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Extract apk of paid app from Google Play Store? (lemmy.ml)

submitted 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) by zdhzm2pgp@lemmy.ml to c/android@lemmy.ml

9 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Apk extractor from F-Droid doesn't seem to work. App in question is Typewise Offline (android keyboard with hex-shaped keys).

EDIT: Probably worth a separate post at some point, but this is one of the few apps for which there is no open source equivalent, TTBOMK, and one of the few remaining proprietary apps that I rely on.

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[–] Rikj000@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

Might be a split '.apk' file (aka '.apks'),
for which you can try SAI (Split APKs Installer, to backup + restore):
https://f-droid.org/packages/com.aefyr.sai.fdroid/

Might be due to a check to see if the app was installed from the PlayStore,
for which you can try KingInstaller (Spoofs as PlayStore, does not work for split APKs, to restore):
https://apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/index/apk/com.example.kinginstaller

Might be due to custom licensing check,
then you'd need to decompile, reverse engineer and write a bypass.

[–] chemicalwonka@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 4 weeks ago

As far as I know you can do this only with a rooted device but I may be wrong

[–] alphapuggle@programming.dev 3 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Interestingly enough Files by Google has this functionality

[–] zdhzm2pgp@lemmy.ml 2 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

I just discovered that myself! I had everything Google-related that I could find on my phone disabled, which is why I couldn't figure this out right away. When I enabled Google files, I was able to go to Apps and download the apk by sharing it. However, it won't install on my wife's phone, which makes me think that when I switch to GrapheneOS that it may well not work there either. In any event, I won't have any scruples pirating it since I already paid for it!

[–] alphapuggle@programming.dev 2 points 4 weeks ago (2 children)

Just tried it on GrapheneOS and it worked perfectly. You should be good to go

[–] zdhzm2pgp@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 weeks ago

Hi Nate (@alphapuggle@programming.dev), I finally got myself switched over to Graphene, and unfortunately I wasn't able to install the extracted apk file, and was wondering how you managed to get it working.

(Note that this is for Typewise Offline, which is a paid version of the regular free Typewise that has more features.)

If I can't get it to work, I'll have no scruples pirating it since I already paid for it.

[–] zdhzm2pgp@lemmy.ml 1 points 4 weeks ago

🙂👍

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 2 points 3 weeks ago

If you can install it you can use LuckyPatcher

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 1 points 4 weeks ago

I thought an APK file was basically a ZIP file with a standardized structure. You should just be able to rename the extension to ZIP to open it up and view the contents.

Not like that's going to decompile the code and all, but that's the first thing I'd start with.