[Q] Get apk files of installed app's - Desire General

Hello everyone! I've been trying to find the answer to my question in the forum but I have not succeed.
The thing is that I want to get the apk files of some of the app's I have installed on my Desire.
I use Norton Mobile Utilities to check the directory where the apk file of each app is stored. Some of them are in /mnt/asec and these are so easy to find there and save them via copy-paste. On the other hand, some app's are stored in /data/app-private/ but when I check this directory with my file browser it appears completely empty.
What can I do?
Thanks in advance!

Get App Backup & Restore from market and than make backup to specified folder on sdcard.
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk

For backing up and restoring apps i can highly recommend titanium backup. Using it everytime i change rom or install current new. Never had problems.
Sent from Oxygen

to see /data you would need root explorer.
or you could try My backup Root, backup apps you need and then extract .apk from .rar

some file explorer programs like Astro have this feature as built in component
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Just tried both Titanium Backup and Root Explorer. They both work. Thank you all!

Titanium backup is probably the best way to get APK's quickly.
I use Astro too which you could try too.

Related

[Q] Rip APK files from phone?

Hey guys, I know how to bring an apk file from /system/app using ADB Pull, but if the app isn't listed in that directory, where is it and how can I rip it from the phone to my computer?
What I'm ultimately trying to do is install an app that I can only download in Sense, then rip it from Sense and install it on my CM7 ROM.
U can back the apk up with titanium back up and then go to the folder on ur SD card and take the apk from there
gmap516 said:
Hey guys, I know how to bring an apk file from /system/app using ADB Pull, but if the app isn't listed in that directory, where is it and how can I rip it from the phone to my computer?
What I'm ultimately trying to do is install an app that I can only download in Sense, then rip it from Sense and install it on my CM7 ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is found in data/app. If it's a protected app it's in data/app-private. Or you could use astro to back up the apk. Titanium backup doesn't just backup the apk, it's in different files. Or you could backup with titanium and then restore.
Sent from my badass HTC Supersonic (Evo 4g) using XDA Premium App
Great, thanks! So all apps, no matter the source will be found in one of: /system/app, /data/app, or /data/app-private, as long as they're installed on internal, correct?
Once I rip the .apk, can I rename it?
Yeah, should be, I've never seen anything installed outside of those directories. I personally just use root explorer, that way I can do anything straight from the phone. It's well worth the convenience. You should be able to rename the apk to anything you want, especially if all your doing is putting it on the SD card to install.
Sent from my badass HTC Supersonic (Evo 4g) using XDA Premium App
Now, if I found an app had a .zip installed in /data/app and an apk installed in /data/app-private and I want to try to install it on CM7, should I adb push the .zip first to /data/app then adb install the apk? or just adb push both to their respective directories?
I would think you could just regular install the apk. Put it on your sd card & install using a file explorer. As for via adb, I'm not sure. I copied a protected apk to my SD & installed through Astro, it installed to /data/app and was no longer protected so I think the apk by itself would be fine.
Sent from my badass HTC Supersonic (Evo 4g) using XDA Premium App
plainjane said:
It is found in data/app. If it's a protected app it's in data/app-private. Or you could use astro to back up the apk. Titanium backup doesn't just backup the apk, it's in different files. Or you could backup with titanium and then restore.
Sent from my badass HTC Supersonic (Evo 4g) using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hate to disagree but u can backup with titanium back up then go to the titanium backup folder on ur SD card. It stores two files per apk. One is ur data for the apk the other is the apk. It just uses weird names on the backups. Much easier than using adb to pull apk or a file manager to go on a hunt for an apk all over ur phone
Titanium backup can backup apps and data. If you backup the app, you will have 3 files...data only creates 2 files. Apps can be find in /system/apps, /data/apps, /data/app-private, and also in .android-secure on your sdcard. I recommend root explorer to pull the app though. If its a sense only app, it may not work in AOSP.
bwcorvus said:
Titanium backup can backup apps and data. If you backup the app, you will have 3 files...data only creates 2 files. Apps can be find in /system/apps, /data/apps, /data/app-private, and also in .android-secure on your sdcard. I recommend root explorer to pull the app though. If its a sense only app, it may not work in AOSP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are partly correct. It crease three files. One is ur data from ur app another is almost useless and the last is the actual app. I pull apps that way on a daily basis for theming or looking at how other apps r themed.

