Change version number in apk - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

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).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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!

Related

[Q] apk decompiled, recompiled, signed won't install

Hello,
I'm trying to hack an apk.
My first step was to use apk multi tool, and to just decompile and recompile it.
This is what i've done:
decompiling
recompiling (without any mod)
signing
No error appears during those steps.
But this new apk won't install on my phone !
If I check difference between the two apk:
all xml files are differents
.RSA and .SF have not the same name
classes.dex, resources.arsc and manifest.mf are differents
I don't understand those difference. can somebody help me to understand that and how to recomile a proper version ?
PS: This app is a french app that shows speed cameras on the road. However this app is now only showing a big zone and not the exact location for france. But it stills show precise location for other countries, so obfuscation is done at the apk level, and I already found where it is in the code, so i'd like to bypass it and recompile a "special' version
Thanx
Just a few quick questions. Is you phone set to install from sources than Droid market? You do know the newly compiled and signed project will be located in the "place_package _here_ for_Modding" folder and is named "Signed(yourappnamehere).apk?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium
Hi,
yes, i took the newly compiled apk in this directory, and yes my phone is set accept unknown sources.
When i install the apk, i first have the
- liste of phones serviesc that will be used
- then the install progress bar
- then the message "application not installed"
I guess there is some kind of protection in the sources...
I also noticed that the two apk - original, and resigned one - don't have same size.
The only difference is actually in the META-INF directory : the .RSA and the .SF files.
In the original application they are:
- IFOX_.RSA
- IFOX_.SF
But when recompiling, those files are:
- CERT.RSA
- CERT.SF
I'm shure the problem comes from here, but i'm too noob to analyse that...
So my proble can be sum-up by:
Why the recompilation doesn not give me the same RSA and SF file ??
Beware there are some modifications that you cant do on decs, expecially the packagename.
also beware to disable the "non-market" tag on the phone.
Yes, but for the moment i didn't make any modification:
Just decompiling, recompiling and resigning.
Maybe you want to tell that the apk name must stay the same ? (sorry my english is not perfect )
GOT IT WORKED !!!
You must first uninstall the previous application !
I was trying to install my new one over the old one, but the signatures are not the same !!!
Thanx everybody, and hope this will help somebody !
APK edit error 103
Ok im having a similar issue.
I know the file size is mismatched but ive never had this issue
as a test i only modded 1 thing but 4 files
changed a link in an html / changed an image and its name and the html included the link to the new name
when this failed i changed the manifest and the .sf to match the change i made with name but not the sha :"no clue here"
Tried...
APK multi tool ... and 7zip to make the mods
Tried... Bothsigned and unsigned.
Tried copying the sig from old apk to new with names corrected "notsha" fail still
Tried....
Origional APK installs no issue
Uninstall orig apk rebooted
Allow out side apps yes and no.both
using file manager explorer and root browser and es file manager
Copying directly to /system/app fail
copying to data/data/app/copy fail " yes it wont even copy to there"
Tried.. Multiple phones
I then tried a hex editor on the apk. And after changes install still fail.
I modded several other apk's even my framework but this is the first app that ha given me so many issues
This is an app to help elderly users access internet and the devs are AWOL and the project abandoned
Code:
https drive google com/folderview?id=0B5PggxVy7c8meDhrcjNJOGs5cFk&usp=sharing
Code:
www eldy eu/en/software/eldy-tablet/‎
"edited for posting "
The goal here is to make it more U.S. friendly its English base is geared to English UK and this does not help my family as we are in the U.S.
All i can get from logcat is error 103
Logcat shows package it.vegans.eldy has no certificate at entry AndroidManifest.xml ignoring
Knstallation error code 103
I tried apk multitool certify thing
i tried copying the certs from old to new apk
i tried modding the cert to correct names
So maybe im mentally challenged but i just cant figure this one out
---
Edit .
I attached a zip with original and modified apk's
All i want to do is simple html edits xml link edits and img changes since mostly the app is a series of pages.

[Q] Converting Android Manifest.xml To readable, and vice-versa

Well, I was going to put an app up on the market for a seminar , [and yes, i did use that Google app Builder], so when i tried to upload it, it told me that some value in the AndroidManifest.xml had to be a 32-bit integer.
So, I opened up that apk, viewed the manifest.xml file, but it just looks like a load of gibberish to me -__-
Now, I'm a bit new to all of this, considering that 11th grade's keeping me a wee bit occupied, so I guess I'll need some help with this.
[And note: Umm. Do not flame me for coming up with this, I'm not blaming google's app builder, or anything like that, anyway]
I've come across a couple of things like apktool, but each time i run it, it tells me that there's a file in jre7 that cannot be opened, apparently. Touche :|
It's an old question, so I guess you don't care too much about the answer by now, but to help others with a similar query, there are 2 ways to read the AndroidManifest file if you have the apk file.
1) If you extract the apk to a PC, you can use the apktool or similar to get a text version of the AndroidManifest.xml file
2) Alternatively if you have the apk already installed on an Android device you can use something like App Detective (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zmarties.detective) to view the AndroidManifest.xml directly on the device, even for paid apps that you can't extract from the device. (Full disclosure, I wrote App Detective).

