advertise on more forums, prepare good pictures/screenshots; may be, video clip "howto" will be helpful. Embed RateMyApp Nokia's control (check NuGet) to your form. If you have XP on DVLUP, spend 'em for advertising campaign (these ones are extremely effective!).
P.S. I also thought about xda-based developers club, with "rate 5 stars my apps, and I'll rate yours" rule but I don't know how to implement it properly (but good customer rating is very important for the app distribution).
Thanks!
I already added RateMyApp. This was really helpfull to get more reviews. It's a pity that I had not implemented such a thing from the very first time my app was added to the Windows Phone Store :-/
I "bought" 1 week in App Social (DVLUP). Hope this helps. But it is also only in Germany.... I have enough users and reviews in Germany, I need them in USA, UK, etc. The problem with the DVLUP campaigns is, that you need at least 50 or 100 reviews (and 4,5 stars) as a requirement for the advertising. But you don't have so many reviews and that's the reason why you need the campaign to get more reviews, but you can't buy the campaign... A vicious circle!
I will do my best to get more downloads in other countries than Germany!
Hey, thanks for this app i find it realy useful.
Danke!
And here is the idea for the ad banner
Great idea
btw: Version 2.1 with new type "User Credentials" is available now!
Ok, I stopped developing, it's not worth. Sorry!
Hi,
In this thread or post we will discuss the option that we have to deal with Sony Sketch App.
We all know that the app was terminated since it wasn't doing good profit wise, therefore it was shut down, we will not discuss how to export the data, since this option is not longer available anymore, since Sony had given their users six months to do so.
Now, the question is as the following: (If anyone can answer them that would be cool)
How to extract the downloaded STICKERS from the app?
&
How to download the list of the stickers online if they are available?
&
How to download any other stickers or icons online and use them within the app?
&
What is the format of the stickers used within the app?
In my Twitter account @MedoHamdani an image of the full list of the stickers. If anyone can recreate them, please do let me know. If anyone know where to find them in the phone, please do let me know so they can be extracted and shared with the community.
There is another app called Sketch United by one of the previous developer called Carl (This info not confirmed yet), but it is not similar to Sony Sketch app at all and doesn't have the stickers function.
Thanks
Medo Hamdani
Hi,
MedoHamdani said:
How to extract the downloaded STICKERS from the app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stickers are located in (complete path from root folder)
/data/data/com.sonymobile.sketch/files/content/stickers
However, you need root access to see the files and eventually add/import another stickers.
Also, the stickers won't show-up in the app until they are registered also within 'content-packs.db' SQLite database.
Database location
/data/data/com.sonymobile.sketch/databases
By copying all the stickers files and replacing the content-packs.* database files, I was able to transfer all my stickers to another phone. Also, file permissions must be set properly (chmod 777, recursively), otherwise you'll actually see a scrollable list of stickers, but everything blank, just blank thumbnails, as the app prepares buttons for them based on the database of downloaded content, but then cannot access them due to bad permissions set on the individual files.
Sadly, I don't have complete pack of stickers, but I'll share them anyway: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13VPrjQeLhOiUi7BoOe-znNNT6bP_xq6-?usp=sharing
(compatible with 9.0.T.0.6 and 9.0.A.0.6)
For a non-root users is eventually possible to use built-in Backup & Restore feature found e.g. on LG or Asus phones, which can import/export complete apps INCLUDING data, not just APK file alone. This way I was able to actually extract the Stickers from my non-rooted LG G6 and import them to a rooted Asus ZenFone 2.
Unfortunately, the export files are not in standardized format across manufacturers, and so one rooted device from every smartphone brand with such Backup & Restore functionality would be needed to cover most non-rooted users. Plus, the exported package often contain various personal information, e.g. I found bits and pieces of photo (?) metadata with text geographical locations included, despite I unchecked all but the one single Sketch app for making the backup. And so while it might be a solution for a non-rooted phones, it might hardly be the preferred one.
MedoHamdani said:
What is the format of the stickers used within the app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
PNG
nfsmaniac said:
Hi,
Stickers are located in (complete path from root folder)
/data/data/com.sonymobile.sketch/files/content/stickers
However, you need root access to see the files and eventually add/import another stickers.
Also, the stickers won't show-up in the app until they are registered also within 'content-packs.db' SQLite database.
