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So, I'm well-aware that the reason icons can't be changed easily on the Android home screen is because the icon image is stored in the APK file, and editing that image is, essentially, near impossible.
However, I had an idea that could potentially fix that problem, and I'm just curious how realistic the solution is:
As most G1 users know, AnyCut is a great application that can allow a user to create a shortcut to any number of actions on the phone. These shortcuts are customizable by name, and, for the time being, have a limited number of icons, one for each shortcut type.
I also recall using an app several months ago to change the icons of bookmarks (Bookmark 2, I believe it was called). With this app, a user could choose exactly what their icons would look like on the home screen, except, of course, that these icons could only link to bookmarks.
By combining these two applications, wouldn't an icon changer be quite possible?
Using this same methodology, wouldn't it be possible to create "shortcuts" to applications on the home screen, and thus, allow the user to rename apps and change their icons, at least on the desktop? I know that the icons would not be changed in the pull-out drawer or elsewhere on the system, but wouldn't this be a temporary workaround, until a better solution is reached? I have quite a few programs with horrendous icons, and it really takes away from the aesthetic of the home screen.
Again, all I'm asking is if there's a way to place a shortcut to an APK on the desktop, and preferably to customize that shortcut's icon, not the actual apps.
It is possible to edit .apk's and change the icons. Just look at the forum for theams.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=450
soundwire said:
It is possible to edit .apk's and change the icons. Just look at the forum for theams.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=450
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I know that the icons can be edited in a theme, but can non-stock icons be edited as well?
And also, my concern with that is that it seems like a lot of work to update a theme everytime a new app appears on the market. I'm a little OCD, so if I were able to change all the icons on my home screen, I would want them all to be absolutely uniform (like the themes' icons are). However, if a new, super-useful app were to appear on the market, and I absolutely needed it on my home screen, it would seem much easier to simply add an image to my phone, and make a shortcut using that image, than to have to edit an APK, resign the entire package, and reflash the phone each time. While I know my way around the G1, and I'm comfortable with basic rooting, I am by no means a developer, and just like most G1 users, I would probably be more comfortable making shortcuts than updating firmware.
Do you understand where I'm coming from?
I too, would also like to know how to change "non-stock" app icons. Bump.
jayaustn said:
Well, I know that the icons can be edited in a theme, but can non-stock icons be edited as well?
And also, my concern with that is that it seems like a lot of work to update a theme everytime a new app appears on the market. I'm a little OCD, so if I were able to change all the icons on my home screen, I would want them all to be absolutely uniform (like the themes' icons are). However, if a new, super-useful app were to appear on the market, and I absolutely needed it on my home screen, it would seem much easier to simply add an image to my phone, and make a shortcut using that image, than to have to edit an APK, resign the entire package, and reflash the phone each time. While I know my way around the G1, and I'm comfortable with basic rooting, I am by no means a developer, and just like most G1 users, I would probably be more comfortable making shortcuts than updating firmware.
Do you understand where I'm coming from?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have yet to try this, but (provided you have root), you should be able to use adb to pull the apk for an app off your phone, edit it as described, and push it back to the same place. I will give this a go tomorrow, as I'm rather sleepy, and it's probably not a good thing to mess about with superuser stuff when I can't think straight.
If there's any flaws in my theory, I'd be happy to hear them.
RE: Changeing Icons!
I have a video on you tube on how to change icons. Here it is!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjnV_d9b22E
Hope you enjoy and your able to Change Your Icons.
Good Luck!
bms122223 said:
I have a video on you tube on how to change icons. Here it is!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjnV_d9b22E
Hope you enjoy and your able to Change Your Icons.
Good Luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Video doesnt show you how to change "non-stock" app icons, only icons for the original apps.
Well, I kind of figured out how to change the non-stock icons. But got stuck at the end...here's what I did...
1) Install/Open Astro.
2) Back up the app you want to change the icon for.
