[APP][5.0+] "App manager" - alternative to the default app manger

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ciberyan

Member
Apr 20, 2008
16
0
Paris
Hello
Great App !
Would it be possible to set a parameter to tell what happen when hitting an app in the main view ?
Run or Uninstall
Would be great
Thanks
 

AndroidDeveloperLB

Senior Member
Mar 30, 2014
2,020
472
Hello
Great App !
Would it be possible to set a parameter to tell what happen when hitting an app in the main view ?
Run or Uninstall
Would be great
Thanks

This is one of the things I plan on adding to the app. It might be a bit complex since I will need to change how the list of options for selected app works.

In any case, sadly, since this is a spare time app, it will take a long time till I get there, as I wish to do other things before.

Currently, I work on fixing issues, improving the UI (recently the app moved to minimum of Android 4.0), and adding support for background batch install using root.

Hope you are happy with the rest.
 

AndroidDeveloperLB

Senior Member
Mar 30, 2014
2,020
472
I've published a new version today.

Whats's new:

- In case you show the context menu of a live wallpaper app, that doesn't have anything to launch, and you choose to launch it anyway, it will show the corresponding screen to set it as the live wallpaper.

- For Android O and above, added support for creation of shortcuts.
My app is currently the only app I know of, that allows to create shortcuts on Android O, to other apps.

Sadly, this has plenty of limitations compared to what I could do on previous versions of Android:
1. Can't batch create of them in the background
2. shortcuts will get removed if my app is removed.
3. I have super limited control of them after they get created, and I can't remove them. This means the shortcut stays even if the app it launches was removed.
4. They don't support adaptive icons.
5. This feature is available only if the current launcher supports it.
6. Creation of them will be only for the current launcher.
7. Shortcut icon and label are static (can never change, not by my app, at least). I tried to update them upon update of apps, but it didn't work. Hopefully it's a bug on the OS or the launcher, which can be fixed.

I tried to contact Google over the past few months, to make it better, but sadly none of what I wrote was accepted. That's just the way Google wants them to work.
I might be able to make something for rooted devices, but not sure about it.
 
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SKisby

New member
Feb 18, 2018
2
0
Vancouver, BC
Save or export list to CSV

I just tried your app. It has many nice features in a simple and functional design. In particular I like the ability to uninstall (were possible) and the support for rooted devices.

Any chance of the following feature being added?

The ability to save or export the entire list as a CSV (or HTML table/XML) file that contains the app name, package name, and other app properties (version, install path, protection, last updated, etc.).

A number of people have requested this feature while submitting a review of other similar apps.

This Google Play app comes close, but only lists some of the apps. I'd like a list of all installed apps (user, system, preinstalled): id=nadesico.Package.Info.List.Lite

Here's a screenshot of a CSV viewer showing a sample of some of the output save information I'm looking for:
screen-0.jpg


This feature would be good for comparing before and after lists to identify malicious apps, or apps that have made the device slower or malfunction. And your program would give the opportunity to uninstall them (where they could be uninstalled). It would also be good for identifying and managing bloatware that is installed on some devices.

Better yet would be a feature where saves are stored as snapshots for a particular date and time, which could then be compared for changes against newer snapshots.
 

AndroidDeveloperLB

Senior Member
Mar 30, 2014
2,020
472
I just tried your app. It has many nice features in a simple and functional design. In particular I like the ability to uninstall (were possible) and the support for rooted devices.

Any chance of the following feature being added?

The ability to save or export the entire list as a CSV (or HTML table/XML) file that contains the app name, package name, and other app properties (version, install path, protection, last updated, etc.).

A number of people have requested this feature while submitting a review of other similar apps.

This Google Play app comes close, but only lists some of the apps. I'd like a list of all installed apps (user, system, preinstalled): id=nadesico.Package.Info.List.Lite

Here's a screenshot of a CSV viewer showing a sample of some of the output save information I'm looking for:
screen-0.jpg


This feature would be good for comparing before and after lists to identify malicious apps, or apps that have made the device slower or malfunction. And your program would give the opportunity to uninstall them (where they could be uninstalled). It would also be good for identifying and managing bloatware that is installed on some devices.