Database location
/data/data/com.sonymobile.sketch/databases
By copying all the stickers files and replacing the content-packs.* database files, I was able to transfer all my stickers to another phone. Also, file permissions must be set properly (chmod 777, recursively), otherwise you'll actually see a scrollable list of stickers, but everything blank, just blank thumbnails, as the app prepares buttons for them based on the database of downloaded content, but then cannot access them due to bad permissions set on the individual files.
Sadly, I don't have complete pack of stickers, but I'll share them anyway: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13VPrjQeLhOiUi7BoOe-znNNT6bP_xq6-?usp=sharing
(compatible with 9.0.T.0.6 and 9.0.A.0.6)
For a non-root users is eventually possible to use built-in Backup & Restore feature found e.g. on LG or Asus phones, which can import/export complete apps INCLUDING data, not just APK file alone. This way I was able to actually extract the Stickers from my non-rooted LG G6 and import them to a rooted Asus ZenFone 2.
Unfortunately, the export files are not in standardized format across manufacturers, and so one rooted device from every smartphone brand with such Backup & Restore functionality would be needed to cover most non-rooted users. Plus, the exported package often contain various personal information, e.g. I found bits and pieces of photo (?) metadata with text geographical locations included, despite I unchecked all but the one single Sketch app for making the backup. And so while it might be a solution for a non-rooted phones, it might hardly be the preferred one.
PNG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your detailed answer, if you have done this process and recorded it in a video that would be helpful. Thanks much
By the way, do you know any other app that does the same thing?
MedoHamdani said:
By the way, do you know any other app that does the same thing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are some apps like Titanium Backup for making apps backup/restore, but you need root for all of them. Otherwise you need to rely on your phone manufacturer whether he included some proprietary app for this AND whether the format is not any encrypted and if there are tools available to extract the backup file.
E.g. me, on LG's backup I used this great tool to extract it: https://github.com/Mysak0CZ/LBFtool
Okay, first of all let me ask you few questions:
Do you have complete pack of stickers that have been ever available?
What phone do you have? Is it rooted or not?
In case you have root, extraction of Stickers will be a lot easier.
Just navigate inside some file manager like Root Explorer or Total Commander to
/data/data/com.sonymobile.sketch/files/content/stickers
and make backup (create archive, ZIP), of all of its content.
Additionaly copy also these two or three files (first one is the most important and should be common, last two ones varies by device)
/data/data/com.sonymobile.sketch/databases/content-packs.db
/data/data/com.sonymobile.sketch/databases/content-packs.db-shm
/data/data/com.sonymobile.sketch/databases/content-packs.db-journal
Then you can share them and I'll eventually try to get our two collections together to create bigger collection, closer to be complete, in case you don't have complete pack of Stickers.
In case you DON'T have rooted phone, I would ask you for details about your phone first. I can do a guide of what I have, but procedure might be different on your device.
Here is video how it looks on LG, something very similar I've seen on older Asus phones (at Android 5) also.
I've made backup to microSD card, unticked all options and ticked only Sony Sketch app (within "Downloaded apps" section) to be included in the backup.
Hi,
The answer to these questions:
Do you have a complete pack of stickers that have been ever available?
Well, not all of them but most of them, that was one of the reasons that the phone was not sold or formatted.
What phone do you have? Is it rooted or not?
Samsung Galaxy Fan Edition, and it is not rooted, but willing to undergo the process of rooting.
Is there any app that is similar to Sony Sketch, or can we make another one using Adalo?
@MedoHamdani Personally I am lacking real alternative to Sony Sketch. It was lightweight and intuitive app, simple but powerful. And particualary the Stickers were good here. Lack of serious alternative that wouldn't be full of crappy bloat and ads is the reason why I am willing to spend time on this abandoned app.
I've looked into internals of the Sketch app and while I have zero experience with Android apps modding, it seems to be surprisingly clean and understandable code to me.
Chances are I could be able to just embedd the stickers into the base APK file, the same way how there already is the basic set of Stickers included in the app. I believe that even custom fonts might be possible to add.
Sadly, not always are things as simple as they might seem to be. But i will try it.
Anyway I do appreciate the fact you've kept them in archive and have the will to root your phone.
In case of any difficulties, feel free to reach me out or other members in appropriate forum section dedicated to your device.
