*I made this before any of these new roms came out and as such it was meant for and has been tested on only the stock Gingerbread rom that comes with the phone. I doubt it will be compatible with the new roms.*
This is for the AT&T LG Nitro, p930. I don't have any idea if it will work similarly for the Optimus LTE or even the Optimus from Bell in Canada! You will need root access to your phone and root explorer from the market. (I am aware root explorer is not free, but as far as I'm concerned, it's simply the best/safest explorer possible for tinkering with your phone. I tried the free es file explorer for this and that ended disastrously. I have the replacement phone to prove it =) So really, I wouldn't suggest even trying this if you don't have root explorer.)
*DISCLAIMER*
I AM NOT A DEV! I just like tinkering with how things look because I'm extremely picky. I am not smart enough to figure out how to save someone's phone if it gets bricked, I'm just sharing what I've played with since I want this forum to grow =). So everything I say, you are welcome to try, but keep in mind that it can always hit the fan, especially right now, while we still don't have a recovery mode yet. And since I lack the omniscience of the all-seeing all-knowing devs, I cannot be held responsible for what happens to your phone, if something undesirable (*ahem*, bricking) should happen! That said, everything I've done here I've done multiple times and tested, and it seems to work just fine in my hands so long as instructions are followed precisely. But regardless, try at your own risk! Until we have a nice recovery mode set up, you have to be willing to live on the wild side to mess with this phone, which apparently, a lot of us are...
So, after officially washing my hands clean of any disasters that may occur should you too decide to mess with your phone, as requested, I packaged a few combinations of icons and carrier-logo presence/absence in the following zips.
This is what it looks like with all modifications (blue icons - no carrier).
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Essentially, I hate the android green, so I made that blue instead (blue wifi, 4g radio waves, battery, signal bars, upload/download... basically anywhere in the icons there used to be that green), and I loathed the space AT&T took up in the left side of the status bar, consuming room for notifications, so I got rid of that, too. (The status bar in the picture is black-er than stock, as I don't like the grayish/black gradient of the stock status bar, so I made mine solid black. No one seemed to want that, so regardless of which package of modifications you choose, none will affect your status bar color. It will remain as is. The black bar is just for me, I guess =) )
So here are the combinations:
Stock icons - no carrier
Stock icons - no carrier (ordinary factory icons, only the AT&T carrier logo in the status bar is removed)
Blue icons - with carrier
Blue icons - with carrier (blue icons. AT&T carrier logo STILL IN STATUS BAR! I couldn't imagine anyone wanting that, but just in case, here you go you weirdos =) )
Blue icons - no carrier
Blue icons - no carrier (blue icons and no AT&T carrier logo)
(If you have made any previous modifications to SystemUI.apk or framework-res.apk, they will be lost if you install any of these apks)
Before we get to instructions, I am writing these under the assumption that you are comfortable using root explorer (navigating folders, copying/pasting/moving files, changing permissions, etc. Most of these are simple long-presses on the file, followed by selecting "copy," "move," "permissions," etc). If not, get comfortable first! If you have any questions, please ask! I don't want the blood of your dead phones on my hands =)
Instructions:
1.) Download and unzip whichever ONE of the three packages you prefer onto your computer (this is NOT a mix and match! You can only use ONE package!)
2.) Copy the SystemUI.apk and framework-res.apk from the zip onto your sdcard (preferably into a folder called "modified" or something, just to distinguish from the versions of these files already on your phone. If you chose "stock icons - no carrier", you will only have a SystemUI.apk there. Congratulations, you only have to do half the work =) )
3.) Have root access and root explorer with SuperUser permissions! (When you open root explorer, a popup should say "Root Explorer has been granted SuperUser permissions," or something to that effect)
Backing up your original SystemUI.apk and framework-res.apk:
4.) Open root explorer, navigate to /system/app, and scroll down to SystemUI.apk. Copy (for the love of god, COPY, don't MOVE) this file to somewhere on your sd card (separate from the modified one from this site! Keep them clearly separated. Put this copy from /system/app in a folder called "backup" or something, but just know which is the original and which is the modified one you got from this site. You can't rename the files, either. They won't work then). This will be your original backup in case something goes awry, or you just want to revert back to your original settings.