3) Grab that backup apk file off of your sdcard and put it on your computer.
4) Open it with Winrar.
5) Go to the proper folder and drag your new icon into the folder.
6) Close Winrar and move the apk back to your sdcard.
...this is where I get stuck, I know the icon changed because I can see it when I TRY to install the app. But the app doesnt want to install, it says "install unsuccesful". I'm guessing it needs to be signed?
I have used astro as well, I even signed the apk the same way I sign themes and no luck.
ultra spikey said:
Well, I kind of figured out how to change the non-stock icons. But got stuck at the end...here's what I did...
1) Install/Open Astro.
2) Back up the app you want to change the icon for.
3) Grab that backup apk file off of your sdcard and put it on your computer.
4) Open it with Winrar.
5) Go to the proper folder and drag your new icon into the folder.
6) Close Winrar and move the apk back to your sdcard.
...this is where I get stuck, I know the icon changed because I can see it when I TRY to install the app. But the app doesnt want to install, it says "install unsuccesful". I'm guessing it needs to be signed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're real close; once you replace the icon you need you need to delete META-INF folder then zip it back up, rename file extension to .apk and sign it with the test keys like the stock .apk. The META-INF is where the signature info is kept from the original author, you need to delete this so it doesn't conflict with the test keys.
Geo411m said:
You're real close; once you replace the icon you need you need to delete META-INF folder then zip it back up, rename file extension to .apk and sign it with the test keys like the stock .apk. The META-INF is where the signature info is kept from the original author, you need to delete this so it doesn't conflict with the test keys.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will that a try. So this also mean that if author updates .apk file we will not be able to install update? Similar to google RC30 updates, we have to wait for JF to modify it.
johnowa636 said:
I will that a try. So this also mean that if author updates .apk file we will not be able to install update? Similar to google RC30 updates, we have to wait for JF to modify it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed; this might be a problem.
I mean, opening up the APK files is definitely a start, but it seems the shortcut approach I mentioned earlier is just so much easier. Shortcuts would allow basic users to change icons effortlessly and without fear of ruining the app, and the process could be just as easy as Bookmark 2, if a developer took charge, no?
ultra spikey said:
Well, I kind of figured out how to change the non-stock icons. But got stuck at the end...here's what I did...
1) Install/Open Astro.
2) Back up the app you want to change the icon for.
3) Grab that backup apk file off of your sdcard and put it on your computer.
4) Open it with Winrar.
5) Go to the proper folder and drag your new icon into the folder.
6) Close Winrar and move the apk back to your sdcard.
...this is where I get stuck, I know the icon changed because I can see it when I TRY to install the app. But the app doesnt want to install, it says "install unsuccesful". I'm guessing it needs to be signed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i would like to verify that this method works to change non-stock apps without pushing files or inserting apps into updates. i used 7zip but i'd imagine winrar will work fine as well. just remember to delete the entire metainf folder, not just its contents. once you have your .apk, re-sign it using stericson's auto-sign utility and you'll be able to install the app through astro.
i should also note that i deleted all instance of the unmodified app from my sdcard. i uninstalled it and deleted the backup on my sd card. this may or may not be necessary, but i just wanted to take precautions.
I've given this method a try, and it seems simply too complicated for a moderate user like me. Wouldn't the shortcut method I mentioned be so much easier to quickly change home screen icons? Would any of the developers on this forum be interested in throwing such an app together? I'd gladly donate some money if a good app was able to take care of this problem.
what are you having trouble with, exactly? i'm far from an advanced user myself, but this is probably one of the easier things to do on the g1, probably second to flashing themes.
though i will say that there are a few apps that i can't change icons for. chomp and cubik have installed but force close when opened.
i have a feeling it's something to do with the signing the apk's, but like i said, i'm not an advanced user at all.
