Database Users

Unable to Edit or Change build.prop

Since upgrading to Froyo via Obsidian v2.2 I am no longer able to see protected apps in the Marketplace, so I've been trying to edit build.prop, but with no success.
If I delete, move, or make any changes at all to build.prop it is immediately 'restored' to its original settings. If I try to overwrite in Root Explorer, I am given a permissions error and the overwrite fails.
I've seen similar posts in other threads, but have not found a resolution posted anywhere.
Edit: I would install "Eris Market Fix" from the Marketplace but I've read many too comments from Vibrant users that indicate the app can have disastrous results.
Edit x2: Hmm it would appear can't do *anything*, at least via Root Explorer. I just tried removing some bloatware in /system/app like normal, but once I reboot everything is restored right back the way it was before the change. Very frustrating. This means no changing audio notifications or boot/shutdown media either.

Found Resolution
Had a bad install of BusyBox.
Check my comment in this thread.

[Q] making system apks Into regular installable apks.

I was wondering how to make a system apk such as idk the browser into a regular installable apk so that someone with no knowledge of pushing apks can install it along side their apk.

Generally system apps are just normal apps, only installed on a system partition. If you pull a system apk from a device, then you should be able to install it normally on any other device.
There are exceptions from this rule:
You can't install an app if you have it installed already. Many system apps are installed on most devices by default and this is the reason, why you can't install e.g. Browser.apk pulled from other device - most probably you have it installed already.
There are 2 solutions: you could remove system app before installation of new one or just replace it - but this isn't what you want. To create normal, installable apk you would have to modify its package name as I did with Google Maps.
Some system apps use system internals, private APIs or privileges, some additional libraries, etc. For example Settings.apk changes internal settings of OS - you can't do that in normal apk.
You can't easily move/install such apps, they're integrated with system.

thanks for this long great reply. So lets say I pulled my dialer apk changed the package name, could I install it on a friends phone NOT on the system partition ?
I'm trying to pull the dialer apk from gingerbread and port it into a normal apk using apk tool, but once and changed the package name and all that and compile it I go to install it on my phone but it says that it could not open it as an apk file. Any ideas?

Newklearx3 said:
thanks for this long great reply. So lets say I pulled my dialer apk changed the package name, could I install it on a friends phone NOT on the system partition ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think not. Note that Phone.apk is only one app that can dial, you can't add such feature to your own app, so most probably it uses private APIs to do that. It's integrated-with-system one. Same for Settings.apk and PackageManager.apk, but you should be able to pull Browser.apk, Launcher.apk, MMS.apk, Gmail.apk, Talk.apk, etc., change their package name and install on another device.
Ahh, there is one more group: SenseUI, Motoblur, etc. apps, which use additional framework resources: images, colors, texts. They won't work on a device lacking this framework, but it should be possible to make these apps framework-independent by copying all dependencies to app itself. Not that easy, but possible

Brut.all said:
I think not. Note that Phone.apk is only one app that can dial, you can't add such feature to your own app, so most probably it uses private APIs to do that. It's integrated-with-system one. Same for Settings.apk and PackageManager.apk, but you should be able to pull Browser.apk, Launcher.apk, MMS.apk, Gmail.apk, Talk.apk, etc., change their package name and install on another device.
Ahh, there is one more group: SenseUI, Motoblur, etc. apps, which use additional framework resources: images, colors, texts. They won't work on a device lacking this framework, but it should be possible to make these apps framework-independent by copying all dependents to app itself. Not that easy, but possible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, you're amazing! So how would I go about porting the gingerbread dialer to workable installable apk?
I might be doing something wrong but I pulled the launcher and changed the package name and still the same error
Okay, i guess I'm not. I copied the apk ( unmodded ) from the rom zip and placed it on my SD card to install it and the same error, so there must be something wrong.
figured out it was the sdk version, got it to show up but wont install now.

im also interested in porting specific development apk, lets say.. CM Settings into a non Cyanogen. Tried that once by pulling CM*.apk and push it to other non Cyanogen but got cant be installed message.. any hints on this?

phoezies said:
im also interested in porting specific development apk, lets say.. CM Settings into a non Cyanogen. Tried that once by pulling CM*.apk and push it to other non Cyanogen but got cant be installed message.. any hints on this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use logcat as a start to see dependencies
XDA App

