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.
What do you think of this article?
Related
Hi,
I am about to assist in deploying a large amount of android device. The requirement is, that the devices (700+) need to be charged, configured and provisioned with the relevant applications for the end-users before delivery.
Device info:
Android 2.3.3
Samsung Galaxy SII
This is not windows mobile, so I am unsure if I can code/design a solution to avoid this enormous manual task.
Is it possible to code something for an sd-card that will be automatically triggered on insertion (as on WM)? This would then provision the device etc.
Is it possible to bypass the initial prompts - To my knowledge you will be prompted for entering the info for your google accounts?
If above is not possible, do I then need to create 700+ google accounts?
Hope someone can help
Brgds
It can also be via an active sync (ish) connection using a computer du provision the device?
A suggestion I received from another forum, was that I could: Make an update.zip for apps .Copy on SD card .Boot in recovery . Apply update.zip.
Would this be a feasible way to go?
odaugaard said:
A suggestion I received from another forum, was that I could: Make an update.zip for apps .Copy on SD card .Boot in recovery . Apply update.zip.
Would this be a feasible way to go?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We just deployed 100 EVO 4G's prior to the deployment we sent a mass email requesting the users create their own Google account and email us the info so we could setup their new phone with email and corporate email access. It took awhile to setup 100 android devices but it went smooth.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
You can use SureMDM from 42Gears for mass provisioning, application deployment and password policy enforcement on Android devices, including smartphones and tablets.
It does not require Google accounts. Install the agent directly on the devices and then use the web-based console to perform all of the above actions from one place. For e.g. you can push an apk on hundreds of devices with a single click.
On non-rooted phones installation of .apks will prompt the user to continue the action.
Free trial is available on the website 42Gears dot com
Similar situation here and am fielding any suggestions or ideas if things have changed in the last several months regarding deployment.
Scenerio:
Deploying approx 200 Asus Transformers in an educational setting
Wish List:
Setup all units using the same Google account, populate static name on the lockscreen, install 3 specific apps on each and the ability to identify each one individually on the market for individual app install by an "administrator".
Currently we are doing each unit manually and then having to wait a few minutes for the Market to populate the new unit and then changing the nickname to the bldg/room number. If we don't wait for the Market to refresh for the new device they will all show as Asus Transformer TF101 and obviously we will not know which device to send specific apps to when they are requested.
There just has to be a better way! I checked out SureMDM and it has a lot of features that we really don't need and it doesn't appear to accomplish what we do need.
Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated!
I know this is an old thread, but what about rooting and building a custom ROM for each unique device to let it do what you want? I'm thinking of doing something similar at the moment.
stephendt0 said:
I know this is an old thread, but what about rooting and building a custom ROM for each unique device to let it do what you want? I'm thinking of doing something similar at the moment.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably would work although Google now has a way to streamline deployment:
unfortunately I cannot post the direct link but goto developer dot android dot com/edu
This is a piece of very new work that is in progress, but the framework is coming into place and I wanted to share this with the community for feedback and insights.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gdVCIbstn3G-GJV1qPaBjlnD7h4bBcERUpgUSm-AI1Y/edit?usp=sharing
My goal is to both catalog and research the default applications that are installed. With this information I plan to better reduce the installed applications while maintaining functionality. This work is inspired by my own tooling around that I have done on the Galaxy Tab 2 as well as others from this sub-forum that have done similar such as dkido and airmaxx23 (links below). I initially tried their suggestions, however after I found them to be both too aggressive and not aggressive enough in different regards.
With this in mind, I just restored my phone via Odin and then Kies and I am currently working on documenting the apps that exist in /data/app, /system/app, system/priv-app. From there I will be using SD Maid to associate the generic "name" with the the package/process name and .apk. Afterwards I am not sure exactly how I will proceed but I will essentially collect as much data as possible about each individual application so that myself (and anyone else) can decide on what to keep and what to remove.
I plan to test each app by freezing it before ultimately deciding on removing or keeping it for my own install. I will document this process as best as I am able for my own reference if nothing else.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2767457
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2794481
Edit: And just for clarification. This is my current goal, hopefully I will not give up but we shall see.
I'll Look forward to your findings just curious how you plan to test functionality after each app removal. There is so many things that could break that you might not realize it's broken until it's too late and you have multiple apps removed.