TruLuvNvrDies said:
what are you having trouble with, exactly? i'm far from an advanced user myself, but this is probably one of the easier things to do on the g1, probably second to flashing themes.
though i will say that there are a few apps that i can't change icons for. chomp and cubik have installed but force close when opened.
i have a feeling it's something to do with the signing the apk's, but like i said, i'm not an advanced user at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I opened up the APK using WinRAR, replaced the icon.png with my icon of choice, and then I'm stuck. I known I have to auto-sign the APK, but am not exactly sure how. I have Stericson's auto-signer tool, and used command 4 to manually enter the APK path, but once I do that I get a bunch of errors. If need be, I can copy down the exact error I get.
ultra spikey said:
Video doesnt show you how to change "non-stock" app icons, only icons for the original apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice video!
jayaustn said:
I opened up the APK using WinRAR, replaced the icon.png with my icon of choice, and then I'm stuck. I known I have to auto-sign the APK, but am not exactly sure how. I have Stericson's auto-signer tool, and used command 4 to manually enter the APK path, but once I do that I get a bunch of errors. If need be, I can copy down the exact error I get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you probably need to delete the contents of the meta-inf folder. there should be three files in there, delete them all. if you extracted the contents of the .apk, zip them back up with an .apk extension. if you didn't extract them, you're at the last step, which is to re-sign the .apk. you don't actually need to manually re-sign the file through the console on stericson's re-signer. just right-click the .apk file and at the very top, there should be an option that says "resign .apk". click on that and your app will be re-signed and ready for an install attempt.
though, as i said before, this method is not 100%. of the 6 apps that i modified so far, i was only successful with 4 of them. even if you do all of the steps correctly, you might not have a working app at the end. the apps will install but will automatically force close when launched. i don't know what causes this, actually, and any suggestions would be appreciated.
I agree with the OP, while it is easy enough to edit the apks, resign them, copy them back onto your phone it would be far more elegant (IMHO) if you could have an application that allowed you to copy "Icon Packs" onto your SDCard, and then add links to applications on your home screen giving you a choice of icons from the aforementioned "Icon Pack".
Theme developers could then distribute the "Icon Pack" with the theme, and end users could easily add custom icons to your home screen from your phone without having to mess about on a PC.
liamw said:
I agree with the OP, while it is easy enough to edit the apks, resign them, copy them back onto your phone it would be far more elegant (IMHO) if you could have an application that allowed you to copy "Icon Packs" onto your SDCard, and then add links to applications on your home screen giving you a choice of icons from the aforementioned "Icon Pack".
Theme developers could then distribute the "Icon Pack" with the theme, and end users could easily add custom icons to your home screen from your phone without having to mess about on a PC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what everyone wants is Anycut that can do custom icons.
Hey all,
I need alittle help, And yes I looked but nothing is giving me a clear answer in my searches and doesnt seem to be helping me find a way to do this to test things out.
I have been really annoyed with the 2.5 HTC Message Bug/Lag/Error/Whatever, and I have been searching thru the EU rom for hours/days, and I wanted to try some things out, but I've run across a problem. I am testing out possibly seeing is maybe the problem is maybe xml pages, so I want to play around with them and find the association as to why hitting the send key loads the msgs instantly while not doing so takes forever to load. I have a spare tp2 to do testing. But when I try to replace xml pages, it will deny me from doing so. for example, I was trying to replace the htcMsgbox.xml but everytime I try I get this error:
A system file name "htcmsgbox" already exists replacing old file with new file, I say yes, then I get this msg: "Cannot copy "htcmsgbox" access denied.
Obviously its a system file and cant be replace by normal means, so my question is how does one replace these files? I tried total commander to try and open the file to edit it, but that failed too. So can someone tell me how it can be done if at all? I even tried going into the bootloader to see if I could replace files, but that didnt work too, and searching here unless you hit the right keyword isnt giving me an answer.
I guess my question is how to replace any system file be it XML or exe, I know some can be done by disabling Manila, but how of the others?