Better yet would be a feature where saves are stored as snapshots for a particular date and time, which could then be compared for changes against newer snapshots.

OK, I will consider it. I have more important tasks to do on the app though (Google requires it to target Android 8, which I didn't do yet), and people asked for other features that I've started to work on.

But I don't get how this can help with identifying malicious apps.
Also, BTW, my app can show system apps. It's in the filter action item.
 

SKisby

New member
Feb 18, 2018
2
0
Vancouver, BC
OK, I will consider it. I have more important tasks to do on the app though (Google requires it to target Android 8, which I didn't do yet), and people asked for other features that I've started to work on.

Thanks for considering it (and your quick reply)! Yes, I understand.

But I don't get how this can help with identifying malicious apps.

A more advanced feature would have the ability to do "snapshots" where two snapshots could be compared and the differences then highlighted showing app changes (in red?). If you suspect malware (or simply an unruly app) is on the system, that could quickly narrow down the apps under suspicion. Currently, people do that manually. But it would be nice to have an app do that. :)

Just the ability to save the selected list as a CSV file is all that's really needed, though.

Also, BTW, my app can show system apps. It's in the filter action item.

Ah, I was referring to that other Play Store app (whose id is nadesico.Package.Info.List.Lite, as I couldn't included a link directly to it in this form). That other app does a CSV save of the list, but only lists installed (not system) apps and is otherwise not a feature rich as your app.
 
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AndroidDeveloperLB

Senior Member
Mar 30, 2014
2,020
472
Thanks for considering it (and your quick reply)! Yes, I understand.



A more advanced feature would have the ability to do "snapshots" where two snapshots could be compared and the differences then highlighted showing app changes (in red?). If you suspect malware (or simply an unruly app) is on the system, that could quickly narrow down the apps under suspicion. Currently, people do that manually. But it would be nice to have an app do that. :)

Just the ability to save the selected list as a CSV file is all that's really needed, though.



Ah, I was referring to that other Play Store app (whose id is nadesico.Package.Info.List.Lite, as I couldn't included a link directly to it in this form). That other app does a CSV save of the list, but only lists installed (not system) apps and is otherwise not a feature rich as your app.

Well, you can always sort the apps by which was installed (and it's actually the default sorting too), so you can notice new apps already.
You can also already share the list of apps into whichever app you wish. Just choose them all, and choose to share, and then choose to share the links. It includes app name and Play/Amazon store links (depending on how the app has detected it).

And, system apps do not usually get installed so easily.
 
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AndroidDeveloperLB

Senior Member
Mar 30, 2014
2,020
472
I've published today a new alpha version, which has some important changes :
  1. Changed the way the app asks for permissions, to save all the trouble later. All are asked about at the beginning. This is because I had to also ask for the usage-stats permission on Android 8.0, for fetching app size. Now it will ask all at the beginning, including even root.
  2. Finally targeting Android 8.0 and above. If you don\'t like the notification, you can hide it by clicking it. Alternatively, you can long click on the notification and then go to this setting from there.
  3. Using official app size fetching on Android 8.0 and above. Since it's so quick, removed the alternative method.
 
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AndroidDeveloperLB

Senior Member
Mar 30, 2014
2,020
472
Can you add please app backup restore with it's data support?
Thank you.

Already planned on the huge To-Do list for this app.
Sadly this one will take a very long time, because it's not so trivial, so I prefer to do other, smaller things first.
It's a spare time app just like the other apps I have on the Play Store. I have to choose some priorities for what I do on each...

I suggest you to use other apps that do this well, such as Titanium backup and others.
 
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shriganesh

Member
Oct 17, 2012
47
6
Hi,

I really liked the app and so I had donated. But in some of my devices I still see the donate banner! Can you let me know what to do? Cuz I don't see a restore purchases option anywhere!
 