[Q] Backup .apk files that are stored on an HTC Desire HD (rooted)

I have searched this forum and have not found an answer. I would like to know how to backup the .apk files that are stored on the phone memory, not the SD card. I have used ASTRO file manager but cannot locate the .apk files. I have already used Titanium Backup Pro but I have found that the .apk files are backed up a .tar.gz files. What I want to do is backup the .apk files as .apk files for future resoration or transport to another Android device. I have searched the phone and cannot loacte where the downloaded .apk's are being stored. Could someone out there please help point me in the right direction.
emelnick1 said:
I have searched this forum and have not found an answer. I would like to know how to backup the .apk files that are stored on the phone memory, not the SD card. I have used ASTRO file manager but cannot locate the .apk files. I have already used Titanium Backup Pro but I have found that the .apk files are backed up a .tar.gz files. What I want to do is backup the .apk files as .apk files for future resoration or transport to another Android device. I have searched the phone and cannot loacte where the downloaded .apk's are being stored. Could someone out there please help point me in the right direction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have a couple of options. You can tell titanium backup not to use compression when backing up, or you can use 'Root Explorer' and navigate to /data/app where you will find all your user installed apps, be aware that the data for the apps, such as save games etc... is stored in /data/data.
Hope that this is of some help to you.
Tahnsk for your help
Doktaphex,
I tried turning compression off but titanium backup still created .tar files, not .apk files. Secon option of using root explorer worked just great.
Thanks for your help.
You can use Titanium backup, which will create compressed file, but you can decompress it on your PC and extract .apk file.
Method I use is with ASTRO. Go to menu-tools-backup programs, choose programs you want to backup and hit 'Backup' button. Then navigate to backup folder and there are your programs. But be aware, they will show market names whic are not always easy to determine which .apk is which program.
I use appmonster as it backs up when you install from any source, using an old version 1.9.0 as they changed the way it puts file names, nopw it does via market, on prior it was a readable name
I am using app saver, it works~
A simple option would be to install appInstaller (the one by Gregory House) from the market.
It's a lightweight app which backs up apk files to a folder on your sd card named app saver.
Noob here,
how can you locate or transfer a apk files? where are they exactly saved? how can you install/run them? what app should i use?
using a Huawei u8860 phone.
Thanks
mojo_ojoj said:
Noob here,
how can you locate or transfer a apk files? where are they exactly saved? how can you install/run them? what app should i use?
using a Huawei u8860 phone.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It all depends of the app...if is a system app or a market one. You have to use a file explorer such as file manager or ES explorer.
If the app you are looking for is a system on you need to be rooted.
Try apk extractor in the market its free, its what I use.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using xda premium

[Q] Save APK file from Android Market ?

Hi,
I have some applications I want to save, I mean the APK file.
But I find them only on the android market, and doesn't see how to save the .apk file on my disk (for future use for example).
Do you know if the apk file is stored somewhere in the phone ?
Thanks
Is your phone rooted? It makes a difference. If not rooted you can use mybackup from the market to backup the apps. Never tried it and I am guessing it won't backup paid apps and only free versions. But it might.
If your phone is rooted you can find your apps in the data/app/ folder.
Once you have installed the App, look in /cache/download. Most apks will be in there.
You don't need rooted phone to save (backup) apk's. Just use MyPhoneExplorer which has the function to backup all installed programs (apk's) to computer (also backups SMSes, contacts, etc)
D>
yes, the phone is rooted.
I checked with Estrong explorer in the folders data and cache and there's nothing ...
The idea is to keep the apk files somewhere when they are not directly available on the net, only using the android market.
Back them up on titanium backup then when you want them again just restore them using titanium again, you can restore them fresh or with your old settings, hasn't failed me yet
ponk2k said:
Back them up on titanium backup then when you want them again just restore them using titanium again, you can restore them fresh or with your old settings, hasn't failed me yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works for me too.
jean019 said:
yes, the phone is rooted.
I checked with Estrong explorer in the folders data and cache and there's nothing ...
The idea is to keep the apk files somewhere when they are not directly available on the net, only using the android market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look in data/app as I said. This is the location of all user installed apks. Unless you are using a ROM that uses a different location. Only familiar with sense builds myself. Or use a program that can backup apps. There were 3 mentioned in this thread.
apk with a manager go to system / app. they should be, and extract and save hello
Data/app or system/app?
Confused.
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using xda premium
dinosaurrudy said:
Data/app or system/app?
Confused.
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Either or, depending on what you're after. Apps you've installed (e.g. from the market) will be in /data/app, system apps (e.g Sense and the apps bundled with it) will be in /system/app.
//sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk; all errors entirely intentional.
If the directories/files are not there then check that ES file explorer is configured to show hidden files.
Jon
For unrooted devices, using ES File Explorer:
1. Open ES File Explorer
2. Press Menu >> Manager >> App Manager
3. Long press the application and then press Backup
4. .apk file will be saved to /sdcard/backups/app/