Thanx for the response.
42 views and no answer? Okay then *Bump*
I don't think it's possible.
I believe that the only way to get at those ROM-locked files, is to open it up in a kitchen...and even then I'm not sure that everything is accessbile
Would the SDKCert cab allow me to replace the XML pages? I would think that when you reboot the phone and go to the home screen the Msging app isnt loaded so why would the xml pages be locked from being changed, when there is other xml pages for other apps in the system not loaded and you can alter them? I am not a programmer right off the bat, but I noticed little stupid things which knowing how Windows works would cause programs or aml pages that would normally seem okay because it runs, window would run it slower because it cant translate something that didnt even have anything to do with the mail xml page or the program, and I found a couple of xml pages that have these stupid errors and thought of replacing them to see if that could be the case, I can copy them off the phone fine, but I cant replace them to test my theories out.
Help!
AngelDeath said:
Hey all,
I need alittle help, And yes I looked but nothing is giving me a clear answer in my searches and doesnt seem to be helping me find a way to do this to test things out.
I have been really annoyed with the 2.5 HTC Message Bug/Lag/Error/Whatever, and I have been searching thru the EU rom for hours/days, and I wanted to try some things out, but I've run across a problem. I am testing out possibly seeing is maybe the problem is maybe xml pages, so I want to play around with them and find the association as to why hitting the send key loads the msgs instantly while not doing so takes forever to load. I have a spare tp2 to do testing. But when I try to replace xml pages, it will deny me from doing so. for example, I was trying to replace the htcMsgbox.xml but everytime I try I get this error:
A system file name "htcmsgbox" already exists replacing old file with new file, I say yes, then I get this msg: "Cannot copy "htcmsgbox" access denied.
Obviously its a system file and cant be replace by normal means, so my question is how does one replace these files? I tried total commander to try and open the file to edit it, but that failed too. So can someone tell me how it can be done if at all? I even tried going into the bootloader to see if I could replace files, but that didnt work too, and searching here unless you hit the right keyword isnt giving me an answer.
I guess my question is how to replace any system file be it XML or exe, I know some can be done by disabling Manila, but how of the others?
Thanx for the response.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You generally can overwrite ROM files with the same file name in the same directory. If you want to modify a file, copy it to your storage card, change the properties to not be "read only", then copy it back to the former location.
This won't work for any system files that are actually in use.
In your case, it appears that "htcmsgbox" is being used by the system. I think you might be able to get past this particular one by disabling the HTC notifications system. Do a search - it is a registry mod.
Okay the notification system you wouldnt be by chance talking about the events notification for sms mms email reminders would you? And I made the change on my desktop then copied it back to storage and then tried to overwrite the file, but I did change the attrib back to read only before trying to copy it back...
Most of the XML pages used by HTC is in use
sigh....
There's this task manager program that is included with the e2 ROM that I have not been able to find anywhere else. It's simple, fast, and to me the best way to switch tasks on WinMo.
\Windows\taskmgr.exe
So I figured I could simply copy the exe out of the Windows dir and stick it on my SD card for use with other ROMS.
Apparently I was wrong.
I cannot for the life of me figure a way to copy this file to any other location. Every time I try to copy it with Total Commander, I get a dialog telling me that a file of the same name with a size of 0 bytes already exists in the destination directory. When I click the overwrite button, it simply says "Unable to copy/move file". Afterwards when checking the destination directory for the reported existence of this file, I find nothing.
When trying to copy it off the phone in desktop Windows explorer, it simply says "Access denied".
I made sure that the file was not currently running before trying to copy.
Some files are able to be copied outside the Windows dir without issue, but I noticed there were many others that had this same problem.
So is this even possible? Is this an issue with all files that come built into the ROM? If so is there any way around it?
If not it would be a shame because I really miss this simple program when running other ROMS.
(and no offence to the e2 ROM, it is one of the best I've used, I just like flashing new ROMS every other day or so...)
