Database Users

Is it possible to move/install any .apk to /system/app

sorry for the double post
Curious..........when we install .apks do they alreadly know where to install its self. some apks i can completely move to the /system/app/ and others go straight to /data/app where most apks go and cannot be moved without FCing
IS there a way to force all data that i want to system/app/
just wanted to know if this is possible...would be sweet
TIA

As far as I know if you install them manually you can install them wherever you want. System or data.
While rom building I've put non-standard apps into the system/app folder with no problem.

If you put them in the system/app folder you might need to make sure the permissions are set right.

bp328i said:
If you put them in the system/app folder you might need to make sure the permissions are set right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well here is my situation.........
i want to use the HTC_IME_lo.apk mod found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=624416
then I would like to Remove the stock HTC_IME.apk im sure everyone does this...
then i cook
bake and
flash but it doesnt install
how do i edit the permissions or maybe there is another solution ???????
TIA fellow chefs

DS36 said:
Well here is my situation.........
i want to use the HTC_IME_lo.apk mod found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=624416
then I would like to Remove the stock HTC_IME.apk im sure everyone does this...
then i cook
bake and
flash but it doesnt install
how do i edit the permissions or maybe there is another solution ???????
TIA fellow chefs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm probably out of my league here, but I would guess that you should be able to add in the new keyboard (to the SYSTEM folder), select the new keyboard as your default keyboard (using an SMS app or something), then once it's selected you're good to go. You may be able to even delete the old one at that point without any errors?
However, you mentioned cooking and baking so this is what's over my head. Sorry if this doesn't help you.
Also, like that other dude said... "other" apps like the ones installed from the Market usually go in DATA. I noticed that when some ROMs have Maps installed in SYSTEM and you go to update it, it will install the newer version in DATA. I remember seeing in the logcat during boot that the phone detects both versions and just ignores the older version in the SYSTEM folder.

DS36 said:
Well here is my situation.........
i want to use the HTC_IME_lo.apk mod found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=624416
then I would like to Remove the stock HTC_IME.apk im sure everyone does this...
then i cook
bake and
flash but it doesnt install
how do i edit the permissions or maybe there is another solution ???????
TIA fellow chefs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have used that exact keyboard on ROMs in the past. I did a straight install from the SD card using a file explorer, Astro to be exact.
Maybe I'm missing what you are trying to accomplish, but that's how I installed it. I'm not up on the cooking and baking, but maybe it's different if you are trying to add it to the ROM prior to flashing?
To remove the standard HTC_IME.apk, I would install the new one first then go into adb shell and remove it that route.

The only way I know how to change permissions is by using the Root Explorer app. If you have that you mount r/w and navigate to the apk you wanna change. Then you long press it and go to permissions. It looks like all the ones in /system/app are "User: Read, Write; Group: Read; Others: Read". Hope this helped!

zwade01 said:
The only way I know how to change permissions is by using the Root Explorer app. If you have that you mount r/w and navigate to the apk you wanna change. Then you long press it and go to permissions. It looks like all the ones in /system/app are "User: Read, Write; Group: Read; Others: Read". Hope this helped!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great info guys but actually im trying to build a Rom from scratch in the Rom Kitchen.......
when i flash the Rom to my Phone i want the keyboard i want and not the stock one built in at all....i actually remove it while in the kitchen....
so basically if you were to flash this rom to you phone the stock is gone and the custom will be there.....
P.S. I already know about removing the htc ime_mod via ADB after i flash but i want it gone before
TIA everyone great info

ANYBODY ??????

[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

[Q] Problem With Package Installer

I am having a problem with the package installer on my Nexus 7. (Wi-Fi, 32 GB) I think I may have done something to it accidentally while browsing through the system files. I did click to install the installer itself out of curiosity, though, but I don't know if that could have any adverse effects on anything. I cannot install any apps, whether they're from the Play Store or an APK through a file explorer. I get error 406 when I try to download anything from the Play Store. (Except when I tried to update ES File Explorer. That worked fine... Every other app that I've tried will not update/ download.) When I try to install an APK, I get a message like, "There is no program to open this file." I had just rooted my Nexus after having it for nearly a year with the Motochopper root exploit, so the bootloader is still locked. I could still install apps, though, until after my first reboot. Could anybody identify the problem? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

you might have removed packageinstaller.apk thats in the system. you can fix it by getting the correct packageinstaller.apk from the interent and move it to the correct /system/app path and apply CORRECT permissions for it

Billchen0014 said:
you might have removed packageinstaller.apk thats in the system. you can fix it by getting the correct packageinstaller.apk from the interent and move it to the correct /system/app path and apply CORRECT permissions for it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's still there. I think installing it with itself out of curiosity is what messed it up. It now shows up in the installed apps menu in Settings.

