APK Editor Studio
Version: 1.3.1 Web: https://github. com/kefir500/apk-editor-studio
Despite the fact that some ways of running the Android runtime under Gnu/linux has become obsolete – things like Arc Welder and Shashlik no longer work – there are other alternatives that work well, like the mind-blowing Anbox software we described in LXF258. That means you can still enjoy Android games, multimedia or productivity apps right inside a regular Linux system. And even if the Anbox installation guide leaves you cautious, there is Android x86 that is much easier to install.
This feeds directly to the Hotpicks we’ve come across recently – APK Editor Studio. This graphical tool is designed primarily for Android developers and those who debug Android devices from their desktop machines. However, this application is also a huge aid for anyone involved with manual APK installing.
APK Editor Studio is able to open and unpack an APK file (get one by pasting its Google Play URL into any ‘apk downloader’ online service), change its name, icon, contents (resources), alter system requirements, edit the resources code (when available) re-pack and re-sign the project into a new APK, and finally install it on the target device. The last feature is very cool, because you can install or update the APK on your phone without even touching it, as long as you’ve enabled the Remote debug feature under Developer tools on Android.
With APK Editor Studio you can extract artwork from your favourite Android app, make it run on a different target platform, or simply introduce a fanciful icon to make it fit better with your custom launcher theme.
APK Editor Studio requires Java runtime, Apktool, Adb, Apksigner and Zipalign. Some of these can be grabbed using the download.py script bundled with the software if you decide to build from source. Keep in mind that the Downloads section of the Github page has pre-built DEB packages and static Linux builds in tar.gz.