AndroidDeveloperLB

Senior Member
Mar 30, 2014
2,020
472
Hi,

I really liked the app and so I had donated. But in some of my devices I still see the donate banner! Can you let me know what to do? Cuz I don't see a restore purchases option anywhere!

The app uses what Google services tells it. It asks whether the user has paid or not.
The way I've understood how it works is as such:
If you have a device that isn't registered with the account you've paid with (as the main account), the app gets a result that the current user hasn't paid.

If for some reason this is not how it works for you, I can give you a refund if you wish.
I can't control the purchases though, so there is no way to restore a purchase. I don't even have a server. You can contact Google if you wish. Maybe it's a bug on their side.
 

AndroidDeveloperLB

Senior Member
Mar 30, 2014
2,020
472
Published a new version today, that has the ability for you to choose what to do upon single tap on app-list item.

A lot of people asked for this, so I decided to finally do it :)

Hope you like it.

If anyone find a bug, please let me know.
 
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  • 52
    After so long of developing apps for other people, I've decided to make one 100% by myself, and publish it.

    The app is basically an alternative to the default app-manager of Android, and it provides some unique features that helps you manage and uninstall apps quicker and easier.

    If you've found this app useful, please support it by sharing/donating/comment on the play store.

    Installation link :


    APK mirror:
    https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/androiddeveloperlb/app-manager/
    ApkPure:
    https://apkpure.com/app-manager/com.lb.app_manager

    Some screenshots

    attachment.php


    So, here's some information about it:

    Background
    How many times have you tried to uninstall an app but found it annoyingly hard, whether you've forgot its name or it's hidden in a bunch of many apps you have?
    Have you ever wanted to uninstall a built in app, which came from the carrier/manufacturer?
    Are you a programmer/tester and need to uninstall/reset your apps frequiently?

    If so, this is the app for you.

    Short description
    As I've written ,the purpose of this app is to replace the default app-manager, and ease the uninstallation task as much as possible.
    The app is free and supports Android 2.3 and above, but works best from Android 4.0.
    The app has ads (banners) but you can easily remove them by donating.

    Who is it useful for?
    The app is intended for multiple kinds of people:

    • For the common user, it's easier to perform searches of apps, easier to unisnstall them, and easier to share them.
      It's also easier to go to the play store page of the app ,give feedback about it and contact the developers.
    • For power users, it's easier to uninstall built in apps (AKA "system apps"), like the bloatware that come with the OS.
    • For developers, QA, and beta testers, it's easier to uninstall/reset the recently installed app, by using widgets.
      You can also share apps as APK files, and see the version of the apps.

    Features and advantages over other apps
    • Viewing of app types of apps, and not just those that you can launch (example: plugins, live wallpapers, keyboards,...).
    • Widgets, for quick uninstallation/reset of the most recently installed app.
    • Quick uninstallation of apps. For rooted devices, the uninstallation (and other operations) can be silent (in the background)
    • Easy uninstallation of apps that got admin privilages.
    • Ability to automatically add app shortcuts when they get installed, no matter how they got installed.
      Also the ability to choose which launcher will create the shortcuts.
    • Easy to use - one click to uninstall. Long click for multi-selection
    • Context menu options on selected app:
      • Run
      • Share Play store link, Amazon AppStore link, or even APK file (no need for Root)
      • Manage
      • Open app on the Play store.
      • Kill background process, or stop the app (needs root)
      • Quick reset of the app (needs root).
      • disable/enable app (needs root).
      • Create shortcut.
      • Search the app via your search engine or the Internet.
    • Sort the apps bysize, name, by package name, by date installed, and by date updated
    • Filter apps by:
      • System/user apps,
      • Enabled/disabled apps
      • Installation path : SD card / internal storage
    • Ability to uninstall system apps (Root only, and might not work on some cases)
    • Ability to replace the default uninstaller .
    • Detailed yet short view of the installed apps, including app name, package name, date insalled and version information.
    • Safe and automatic deletion of certain folders after uninstallation, that some Android OS versions don't handle for some reason.
    • Theme chooser, in case you don't like the cards UI.
    • Hopefully more to come, will be written about on the play store