5.) Navigate to /system/framework, scroll down to framework-res.apk and do the same (copy this file to somewhere on your sdcard, maybe that "backup" folder again, but keep it safe)
Putting in modified SystemUI.apk:
6.) Using root explorer, navigate to where you put the modified SystemUI.apk from this site. Copy the file to the /system folder of your phone (NOT /system/app YET!! Just /system). If root explorer interrupts your attempt to paste into /system by saying "you cannot paste here because the file system is read-only", click ok and press the "Mount R/W" button at the top. It should switch to "Mount R/O". Now try again; copy the modified SystemUI.apk from you SD card and paste it into /system. It should let you this time.
7.) Change permissions on SystemUI.apk that you just put into /system. (Long press on SystemUI.apk until the menu pops up, select "permissions", and change the check boxes to match the following exactly as shown in the image: Owner- read and write, Group- read, Others- read). Click "ok", and it should say "permissions changed successfully." Just to be safe, check the permissions AGAIN, and make sure the correct boxes are checked! This is ESSENTIAL for your phone to stay alive =)
8.) MOVE SystemUI.apk (with the correct permissions!) into /system/app. It will ask if you want to overwrite the SystemUI.apk already in there. Select yes, and voila. It should be copied.
9.) Turn off your phone and turn it back on. Once it boots up, you should see some changes in the status bar. If you chose either package with "no carrier", then the AT&T carrier logo should be gone. If you chose "blue icons - with carrier", then some of the icons should be blue (everything but the battery, I think). If you don't see anything different, something went wrong and either ask, or go back over the instructions really really carefully. (If all you wanted was "stock icons - no carrier", then you're done now! The rest of you, move on to framework-res.apk!)
*Don't try to swap both SystemUI.apk and framework-res.apk without restarting your phone in between. I think one swap (whichever you do first) will fail if you try to.*
Putting in modified framework-res.apk:
10.) If you have just turned on your phone after putting in SystemUI.apk, then I highly suggest you WAIT until the phone is done "scanning the sd card" for media or whatever before you do anything. Once it's done scanning, this is basically the same process as moving over SystemUI.apk. Use root explorer to navigate to the modified framework-res.apk file on your sd card.
11.) Copy this to /system on your phone. Again, if root explorer says you can't, click ok, press the "Mount R/W" button, and try pasting again.
12.) Change permissions on framework-res.apk to Owner- read and write, Group- read, Others- read, just like the permissions for SystemUI.apk. Long press on the file and select "permissions" again, just to be doubly sure they actually did change and that they are correct! For framework-res.apk, it is ESPECIALLY important that it have the proper permissions!!
13.) Once you are positive it has the correct permissions, MOVE framework-res.apk (with the correct permissions!!!) into /system/framework, and again, it will ask you if you want to overwrite. If you are brave, say "yes." Now turn off your phone and turn it back on. You should be done!
If you follow these precisely, you shouldn't have any problems. I have manually installed all the combinations on my own poor, tired phone myself just to be absolutely sure they're fine. That's how much I love you guys. If you have ANY questions about the process, please ask first! Good luck and godspeed!
Great!
But I'll wait for the battery numbers
P.S.
were you able figure out if it's possible remove the headphones icon? (you know, when headphones are plugged in)
Sort of. I can make it completely invisible really easily. But then technically the icon is still "there", ie, the space for it will still be there, so if any icons surround it, there will be this weird empty spot in the middle. That said, I don't know if any icons ever go past left of the headphones icon, so maybe you would never see that. But yeah, I think completely removing the icon (instead of just making it completely invisible) might be a little risky, and I'd rather not test that without a recovery mode available.
this worked perfectly for me, gracias!
scott0 said:
this worked perfectly for me, gracias!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you talking about the bootylishesness right?
gordec said:
Are you talking about the bootylishesness right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
indubitably, fine sir.
scott0 said:
this worked perfectly for me, gracias!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha, glad I could help remove a distraction!
itiskonrad said:
Haha, glad I could help remove a distraction!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it was a massive distraction from the 1st moment I turned on this phone! I was stoked to see your original thread/this solution on it.
Glad to help! Any other things I can try to tweak, let me know! This has become a bit of a hobby, so suggestions always welcome!
Got something for u to do, lets see how simple/hard it is to accomplish:
How does the Boot Animation on the Nitro look like? Does it actually have AT&T on it, something like the Atrix? If it does, can we easily replace it with any custom Boot animations we have strewn across our forums?
