Xposed FAQ / Known issues

Status
Not open for further replies.
Search This thread

rovo89

Senior Recognized Developer
Jan 4, 2012
2,585
81,433
Where can I find general information on Xposed, e.g. how to install it?
In this thread.

Does this require root access?
Yes, because it replaces a file in /system/bin. Once the framework is installed, it should work without root access.

For which devices/ROMs does it work?
I develop the Xposed framework based on the AOSP sources. I'm personally using CM10.2 on an I9100 (Samsung Galaxy S2, bought in Germany). Basically, it should work on any phone which with a ROM based on Android 4.0 or later and an ARM or x86 processor (this is the processor architecture, almost all smart phones and tablets have either of those). Exceptions might be ROMs which are different from the original Android code in some very internal, central code parts (which don't need to be touched for most theming and enhancement modifications). But this is related to the ROM, not the phone itself.

The modules target higher-level code, so they are more likely to be incompatible with your ROM. Basically, the question is whether the methods and resources which the module modifies are similar on your ROM and on the developer's ROM. Let's say a module needs to modify the result of a certain method call. For this, it needs to specify the exact name and parameters that identify that method. If the in your ROM, an additional parameter has been added, the module can't find the method anymore and won't work. If the method can still be found, it will probably work (unless the rest of the app/ROM has changed too much).

There is not definite answer whether it will work. Just try it (of course, making a nandroid backup before is never a bad idea). If it doesn't work, just disable the module. You might want to inform the module developer (not me!) about this fact and provide details (e.g. a logcat and/or the content of /data/data/de.robv.android.xposed.installer/log/debug.log).

What about Gingerbread? Or any other Android version before 4.0.3?
An experimental version for Gingerbread made by liudongmiao can be found here: http://xdaforums.com/xposed/-t2739034.
Note that I cannot give any support for it, please direct your feedback to @liudongmiao.

Are there known incompatibilities?
There seem to be issues with AOKP nightlies. For more details, please read this post.

There seem to be issues (bootloops) with the Oppo Framework, I don't have a fix yet.

On some HTC One phones with CM11, the System UI force crashes. This seems to be caused by SELinux restrictions. Executing "restorecon /system/bin/app_process" (as root, e.g. with adb shell) should help against the FCs, but Xposed might not work due to other SELinux restrictions. If you have the possibility to disable SELinux enforcing mode, you can try that.
If you are an SELinux expert and would like to help, please contact me.

Apart from that, obviously it won't work if the conditions mention above aren't met, e.g. if your phone isn't rooted or it is running on a pre-ICS ROM.

How can I install it?
See the first post. The framework installation needs to be done only once (and on updates), then it can be used for any modules.

Does Xposed get disabled if I flash a new ROM?
Yes, because the file it modifies, /system/bin/app_process, is part of every ROM and will be overwritten when you flash a ROM. However, as long as you don't wipe data, the Xposed Installer app will still be installed, so you can just click on "install/update" again in the Framework section and reboot.

For CyanogenMod-based ROMs, there is an easy solution: [1] and [2]. This will reactivate Xposed automatically after you flash a new ROM/nightly.
For other ROMs, you can try this one. Be careful, it will disable Xposed again if you flash it twice!

Isn't this insecure?
In a way, yes. With great power comes great risk. On the other hand, other ways of modifying your phone are also open to malicious coding. For more details see this post.

Why do I have to enable a module after installing it? Couldn't you skip this additional step?
This is for security reasons (see the question above). By making you confirm that you want to use a module, apps cannot contain hidden Xposed modules. The same could be done with an additional permission, but I'm not sure if everyone would recognize that and it is harder to implement. As a bonus, this toggle allows you to temporarily disable a modification or to ship an app that contains an optional Xposed module.

How do I develop my own modification using the Xposed framework?
First make sure that Xposed is working fine for you. Then read this extensive tutorial.