TheZeldaLova said:
It's still there. I think installing it with itself out of curiosity is what messed it up. It now shows up in the installed apps menu in Settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Change its permissions to the same as the other apps in the same folder should fix it

Billchen0014 said:
Change its permissions to the same as the other apps in the same folder should fix it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't seem that I am able to change permissions. I'm just going to back everything up and either flash a stock rom or another good rom. Thank you very much for your help anyways.

Same problem..
What do you mean about "changing permissions"? If you mean to change the file properties to -rw-r-r- then that didn't worked for me .. pls help!

Gallery APK

hello forum
can any1 provide me with the official android gallery apk version 4.2.2 it suddenly stopped working and i deleted it by mistake now when i try to open it it says this application is not installed
my s4 GT-I9505 is rooted...
thanks

can some1 plz help?...its not hard u can use titanium backup.....i think

xweel said:
can some1 plz help?...its not hard u can use titanium backup.....i think
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Look HERE

malybru said:
Hi,
Look HERE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this doesnt work....it requires the app to be installed
first it asks me if i want to update the existing built in app, no other option but to choose install then i get the message " app not installed "
thanks

xweel said:
this doesnt work....it requires the app to be installed
first it asks me if i want to update the existing built in app, no other option but to choose install then i get the message " app not installed "
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
with root explorer move this app to system/app, then fix permission to 744, reboot

xweel said:
this doesnt work....it requires the app to be installed
first it asks me if i want to update the existing built in app, no other option but to choose install then i get the message " app not installed "
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
Go to the market and get "FX File Explorer" + root
Navigate to system/app
Unlock the padlock at the top of the page.
Paste the Gallery app into the folder.
Save.
Reboot

malybru said:
Hi,
Go to the market and get "FX File Explorer" + root
Navigate to system/app
Unlock the padlock at the top of the page.
Paste the Gallery app into the folder.
Save.
Reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
samersh72 said:
with root explorer move this app to system/app, then fix permission to 744, reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
weird, the app was already in that folder.....i still moved the downloaded one though its the same, and i changed permission to 744, nothing changed....btw reboot as in restart?...
edit: now i cant see the gallery icon in the app drawer...

xweel said:
weird, the app was already in that folder.....i still moved the downloaded one though its the same, and i changed permission to 744, nothing changed....btw reboot as in restart?...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you ment that it is not deleted!
reboot=restart

samersh72 said:
you ment that it is not deleted!
reboot=restart
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i thought it was deleted...the icon was in the app drawer...when i tried opening i get the message application is not installed, this happened after i cleared date from the application manager which i forgot to mention or thought it wasnt important..was it important ^^?
thanks
edit: maybe i should delete the .odex file? ..
i think a titanium back file will work...no1 can provide ??....or it wont work.....?

xweel said:
i thought it was deleted...the icon was in the app drawer...when i tried opening i get the message application is not installed, this happened after i cleared date from the application manager which i forgot to mention or thought it wasnt important..was it important ^^?
thanks
edit: maybe i should delete the .odex file? ..
i think a titanium back file will work...no1 can provide ??....or it wont work.....?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey just root your phone with cf root download rootbrowser and replace the downloaded version with the one in system/app
then reboot

Hi guys!
I'm bumping an ancient thread here, hope that's okay with you.
I have this old S4+ lying around. I love it's Gallery app due to the built-in possibility to losslessly trim MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) videos by cutting to nearest keyframe, and also lossless rotation by changing the rotation metadata flag of the MP4 file in question. This simple feature is not implemented in "modern" Gallery apps, or well at least not in the OnePlus 5T I'm using today. So, I was thinking I could extract the .APK from my S4+ (running Android 5.x) and put it in my OP5T (running Android 8.x) without too much headache. Guess if I was wrong.
I get the error about that app was not installed. After browsing around on e.g. ApkMirror, I ultimately found a Samsung Galaxy derived Gallery .APK that I could install, it was a very early version (v1.x.something) which has the cutting feature, but not the rotation (flag changing) feature. So, this ancient Gallery3D .apk installed well, but not the one on my own Galaxy S4+.
So, what could be my issue? Is the .APK flagged to be installed as a system app, and due to my OP5T not being rooted I don't have access too /system/app/, therefor the error? Could it be that simple? If so, is it possible the modify the .APK to install as in /data/app/ instead? Of course I'd resign the APK with some dummy/androiddebug signature afterwards to make installation possible.
Could it be some silly (not really needed) demand listed in the AndroidManifest.xml of the APK in question? If so, is it possible to replace the AndroidManifest.xml with a very "basic" one listing more or less no demands, and re-wrap everything with new signature?
I'm really investigating all my options __except__ for having to root my OnePlus!