Exchange security bypassed in ICS

I did not create this as I found it for the Epic 4G. It was previously posted by jamesey in that forum. Here is a link to that thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1510248
I have been searching for a security bypass that would work for ICS since I got my A500. I wanted to be able to either use facelock or no lockscreen at all on my tablet. I also do not like my sys admin having complete remote wipe authority on my device much less having to have my entire device encrypted. These files bypassed all that.
I have tested this for the Tegraowner 4.04 ICS rom v160 and works thus far.
To install, unzip the attached file, and, using whatever .zip editor you have, open the ROM you are intending to install, go to the \system\app\ folder, and replace the Email.apk and Exchange.apk files therein with those from the attached file.
then . . . Flash that ROM in the normal sequence. (PS I used total commander on the tablet to make the edit to the ROM file, 7zip would not make changes to that particular ROM's zip file.)
Alternatively, you can do this without reflashing the ROM but it does not always seem to work perfectly. To do this, delete your exchange email account. Clear app cache for exchange. Make sure no device admins are seen in the system settings/security tab, then use root explorer (must fix file permissions using root explorer) or adb to add the files to \system\app\ folder. Then reboot and add the account.
Note, it will still ask you about the security imposed by exchange but not actually implement those security requirements. eg on my tablet, it indicated that my exchange had security requirements but did not say anything further and did not add the exchange server as a device admin in the system settings/security tab.
Lovin it. (goodbye touchdown email)
New link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1520431

Replacing the stock apks via Root Explorer worked on my Transformer TF-101 with codename android on it. It froze, rebooted, and was fine, with security bypassed.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium HD app

top that work on my ICS 4.0.4 HTC Desire :good:

Thank you!
This worked on Desire with sandvold ICS 0.15.0.1

Did not work on my Galaxy S3. I keep getting FCs for email and overall stability is degraded. Looking at the other threads for this, it may be because the stock rom is odexed? I may just pay $5 for an OWA viewer until someone can fix this for the S3.

Works perfect and is so much better than the stock Email app. I would really appreciate if you add a couple of features to this already awesome apk.
1. There is no option to set 'Out of Office Settings' from my phone while using this app.
2. Also, each time a mailer with pictures comes, I need to save settings for individual sender for automatic-picture-download-permissions.
If these two things can be added, it would be the best Email patch available. Thanks

Anyone tested it with cm10? Thank you!
Sent from my A500 using xda premium

Razr Maxx HD
Ok, i rebooted, and now i have two email apps in the drawer, one yellow and white icon and the other red and white. If i select the yellow and white icon, it says email has stopped. IF I use the red and white, i can setup email fine but security is still there. My guess is the i did something wrong while installed the new mail.apk

ftc_osiris said:
I did not create this as I found it for the Epic 4G. It was previously posted by jamesey in that forum. Here is a link to that thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1510248
I have been searching for a security bypass that would work for ICS since I got my A500. I wanted to be able to either use facelock or no lockscreen at all on my tablet. I also do not like my sys admin having complete remote wipe authority on my device much less having to have my entire device encrypted. These files bypassed all that.
I have tested this for the Tegraowner 4.04 ICS rom v160 and works thus far.
To install, unzip the attached file, and, using whatever .zip editor you have, open the ROM you are intending to install, go to the \system\app\ folder, and replace the Email.apk and Exchange.apk files therein with those from the attached file.
then . . . Flash that ROM in the normal sequence. (PS I used total commander on the tablet to make the edit to the ROM file, 7zip would not make changes to that particular ROM's zip file.)
Alternatively, you can do this without reflashing the ROM but it does not always seem to work perfectly. To do this, delete your exchange email account. Clear app cache for exchange. Make sure no device admins are seen in the system settings/security tab, then use root explorer (must fix file permissions using root explorer) or adb to add the files to \system\app\ folder. Then reboot and add the account.
Note, it will still ask you about the security imposed by exchange but not actually implement those security requirements. eg on my tablet, it indicated that my exchange had security requirements but did not say anything further and did not add the exchange server as a device admin in the system settings/security tab.
Lovin it. (good by touchdown email)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do I must fix file permissions using root explorer to?

Update for JB
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1520431

Can we deactiviate application persmissions?

Hey guys,
I am doing a project and I was wondering if I root my phone and get all the permissions from the phone using package manager, would I be able to turn off or deactivate some permission within the application. For example, some applications contains too many permission and I just want to test if it achievable to block or disable some of the application.
Would it be simply as to modify the manifest xml file and delete the line of the permission.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.