Please, try to make a backup of the Sony Sketch app first just in case of any failure (or data loss) during the procedure of rooting your phone, so you'd be able to restore the app back to yours (or another) Samsung phone.
Thank you and good luck!
nfsmaniac said:
@MedoHamdani Personally I am lacking real alternative to Sony Sketch. It was lightweight and intuitive app, simple but powerful. And particualary the Stickers were good here. Lack of serious alternative that wouldn't be full of crappy bloat and ads is the reason why I am willing to spend time on this abandoned app.
I've looked into internals of the Sketch app and while I have zero experience with Android apps modding, it seems to be surprisingly clean and understandable code to me.
Chances are I could be able to just embedd the stickers into the base APK file, the same way how there already is the basic set of Stickers included in the app. I believe that even custom fonts might be possible to add.
Sadly, not always are things as simple as they might seem to be. But i will try it.
Anyway I do appreciate the fact you've kept them in archive and have the will to root your phone.
In case of any difficulties, feel free to reach me out or other members in appropriate forum section dedicated to your device.
Please, try to make a backup of the Sony Sketch app first just in case of any failure (or data loss) during the procedure of rooting your phone, so you'd be able to restore the app back to yours (or another) Samsung phone.
Thank you and good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your extensive detailed reply.
Guess we can form a team who are willing to voluntarily make the app possible. We can use Adalo which is a platform where we can create apps without coding.
If possible will schedule an online meeting using Google Meet so we can back up the phone and root it. Let me know if you are in.
Just imagine if we manage to launch the app after a year from now, since it already has its reputation we can get up to 100,000 downloads.
Please do let me know what software is needed for the backup and the roots.
Cheers,
Medo Hamdani
Dear @MedoHamdani,
I doubt that a sketching app with any practical value can be made using Adalo or any other platform claiming "no coding needed".
I heavily doubt we can just extract stickers we own no rights to and use them in any of our apps that will be publicly distributed somewhere or even sold, as it could be considered as illegal and we would break the rules of XDA forum and laws in your and my country too.
At most we can slightly modify the original application and distribute it with its no-longer available online content. Or create a whole new app with our own stickers and other content.
Perhaps we should move to a private messages if you'd like to discuss it any more in this manner.
You haven't provided exact model of your phone, so I can't point you to any forum thread.
Maybe you should let rooting of your phone on someone more experienced. Or if you have some older or cheaper Samsung phone, definitely try Samsung Smart Switch if it will work for transferring of Sony Sketch's data & stickers.
There is many video guides and it can be done even wirelessly.
Then you can play around with rooting while having a lower harm in case of failure during making a root.
While I can share your enthusiasm, I'd prefer other option to some video meeting currently, I see it as it's kind of early for doing such activity. I hope you understand.
nfsmaniac said:
Dear @MedoHamdani,
I doubt that a sketching app with any practical value can be made using Adalo or any other platform claiming "no coding needed".
I heavily doubt we can just extract stickers we own no rights to and use them in any of our apps that will be publicly distributed somewhere or even sold, as it could be considered as illegal and we would break the rules of XDA forum and laws in your and my country too.
At most we can slightly modify the original application and distribute it with its no-longer available online content. Or create a whole new app with our own stickers and other content.
Perhaps we should move to a private messages if you'd like to discuss it any more in this manner.
You haven't provided exact model of your phone, so I can't point you to any forum thread.
Maybe you should let rooting of your phone on someone more experienced. Or if you have some older or cheaper Samsung phone, definitely try Samsung Smart Switch if it will work for transferring of Sony Sketch's data & stickers.
There is many video guides and it can be done even wirelessly.
Then you can play around with rooting while having a lower harm in case of failure during making a root.
While I can share your enthusiasm, I'd prefer other option to some video meeting currently, I see it as it's kind of early for doing such activity. I hope you understand.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright let's do this, you are right we can't simply make the whole app with no code platform. point noted.
However, we can extract them then modify them then publish them. ( we might require some volunteers to assist us)
We can move to private messages as well for sure.
The exact model should be Samsung Galaxy Note Fan Edition.
Model Number: SM-N935F/DS
Android version: 9
Previously there was an APK file called King Root that does the job, it was used once on a Lenovo phone, however, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Regarding the video meeting, we can disregard it, that should be fine.
How about creating a backup on the PC instead of getting another phone?!
Thanks much for your help,
We will get these stickers out sooner or later.
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