Why isn't the Xposed Installer available via Play Store?
I have several reasons for that. I wrote about it in this post. And as I learned, Google does indeed sometimes remove apps which interfere with other apps.

From my point of view, you are free to publish the modules you develop on Play Store (at your own risk - Google might remove them). However, be careful if you plan to get money from them. Paid apps are stored in encrypted containers, which means Xposed can't load them at boot time.

Where can I donate some money to support you?
http://repo.xposed.info/donate

Am I allowed to fork Xposed and publish my own version? What should I consider?
I have written this down in a separate post: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=46325320&postcount=4372

Can I include Xposed in my ROM?
First of all: One reason why I developed Xposed was to avoid the need to flash anything just for a few small changes. So Xposed is designed to work on top of ROMs, not as a part of them.

That said, I don't forbid you to include it. Here are the conditions:
  1. I won't support you in the process of including it. You'll have to figure out the best way to do it yourself. The easiest way (which will also cause the least problems) is probably to simply put the installer and the modules into /system/app, then your users just need to click the "install/update" button, activate the modules they want and reboot.
    There might be ways to really pre-install Xposed so that it's working out of the box, but I don't recommend that. You have to be very careful about file permissions, so there is a good chance it won't work. Again, absolutely no support for this.
  2. I won't support your users with problems which might have been caused by using the included version instead of installing it normally.
  3. When your users report problems which are probably not related to including Xposed in the ROM, please try to give them some support yourself. If you can't find a solution, send them to the correct help thread. For example, this thread is only for the framework. Not for any modules, not even my own.
  4. I expect you to include the latest versions, which are usually the ones working best. I won't support older versions.
  5. Your users must be able to update to the latest version, preferably without installing a new version of your ROM. Again, I won't support older versions.
  6. From the previous point, it follows that you need to include the original APKs, otherwise updating is not possible due to a certificate mismatch. This is even more important since updates are possible from within the app. It also avoids confusion, like users wanting support for any modifications you might have made.
  7. You probably want to include some modules. There are many modules that are not written by myself. Therefore, you need to get permission from the module authors as well. For modules written by myself, the same conditions which you are just reading apply.
  8. Please give proper credit (which includes a link to this thread for the framework). Don't sell it as your own work.

You might have the impression now that I'm not a big fan of including Xposed in a ROM. This impression is correct. It's not too hard to install Xposed and any attempts to pre-install Xposed will just cause additonal support requests.
Why don't you just recommend Xposed in your ROM thread, along with the place where they can download it (this thread) and some instructions how to get the most out of it for your ROM? Give your users some choice!
 
Last edited:

rovo89

Senior Recognized Developer
Jan 4, 2012
2,585
81,433
The following posts list known, confirmed issues of the Xposed framework/installer. The intention is to give more information about the symptoms, the background and possible solutions/workarounds.

I won't add every reported issue here, but only when it's clear (e.g. through analyzed logs) that the problem is indeed an incompatibility with Xposed. It doesn't include module issues and the inability to read and follow instructions.

In case you have found a solution/workaround for one of the issues, please let me know.
 
Last edited:

rovo89

Senior Recognized Developer
Jan 4, 2012
2,585
81,433
ART / Android L / Android Lollipop / Android 5.0

Symptom:
You want to use Xposed and ART. However, as soon as you install Xposed, the runtime is reverted back to Dalvik.
Or you want to install Xposed on Android L, but it displays a message that it's not compatible.

Background:
There is no Xposed support for ART (yet), therefore Xposed automatically reverts the runtime to Dalvik. You can be glad that I implemented this, otherwise you would end up in a bootloop. It's a completely different architecture with pretty much no documentation. Rewriting Xposed for the ART runtime requires understanding the concept, the code structure and many details to know how it works. I have already spent dozens of hours on that and some things are working. But still it's a long way ahead. Don't expect even a test version in the near future. So please don't ask when it will be available - you will surely know when it is ready. I have nothing else to say about that.

