[Tutorial/Mod] Noob Proof how to Edit APK's / Replace “ god mode“with“Ownership Mode"
Other Posts Links
Credit
N.B.
content
Download Links
General
Required tools and Links ( All Free )
tips for using cmd window
Steps
1. decompiling “ Decompress “ the APK
2. Edit xml and smali Files
3. Re-compiling “ compress “ the APK
4. Signing the APK
5.Apply the changes
Applying the changes can be done by either of the following two methods :
6.signing Zip file ( create your own MOD )
+- META-INF/
+- MANIFEST.MF
+- CERT.SF
+- CERT.RSA
...........................com/
.....................................google/
.................................................android/
...............................................................update-script
...............................................................update-binary
...............................................................updater-script
+- system/
.................app/
.........................Tweaks.apk
..................bin/
.........................ownershipmode.bin
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Tutorial for replacing the name “ god mode “ with the actual function name “ Ownership mode “
And Noob Proof Editing APK’s implemented on Tweaks
And Noob Proof Editing APK’s implemented on Tweaks
Other Posts Links
- Solve WiFi Errors , Radio Problem, htc Dev Unlock Method ( how it really Works) Here
Credit
- Credit goes to All Developers who enhanced the Original tweak
- also to romanbb for creating the original tweaks.
N.B.
- If you are not interested in knowing how to edit an APK or Create a Flashable Zip , then Kindly stop here and move on the the next thread of importance to you , Cause this is a long thread
content
- Tutorial for Editing APK’s implemented on Tweaks APK included in Rom v7.1 by Developerrobocik
- Mod for Rom v7.1 by Developerrobocik , see Ownership Mode a.jpg , Ownership Mode b.jpg
- This tutorial can be used with any custom Rom to Edit an APK ( Settings , tweaks , MikTweaks , RCMix Tweaks , … etc ) in about 5 ~ 10 min in the first time , and no more 3~5 min afterwards
- i used it for GB APK's , didn't test it with ICS APK's yet
- This Mod is for Rom v7.1 by Developerrobocik ( it functions normal as is , it only changed the displayed string name , Note that some functions need to download components in order to work )
- This Mod will restores the string “god mode “ into its actual full development name “ Ownership mode “ or “Get Ownership mode “ , which is more relevant development wise “
Download Links
- Mod – Replacing name to Ownershiop Mode or Ownershiop Mode ( Flashable zip ) , For Manual replacement extract the files from within the Mod
- All photo attachments and permissions photos
- All attached and Permissions Photos.zip
- http://www.mediafire.com/?5iihz5eki8a6xot
- Or Download attached Zip
- NB : Please feel free to PM me regarding any Questions and help in modifying similar APK for other Custom Roms or Rom Version for your own use
- if you created your own similar Mod for a Different Custom Rom or Rom Version , PM me to add it in Post # 2
DISCLAIMER
I am not responsible if following this Method results in bricking your phone
Whatever you do is at your Own Risk
I am not responsible if following this Method results in bricking your phone
Whatever you do is at your Own Risk
Tutorial
replacing the name “ god mode “ with the actual function name “ Ownership mode “ or “ Get Ownership mode “
And Editing APK’s implemented on Tweaks
And Editing APK’s implemented on Tweaks
General
- I tried to make this tutorial Noob Proof ( for those with little computer skills ) as much as possible , so it is a bit long
- This tutorial is implemented on Tweaks , and can be applied for any custom Rom you use that includes ( Tweaks , RCMix Tweaks or any similar tweak ) to restore the name “god mode “ into its actual full development name “ Ownership mode “ or “Get Ownership mode “ , see Ownership Mode a.jpg , Ownership Mode b.jpg
- This tutorial can also be used for editing the APK of your choice
- Editing an APK means ( decompile “decompress “ the apk , edit xml and smali files , recompile the apk ) , and then sign the APK or zip file .