Let me know, and if u can find it n replace it, i suggest to start a new thread for it, cuz u're gonna get bombarded with requests on how to do it Good luck sir!
Boot animation is super easy to change. It's a file called bootanimation.zip in /system/media on your phone. Just find a different one on line and swap it out with root explorer. I get bored with mine and change it like every week =)
itiskonrad said:
Boot animation is super easy to change. It's a file called bootanimation.zip in /system/media on your phone. Just find a different one on line and swap it out with root explorer. I get bored with mine and change it like every week =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't check right now, so quick question: what resolution is the AT&T animation on our Nitro HD?
Haha, you know what? It's been so long since I've had it, I can't even find the original file to check. Haha. Anyone who still has it know? I actually never paid attention to the resolution of the boot animations when I swapped them out. Either they're standard or it doesn't really matter much anyway...but yeah, I'll keep looking. I'm sure I have the original somewhere...
It's in /system/media/bootanimation.zip
The resolution is native to the screen which is 720x1280
@itiskonrad:
Can you tell how you edit SystemUI.apk? do you decompile it and recompile it? if so, would you mind give a little tutorial?
I've been trying do so with apktool, but it removes xhdpi folders and simply doesn't recompile it correctly...already twice soft bricked my phone trying figure this out using various tutorials on the google..
Thank you.
P.S.
By the way, since you figured out how to remove carrier name, in the status_bar.xml the next 4 lines below the last one you've changed have 6.0dp numbers, I'm trying change them to 1.0dp and see what they do, trying remove that wasted space around the clock.
Sorry for hijacking this topic...
Sure! I'll get right on it. I'd been thinking about putting up just a basic tutorial on editing png's and xml to make things look how you want them to look. Don't get me wrong, I love this phone, but I'm constantly finding little things here and there that I simply MUST change, and I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way, so I'll post a tutorial =)
Huzzah!
Just did this hack with just the no carrier. Thanks itiskonrad!
Yay! Great! Glad someone could make good use of hiding the carrier! =) I know I hate seeing AT&T, so I get rid of it anywhere I can. I also got rid of it in my lockscreen, among a variety of other mods. I think I'm too picky for my own good. I find myself reading xml for fun, just seeing what's buried where =)
argh i went to factory reset and forgot i had the backups on my SD card..can anyone post the original files so i can back it up ..just in case
hrnzir said:
argh i went to factory reset and forgot i had the backups on my SD card..can anyone post the original files so i can back it up ..just in case
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
K! Posted the very original stock SystemUI.apk and framework-res.apk as an attached zip in the first post, just in case anyone else loses backups!
Related
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.
Swapping out PNG's!
**This is for system apk's, not for market ones. To modify apps you've downloaded and installed, you will need a program like the fantastic Apk Manager, since non-system apps are signed and have to be resigned after getting messed with**
*MY TYPICAL DISCLAIMER!*
I AM NOT A DEV! I just like tinkering with this phone because I'm overall an extremely picky and obsessive person. I have no prior android experience (besides a little tinkering with my X10), and am in NO way an expert. But since I know how to mess with my phone a little bit and I've been asked to share, I will =) But follow these instructions at your own risk! I am not responsible for the untimely death of your phone, so please be cautious and careful, and if you have any questions about any step, before you try it, ask me or someone who knows! I don't want the blood of your dead phone on my hands! It's Christmas, after all! =)
These instructions are for Windows computers. Sorry, I'm just not familiar with mac or linux. =(
***Swapping out PNG's***
Okay, so say you have an icon or an image in your phone that you just don't like and would like to swap out with something (or swap out with nothing, so you can't see it at all). Here is what you'll need:
7zip for your computer
Root explorer for your phone
Some kind of image editor. I'm partial towards Paint.net. =) (Only if you're actually going to edit an image. If you're just going to swap it out for something else, you obviously won't need this.)
Here is a good example of something where I really felt like I needed to change some images we can use that I just discovered last night while calling to activate my credit card over the phone. Here is the dialer when you start the phone:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Notice those handy letters next to the numbers =)
Once I started the call to the credit card company, it asked me to verify myself by inputting, using the keypad, the letters of my mother's maiden name. So I opened the dialer, and what did I see?
