Apktool: [Bug] Detection of "--no-res" fails for assembly for split apks.

Information

  1. Apktool Version (apktool -version) - 2.8.1
  2. Operating System (Mac, Linux, Windows) - Windows 10
  3. APK From? (Playstore, ROM, Other) - Playstore (Apkmirror)
  4. Java Version (java --version) - openjdk 17.0.7 2023-04-18

Stacktrace/Logcat

When unpacking a split APK without any resource disassembly, the packing fails:

$ apktool d --no-res --no-src split_chrome.apk -f -o _unpacked
I: Using Apktool 2.8.1 on split_chrome.apk
I: Copying raw manifest...
I: Copying raw classes.dex file...
I: Copying assets and libs...
I: Copying unknown files...
I: Copying original files...

$ apktool b --use-aapt2 _unpacked -o _packed\1_unsigned.apk
I: Using Apktool 2.8.1
I: Copying X:\test\.\_unpacked classes.dex file...
[Fatal Error] :1:1: Content is not allowed in prolog.
I: Checking whether resources has changed...
I: Building AndroidManifest.xml...
W: X:\test\.\_unpacked\AndroidManifest.xml:1: error: not well-formed (invalid token).
W: Parse AndroidManifest.xml failed, treat it as raw file.
I: Copying raw AndroidManifest.xml...
I: Building apk file...
I: Copying unknown files/dir...
I: Built apk into: X:\test\.\_packed\1_unsigned.apk

The APK gets built and can be installed:

$ adb -s emulator-5554 install _trichromelibrary.apk
Performing Streamed Install
Success

$ adb -s emulator-5554 install-multiple _base.apk _split_chrome.apk _split_feedv2.apk
Success

The app appears inside the launcher without an icon:

image

If you run it, it crashes with this stacktrace from logcat:

--------- beginning of crash
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime: FATAL EXCEPTION: main
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime: Process: com.android.chrome, PID: 7575
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime: java.lang.RuntimeException: Unable to instantiate application org.chromium.chrome.browser.base.SplitChromeApplication package com.android.chrome: java.lang.RuntimeException: Failed to parse XML configuration from 0_resource_name_obfuscated
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.app.LoadedApk.makeApplicationInner(LoadedApk.java:1466)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.app.LoadedApk.makeApplicationInner(LoadedApk.java:1395)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.app.ActivityThread.handleBindApplication(ActivityThread.java:6720)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.app.ActivityThread.-$$Nest$mhandleBindApplication(Unknown Source:0)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:2133)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:106)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.os.Looper.loopOnce(Looper.java:201)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:288)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:7872)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Native Method)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at com.android.internal.os.RuntimeInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(RuntimeInit.java:548)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:936)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime: Caused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: Failed to parse XML configuration from 0_resource_name_obfuscated
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.security.net.config.XmlConfigSource.ensureInitialized(XmlConfigSource.java:89)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.security.net.config.XmlConfigSource.getPerDomainConfigs(XmlConfigSource.java:55)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.security.net.config.ManifestConfigSource.getPerDomainConfigs(ManifestConfigSource.java:45)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.security.net.config.ApplicationConfig.ensureInitialized(ApplicationConfig.java:175)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.security.net.config.ApplicationConfig.isCleartextTrafficPermitted(ApplicationConfig.java:130)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.security.net.config.NetworkSecurityConfigProvider.handleNewApplication(NetworkSecurityConfigProvider.java:60)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.app.LoadedApk.makeApplicationInner(LoadedApk.java:1457)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        ... 11 more
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime: Caused by: org.xmlpull.v1.XmlPullParserException: Unexpected start tag: found shape, expected network-security-config
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at com.android.internal.util.XmlUtils.beginDocument(XmlUtils.java:1699)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.security.net.config.XmlConfigSource.parseNetworkSecurityConfig(XmlConfigSource.java:315)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        at android.security.net.config.XmlConfigSource.ensureInitialized(XmlConfigSource.java:83)
10-03 15:01:14.892  7575  7575 E AndroidRuntime:        ... 17 more

Steps to Reproduce

  1. apktool d --no-res --no-src split_chrome.apk -f -o _unpacked
  2. apktool b --use-aapt2 _unpacked -o _packed\1_unsigned.apk

I’m trying these steps on 3 files of a base APK and splits. The error only happens when building an extracted split_ apk:

  • base.apk OK
  • split_chrome.apk ERROR
  • split_feedv2.apk ERROR

APK

If this APK can be freely shared, please upload/attach a link to it. chrome_117.zip

Questions to ask before submission

  1. Have you tried apktool d, apktool b without changing anything? Yes
  2. If you are trying to install a modified apk, did you resign it? Yes
  3. Are you using the latest apktool version? Yes

About this issue

  • Original URL
  • State: open
  • Created 9 months ago
  • Comments: 15 (6 by maintainers)

Most upvoted comments

I wanted to replace the package name so for me a blind string replace in all files was enough. Instead of apktool d --no-res --no-src I’m using this:

7z x -ssc -o".\unpacked" "target.apk"
pushd ".\unpacked"
for /r %%f in (*.*) do (
    rem replace ascii and utf16le of string in all files
    binaryreplace -s com.android.chrome -r com.android.chr117 -f %%f
)
for /r %%f in (*.dex) do (
    rem file[12..32] = sha1(file[32..])
    rem file[8..12] = adler32(file[12..])
    dexchecksum %%f
)
popd
7z a -tzip -ssc -mx=0 "1_unsigned.apk" ".\unpacked\*"
zipalign -p -f 4 "1_unsigned.apk" "2_zipaligned.apk"
apksigner sign --key ".\key" --cert ".\cert" --out "3_signed.apk" "2_zipaligned.apk"

Note: You must have case sensitivity flag enabled for the directory you’re extracting the APK to. On Windows files are case-insensitive, so different resources like “-b.xml” and “-B.xml” will collide when extracted. Enable case-sensitivity for 1 folder with fsutil: (Windows 10+)

fsutil file setCaseSensitiveInfo .\unpacked enable
+1
weary-adventurer on Oct 6, 2023

@vaibhavpandeyvpz docker container is only a few days old. Haven’t worked out all the kinks with it, then Android 14 dropped. So it’s on the back burner.

+1
iBotPeaches on Oct 6, 2023
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