    App translation
    https://crowdin.com/project/com-lb-app_manager

    Beta testing
    Links for the beta testing group:
    - https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.lb.app_manager

    Articles

    FAQ
    The OS says the app runs in the background, or the app has a notification of its own. Why? Doesn't it consume battery?
    The app is triggered by app operation events : uninstall, install, clear-data...
    Upon each of those, it saves the state for various purposes, in the background. For example the removed-apps list, and the widget. Those have to be handled right away, so it must be done even if you don't see the app.
    In the rest of the time, it does absolutely nothing.
    This is why the app is so efficient in battery usage, that you won't see it in the list of battery-consuming apps. Meaning it doesn't even reach the 1% battery usage. I am sure it doesn't even reach 0.001% .
    You can hide the notification, but sadly on some Android versions (8.0, but not 8.1 and above) you might see a different notification, that the app might use the battery. You can safely ignore it. I guarantee there is no noticeable difference in battery consumption.

    In fact, due to the optimizations I've added for Android 8.0 and above, and because the app's process doesn't get killed so often, it might even be better in battery usage. The reason is that the app always had to listen to app-events, and before Android 8.0, the app got triggered by them, meaning its process started each time if it was killed before. Less CPU, more battery.

    I have a Xiaomi device and the app fails to install any kind of app. How come ?
    Seems it's an issue that will exist for quite some time, and that it is turned by default on Xiaomi devices and causes various issues (read here for example). This "feature" is called "MIUI optimization" , and for now you can only disable it on the "Developer options".
    So, for now, you can overcome this by enabling developer options and there to disable "Turn on MIUI optimization".
    Note that once you do this, the OS will reset a lot of apps, mainly in terms of permissions. This includes my app too.
    Just a side note: Xiaomi is known as one that breaks a lot of apps, as it creates its own made up rules and permissions, very much against how Android works. This is also why there is a website that speaks about it, here, so for better handling of the app, also white list it from the various permissions Xiaomi has created, too.
    Sadly I have no way to handle those things, as long as Xiaomi chooses to make their own non-standard rules.

    I don't have a rooted device, but I still want to disable/uninstall a system app. Is it possible?
    It's possible... to try, using a PC connected to your device.
    I've made a tutorial for this here (old one here ).
    If the OS would allow, you could uninstall or at least disable system apps this way.

    I think I got some nasty app, which shows ads randomly or takes control of the smartphone in some way (or any other bad behavior that I don't like). Can this app help me find it and neutralize it?
    Even though it wasn't originally intended for such a task, I've noticed it helped many people with it. There are multiple reviews telling that it helped them removing such "virus" apps. I've even done it myself on both my device and for my family-relatives.
    So the answer is that it might help you. Here's what you can do to try to handle it:
    https://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=77987186&postcount=543

    What are split-APK files? What are "APKS" that are being generated sometimes when sharing apps?
    Split apk files (AKA "app bundle" apps) are not meant to be installed just like normal APK files. They are used as you use the app, getting installed by the Play Store, to use only the minimal things you will use on your device, with your Android version, with your CPU architecture, with your locales, with your screen density, and so on...

    Not only that, but if you install such files on other configurations, they might not work properly or fail to install.
    As far as I know, backup&restore of such apps is not even working on popular backup apps such as Titanium backup.

    Currently the app allows to share such apps as APKS files, which is just a zipped file with all of the APK files of the app. This is similar to what's done on various other apps and services (SAI, ApkPure, APK-mirror,...) with various file extensions (APKS, XAPK, APKM,...).

    To install them using my app (which supports all files that I've mentioned: APKS, XAPK, APKM ), you can currently do this only from other apps that trigger it. The most common way to do it is directly from file-manager apps, but this should also be possible via chatting apps and others.

    If you wish to do it on your via the PC, you can do it too:
    use adb command as such:

    Code:
    adb install-multiple apk1 apk2 ...