For whatever STUPID STUPID REASON, they REMOVE the letters next to the numbers on the keypad that opens DURING the call, making it extremely difficult for me to type my mother's maiden name in the time permitted, given that no, I don't off the top of my head know where the letters sit on the dialer. So I felt this needed fixing =)
1.) Copy the apk you want to modify from your phone (using root explorer) and transfer to your computer
In this case, I wanted my Phone.apk, which is in /system/app. The vast majority of system apps are in this folder with the major exception of framework-res.apk, which is the phone’s BIG cajone in /system/framework, and as such, should be handled with utmost care. Messing with framework-res.apk incorrectly is an EASY way to brick your phone in a heartbeat.
2.) Unzip the apk using 7zip and look for your PNG's!
Keep the original, untouched, zipped apk somewhere safe on your computer. You’re going to need one to modify and another copy for safekeeping in case you want to revert back to the stock apk, or something goes wrong. Unzipping the apk just makes searching for the PNG you’re looking for much easier, since you can change the folder view in windows to give you a thumbnail of each of the items. And lookee, lookee, here they are in phone/res/drawable-hdpi, right next to other dial buttons with those handy letters!!
3.) Edit your PNG's however you want.
In this case, the work is pretty much done for us! I just swapped out the PNG's without the letters for copies of the ones with the letters, and just changed the names of the files to the original versions, like so:
4.) Using 7zip, right click on the original, untouched apk, choose 7zip, and open archive. DO NOT EXTRACT.
Open archive will let you explore the apk without having to extract it and lose the proper packaging of the apk.
5.) Select all your newly modified PNG’s and drag and drop them into the correct location in the open archive of the original apk, letting them overwrite the old PNG’s.
6.) Put this newly modified apk back onto your phone. Using root explorer, copy the new apk into the /system folder of your phone.
7.) CHANGE THE PERMISSIONS of the apk to match those of the original apk in /system/app.
In this case, long press on the phone.apk, select permissions, and select the check boxes as follows- Owner: Read, Write; Group: Read; Others: Read. This matches the permissions of phone.apk in /system/app
8.) Move the new apk into /system/app, and let it overwrite the original!
9.) Restart your phone!
Voila! Now when I call my credit card company and have to type in names, I can!
Just got my nitro yesterday. your mod worked like a charm.
Well I cant use it:/ Anything I try I get Access Denied! Using Windows 7. Getting it with 7-zip and Winrar same error just access denied or storage full when trying to copy over a PNG.
hyelton said:
Well I cant use it:/ Anything I try I get Access Denied! Using Windows 7. Getting it with 7-zip and Winrar same error just access denied or storage full when trying to copy over a PNG.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to copy the file to your SD card, no other place.. And when using Root Explorer, you have to make sure that when your in the System/app folder, you have to tap the button at the top of the screen that says "Mount R/W" and when you do, the button will change to "Mount R/O", that will allow you to modify things in that folder.
---------- Post added at 06:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:15 PM ----------
Here's my problem:
I follow the instructions to the T, after changing the permissions of the file, i paste it in the System/App folder and immediately the phone app starts force closing, constantly non stop. I have to hold the power button to bring up the menu and mash the force close button as fast as i can until my finger ends up hitting the power off button that is underneath the force close button, than i can hit the ok button and restart. When i do that and the phone boots back up, some phone storage thing force closes a few times, then after a few minutes the phone app itself force closes, and regardless of anything, my modifications are never there!
If i try to call anybody, my phone loads skype and calls, and if i try to call voicemail, i get ANOTHER force close, android.process.acore
Also, my phone is stuck with no signal, probably why skype tries to load..
I'm assuming this is because my phone is completely stock with root? I need to deodex it to do this stuff right?
Ok so I did it again, but this time, instead of making my own custom PNG files, i copied the ones with the letters, renamed them to the names of the ones without the letters, pasted them back, overwrote them, added them to the APK, and put it back on the phone.. Same problems happened, but i noticed something.
When changing the permissions of the file in Root Explorer, they dont stick.. Once i open up the permissions window again they are back to the way they were before, so i can only change the permissions of the file after copying it over and rebooting. I have all the same problems as before, except once i change the permissions of the file and reboot, everything seems to work fine once the phone is fully booted up, and the changes stuck.
So seems there's an issue with something im doing with the new PNG files, or 7zip isnt reconstructing the file 100% back to normal but close, or something... Either way, now im off to one change at a time! ugg...
Found my issue! I totally missed step 6 for some reason! Haha all good now
Okay, so nice tutorial! I am just wondering since you say framework-Res.apk is so dangerous, are you saying I could brick my device using this method, or is this method fine? I am not going to mess with the .9 pngs, just regular pngs.