Update: ART might be become the default runtime environment in the next Android version. You can read my thoughts about this here.

Update 2: The Android L developer preview is out. Don't try to install Xposed on this ROM! Check here for some explanations and status: http://xdaforums.com/xposed/android-l-support-t2797923

Update 3: An alpha version for Lollipop is available now: http://xdaforums.com/xposed/official-xposed-lollipop-t3030118
 
Last edited:

rovo89

Senior Recognized Developer
Jan 4, 2012
2,585
81,433
Square Enix games (e.g. Final Fantasy) / Puzzles & Dragons

Symptom:
If you have activated Xposed and any module, some Square Enix games (e.g. Final Fantasy) and Puzzles & Dragons don't start anymore.

Background:
I have spent several hours analyzing this issue. Here are my findings: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=42331031&postcount=1701

Solution:
I don't think I will be able to fix this. Some users reported that it's working after converting Xposed and modules to system apps (but I didn't test it and you have to do this after every update).
Otherwise, you could press the "uninstall" button in the Xposed Installer, reboot, play the game, afterwards press the "install/update" button and reboot again.
 
Last edited:

rovo89

Senior Recognized Developer
Jan 4, 2012
2,585
81,433
Aliyun OS

Symptom:
You experience bootloops after installing Xposed and you find files like /system/framework/core.jex. Typical devices where this happens are THL T100S (with a MediaTek MT6592 processor), THL W200S, CUBOT X6, several ones from Zopo, ...

Background:
These devices ship with ROMs that are based on an incompatible Android fork called "Aliyun OS". These ROMs have a proprietary ahead-of-time compiler called "jazz, which is incompatible with Xposed.

Solution:
No chance of fixing this within Xposed. It was reported that deodexing the ROM and then deleting the /system/framework/*.jex files helps, however you won't get any support for this in the Xposed subforum.
Another possibility might be to disable the JIT compiler by adding "dalvik.vm.execution-mode=int:fast" to /system/build.prop or /data/local.prop (might have an impact on performance). See https://github.com/rovo89/Xposed/issues/14 for details.
 
Last edited:

rovo89

Senior Recognized Developer
Jan 4, 2012
2,585
81,433
MIUI/Dexspy

Symptom:
You experience bootloops after installing Xposed on MIUI. There are references to "Dexspy" in /system/bin/app_process and /system/framework/*.

Background:
There are modified versions of Xposed that have been integrated into some MIUI ROMs. I don't know the details, I don't know if that's still the case for current ROMs, and I don't have the time to follow up on this.

Solution:
Sorry, but I can't support you with this. MIUI is closed-source and in some parts heavily modified from AOSP. I don't have the time to keep track of their changes, and due to some bad handling from their side in the past (forking Xposed without any credit, removing all references to the original project and myself), I'm not very motivated to do so. If you're lucky, Xposed might work on your MIUI ROM. If it doesn't, you'll have to find someone else to look into it. If someone creates a clean patch that doesn't break Xposed on other ROMs, we can talk about including it, but otherwise you'll have to decide between MIUI and Xposed.
 
Last edited:

rovo89

Senior Recognized Developer
Jan 4, 2012
2,585
81,433
Segmentation fault

Symptom:
During the framework installation, you get messages that contain "Segmentation fault". This usually happens on ICS ROMs.

Background:
For some reason, the BusyBox binary that comes with Xposed doesn't work with your ROM.

Solution:
Install the attached app, it contains BusyBox binaries which are compiled with different settings, with all dependencies included in the file. Due to this, the incompatibilities should be gone. These files aren't included by default because they are much larger and not needed by most users.
 

Attachments

  • XposedInstallerStaticBusyBox_v1.apk
    279.3 KB · Views: 387,277
Last edited:

rovo89

Senior Recognized Developer
Jan 4, 2012
2,585
81,433
Resources subclass

Symptom:
You can install Xposed 2.6+ and your phone is still booting afterwards. The version numbers are shown in green in the framework section. However, no modules are working. In the Xposed error log, you find a message like:
Code:
java.lang.ClassCastException: class android.content.res.XResources doesn't extend class x.y.z
You might have a ROM from Huawei, Nubia, ...