    Why isn't there a permissions management feature?
    For permissions management, I actually planned some management tool, but sadly Google has changed how permissions groups work, and so permissions sometimes go to a different group. For example, before Android P, the permission "WRITE_CALL_LOG" belonged to "Phone" permission group, but from Android P, it moved to "Call log" permission group, which never existed before.
    Currently, Google removed all APIs to get which permission group has which permission. Even in the documentation there is no mention anymore which permission group holds which permissions. Not only that, but OEMs sometimes make up their own permission which aren't official in any way (see "auto start" that Xiaomi made, and the reason that "don't-kill-my-app" website exists, for example). I still hope that one day I will be able to get a reliable way to get the correct information, no matter which version of Android the app runs on.

    Why isn't there an option to install an old version of an APK when I have a newer one installed?
    Apps aren't designed to handle this situation. They are only designed to handle upgrades. So, Google made it impossible to do it starting from Android 7 (read here). If you want to try it anyway, you can do it using PC&adb tool, as written here.

    Why isn't there a boot-up management feature? Memory freeing/boosting? CPU usage? RAM usage? Automatic-task-killing? Modify apps ?
    Various features of those types are not documented and not recommended to be used. Those can ruin how the apps work, just like OEMs do it sometimes even by default. This can also cause false crashes, or crashes that can't be reported. For users, some of those functions have the false promise by various apps that say it will make reduce battery consumption (search google for "Android task killer myth").
    It is not a good thing to alter how apps work and behave, and Google has rules about modifying APKs, so I do not want to take the risk in doing so.
    As for viewing information alone, this is something that isn't useful for users, but more for developers who already have them via the various development tools and even apps that specialize about it.
    This app was made for users and power users mostly, and I want to make it work properly as much as possible, without worrying that for some devices or at some day things will be broken. I prefer to have as little workarounds as possible.
    That's why I decided to stick with things that are more standard, more commonly used, and more available to be used.

    I have an SD-card. Why can't I set an installed app to be on it, properly?
    Installing an app to the SD-card has various restrictions that determine whether it's possible or not, and how much it will affect how well the app behaves.
    To do it here, you have to have a rooted device (or use a PC with adb command as written above), the OS should allow to do it, and the target app should allow to do it.
    That being said, you might try your luck via the developer-settings of the OS (check how to enable it on Google for your device), via "force allow apps on external" preference.

    Why not share version-name and app-name alone instead of version-code and package-name with others?
    Simply put, version-name and app-name are not unique enough, depend on the current locale, can be of any length (so it can be too long) and not restricted by which characters are used (so can be problematic on some OSs).
    That's while version-code is always an increasing number, and package-name is always safe to use and is considered as the ID of the app on the Play Store and probably on any app-store.
    That being said, I might allow to customize what to share some day, and let users be responsible of possible issues if they might occur.

    In the past versions, the app didn't need to run in the background, and didn't need to have usage-stats permission at all. What happened?
    In one word: Google . Google has changed the rules:
    - For running in the background , the reason is that a lot of types of global events (called "Intents") need to be handled only with an app that has a sticky notification (called "foreground service"). Before Android 8.0, it was possible without this requirement. The app would have been awakened for each such event, handle it and go to sleep, while the OS can kill it if needed. Now it's not possible (read here). Adding to this, is that Google forces all new apps and updated to existing ones to do it for Android 8.0 and above, by the end of the year (read here). This means you should expect more apps to show their notifications, or they will present a weaker functionality.
    The good news is that this actually helps with battery usage on Android 8.0 and above. Instead of re-creating the process of App-Manager for each event, the process is already alive, so less CPU will be used. And, since it's already alive, handling it will take less time. So, less CPU and less time, meaning more battery for you. You can also hide the notification if it bothers you.
    - For usage-stats permission, before Android 8.0 I could get the exact app-size without any permission. And, before Android 5.0, I could get the recently launched apps with a permission that doesn't require requesting in runtime. Because of the recent changes, this is not possible anymore without usage-stats permission. And, since getting app-size and sorting apps by recently launched - are quite basic features, I decided to request it all in the beginning together with the storage permission that was always a requirement.
    Getting the app-size was tricky before Android 8.0, and so I added a fallback in case it's not working for some users, or working too slow for them. It wasn't perfect, but it was all I could do.
    The good news about this, is that it's much more efficient than what I did before. Getting app size is super fast, and it will always work because there is now an official way to do it. In fact it's so quick that I've removed the fallback for Android 8.0 and above.