This method is fine, but you have to be very careful to follow the protocol precisely (in particular, the parts about using root explorer and changing permissions properly). If you have any questions, please ask. And as usual, be sure to have both a nandroid and titanium backup of your phone juuust in case of the unexpected...
iJimaniac said:
Okay, so nice tutorial! I am just wondering since you say framework-Res.apk is so dangerous, are you saying I could brick my device using this method, or is this method fine? I am not going to mess with the .9 pngs, just regular pngs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.9 png's aren't that bad, as long as you know what to do with them.
To put in one simple line....don't touch the 1 pixel wide border around the edge!!
That's it really. The border isn't part of the image, it's instructions for stretching the image. As long as you avoid changing it, you can change the actual image itself as much as you like.
Hey.....thank u for the tutorial.....
i tried replacing the png's in Framework-res.apk.....there was a change in the size of the apk
and when i copied it in system/framework phone wont boot....but am able to go into recovery.....
Thanks, Man!!!
Thank you!!! I finally managed to edit the phone.apk without breaking to whole system...
Just wondering if this would still work? I see its from back in 2011 and last thing I seen on it was 2013.. --- Might give this a try
*I made this before any of these new roms came out and as such it was meant for and has been tested on only the stock Gingerbread rom that comes with the phone. I doubt it will be compatible with the new roms.*
*Typical disclaimer - short version - I'm not a dev, just a tinkerer, blah blah blah, use at your own risk, blah blah blah, god speed =)*
As requested, here's the framework-res.apk that changes nothing but adds the percent battery value to the stock battery icon. Everything else will look the same with the exception of the numbers on the battery, as such:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
If you haven't swapped framework-res.apk or SystemUI.apk, please read one of my previous posts for instructions, such as:
Blue icons and removed carrier logo
You CAN very easily brick your phone if you do this incorrectly (ESPECIALLY if you use a file explorer other than root explorer)! So please ask if you're not sure about something.
Just as a refresher,
Basic instructions -
1.) download/unzip on computer
2.) copy framework-res.apk to /sysem/ folder on phone (USE ROOT EXPLORER!)
3.) change permissions to owner: read write, group: read, others: read
4.) move framework-res.apk to /system/framework folder
5.) restart phone
Any other modifications you've made to framework-res.apk will have to be reinstated afterwards.
Hope you enjoy!
Ok first of all big thanks for this. However, I'm new to Android and it's a bit over my head. I'm going to have to check out your other thread I think.
Oh, sorry! Basically, you need root explorer from the market. I know it costs something like 3 bucks, but in my opinion, it's totally worth it if you do any mods on the phone at all. Messing with framework-res.apk with other file explorers can spell disaster. Root explorer is the only one I really trust.
1.) Using root explorer, COPY your framework-res.apk file at /system/framework/framework-res.apk to somewhere on your sd card for safekeeping, just as a backup.
2.) Move framework-res.apk from this thread's "stock icons - percent battery.zip" onto your sd card, and move it into /system folder on your phone.
3.) Long-press on this framework-res.apk in root explorer, and select permissions. Change permissions to: Owner: read/write, group: read, others: read.
4.) Move this framework-res.apk, now with the proper permissions, into /system/framework folder, and let it overwrite the original framework-res.apk.
5.) Restart your phone!
Oh, Root Browser works great for me and best of all it's free!
Have you used it specifically to replace framework-res.apk before? If it works for that, great! But if you haven't tried that already, be aware how the file explorer specifically handles framework-res.apk is the difference between the phone being fine or getting bricked. With root explorer, when you replace framework-res.apk, it prevents the phone from accessing the file while copying, and only actually swaps at reboot. With other file explorers like ES File Explorer, even with root permissions and all the same functionality of root explorer, when you swap framework-res.apk, the phone continues to try to read off the framework-res.apk as it is being overwritten, causing the phone to crash and an endless bootloop/brick. (I know because I tried to find a free alternative to root explorer and ended up with a brick =P) If Root Browser works for this, that's fantastic! But be careful! Unless you've already swapped framework-res.apk using this and it worked beautifully, be very very very cautious!!
Yep! I guess I lucked out when I went into it without really knowing what I was doing.
Haha, awesome! Great! There's a free alternative then! =) So percent worked okay with you?