AdamT6 said:
This is a piece of very new work that is in progress, but the framework is coming into place and I wanted to share this with the community for feedback and insights.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gdVCIbstn3G-GJV1qPaBjlnD7h4bBcERUpgUSm-AI1Y/edit?usp=sharing
My goal is to both catalog and research the default applications that are installed. With this information I plan to better reduce the installed applications while maintaining functionality. This work is inspired by my own tooling around that I have done on the Galaxy Tab 2 as well as others from this sub-forum that have done similar such as dkido and airmaxx23 (links below). I initially tried their suggestions, however after I found them to be both too aggressive and not aggressive enough in different regards.
With this in mind, I just restored my phone via Odin and then Kies and I am currently working on documenting the apps that exist in /data/app, /system/app, system/priv-app. From there I will be using SD Maid to associate the generic "name" with the the package/process name and .apk. Afterwards I am not sure exactly how I will proceed but I will essentially collect as much data as possible about each individual application so that myself (and anyone else) can decide on what to keep and what to remove.
I plan to test each app by freezing it before ultimately deciding on removing or keeping it for my own install. I will document this process as best as I am able for my own reference if nothing else.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2767457
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2794481
Edit: And just for clarification. This is my current goal, hopefully I will not give up but we shall see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is a link to my post with all of the apps that I have removed from 4.4.2 (NC4), it may be helpful for you. Keep in mind that some apps still run even when frozen, your best bet would be to just move them to an external sdcard or rename them.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2794481
airmaxx23 said:
Here is a link to my post with all of the apps that I have removed from 4.4.2 (NC4), it may be helpful for you. Keep in mind that some apps still run even when frozen, your best bet would be to just move them to an external sdcard or rename them.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2794481
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks airmaxx23, I referenced you and that link above.
Grompy said:
I'll Look forward to your findings just curious how you plan to test functionality after each app removal. There is so many things that could break that you might not realize it's broken until it's too late and you have multiple apps removed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah Grompy, it will no doubt come down to what I find necessary and that which I do not use may well get missed (or straight up eradicated ). With that said I plan to reference other sources and hopefully that will help.
Here is the document containing my aims and goals for my own install which should help clarify what might get missed and what should not: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12BAY77gMZC752JEzA43q1Lml2jEZVTn5fvIswoOdtYg/edit?usp=sharing
Moving forward and for the time being, here are some links that I have pulled from the generic Note 3 forums that should be of added help. The Google docs link provides much of what I am aiming for here but is a bit messy.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2642101&page=2
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2642101&page=3
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2464694
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2624696
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2759839
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2687484
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=51304796&postcount=22
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=51422639&postcount=29
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2687484&page=5
https://docs.google.com/a/anihil.or...ZzBfWlR4MC03aDMyZ1BDUFNqU0E&usp=sharing#gid=0
Just another helpful link I found courtesy of the Jasmine Rom thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=53263649&postcount=1103
For the time being I am exploring NC4 compatible ROMs and I may not make much if any progress on this. Some handy links above though if nothing else.
OK, I know, some of you would tell my friend to just root the phone, delete the offending APK, and get on with it. Problem is it's under warranty, and he just isn't confident with hacking the device for now. He stumbled upon what appears to be an SMS malware app in /system, and while a few virus scanners flagged it as malicious, Kphone's customer support apparently shrugs it off in a (automated) reply to my friend's inquiry.
My friend bought it off QVC, and so far we haven't succeded in convincing either the manufacturer or QVC in recalling the device and/or issuing an OTA zip to rectify the issue in some way. To put it another way, we need confirmation that the app is of malicious nature, regardless of how the manufacturer tries to downplay or cover things up. I could more or less dechiper the code, but I'm no Java expert so any help would be appreciated.
Hello. I am the OP's friend here. I'm here to share some more details about the APK file and what programs detect it.