Sorry I misread your post. I have nothing to say sorry.
I put the files path near the top of the first post:
\Windows\taskmgr.exe
Its title while running is simply Task Manager. Obviously there are many other task managers that take on the same name, some even with the same filename.
Not sure how else to differentiate it. In the handful of different ROMS I've tried, I've only found this specific program in e2 (both Sense 2.5 and 2.1 versions in fact).
The program itself is merely a list of tasks with the columns Application, Mem, and CPU. The right softkey is labeled Menu and has options to End All Tasks, view either Applications or Processes, sort by the various columns, refresh, and exit. The left softkey is labeled End Task and has the appropriate functionality.
I realize other task managers would seem to duplicate the functionality of this one. For various reasons I like this the best (mostly because it can be easily controlled entirely with the keyboard without any need to tap the screen, and because it does exactly what I need it to do and nothing more, there's always dotfred's application if I need more powerful task managing capabilities).
Wish I knew more!
mrbox23 said:
Sorry I misread your post. I have nothing to say sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, just glad someone noticed!
dotfred taskmanager is probably what it is
Nope, I have and use dotfred's task manager, it's a great program but is overkill if all you want to do is switch tasks.
I've attached a screenshot of the program.
But really, I should have probably phrased my question better. This is not so much about the specific application, as it is about finding a way to copy ROM files out of the Windows directory. There are many other files with this issue, taskmgr.exe just happens to be the one I want.
Of course if someone knew of a standalone version of this app that would be great, but I somehow doubt such a thing exists. It seems unique to the e2 ROM (I have posted in the e2 ROM thread as well).
I installed the stock MMS.apk file on my de'odexed stock rom (rooted of course). Everything worked well and the app runs, but when reading text threads there is an ugly white border around the edge of the screen, its strange. Its not present when viewing the list of conversations, only in the thread view. I'm not sure if that's how its supposed to look or not, but if not, anyone have any idea how to fix this?
I'll get a screenshot up as soon as I get home.
I first obtained the MMS.apk from the cyanogen rom, then thinking that it might be modified and thus creating my problem, I grabbed the AOSP version from this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=789493
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
UPDATE:
Found another thread where people are experiencing the same issue, apparently its a problem with how sense handles the application:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=752604
I attempted to open up the Mms.apk (AOSP version) with APKtool and play around with the xml files for the UI, but wasn't able to get it to recompile and test any changes I made, the app would just crash on launch. I simply made a few changes to the colors, but I admittedly don't really know what I'm doing and it wouldn't run. If anyone who's more experienced in this area could offer some advice I'll try again.
That's a picture of the issue, it appears in both landscape and portrait mode.
Texts were blacked out just for privacy sake.
Well after a few hours of messing around in the XML files for the AOSP messaging app, I was able to find a solution to this issue. I modified the XML file to have it correctly display the black color background when using the black theme. I was not able to eliminate the border entirely, but by changing the scrollbar type from Inset to Overlay I was able to make it uniform and far more visually pleasing.
I have attached my modified Mms.apk file, feel free to test it out.
For the specifics of what I did for those who are interested:
Two files were modified in the apk
- /res/layout/compose_message_activity.xml
- /res/layout/compose_message_activity_black.xml
In both files I changed the scrollbarStyle propery to "insideOverlay", in addition to removing the reference to always show the scrollbar track.
In the black xml file I changed the background color to "@android:color/black".
The original XML files were extracted using APKTool and Recompiled to their binary format, then reinserted into the original apk without resigning.
This is awesome! ... Except it doesn't filter out the VVM message streams that come through. :|
I haven't encountered this problem though I use google voice so I'm not really sure what it is you're referring to.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
ty!
beautiful ty!!!!!!!!!
Imma cry
I cant send mms!