- Please note that editing an apk without decompiling it first , will cause FC ( force Close )
Required tools and Links ( All Free )
- Press on any text displayed in “ orange color “ to open the associated link ( web page , or Download link ) , always download latest software versions from those websites
- Notepad ++ { to view and edit xml files and smali } , links for Notepad ++ web Page and Notepad ++ installer v5.9.8 ( 5 MB )
- apktool { to decompile “ Decompress “ and recompile“ recompress “ APK files } , apktool web page , Download links forWindows users ( 4 MB) :
- apktool v1.4.1 is recommended if you encounter error on newer versions of apktool ( in compiling or decompiling ) , provided that you are sure you have followed all steps correctly when using the newer version of apktool
- Download apktool-* file ( for All operating systems )
- and apktool-install-windows-* file ( Linux and mac users should choose appropriate file )
- Unpack both zip files to the Same directory
- Java Runtime Environment should be installed JRE or manually choose JRE for any Operating systems or offline installation
- Zipsigner 2 ( NOT Zipsigner ) { to sign APK’s and Zip files } , Download Zipsigner 2from Android market
- Windows Grep ( Optional ) { to seach all files inside an entire directory for a word } , ( in options you can change the editor to be Notepad++ ) , DownloadWindows Grep( less than one MB )
tips for using cmd window
- you don’t need to write full path for the folder , just drag the folder from within “my computer” or Desktop to the cmd window and the path will be written automatically
- also for names just copy a name and right click the toolbar of cmd window then choose edit then Paste , see att 1 - cmd Copy&Paste - apktools folder.jpg
- You can use up and down arrows to toggle the previously used commands instead of writing them again
- Press enter after typing any of the following commands
Steps
1. decompiling “ Decompress “ the APK
- here you can find a more detailed information , Procedure , and solve errors
- Open your Rom zip in a winrar window and drag the following files to your desktop ( or extract the zip file and find the files ) :
- Framework-res.apk located in System \ framework
- Tweaks ( or xxxtweaks according to how each rom name it ) located in System \ app
- For certain APK’s ( like settings apk ) you will need to extract also com.htc.resources.apk and/or SystemUI.apk ( But this is not needed for tweaks apk )
- Extract both apktool-* file and apktool-install-windows-* to the same folder and rename it to apktools and put it in the root of Drive C: ( it includes 3 files aapt.exe , apktool.bat , apktool.jar
- Copy both Framework-res.apk and Tweaks.apk ( i.e Tweaks, RCMixTweaks , ???tweaks … etc ) inside apktools folder , see att 1 - cmd Copy&Paste - apktools folder.jpg
- Go to windows start menu \ Accessories \ cmd , Right click it and choose run as administrator
- In cmd window Navigate to apktools folder by typing the following : cd c:\apktools ( or type cd followed by a space then drag the folder apktools to cmd window ) , you should see this c:\apktools>
- Now to decompile (for example tweaks.apk ) , see att 2 - cmd decompile & recompile.jpg
- type the following :
- Type apktool if framework-res.apk
- Type apktool d tweaks.apk ( don’t forget to add “ .apk “ )
- Use the exact same original APK name ( case sensitive upper or lower case ) , to avoid typing mistake use cmd copy and paste . Otherwise after editing and signing the apk and try to over-write the original apk , it will not replace the original apk and both APK’s will be there
- If you want to over-right the created folder , use apktool d -f tweaks.apk , or delete the created folder and use apktool d tweaks.apk to create it again
- A new folder is created with the same name of the Tweak ( i.e tweaks , ???tweaks , …etc ) inside c:\apktools , see att 1 - cmd Copy&Paste - apktools folder.jpg
- The apk is now decompiled
- ( this is not needed for tweaks apk ) , For certain APK’s ( like settings apk ) that requires for example com.htc.resources.apk you will need to add it to apktools folder and execute apktool if com.htc.resources.apk
2. Edit xml and smali Files
- Install Notepad++ and put a shortcut at the desktop
- Four files to be modified :
- open the 4 following files together with Notepad++ by dragging each file to Notepad++ shortcut at the desktop
- system_prefs.xml , located in C:\apktools\Tweaks\res\xml\
- SystemActivity.smali , located in C:\apktools\Tweaks\smali\com\{ name differ according to developer } rcteam\tweaks\system
- SystemActivity$15.smali , located in C:\apktools\Tweaks\smali\com\{ name differ according to developer } rcteam\tweaks\system
- godmode.bin located in your Rom zip inside System \bin
- Use any PC explorer and navigate into c:\apktools\tweaks then do a search for word including “ god “ . open the files found in the search ( just drag them into Notepad++ shortcut on the desktop)
- In Notepad++ press Ctl +F to open search window , type “ god ” and press “ find all in all open Documents “ , the results will be shown at the bottom of the notepad++ window , Double click any line of them and it will move you to its xml file
- Replace the string “ god “ with the string “ ownership “ or “ Get Ownership “ as follows :
- Double click any line of them and it will move you to its xml file , only replace the highlighted strings
- system_prefs.xml : for Android : title ( replace with “ ownership “ or “ Get Ownership “ ) , for Android : key (replace with “ ownership “ to read “ownershipmod_command “ ) , see att 3 - system_prefs.jpg
- SystemActivity.smali : replace with “ ownership “ to read “ownershipmod_command “ , see att 4 - systemActivity.smali.jpg
- SystemActivity$15.smali : for line const-string v2 ( replace with “ ownership “ or “ Get Ownership “ ) , for line const-string v1 ( replace with “ ownership “ to read “ownershipmod_command “ ) , see att 5a - systemActivity$15.smali.jpg , att 5b - systemActivity$15.smali.jpg