I figured that I could get a more specific error message from ADB than by just trying to install the .APK through the phone interface.
So, here goes..
Code:
C:\>adb.exe install F:\Galleri_com.sec.android.gallery3d.apk
adb: failed to install F:\Galleri_com.sec.android.gallery3d.apk: Failure [INSTALL_FAILED_INVALID_APK: Package couldn't be installed in /data/app/com.sec.android.gallery3d-RAEW5FZ4VBWqTWXx48LPmQ==: Package /data/app/com.sec.android.gallery3d-RAEW5FZ4VBWqTWXx48LPmQ==/base.apk code is missing]
What does this tell me?

gewone said:
What does this tell me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Galaxy S4 and most Samsung devices has a second framework app, twframework-res.apk, that only works with their apps. Here's the fun part: the existing Android framework-res.apk is modified by Samsung so both framework apps are required by a given Samsung app to function. Even better is that you cannot simply port the app and twframework-res.apk to a totally different device and expect it to function. You'd have to port the framework-res.apk as well, and with that apk being a system file, you'd soft brick your device after copying it and rebooting.
The tl;dr here? What you're attempting won't work due to Samsung modifications to Android.

Restore deleted app (qualcomm/sprint) on rooted phone?

Hello there, hope everyone's alright
While uninstalling bloatware I mistakenly deleted my android's file manager (File 7.1.1 com.android.documentsui).
I can't reinstall it via adb because the versions I download don't match the signature of the allegedly deleted file.
Is there a way in which I can absolutely remove every trace in order to have it accept the new apk, or that being impossible, to restore the former file?
Alternatively, could anyone that has the same model/rom extract the app file and upload it for me, or would it clash as well with the signature?
Thanks in advance!

just install a root file browser like mixplorer and drop(copy) the .apk file back into /root/system/priv-apps folder and reboot
it will automatically be installed as system apk and work ....
Sent from my woods_f using XDA Labs

Nevermind what I just posted. Edited.
I managed to install it (had to try between some different versions of the apk file), but now it closes/crashes/stops as soon as I open it, every single time. Any ideas as to what might be the issue?

Dotf said:
Nevermind what I just posted. Edited.
I managed to install it (had to try between some different versions of the apk file), but now it closes/crashes/stops as soon as I open it, every single time. Any ideas as to what might be the issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You probably need the libs. Or the OAT folder. Or the permissions may be wrong.

Here you go. I'll attach screenshot of permissions as well.

It's not a flashable zip, just extract the files and place in system/privapp in a folder (name it DocumentsUI) and set permissions.
You cannot just install it like a regular app. You have to manually place the files

madbat99 said:
It's not a flashable zip, just extract the files and place in system/privapp in a folder (name it DocumentsUI) and set permissions.
You cannot just install it like a regular app. You have to manually place the files
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did exactly as you pointed out, but no luck.
After that I tried opening the apk on the privapp folder from mixplorer, and it says it's corrupted.
If I try to install said apk via adb, I get
Package couldn't be installed in /data/app/com.android.documentsui-1: Package /data/app/com.android.documentsui-1/base.apk code is missing

Dotf said:
Did exactly as you pointed out, but no luck.
After that I tried opening the apk on the privapp folder from mixplorer, and it says it's corrupted.
If I try to install said apk via adb, I get
Package couldn't be installed in /data/app/com.android.documentsui-1: Package /data/app/com.android.documentsui-1/base.apk code is missing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ADB is trying to install it as a user app which I said you can't do. Just place the APK and the oat folder in there. Make sure the permissions of the APK and the odex all match the rest of the files in the privapp folder and reboot. Don't forget to reboot that's very important.
You need all folders. Folder named oat, and in that, a folder named arm. Put odex in there. Make sure all permissions match others in priv app (even the oat and arm folders). Reboot.
---------- Post added at 06:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:06 PM ----------
Did you delete anything other than document ui? Debloating doesn't mean randomly delete system apps. Some things are needed for Android to function.

madbat99 said:
ADB is trying to install it as a user app which I said you can't do. Just place the APK and the oat folder in there. Make sure the permissions of the APK and the odex all match the rest of the files in the privapp folder and reboot. Don't forget to reboot that's very important.
You need all folders. Folder named oat, and in that, a folder named arm. Put odex in there. Make sure all permissions match others in priv app (even the oat and arm folders). Reboot.
---------- Post added at 06:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:06 PM ----------
Did you delete anything other than document ui? Debloating doesn't mean randomly delete system apps. Some things are needed for Android to function.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Made sure to have everything with the proper permissions, still, no luck.
The other apps that I deleted were either sprint and amazon crap, or google games/videos/music and youtube. This one I mistakenly got rid off because it was labeled as "Downloads" and looked kinda like one of those other unnecessary google apps. In hindsight I should have backed up everything; got too cocky for my own good.
Is there some system-wide checkup that can be performed to make sure nothing else of importance is missing, or at this point is it better to give up and reinstall the rom/factory reset?