I just bought the Root Explorer. I'm assuming it needs to say "Mounted as R/W". Otherwise it's in read only mode?
Yup! RW mode needed
itiskonrad said:
Haha, awesome! Great! There's a free alternative then! =) So percent worked okay with you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah everything looks great! Thanks.
Awesome! You're welcome!
bricked T_T
man... not sure what i did wrong but i used root explorer. now my p930 is in an endless bootloop.
what did you do to fix yours?
itiskonrad said:
Have you used it specifically to replace framework-res.apk before? If it works for that, great! But if you haven't tried that already, be aware how the file explorer specifically handles framework-res.apk is the difference between the phone being fine or getting bricked. With root explorer, when you replace framework-res.apk, it prevents the phone from accessing the file while copying, and only actually swaps at reboot. With other file explorers like ES File Explorer, even with root permissions and all the same functionality of root explorer, when you swap framework-res.apk, the phone continues to try to read off the framework-res.apk as it is being overwritten, causing the phone to crash and an endless bootloop/brick. (I know because I tried to find a free alternative to root explorer and ended up with a brick =P) If Root Browser works for this, that's fantastic! But be careful! Unless you've already swapped framework-res.apk using this and it worked beautifully, be very very very cautious!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
File Expert
Has anyone tried useing File Expert? I really cant see buying the root explorer for one time use... I have been using File Expert for a while but never got into the aformentioned files...
mdkrush said:
Has anyone tried useing File Expert? I really cant see buying the root explorer for one time use... I have been using File Expert for a while but never got into the aformentioned files...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use root browser. Its free and worked for me.
daebaybay said:
man... not sure what i did wrong but i used root explorer. now my p930 is in an endless bootloop.
what did you do to fix yours?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I took mine back to the AT&T store =/ I was still within 30 days after purchasing.
You can follow the unbrick solution in this thread here
That sucks, dude! Any clue what happened? After copying framework-res.apk into /system/ but before putting it into /system/framework, did you change the permissions to owner: read write, group: read, others: read? Or did you use a file manager other than file explorer? Sorry, man! =(
heh, i did everything here with the root explorer so not sure what caused the bricking.
mine stopped doing the bootlooping but it force closes everything.
i wonder if it can be recoverable in this state without flashing.
maybe i can just sign up for the beta testing of the new dev roms since it's already bricked lol.
if you have any suggestions to what i can try, let me know
Forgot to mention, my unit is the bell optimus lte. Not sure if that is the difference.
itiskonrad said:
1.) Using root explorer, COPY your framework-res.apk file at /system/framework/framework-res.apk to somewhere on your sd card for safekeeping, just as a backup.
2.) Move framework-res.apk from this thread's "stock icons - percent battery.zip" onto your sd card, and move it into /system folder on your phone.
3.) Long-press on this framework-res.apk in root explorer, and select permissions. Change permissions to: Owner: read/write, group: read, others: read.
4.) Move this framework-res.apk, now with the proper permissions, into /system/framework folder, and let it overwrite the original framework-res.apk.
5.) Restart your phone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the contribution! is it ok to do this change on the kernalpan1c custom ROm? it has been deodexed , i am unsure if that matters and wanted to double-check.
ty
Ohhh, I don't know. I tend to doubt it will work with a custom ROM... My gut says no
drat!
thx for the reply.
Hello. I would like to know how to compile two SystemUI.apk's into one .apk
I found two mods here on XDA-one is a NavBar theme, and the second one is a mod to show battery stats in the notification bar.
Im not a real expert about these stuff but Im willing to try, so if someone could tell me how to do it, instead of doing it for me, I would be glad
Thanks!
Use 7zip to extract the navbar mod and find the images (right click the apk and extract like a zip file). Now place those images into the battery mod system.apk my right clicking and opening with 7zip (don't extract). Then just sign the apk and push it back to the phone. The reason to do it this way is that disassembling SystemUI.apk can cause issues if done wrong, simply replacing images is safer.
Thanks for the quick replay! I have one last question-do I really need to sign the .apk? Or it can work even without singing it.
[EDIT] Never mind, did everything u said about copying the .png's but without singing-and it worked. Thank you so much!
problem
hi good day!
i have a very big problem with my android phone i wiped out all data including system files with out back up..how to fix it and restore the original files..can somebody help me...
