apk-puller

APK Puller

A command-line tool to extract APKs from connected Android devices.

Table of Contents

• APK Puller
  • Prerequisites
  • Installation
  • Usage
    • Command Line Options
  • Practical Use Cases
    • Adding Certificate Trust to Non-Rooted Device
    • Analyzing App Dependencies
    • Backup Before Updates
    • Multiple Device Management
  • Example Outputs
    • Basic Usage
    • Using Filters
    • Error Messages
  • Features
  • Troubleshooting
  • Connect with Me

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v12 or higher)
• Android Debug Bridge (ADB) installed and available in your PATH
• USB debugging enabled on your Android device

Installation

npm install -g apk-puller

Usage

Basic usage:

apk-puller

With options:

apk-puller --filter "Chrome" --output ~/Downloads

Command Line Options

• -f, --filter <search>: Filter apps by name or package name
• -o, --output <directory>: Specify output directory for the APK file (defaults to current directory)

Practical Use Cases

1. Adding Certificate Trust to Non-Rooted Device

If you need to make an app trust your certificate on a non-rooted device (useful for debugging/testing):

• Extract the APK:

  apk-puller --filter "YourApp"
  

• Decompile the APK:

  apktool d YourApp.apk
  

• Edit the network security configuration:

  <!-- res/xml/network_security_config.xml -->
  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
  <network-security-config>
      <base-config>
          <trust-anchors>
              <certificates src="system"/>
              <certificates src="user"/>
          </trust-anchors>
      </base-config>
  </network-security-config>
  

• Update AndroidManifest.xml to use the config:

  <application
      android:networkSecurityConfig="@xml/network_security_config"
      ...
  >
  

• Rebuild and sign:

  apktool b YourApp -o YourApp_modified.apk
  keytool -genkey -v -keystore debug.keystore -alias debugkey -keyalg RSA
  jarsigner -verbose -sigalg SHA1withRSA -digestalg SHA1 -keystore debug.keystore YourApp_modified.apk debugkey
  

• Install the modified APK:

  adb install -r YourApp_modified.apk
  

2. Analyzing App Dependencies

Extract an APK to analyze its dependencies and libraries:

apk-puller --filter "AppName" --output ~/analysis
cd ~/analysis
unzip AppName.apk -d extracted
ls -la extracted/lib/

3. Backup Before Updates

Save a working version before updating:

# Create backup directory
mkdir -p ~/app_backups/AppName
# Pull current version
apk-puller --filter "AppName" --output ~/app_backups/AppName
# Rename with version
mv ~/app_backups/AppName/com.example.app.apk ~/app_backups/AppName/v1.2.3.apk

4. Multiple Device Management

When working with multiple devices:

# Pull same app from different devices
apk-puller --filter "AppName"
# Tool will show device selection:
? Select a device:
❯ Pixel_4_API_30 (emulator-5554)
  RealDevice (RF8R90XXXXX)

Example Outputs

Basic Usage

When you run apk-puller without any options, you'll see an interactive menu:

• If multiple devices are connected, you'll see a device selection menu:

  ? Select a device:
  ❯ RF8R90XXXXX
    emulator-5554
  

• Then you'll see a list of all user-installed apps:

  ? Select an app to extract:
  ❯ Instagram (com.instagram.android)
    Chrome (com.android.chrome)
    WhatsApp (com.whatsapp)
    Gmail (com.google.android.gm)
    ...
  

• After selection, you'll see the success message:

  Successfully pulled APK to: /path/to/directory/com.instagram.android.apk
  

Using Filters

When using the --filter option, you'll see a filtered list of apps:

$ apk-puller --filter "Chrome"
? Select an app to extract:
❯ Chrome (com.android.chrome)
  Chrome Beta (com.android.chrome.beta)
  Chrome Dev (com.android.chrome.dev)

Error Messages

You might see these error messages in certain situations:

• No devices connected:

  Error: No devices found. Please connect an Android device and enable USB debugging.
  

• No matching apps found:

  Error: No apps found matching "NonExistentApp"
  

• ADB not installed:

  Error: Make sure ADB is installed and available in your PATH
  

Features

• Automatically detects connected Android devices
• Interactive device selection if multiple devices are connected
• Lists all installed apps on the selected device
• Interactive app selection
• Filter apps by name or package name
• Specify custom output directory
• Shows app names along with package names
• Only shows user-installed applications
• Colored output for better visibility
• Error handling and user-friendly messages

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues:

• Make sure ADB is installed and available in your PATH
• Verify USB debugging is enabled on your device
• Check if your device is properly connected
• Ensure you have the necessary permissions on your device
• Make sure the output directory exists and is writable

Connect with Me

_{Made with ❤️ by GlizzyKingDreko}