[Q] Recompiling java files back into classes.dex then back into apk files

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?.

[Q] Flappy bird modding

Hi, I modded flappy bird on an ios device. I just replaced that ****ty bird with something better looking.. so my friends liked it, and they wanted it on android. I've been trying for last 5 hours to get it working. I have downloaded flapping bird.apk and unpacked it. I opened assets folder and edited atlas.png in photoshop just as I did on ios device. Then, I created zip file and copied it to my android device, I opened ZipSigner and found my zip file, and set the output file location. I installed it and opened it. It opened, but when I clicked play.. it crushed
What did I do wrong?
Doctor Infinity said:
Hi, I modded flappy bird on an ios device. I just replaced that ****ty bird with something better looking.. so my friends liked it, and they wanted it on android. I've been trying for last 5 hours to get it working. I have downloaded flapping bird.apk and unpacked it. I opened assets folder and edited atlas.png in photoshop just as I did on ios device. Then, I created zip file and copied it to my android device, I opened ZipSigner and found my zip file, and set the output file location. I installed it and opened it. It opened, but when I clicked play.. it crushed
What did I do wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you decompile your FlappyBird.apk with apktool or a similar utility?
Also, after recompiling, did you sign before zipaligning?
Sent from my Galaxy Express using Tapatalk
Answer
You have to first decompile the apk file with a tool.
There are many tools that gives you this option.
After decompiling, you have to make changes inside the apk files.
After making changes, you have to recompile the apk and sign it and then zip align.
If any error shows up, you have to work on it and solve those before trying it out.
If you have successfully did the above, then the flappy bird will work.
iOS architecture is entirely different from android's architecture.
the_pirate_predator said:
You have to first decompile the apk file with a tool.
There are many tools that gives you this option.
After decompiling, you have to make changes inside the apk files.
After making changes, you have to recompile the apk and sign it and then zip align.
If any error shows up, you have to work on it and solve those before trying it out.
If you have successfully did the above, then the flappy bird will work.
iOS architecture is entirely different from android's architecture.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did all of them.
Doctor Infinity said:
Hi, I modded flappy bird on an ios device. I just replaced that ****ty bird with something better looking.. so my friends liked it, and they wanted it on android. I've been trying for last 5 hours to get it working. I have downloaded flapping bird.apk and unpacked it. I opened assets folder and edited atlas.png in photoshop just as I did on ios device. Then, I created zip file and copied it to my android device, I opened ZipSigner and found my zip file, and set the output file location. I installed it and opened it. It opened, but when I clicked play.. it crushed
What did I do wrong?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take 7-zip and tight click and open it as archive. Locate your pictures and drag your file into it. Install the app and you're done
lolerpro8 said:
Take 7-zip and tight click and open it as archive. Locate your pictures and drag your file into it. Install the app and you're done
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same problem..
Well don't know if I am decompiling, but I am unzipping it changing the picture and compressing to zip then using Formatter(a tool from a guy in this forum)I make it an apk then using apksigner I sign it and it crashes after I click play.
NOTE:I have made changes to other pictures and it didn't crash.
That is not decompiling the apk. Search for the tuts on how to do this. Also keep in mind that some devs are making the apks non mod able. Meaning they break if they are touched at all.
Bat cave One
zelendel said:
That is not decompiling the apk. Search for the tuts on how to do this. Also keep in mind that some devs are making the apks non mod able. Meaning they break if they are touched at all.
Bat cave One
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You dont have to decompile it to replace pictures
Could it it be something simple.... like they applied compression to the zip?
Use STORE (0% compression)
Sent from my Huawei Y301A1 using xda app-developers app
lolerpro8 said:
You dont have to decompile it to replace pictures
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No you don't unless your doing it the proper way. Still won't matter with some apps. They can't even be unzipped without breaking the apk
Bat cave One

Help modifying an apk

Good day,
I need help on modifying an apk, its basically a game that can be dowloaded on playstore. I read alot in the forum and I saw this APK tool reverse engineering an app.
apktool. I already ask a question but maybe it's better to create a new thread that I can monitor..
Now. what I achieved now is that I can decompile the apk, edit some things like splash.png, values on strings.xml and few line on androidmanifest.xml. I tried to recompile it and I have done it with no problem. Now i have the modified apk. I signed it using apk signer and followed all the procedure with no error. I copied it to my phone and test run it but sadly it says "App not installed". I also tried using zip signer from playstore and got the same result.. I dont know where am I messing it. Please help thanks.
There is Windows app called Virtuos Ten Studio, designed to do exactly that - it works pretty well and makes the whole process much easier (no need to use cmd line at all if I remember correctly).

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