Posts

Showing posts from January, 2012

How to read Android apk contents

Lets say you want to read the contents of an android apk file. Why? Maybe it's yours and you want to be sure of the version, maybe you want to see if the code in that apk contains the latest feature you inserted. Or maybe it isn't your code but you want to check something with someone else's code (without breaking any license etc). In a nutshell - What are the steps one should take in order to explore an apk file? 1. Only read the manifest contents of an apk : Use the following command (make sure you have aapt.exe and the apk file on your path): aapt dump badging XXYY.apk [Later Edit] 1.5 You want to change some resources of the apk using a nice GUI Try APK Edit  - It will enable you to do the following: Change icons of your android application. Change the applications name. Edit the localized text (Strings.xml) used in applications. 2. You want to read all of the apk's contents : Method A. Use the following tool: apktool  (apktool d f