First off, this phone piqued my interest when it was actually shown on air late one night on the QVC network, which I don't usually watch much. I got the phone, and upon the recommendation of Blake and another friend, the first thing I did was run Malwarebytes on the Kphone. It initially picked up the APK as a generic SMSSend trojan variant, but after sending in the APK to Malwarebytes for a more detailed analysis, they reclassified it a not-as-severe PUP/Riskware. Another mobile antivirus app, AVG, also detected this APK as an SMSSend variant, but upon rescanning the device a few days ago, it no longer flags this APK. No other AV app I tried flags it, and I have tried ESET, 360 Security, Avast, Kaspersky, Sophos, and Avira. For the AV apps that detected the APK, removal is impossible since it's installed in the system folder. The phone isn't rooted out of the box.
I did initially email QVC about this potential problem, and they claimed to forward my concern to the proper department. I haven't heard from them since and the phone is still listed for sale. I also contacted Kphone's support site. After a few days, they replied back and stated that the file is meant for "international use" and it's a false positive. While the CSR could just be trying to cover up malicious activity, the fact that AVG seems to have removed the file from it's definition files seems to indicate a bit of truth behind their explanation. Even so, we do need a second opinion, which is why my friend put the file up here for further analysis.
It would be a shame too if the file is indeed malicious since the Kphone itself is rather great for the price. The performance and screen are great overall and it would actually make a good Android-based media player if you don't plan on using it as a phone.
wb8976 said:
Hello. I am the OP's friend here. I'm here to share some more details about the APK file and what programs detect it.
First off, this phone piqued my interest when it was actually shown on air late one night on the QVC network, which I don't usually watch much. I got the phone, and upon the recommendation of Blake and another friend, the first thing I did was run Malwarebytes on the Kphone. It initially picked up the APK as a generic SMSSend trojan variant, but after sending in the APK to Malwarebytes for a more detailed analysis, they reclassified it a not-as-severe PUP/Riskware. Another mobile antivirus app, AVG, also detected this APK as an SMSSend variant, but upon rescanning the device a few days ago, it no longer flags this APK. No other AV app I tried flags it, and I have tried ESET, 360 Security, Avast, Kaspersky, Sophos, and Avira. For the AV apps that detected the APK, removal is impossible since it's installed in the system folder. The phone isn't rooted out of the box.
I did initially email QVC about this potential problem, and they claimed to forward my concern to the proper department. I haven't heard from them since and the phone is still listed for sale. I also contacted Kphone's support site. After a few days, they replied back and stated that the file is meant for "international use" and it's a false positive. While the CSR could just be trying to cover up malicious activity, the fact that AVG seems to have removed the file from it's definition files seems to indicate a bit of truth behind their explanation. Even so, we do need a second opinion, which is why my friend put the file up here for further analysis.
It would be a shame too if the file is indeed malicious since the Kphone itself is rather great for the price. The performance and screen are great overall and it would actually make a good Android-based media player if you don't plan on using it as a phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And it's just as much of a disappointment when similar low-cost Android devices end up being tainted OOB, as what you mentioned on our forum some time ago, and when a friend of mine recalled a tablet belonging to a kid whose parent or relative is a friend of his, to which they had a rather hard time due to the sheer amount of popup ads being shoved up their throats, all thanks to the malware that's present in /system.
Mobile virus scanner apps are ****.
(Atleast most of them.)
I saw 360 security flaged share it.apk as a malware and deleted all my files.
So,I recommend u to get d help of a pc and run a anti-v test.
If it still shows as a malware then disable it from system.
For rooted user's, there's some easy solution like,
delete/freeze/denying permissions.
good luck
BatDroid said:
Mobile virus scanner apps are ****.
(Atleast most of them.)
I saw 360 security flaged share it.apk as a malware and deleted all my files.
So,I recommend u to get d help of a pc and run a anti-v test.
If it still shows as a malware then disable it from system.
For rooted user's, there's some easy solution like,
delete/freeze/denying permissions.
good luck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The desktop edition of Avast flagged the APK as malicious, so that's one red flag for me.
blakegriplingph said:
The desktop edition of Avast flagged the APK as malicious, so that's one red flag for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The mobile version of Avast seemed to just scan a handful of apps and did not detect the APK.
The only AV apps on my PC are Windows Defender and the PC version of Malwarebytes. Both don't flag the APK.
