Does Android keep the .apk files? if so where?
You can use package manager (pm
) over adb shell
to list packages:
adb shell pm list packages | sort
and to display where the .apk
file is:
adb shell pm path com.king.candycrushsaga
package:/data/app/com.king.candycrushsaga-1/base.apk
And adb pull
to download the apk.
adb pull data/app/com.king.candycrushsaga-1/base.apk
Preinstalled applications are in /system/app
folder. User installed applications are in /data/app
. I guess you can't access unless you have a rooted phone.
I don't have a rooted phone here but try this code out:
public class Testing extends Activity {
private static final String TAG = "TEST";
@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.main);
File appsDir = new File("/data/app");
String[] files = appsDir.list();
for (int i = 0 ; i < files.length ; i++ ) {
Log.d(TAG, "File: "+files[i]);
}
}
It does lists the apks in my rooted htc magic and in the emu.
If you just want to get an APK file of something you previously installed, do this:
- Get AirDroid from Google Play
- Access your phone using AirDroid from your PC web browser
- Go to Apps and select the installed app
- Click the "download" button to download the APK version of this app from your phone
You don't need to root your phone, use adb
, or write anything.