Background:
These ROMs use a similar approach as Xposed to theme resources. They create a subclass of Resources which takes care of special handling and return an instances of it from getTopLevelResources(). If Xposed replaced this class with its own XResources implementation, then it would a) break the ROM's additional functionality and b) probably cause crashes if the ROM tries to use this functionality.

Solution:
As a workaround, you can simply disable the resources API in the Xposed Installer settings. Some modules won't work anymore, but most should still work.
Mid-term, I hope that I can build a solution that works with such ROMs as well, however it will take some time.
 
Last edited:

rovo89

Senior Recognized Developer
Jan 4, 2012
2,585
81,433
Huge log file

Symptom:
Your disk space is getting low and you find out that much of it is taken up by Xposed Installer (sometimes several 100 MB). You think that this is a bug in Xposed.

Background:
It's most likely not a bug in the Xposed framework, but a bug or incompatibility of a module. One reason might be the removal of a hack in Xposed 2.6. That hack had a side-effect that some modules relied upon. The might also be other issues, for example the module might simple not be made for your ROM.
In any case, such modules might run into errors frequently and log each of them, causing the huge log files.

Solution:
First, find out which module is causing this. You can check the log file in the Xposed Installer. Somewhere near the top of the exception call stacks (beginning with "at ..."), you can usually find the package name of the module that caused it.
Next, make sure that the module is updated. To be on the safe side, you should update all modules. Then you can clear the log file and reboot.
If there are still issues, please go to the support thread of the module. Check if your ROM is supported and whether somebody else has already reported the issues. If not, post your error.log there and ask the developer to have a look at it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top Liked Posts

  • There are no posts matching your filters.
  • 1390
    Where can I find general information on Xposed, e.g. how to install it?
    In this thread.

    Does this require root access?
    Yes, because it replaces a file in /system/bin. Once the framework is installed, it should work without root access.

    For which devices/ROMs does it work?
    I develop the Xposed framework based on the AOSP sources. I'm personally using CM10.2 on an I9100 (Samsung Galaxy S2, bought in Germany). Basically, it should work on any phone which with a ROM based on Android 4.0 or later and an ARM or x86 processor (this is the processor architecture, almost all smart phones and tablets have either of those). Exceptions might be ROMs which are different from the original Android code in some very internal, central code parts (which don't need to be touched for most theming and enhancement modifications). But this is related to the ROM, not the phone itself.

    The modules target higher-level code, so they are more likely to be incompatible with your ROM. Basically, the question is whether the methods and resources which the module modifies are similar on your ROM and on the developer's ROM. Let's say a module needs to modify the result of a certain method call. For this, it needs to specify the exact name and parameters that identify that method. If the in your ROM, an additional parameter has been added, the module can't find the method anymore and won't work. If the method can still be found, it will probably work (unless the rest of the app/ROM has changed too much).

    There is not definite answer whether it will work. Just try it (of course, making a nandroid backup before is never a bad idea). If it doesn't work, just disable the module. You might want to inform the module developer (not me!) about this fact and provide details (e.g. a logcat and/or the content of /data/data/de.robv.android.xposed.installer/log/debug.log).

    What about Gingerbread? Or any other Android version before 4.0.3?
    An experimental version for Gingerbread made by liudongmiao can be found here: http://xdaforums.com/xposed/-t2739034.
    Note that I cannot give any support for it, please direct your feedback to @liudongmiao.

    Are there known incompatibilities?
    There seem to be issues with AOKP nightlies. For more details, please read this post.

    There seem to be issues (bootloops) with the Oppo Framework, I don't have a fix yet.