If one could take a look at the code and determine what it does, that could give us a better picture as to what the APK does. We did glance at some of the source code and found what appear to be various Chinese phone numbers and a server URL that seems to belong to the manufacturer of the Kphone K5, K-Touch. These can be red flags on their own, and if the rest of the APK code could be better analyzed, the meanings of these strings could be clearer.
wb8976 said:
The mobile version of Avast seemed to just scan a handful of apps and did not detect the APK.
The only AV apps on my PC are Windows Defender and the PC version of Malwarebytes. Both don't flag the APK.
If one could take a look at the code and determine what it does, that could give us a better picture as to what the APK does. We did glance at some of the source code and found what appear to be various Chinese phone numbers and a server URL that seems to belong to the manufacturer of the Kphone K5, K-Touch. These can be red flags on their own, and if the rest of the APK code could be better analyzed, the meanings of these strings could be clearer.
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I could barely understand what the code does apart from a few functions, but it's still perturbing given the malware my friends and I encountered with no-name tabs previously.
Hi guys, not sure if this is the right place to do this but i've got a question i hope i can get clarified here with you experts
I am a PM that is in charge of a managing the delivery and development of a business's mobile application. Recently the company is looking to get rid of the incumbent developer due to unprofessional-ism and exorbitant fees. The other technology partner i am directly engaging with is a newly appointed development house and is tasked to clone the app and add additional features the incumbent refuses to add on.
Come launch date, the business requires the new app to replace the old app. To the existing customer base, the goal is to ensure that the transition is as seamless as possible. They are hoping that when existing users open the app, they will be prompted to install an update where the old one is then replaced with the old one. As such, is it possible for the new technology partners to this? What are the necessary steps required? I am trying to ensure that all necessary precautions and dependencies are covered to ensure any potential backlash / fallout. Is it as simple as obtaining the app certificate and ensuring the apk is named exactly the same? Any advice would be helpful.
The worst case scenario here would be to get the users to reinstall the app entirely or treat it as a completely separate app. :crying:
You need the signature keys of your first developer to sign the new APK which needs to have the same package name. And access to the dev console. Then you can upload the new app which will be treated as every other update by Google Play. Without changing the first app you won't be able to force the users to update AFAIK.
Fellhuhn said:
You need the signature keys of your first developer to sign the new APK which needs to have the same package name. And access to the dev console. Then you can upload the new app which will be treated as every other update by Google Play. Without changing the first app you won't be able to force the users to update AFAIK.
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Hi thanks for the reply. Much appreciated! Would this be similar for iOS as well?
Relating to the last statement. What do you mean by "without changing the first app.."
androFRUST said:
Hi thanks for the reply. Much appreciated! Would this be similar for iOS as well?
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I don't have enough experience with iOS to comment on that.
Relating to the last statement. What do you mean by "without changing the first app.."
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While you can upload a new version of the same app the users would still have to manually (or automatically if their device is configured that way) download it. Google released a "forced update" API a while ago. If that is included in your old app that might help. Otherwise you would have to add it manually which would require access to the source code. But then the users would have to manually update too so it would be quite useless.
So one way to force them to update is to disable all APIs the app might use but that might alienate the users as they have no clue why it stopped working. So as long as you have no notification system that is working right now you have to depend on your users updating.
Hi all . Anyone else had the Tiktok app forced onto the A10 after a compulsory update and now on the O/S as an ESSENTIAL APP and cannot be deleted. Even the icon cannot be deleted off the screen.
So for me this is a step too far and wont be buying any Samsung products again. The phone was about to go in the electrical bin but I came across a program called ADB. Anyone used this to delete Tiktok. The app is not even listed in the apps section. So as its built into the O/S can ADB actually delete it permanently. As many are saying its not an essential app and some say its due to a lucrative deal . Odd Samsung wanting democracy yet force this on those who don't wont it globally. Its about blatant lack of democratic choice. I do know some newer Samsung Android owners that have not had it forced upon them. So am wondering if Samsung thought the older phone users may not complain so much is one of just several thoughts that come into mind.
I've not used ADB and see it appears to be used by developers only. In short can it delete this app built into the O/S - otherwise phone goes in the bin. Any non developer done this. I've searched many threads and am surprised no other comments concerning Tiktok as an essential app ? and one must accept it or have no phone. So I have no phone currently. Am looking at alternatives. Hard resets make no difference. Thanks for any info or thoughts on this.