Sorry for such a simple question but this is driving me nuts. I'm running the recently released deodexed Jelly Bean 4.1.1 ROM and I am rooted. I want to change some of the system icons and I've found most of them. I'm not having any luck with the phone ico,however.
I found the SecPhone.apk and it looks like that is where it is. But it must be somewhere else because every time I've changed it, I always get the same result...the little green phone.
Here is what I did:
I copied the SecPhone.apk to my computer and replaced the icon with the one I wanted.
I zipped it.
Signed it.
Then changed the zip to apk.
I then pasted the apk to my sdcard on my phone.
I then went into ES Explorer with root access and replaced the apk in /system/app with the new apk and made sure the permissions were correct and then rebooted.
(Note: I tried to install it but it would not let me. I read a how-to that stated placing it in the folder and rebooting would work the same way. Probably not true, looking back on it now.)
After all that (many times) the damn green phone icon pops back up when the phone re-boots, just sitting there, mocking me.
It's probably evident from my post I'm a noob with modding but this seems like it should be much easier than what I'm going through right now. Any help with this is much appreciated. Thank you.
if I'm not mistaken phone n contacts are switchd so to speak.extract the SecContacts.apk like you did phone. find 5 or 6 folders that start with mipmap-xxxx and replace ic_launcher_phone in all of them. Do the same in the drawable folders as well
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll give it a shot. I figured there had to be other copies of that icon and I just hadn't found the right one yet.
You were correct. There are about 10 copies of ic_launcher_phone in the different folders exactly where you stated.
Guess I should match the sizes of the icons I'm replacing too. These can't all be the same dimensions, can they? This is an awful lot of work to change one icon. LOL. Thanks again.
evoliphant said:
You were correct. There are about 10 copies of ic_launcher_phone in the different folders exactly where you stated.
Guess I should match the sizes of the icons I'm replacing too. These can't all be the same dimensions, can they? This is an awful lot of work to change one icon. LOL. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol no problem
Pretty sure they're all the same.You should be safe
billard412 said:
lol no problem
Pretty sure they're all the same.You should be safe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sort-of. Only the one for your phone's DPI is going to get used, so if you make them all the same it just means you can't run the same .apk on a tablet. Also, it might screw with you if you use HDMI out and the icons get made smaller to match the lower DPI of a monitor (100 vs 300+ on the SGS3), but I don't have the MHL adapter yet so I haven't tried that myself.
Well, unfortunately it didn't work. I did finally get rid of the green phone icon, but mine was no where to be found! Plus, com.phone.blahblah kept forcing close. Whatever I did, 4.1.1 didn't like one bit.
Oh well.
I followed the same process as I put in the OP for this except I did it for both SecPhone.apk and SecContacts.apk. Pasted both with Root Explorer, rebooted and then the home screen would come up, the phone icon was gone and then it would hang and give me the FC error. I just reflashed and gave up for the time being. Hopefully someone has an answer. The only other thing I might try differently is using adb? Would that be a better option than using the Root Explorer copy/paste method?
I wonder if I took the 4.1.1 Rom and opened it and changed the files in that and then flashed the whole ROM again if that would be any better. Would I basically just do the same process I did with the individual apks, except instead of just installing the single apk, the whole ROM goes in with it.
I just can't for the life of me understand why changing png icon images would cause the com.phone process to FC.
Try to use 7zip to extract the icon located in 'res/mipmap-xhdpi' of SecContacts.apk, edit it, and the use 7zip to drop the edited icon directly into the apk. Don't rezip or sign..
That did it! Thank you so much. I actually went ahead replaced all the pngs with my icon in all folders of the SecContacts. I did it first in just the folder you suggested but that didn't change anything. I then changed them all using 7 zip and put them in system/app and rebooted. Boom, Green phone gone! Looks like it was zip/signing problem. 7zip is the answer to my modding woes I guess. Thanks again.
evoliphant said:
That did it! Thank you so much. I actually went ahead replaced all the pngs with my icon in all folders of the SecContacts. I did it first in just the folder you suggested but that didn't change anything. I then changed them all using 7 zip and put them in system/app and rebooted. Boom, Green phone gone! Looks like it was zip/signing problem. 7zip is the answer to my modding woes I guess. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It may be expecting the file to be uncompressed as well - maybe 7z is putting it in the same way it was. The other issue is it needs to be 4-byte aligned, which you can get via the zipalign program that comes with the SDK - and maybe 7z does that automatically as well.