[NST/G] Revisiting cacerts.bks

cacerts.bks updated 12-6-20
When the original search was on to repair the aging cacerts.bks file in order to get the Kindle app working again, one of the things I came across was a remark from a fellow who had located a Honeycomb ROM (Android 3.2...last stop before the format of the security certificate storage was changed) and copied the cacerts.bks file from it to his Android 2.2 device which was having problems with websites, etc.
I still can't get the method described by @tshoulihane in this thread to work for me. But his edited cacerts.bks file works really well in solving the problem.
Yesterday I managed to locate a CM 7 ROM (Honeycomb). It contains a largish cacerts.bks file (compared to ours) with 127 certificates, 17 of which have expired. These seem to be mostly for central/eastern European and Asian entities, so perhaps not that critical. Well, it's only 10 years old
It has worked for me with the Kindle app and perhaps will help with some of the websites that complain about a secure connection even though I have enabled TLS 1.2 in Opera Mobile. More testing is needed there.
For anyone who wants to try it out, it is attached below. To use, rename your current cacerts.bks file (that's in /system/etc/security) to cacerts.bks.bak or similar. Then move the new file (unzip) into the same place. Check permissions. They should be rw-r-r. Reboot.

This looks great... though when I tried to rename and copy the new cacerts file, I am getting blocked due to the lack of root permissions.
I'm running the 1.2.1 tweaked/modded rom so I thought it wouldn't be an issue. I also tracked down the supersu3.1.3 apk and sideloaded it, but it didn't help either. Wondering if you had any ideas?

xrayd2 said:
This looks great... though when I tried to rename and copy the new cacerts file, I am getting blocked due to the lack of root permissions.
I'm running the 1.2.1 tweaked/modded rom so I thought it wouldn't be an issue. I also tracked down the supersu3.1.3 apk and sideloaded it, but it didn't help either. Wondering if you had any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So was your SU app missing? Or did your file manager just not have root access?
Hard to know where to start. From my experience, the best-behaving SU for the NST/G is the one that comes with NookManager (attached below). It's old and the binaries are probably out of date, but you don't need anything better for the device.
You can try removing the one you have now, reboot, and install the one below. Then check that your file manager has root acccess. In ES File Explorer, for example, you have to go into settings and tick the selection for root access. It's not automatic. And even with that, you have to tick an additional box to mount /system as rw while you're working in it.

At one time the superuser app was included -- but is no longer linked, and I had overlooked it after initially flashing the rom.
Unfortunately, the su app you provided also doesn't work. When I try to delete the old cacerts.blk it looks like it's doing something, but then the file still remains. If I instead try to rename the file, I get "operation failed".
I tried to delete or rename using an app called "root browser", and also the file manager in "super manager" suite. When I try to enable the root explorer function in ES file manager , I get "sorry, test failed. This feature cannot run on your device."
When I go under Device info, the ROM name does indeed say "Tweaked Modded ROM". I assume this should mean it's rooted but I'll have to dig deeper.
I appreciate your help though!

xrayd2 said:
When I go under Device info, the ROM name does indeed say "Tweaked Modded ROM". I assume this should mean it's rooted but I'll have to dig deeper.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mmm.... so the ROM came "rooted"? I've attached a root check app which I've tried on my NST. This should answer the question of root.
If root has been lost somehow, it might be possible to salvage what you have by running NookManager. If you don't want the various additions like Relaunch, you can remove those apps from the data/app folder once you've written the card and then make the other needed changes as described here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/nook-touch/development/nst-g-updating-nookmanager-t3873048
Or, you could just use NM as-is and uninstall unwanted material afterwards. The important thing is root and a functioning SU.

Okay... turns out my device was NOT rooted after all; I had assumed the binaries were already installed. Fortunately, I was able to find a superSU 0.93 binary and root through CWM. I replaced cacerts.blk with yours, and now the kindle app works! At first I had difficulty logging in, but turns out Amazon was emailing me a one time password after every attempt. After entering the OTP I am now up and running.
My next issue is getting Pocket working -- I installed Read it Later 1.0.1 but it's not syncing.
Thanks for the link to your other post. I will sideload the apk's you recommended.

xrayd2 said:
My next issue is getting Pocket working -- I installed Read it Later 1.0.1 but it's not syncing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might not be possible. Chatter here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1604661&page=2 goes back to 2013.

I found reference to a functioning version in 9/2016. Had hoped it was a cacerts issue but maybe pocket changed their api.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=68600731&postcount=54

Would this be what's causing my Nook to not load certain https sites?
I can get to gmail fine, but I can't for the life of me load the todoist website
Tried loading your cacerts.bks, doesn't seem like it changed anything

I had no problem getting the Todoist home page. Logging in may be another matter.
Are you using Opera Mobile and did you make the settings change for TLS 1.2?