    On some HTC One phones with CM11, the System UI force crashes. This seems to be caused by SELinux restrictions. Executing "restorecon /system/bin/app_process" (as root, e.g. with adb shell) should help against the FCs, but Xposed might not work due to other SELinux restrictions. If you have the possibility to disable SELinux enforcing mode, you can try that.
    If you are an SELinux expert and would like to help, please contact me.

    Apart from that, obviously it won't work if the conditions mention above aren't met, e.g. if your phone isn't rooted or it is running on a pre-ICS ROM.

    How can I install it?
    See the first post. The framework installation needs to be done only once (and on updates), then it can be used for any modules.

    Does Xposed get disabled if I flash a new ROM?
    Yes, because the file it modifies, /system/bin/app_process, is part of every ROM and will be overwritten when you flash a ROM. However, as long as you don't wipe data, the Xposed Installer app will still be installed, so you can just click on "install/update" again in the Framework section and reboot.

    For CyanogenMod-based ROMs, there is an easy solution: [1] and [2]. This will reactivate Xposed automatically after you flash a new ROM/nightly.
    For other ROMs, you can try this one. Be careful, it will disable Xposed again if you flash it twice!

    Isn't this insecure?
    In a way, yes. With great power comes great risk. On the other hand, other ways of modifying your phone are also open to malicious coding. For more details see this post.

    Why do I have to enable a module after installing it? Couldn't you skip this additional step?
    This is for security reasons (see the question above). By making you confirm that you want to use a module, apps cannot contain hidden Xposed modules. The same could be done with an additional permission, but I'm not sure if everyone would recognize that and it is harder to implement. As a bonus, this toggle allows you to temporarily disable a modification or to ship an app that contains an optional Xposed module.

    How do I develop my own modification using the Xposed framework?
    First make sure that Xposed is working fine for you. Then read this extensive tutorial.

    Why isn't the Xposed Installer available via Play Store?
    I have several reasons for that. I wrote about it in this post. And as I learned, Google does indeed sometimes remove apps which interfere with other apps.

    From my point of view, you are free to publish the modules you develop on Play Store (at your own risk - Google might remove them). However, be careful if you plan to get money from them. Paid apps are stored in encrypted containers, which means Xposed can't load them at boot time.

    Where can I donate some money to support you?
    http://repo.xposed.info/donate

    Am I allowed to fork Xposed and publish my own version? What should I consider?
    I have written this down in a separate post: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=46325320&postcount=4372

    Can I include Xposed in my ROM?
    First of all: One reason why I developed Xposed was to avoid the need to flash anything just for a few small changes. So Xposed is designed to work on top of ROMs, not as a part of them.

    That said, I don't forbid you to include it. Here are the conditions:
    1. I won't support you in the process of including it. You'll have to figure out the best way to do it yourself. The easiest way (which will also cause the least problems) is probably to simply put the installer and the modules into /system/app, then your users just need to click the "install/update" button, activate the modules they want and reboot.
      There might be ways to really pre-install Xposed so that it's working out of the box, but I don't recommend that. You have to be very careful about file permissions, so there is a good chance it won't work. Again, absolutely no support for this.
    2. I won't support your users with problems which might have been caused by using the included version instead of installing it normally.
    3. When your users report problems which are probably not related to including Xposed in the ROM, please try to give them some support yourself. If you can't find a solution, send them to the correct help thread. For example, this thread is only for the framework. Not for any modules, not even my own.
    4. I expect you to include the latest versions, which are usually the ones working best. I won't support older versions.
    5. Your users must be able to update to the latest version, preferably without installing a new version of your ROM. Again, I won't support older versions.
    6. From the previous point, it follows that you need to include the original APKs, otherwise updating is not possible due to a certificate mismatch. This is even more important since updates are possible from within the app. It also avoids confusion, like users wanting support for any modifications you might have made.
    7. You probably want to include some modules. There are many modules that are not written by myself. Therefore, you need to get permission from the module authors as well. For modules written by myself, the same conditions which you are just reading apply.
    8. Please give proper credit (which includes a link to this thread for the framework). Don't sell it as your own work.