    Privacy policy ?
    Written on this post.
    3
    Keep safe...?i pray for peace

    Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

    Thank you.

    Now publishing new test version for all beta testers (58 - v 1.58) .

    If it will work fine, I will promote it to be public.
    3
    Recently I've noticed that people put good reviews of my app, saying it helped them to get rid of "virus" apps.
    While the app wasn't originally intended for such a task (and technically there is no such a thing as "virus" apps on Android, search for it on Google, here), I think it's nice to see the app helped people with it.
    What I think that it helped people with, is to get rid of annoying/nasty/malicious apps, that show bad or unexpected behavior. Such a behavior might be intended (ads) or not (bugs of the app). Whatever it is, you've find it to be a bad behavior, such as ads popping out in random times, screen being taken control, things appear on top of other apps, ...

    I've even used my app myself on both my device and for my family-relatives, to get rid of such apps.

    So because of this, I've decided to write here a step-by-step manual of how to deal with this kind of situation :

    1. Detection of suspicious app: Restart the OS. As soon as you notice the nasty behavior, open my app, and sort by recently launched. Now there is a very big chance that the nasty app is at the top of the list, or near it. Make sure it's not marked as system app (built in app), because in most cases system apps don't do nasty things. Such apps are marked in my app with "!" icon. There is also a very low chance that an app from respected company (such as Google) or a very popular app will cause this issue. If you've noticed the bad behavior only recently (meaning you've never seen it before), you might also see the same app if you sort by recently-installed or recently-updated.

    2. Neutralizing of suspicious app or its behavior: First try to find a setting to disable the problematic behavior in the suspicious app, especially if it's a system app. If you can't find such a thing, continue reading. Choose to manage the suspected app, and try "force-stop" it, if possible. If it's impossible to choose it, or if the button to force-stop never changes to be disabled, choose to uninstall the app (use my app if it's impossible to do it on your own). If you don't want to uninstall the app (or can't), and the issue is something that floats, try to disable "Display over other apps".
    In case you have a rooted device, you can choose to disable the app instead (using my app). This is way more effective than force-stop (because the app won't be able to wake from anything, till you enable it), and it won't remove the app's data.
    If it's a system app that you think is the suspicious one and you can't disable/uninstall it via my app because you don't have a rooted device, check how to (try to) disable/remove it via this tutorial.

    3. Testing if all is well now: Use your device for a while (depending on how often and on which cases you've seen the bad behavior). If indeed you can't see this issue anymore, you've probably found the real nasty app, and you can remove it if you wish to. If you still want to use the app, try to check the settings of the app to see if this behavior can be turned off, or contact the developer for help.
    If it's not the app that causes nasty stuff, you can restore the app (run it, enable it, or re-install it, depending on what you did on previous step), and repeat from first step again.

    4. Optionally help others: Now that you don't have the nasty app anymore, I suggest you to go to the app's page on the Google Play Store, and consider to write a review warning other people about it, and also report about the app, so that other people will think twice before using the app, and that the developer should change the app so that it won't happen again.
    3
    I've published a new version of the app, this time with a small tool for managing available APK files.
    For now, it has only the basic features that I've found (relatively) easy to add.

    Please tell me what you think, and if you've found a bug.
    3
    i am still thing a dark cardui is awesome if you need any help i am here to help i can make dark cardui easily as your app already have black theme

    ok, it took me quite a while since I'm not a specialist in drawing and designing, and this is what I got (attached).
    Does it look ok?

    It's just that I never saw such a theme before, and there are no guidelines around for it, so I tried to mimic the same things being done on the normal cards-UI theme, together with the normal holo-dark theme...