Dotf said:
Made sure to have everything with the proper permissions, still, no luck.
The other apps that I deleted were either sprint and amazon crap, or google games/videos/music and youtube. This one I mistakenly got rid off because it was labeled as "Downloads" and looked kinda like one of those other unnecessary google apps. In hindsight I should have backed up everything; got too cocky for my own good.
Is there some system-wide checkup that can be performed to make sure nothing else of importance is missing, or at this point is it better to give up and reinstall the rom/factory reset?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it was downloads, I may have given you the wrong one. Let me check.

Dotf said:
Made sure to have everything with the proper permissions, still, no luck.
The other apps that I deleted were either sprint and amazon crap, or google games/videos/music and youtube. This one I mistakenly got rid off because it was labeled as "Downloads" and looked kinda like one of those other unnecessary google apps. In hindsight I should have backed up everything; got too cocky for my own good.
Is there some system-wide checkup that can be performed to make sure nothing else of importance is missing, or at this point is it better to give up and reinstall the rom/factory reset?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you have a twrp backup just restore from there ...if you never made a backup of your stock rom in twrp before or after rooting or making sytem changes you are right that you are too cocky ..
Sent from my woods_f using XDA Labs

Dotf said:
Made sure to have everything with the proper permissions, still, no luck.
The other apps that I deleted were either sprint and amazon crap, or google games/videos/music and youtube. This one I mistakenly got rid off because it was labeled as "Downloads" and looked kinda like one of those other unnecessary google apps. In hindsight I should have backed up everything; got too cocky for my own good.
Is there some system-wide checkup that can be performed to make sure nothing else of importance is missing, or at this point is it better to give up and reinstall the rom/factory reset?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which one did you delete? DocumentsUI or downloadprovider?
What I gave you extracted right from my phone (virgin mobile, exact same as sprint) so if it didn't work, either you did something wrong or deleted something else.

madbat99 said:
Which one did you delete? DocumentsUI or downloadprovider?
What I gave you extracted right from my phone (virgin mobile, exact same as sprint) so if it didn't work, either you did something wrong or deleted something else.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for taking so long, I was out of the house.
While the app appears as Downloads in the app browser, on the properties it's listed as Files 7.1.1 aka documentsUI, the same you uploaded for me.
The main gripe with all of these, is that I can't install or update apps via playstore. They start the download process and get stuck in a loop there, never actually beginning the download in itself, in case it helps as a clue.

Dotf said:
Sorry for taking so long, I was out of the house.
While the app appears as Downloads in the app browser, on the properties it's listed as Files 7.1.1 aka documentsUI, the same you uploaded for me.
The main gripe with all of these, is that I can't install or update apps via playstore. They start the download process and get stuck in a loop there, never actually beginning the download in itself, in case it helps as a clue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try clearing app data for download manager. Also clear cache for playstore. Sometimes you have to clear data for playstore as well. Pretty common problem. Clearing data for those usually works. Some ppl have had to clear data for play services as well.

madbat99 said:
Try clearing app data for download manager. Also clear cache for playstore. Sometimes you have to clear data for playstore as well. Pretty common problem. Clearing data for those usually works. Some ppl have had to clear data for play services as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just checked, and I am indeed missing as well the downloadprovider apk+odex. It's probably the missing piece. I'm honestly ashamed of asking further help from you at this point because of how patient you've been, but if you can upload that one for me, it's probably all it'll take to finally close this up. I tried with other versions from the net but they didn't work.

Dotf said:
I just checked, and I am indeed missing as well the downloadprovider apk+odex. It's probably the missing piece. I'm honestly ashamed of asking further help from you at this point because of how patient you've been, but if you can upload that one for me, it's probably all it'll take to finally close this up. I tried with other versions from the net but they didn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure thing bro. Give me a minute. Also, clear the data for the apps I said. That has worked for many people.

Here ya go. Same deal, make sure to set permissions because as soon as I extract and compress them the permissions change.

madbat99 said:
Here ya go. Same deal, make sure to set permissions because as soon as I extract and compress them the permissions change.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aaaaaaand....
IT WORKS!
Thank you so much dude, for all your help and patience. I'm gonna have to make a shrine in your honor.
PS: Making a backup of everything ASAP.

Dotf said:
Aaaaaaand....
IT WORKS!
Thank you so much dude, for all your help and patience. I'm gonna have to make a shrine in your honor.
PS: Making a backup of everything ASAP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem. Have fun, be safe, own your device.

Could this app missing be causing a corrupt sd card error?