New GN can't restore TB from Nexus One

I got a new Galaxy Nexus GSM.
Shortly after turning it on, it upgraded OTA to JellyBean.
Then, I rooted it.
Installed Titanium Backup.
I copied the TB backup made on my rooted Nexus One running CM7, I just want to restore some regular user apps.
But cannot no matter what I try.
If I copy the Nexus One backups via USB to the Galaxy, there is no restore option for the uninstalled apps in TB. And if I try to verify the backup, TB reports an error. (It doesn't say what the error is, just that there is one.) Of course, the backup and verify on the Nexus One for the same backup is just fine. The MD5 has on the file on the GN (as shown by Root Explorer) matches the MD5 on original backup file on the Nexus One.
If I copy via dropbox, the file shows up in root explorer but it doesn't show up in TB.
I'm getting super frustrated and feel like an idiot.
I can install apps from Google Play, but I paid for TB Pro, and it just doesn't seem to be able to do this.
Also, I hate MTP and lack of SD card in the GN. I might just return the phone it is driving me crazy.
I copied files to the GN yesterday from my computer. I DELETED THE FILES. The files do not show up in Root Explorer on the phone, or when doing ls with ADB, but when use Windows Explorer to look at the GN, the files appear to be there! They really aren't there, because any file operation on it fails (with no error), except for properties - it shows the properties of the non-existent file! What is up with this?
move like that: copy nexus one tb folder to your pc. open it and browse only for .apk files, don't take other file in the backup. put all .apk file in a separate folder. select all and extract all file in a folder (because titanium make compressed apk file, from my experience). put new folder with .apk extracted file into your pbone and with explorer app like ES file explorer install each one. i advise this way because if you restore a tbackup into a phone from another, or from another android os version, you have to restore only app without data. so this is the same way without auto restore for each app function of titanium backup.
i hope this help
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

Question How to best save APK files of downloaded apps?

Looking in my rooted OOS 12 One Plus 9 Pro phone in /data/apps with Root Explorer, I found that all the apps I downloaded from Google Play are stored in separate folders with cryptic names for each app, and that many apps downloaded as more than one APK, with names such as "base.apk", "split_config.arm64_v8a.apk" and "split_config.xxhdpi.apk" in their directory.
I tried the App backup functions of Cx File Explorer and ApkExtractor and these both save only the base.apk, simply giving it a proper identifying file name.
While I could rummage and save the files I found with my root file explorer, I find it cumbersome and wonder if there is any App backup utility that backs up app APKs completely so they could be reinstalled later locally if necessary.
Thanks
tk_xda said:
Looking in my rooted OOS 12 One Plus 9 Pro phone in /data/apps with Root Explorer, I found that all the apps I downloaded from Google Play are stored in separate folders with cryptic names for each app, and that many apps downloaded as more than one APK, with names such as "base.apk", "split_config.arm64_v8a.apk" and "split_config.xxhdpi.apk" in their directory.
I tried the App backup functions of Cx File Explorer and ApkExtractor and these both save only the base.apk, simply giving it a proper identifying file name.
While I could rummage and save the files I found with my root file explorer, I find it cumbersome and wonder if there is any App backup utility that backs up app APKs completely so they could be reinstalled later locally if necessary.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Swiftbackup
tk_xda said:
Looking in my rooted OOS 12 One Plus 9 Pro phone in /data/apps with Root Explorer, I found that all the apps I downloaded from Google Play are stored in separate folders with cryptic names for each app, and that many apps downloaded as more than one APK, with names such as "base.apk", "split_config.arm64_v8a.apk" and "split_config.xxhdpi.apk" in their directory.
I tried the App backup functions of Cx File Explorer and ApkExtractor and these both save only the base.apk, simply giving it a proper identifying file name.
While I could rummage and save the files I found with my root file explorer, I find it cumbersome and wonder if there is any App backup utility that backs up app APKs completely so they could be reinstalled later locally if necessary.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Or migrate. It even restores all data in apps. Then flash zip to restore.
Same thoughts Swiftbackup, Migrate, etc...
Cheers

Categories

Resources