Try turning off wifi while sending/receiving mms
no wifi
i don't have wifi on when i do this i just have 3g on so i can send mms!
i zipped the file with the one that had the white outline .is there a way to make this new apk. file into a .zip file for me ?
I'd imagine you could simply replace the APK file in your zip with my modified one and install that way. Use a program like winrar or 7zip to replace the apk within the zip.
tehpsyc said:
I'd imagine you could simply replace the APK file in your zip with my modified one and install that way. Use a program like winrar or 7zip to replace the apk within the zip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry but i cant find either of thoses programs u mention to replace the APK file in my zip with your modified version .is there another program or a manual way of doing this process ?
how do i install this? since it's an APK, i thought i'd just install it from Astro but it says it's already installed and asked if i wanted to uninstall.
To install this you need to either delete or rename the Mms.apk that's already on your phone in the /system/app directory (I just rename to Mms.apk.bak) and then copy the modified one into that same directory followed by a restart of the phone. Because its a system app you cant install it the same way you would a regular apk, at least from my understanding.
You will need to get write access to the system directory to accomplish this (I used an app on the market called root explorer, though you can also do all this through the ADB shell)
Hello all
Forgive me for any ignorance for any part of this, kinda still learning the Android stuff.
Basically I got a Tab Pro 8.4 for Xmas, an like a lot of it, but really don't care for the huge Weather widget, or how it's designed. But I do want to stay with a Accuweather version.
My first learning of Android came from a Stratosphere II phone I have, an I kinda like that weather widget. Plus I think it would be a little smaller.
To mention, I rooted that device as it was pretty easy, (an way out of warranty), but I have yet to root the 8.4 as seems to be more complicated and I kinda almost don't want to unless I really have too as I really don't want to trip the Knox.
Anyway, so my goal here was to try the Strat's weather widget in the 8.4, so I went into the system folder of the Strat, got all the files that had to do with anything of the weather widget, copied them to my PC, put them in the doc's folder of the 8.4, and then tried to copy them to same system folder, which I was able to view with Root Explorer, but when I went to paste them in, it told me I couldn't as the device was not rooted.
So is there any way I can get these files into there?
Thanks for any help.
To write or modify with '/' or '/system' files you will need root, really anything outside of the /mnt/sdcard directory(s) are mostly read only or 'locked' with permissions to a certain user (each "app" is a separate user).
Anyways I don't see why you would need to put the file there anyways as you should be able to just install it as a normal "User" application regardless where it was installed on the other device, all you need is the .apk file from the other device then install it on the 8.4, you will first need to enable "unknown Sources" in Settings.
(First on device that has the app you want - look in "/system/app/" ," /system/priv-app/" - there should be some files with a ".apk" extension find the one for the weather app /widget you want to use, and copy it to your pc, then copy the file to the tab 8.4, click on it in a file manager such as root explorer or the one that came with the tablet, it should prompt you to enable Unknown Sources under settings , enable the option, then proceed to install it - you shouldn't need any other files besides the apk )
If it doesn't work then the apk could be coded to a certain device (as some Samsung apps are) or just too old to run on kitkat.
See my screenshots for some basic example (the apk file will probably be called something else on the other device)
Thanks so much otyg, you are always such a great help.
So just to reply a few things . . . yes, the files were in the system/apps folder from the original device. Second, when I first got the 8.4, I went through all the settings menus, an found that thing on "Unknown Sources" an clicked it, kinda remember that from something I learned with the smartphone, so knew right off to check that. Guess the only reason am mentioning, is to mention that I have been using a few Explorer apps, but none have promoted me for what you mentioned, an am guessing as it was already checked(?).
So at the moment I have the files sitting in a documents folder of the 8.4, but now to ask on those . . . when I went into the app folder of the org device, there were several files that had the accuweather in them.
First on this point, there were three that had the apk ext, an those were, AccuweatherDaemon.apk, AccuweatherWidget_Main.apk and, AccuweatherWidget.apk.