- godmode.bin : rename the file itself to ownershipmode.bin ( this file is edited and placed separately )
- if needed for other APK’s , you can use Windows Grep to seach all files inside an entire directory for a certain word ( in options you can change the editor to be Notepad++ )
3. Re-compiling “ compress “ the APK
- Run cmd as administrator , in cmd window Navigate to apktools folder by typing the following : cd c:\apktools ( or type cd followed by a space then drag the folder apktools to cmd window ) , you should see this c:\apktools> , see att 2 - cmd decompile & recompile.jpg
- Type apktool b tweaks ( don’t add “ .apk “ )
- Use the exact same original APK name ( case sensitive upper or lower case ) , to avoid typing mistake use cmd copy and paste . Otherwise after editing and signing the apk and try to over-write the original apk , it will not replace the original apk and both APK’s will be there
- two new folder are created inside apktools \ tweaks folder :
- A folder named “ Build “ , it includes the decompiled files with the saved changes
- A folder named “ dist “ , it includes the new modified apk ( not signed yet )
- If you want to over-right the created folder , use apktool b -f tweaks , or delete the two created folders and use apktool b tweaks to create them again
4. Signing the APK
- Install Zipsigner 2 on your phone , note that the compiled APK is not signed yet
- Create a folder on your sd card name it for example “ sign apk and zip “ , Copy the modified compiled APK to that folder
- Start Zipsigner 2 and leave all settings as it is “ defaults “ , press “choose in/out “ and navigate to the compiled APK “ for example tweaks “ and select it , then press “ sign the File “ , a massage will tell you that the file is signed ,
- Go to folder “ sign apk and zip “ and you will find the signed apk named as ( tweaks-signed.apk ) , copy ( tweaks-signed.apk ) to other location and rename it to ( tweaks.apk ) exactly as the original compiled apk
- The apk is now ready to replace the original one located in system \ app
5.Apply the changes
Applying the changes can be done by either of the following two methods :
- Create a MOD and Apply it from recovery
- Manually by moving both the APK and bin file
- Manually by moving both the APK and bin file inside the Custom Rom Zip before installing it
- The modified apk is now compiled and signed and ready to replace the original one located in system \ app
- Make sure that the modified APK has the exact same original APK name , Otherwise it will not replace the original apk and both APK’s will be there
- Set system to read\write using Root Explorer or the original tweak itself ( open tweak then go to system tab , and choose mount system reaed/ write )
- Use Root Explorer or any similar apk to review permission and ownership values before over-writing the required APK or bin file
- Over-write the Apk or file and correct permission and ownership values to the same values for the original APK or bin fileTweaks Permissions.jpg , Tweaks Owner.jpg ( values are different for other similar tweaks ).
- For ownershipmode.bin file , navigate to system \ bin , review permission and ownership values before deleting godmode.bin, then delete godmode.bin and copy ownershipmod.bin inside system \ bin , and correct permission and ownership values to the same values for the original file Ownershipmode Permissions.jpg , Ownershipmode Owner.jpg ( values are different for other similar tweaks )
- Put the flashable zip ( MOD ) in your SD Card , Reboot into recovery
- Clear dalvik and Cache , use install zip from SD Card , navigate to the file and install it then reboot
6.signing Zip file ( create your own MOD )
- For future versions of tweaks apk , your can edit the new APK and use the attached MOD, just over-write the existing files with yours , and flash it
- In general you can create a folder with the same attached structure
- Create a folder let us call it “ Work “ , Create two folders inside it (META-INF , system ) according to the above attached structure ,
- Add both update-binary and updater-script inside folder META-INF \ com \ google\ Android ,
- Add the files you want to update inside System folder ( use the same structure as in the original Rom),
- highlight both of the two folders (META-INF , system ) then right click then choose send to then compressed folder ( Don’t compress the “ Work folder itself ) , rename the created zip as you prefer
- Place prepared zip file on your SD Card and use the same procedure mentioned in Step no 4 (Signing the APK ) and in Step no 5 B ( Using MOD Replacement )
+- META-INF/
+- MANIFEST.MF
+- CERT.SF
+- CERT.RSA
...........................com/
.....................................google/
.................................................android/
...............................................................update-script
...............................................................update-binary
...............................................................updater-script
+- system/
.................app/
.........................Tweaks.apk
..................bin/
.........................ownershipmode.bin
- Note that the structure of META-INF ( name is case sensitive , as in above att 7 ) is always the same ( MANIFEST.MF , CERT.SF , CERT.RSA are created during singing the flashable zip )
- the /system folder can be anything you need ( in our case Tweaks.apk and ownershipmode.bin ) , to add different items for your update you should then if needed modify Updater Script accordingly ,
- update-binary , updater-script are needed to let the zip file to be flashable zip ( update.zip ) , For backward compatibility reasons, it's still possible to also add an update-script file.
- updater-script is where you put the required commands to be executed during flashing the zip
- you can Add your own Similar Mod of Modified APK here in Post # 2 ( For Different Custom Rom or Different Version of a Rom ) , Please PM me
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