    You might have the impression now that I'm not a big fan of including Xposed in a ROM. This impression is correct. It's not too hard to install Xposed and any attempts to pre-install Xposed will just cause additonal support requests.
    Why don't you just recommend Xposed in your ROM thread, along with the place where they can download it (this thread) and some instructions how to get the most out of it for your ROM? Give your users some choice!
    400
    ART / Android L / Android Lollipop / Android 5.0

    Symptom:
    You want to use Xposed and ART. However, as soon as you install Xposed, the runtime is reverted back to Dalvik.
    Or you want to install Xposed on Android L, but it displays a message that it's not compatible.

    Background:
    There is no Xposed support for ART (yet), therefore Xposed automatically reverts the runtime to Dalvik. You can be glad that I implemented this, otherwise you would end up in a bootloop. It's a completely different architecture with pretty much no documentation. Rewriting Xposed for the ART runtime requires understanding the concept, the code structure and many details to know how it works. I have already spent dozens of hours on that and some things are working. But still it's a long way ahead. Don't expect even a test version in the near future. So please don't ask when it will be available - you will surely know when it is ready. I have nothing else to say about that.

    Update: ART might be become the default runtime environment in the next Android version. You can read my thoughts about this here.

    Update 2: The Android L developer preview is out. Don't try to install Xposed on this ROM! Check here for some explanations and status: http://xdaforums.com/xposed/android-l-support-t2797923

    Update 3: An alpha version for Lollipop is available now: http://xdaforums.com/xposed/official-xposed-lollipop-t3030118
    81
    MIUI/Dexspy

    Symptom:
    You experience bootloops after installing Xposed on MIUI. There are references to "Dexspy" in /system/bin/app_process and /system/framework/*.

    Background:
    There are modified versions of Xposed that have been integrated into some MIUI ROMs. I don't know the details, I don't know if that's still the case for current ROMs, and I don't have the time to follow up on this.

    Solution:
    Sorry, but I can't support you with this. MIUI is closed-source and in some parts heavily modified from AOSP. I don't have the time to keep track of their changes, and due to some bad handling from their side in the past (forking Xposed without any credit, removing all references to the original project and myself), I'm not very motivated to do so. If you're lucky, Xposed might work on your MIUI ROM. If it doesn't, you'll have to find someone else to look into it. If someone creates a clean patch that doesn't break Xposed on other ROMs, we can talk about including it, but otherwise you'll have to decide between MIUI and Xposed.
    70
    Segmentation fault

    Symptom:
    During the framework installation, you get messages that contain "Segmentation fault". This usually happens on ICS ROMs.

    Background:
    For some reason, the BusyBox binary that comes with Xposed doesn't work with your ROM.

    Solution:
    Install the attached app, it contains BusyBox binaries which are compiled with different settings, with all dependencies included in the file. Due to this, the incompatibilities should be gone. These files aren't included by default because they are much larger and not needed by most users.
    59
    Resources subclass

    Symptom:
    You can install Xposed 2.6+ and your phone is still booting afterwards. The version numbers are shown in green in the framework section. However, no modules are working. In the Xposed error log, you find a message like:
    Code:
    java.lang.ClassCastException: class android.content.res.XResources doesn't extend class x.y.z
    You might have a ROM from Huawei, Nubia, ...

    Background:
    These ROMs use a similar approach as Xposed to theme resources. They create a subclass of Resources which takes care of special handling and return an instances of it from getTopLevelResources(). If Xposed replaced this class with its own XResources implementation, then it would a) break the ROM's additional functionality and b) probably cause crashes if the ROM tries to use this functionality.

    Solution:
    As a workaround, you can simply disable the resources API in the Xposed Installer settings. Some modules won't work anymore, but most should still work.
    Mid-term, I hope that I can build a solution that works with such ROMs as well, however it will take some time.