Then to mention too, each one had a corresponding worded file with a .odex ext.
So not knowing much, I copied all six.
So don't know if you could answer this, but do you have any idea of which I should install, or should I install all of them? An again just to remind, what I am looking for here is the Widget from my org device, but I do want it to work. Then one more question on this point, is there anyway to uninstall these if any cause some kind of issue?
Lastly an just to mention, as I posted, I don't know much about the Android system, so just didn't know that a .apk file is basically a install file. KInda thought they were application execution files, which I think they are(?) . . . but they can be app install files a well? Sorry to ask such a knob question as well as so many others, but is how I will learn.
Again, thanks so much for the help.
WBFAir said:
Thanks so much otyg, you are always such a great help.
So just to reply a few things . . . yes, the files were in the system/apps folder from the original device. Second, when I first got the 8.4, I went through all the settings menus, an found that thing on "Unknown Sources" an clicked it, kinda remember that from something I learned with the smartphone, so knew right off to check that. Guess the only reason am mentioning, is to mention that I have been using a few Explorer apps, but none have promoted me for what you mentioned, an am guessing as it was already checked(?).
So at the moment I have the files sitting in a documents folder of the 8.4, but now to ask on those . . . when I went into the app folder of the org device, there were several files that had the accuweather in them.
First on this point, there were three that had the apk ext, an those were, AccuweatherDaemon.apk, AccuweatherWidget_Main.apk and, AccuweatherWidget.apk.
Then to mention too, each one had a corresponding worded file with a .odex ext.
So not knowing much, I copied all six.
So don't know if you could answer this, but do you have any idea of which I should install, or should I install all of them? An again just to remind, what I am looking for here is the Widget from my org device, but I do want it to work. Then one more question on this point, is there anyway to uninstall these if any cause some kind of issue?
Lastly an just to mention, as I posted, I don't know much about the Android system, so just didn't know that a .apk file is basically a install file. KInda thought they were application execution files, which I think they are(?) . . . but they can be app install files a well? Sorry to ask such a knob question as well as so many others, but is how I will learn.
Again, thanks so much for the help.
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Apk files used for installing apps like an exe file on windows or a dmg on mac, when you install something from the play store it is delivered as an APK file but it just happens "behind the scenes" so to speak, you are just bypassing the play store and directly installing the app but it's the same process...
When you install a app this is what happens in most cases.
1. The APK(s) gets stored in /data/app/<applicationname.apk> (this will get removed on uninstall.)
2. it creates a unique directory under /data/data/<applicationname> (this will get removed on uninstall)
3. it can create a directory under /mnt/sdcard/Android/data/<applicationname> (these files usually get left behind on uninstall but since it's on the user storage the user can remove them, it usually contains settings or cache files)
You don't need the .odex files, these are encrypted and probably wont work on other devices, it's basically the apk optimized for the device so it starts faster.
Just install the 3 apk's, the widget probably needs the main program for support and the daemon service probably runs in the background for updates ..etc, since you are installing them as a normal user it won't do much harm and you can always remove them if they do cause an issue, Applications are self contained and when you remove them the corresponding data folders are removed too (on the device) so it is unlikely to do any lasting damage.
To remove them go to Settings -> General -> Application Manager -> Downloaded and remove the apps from there . (if you don't see them swipe right until you see All )
Thanks so much for the reply an the education otyg
Did just as you suggested, deleted the odex files an tapped on the apk's to install, an don't know for why, but while it seemed to go as normal, in the end, I got a message saying they did not install, for all three.
Replaced the odex's back an that didn't seem to make a dif.
Perhaps it didn't work as could not install as device is not rooted?
Just to mention, I did have something with my Strat II device back a few months ago, where I placed another version of a accuweather widget in the systems/app folder, an it did show up.
At any rate, was a good try an thanks again for all the info.
Perhaps if I can get this device rooted, I can try again by just putting the apps in the folder.