this post was submitted on 25 Jan 2025
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Extract apk of paid app from Google Play Store? (lemmy.ml)
submitted 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) by zdhzm2pgp@lemmy.ml to c/android@lemmy.ml
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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 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months 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.

[–] alphapuggle@programming.dev 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Interestingly enough Files by Google has this functionality

[–] zdhzm2pgp@lemmy.ml 2 points 11 months 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 11 months ago (2 children)

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

[–] zdhzm2pgp@lemmy.ml 2 points 11 months ago

🙂👍

[–] zdhzm2pgp@lemmy.ml 1 points 10 months 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.

[–] SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml 3 points 11 months ago

If you can install it you can use LuckyPatcher

[–] chemicalwonka@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 11 months ago

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

[–] FriendBesto@lemmy.ml 1 points 9 months ago

I believe you can do it from the Aurora Store under Manual Download. But you would have to have bought the app already as you would have to do it having signed on using your own account on it. Since you cannot purchase it via Aurora. I have done this for some icon packs and a few other aoos that already purchased.

Be aware, as I mentioned elsewhere, even if you download it, if the app constantly checks if you bought the app via the Playstore then unless you have the Playstore running and signed on as well, then it will likely fail to load/launch and will tell you that you have not paid for it. Even if you actually have, as it cannot verify it without the PS.

There are someapps that I have purchased, and that I can download but they will not work after they are installed.

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months 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.