Database Develop

Paid apps can be copied to rooted phones WITHOUT market (re-)validation ...!

Hi,
Until now I had thought REinstalling a closed market app will force a credit card check anyway (to validate that the app had been payed by the user before) ...!
I have just realized that it is possible with rooted phones to backup a closed (paid) market application to SD (PC), then copy it to another (rooted) phone, reinstall WITHOUT market intervention/validation/credit card check, which means to me that theoretically Google's Market Place can be circumnavigated by filesharing ...!
Is this possibly another thorn in Google's flesh to kill Cyanogen before anybody in the world will use a rooted phone to participate? So Cyanogen is only stated an exampel for all the rooted Android ROMs.
The One Click Method (in opposite to the Goldcard Rooting) makes it easy even for kindergarden kids now ... !
Then at least we have become victims of our perfectionism ...!
Regards

It IS possible to do that yes, however if you were installing a paid app on the phone that you do not own and attempt to update it to the latest version, it WILL fail to update to the newest release without charging you for the app first, so be careful. I've always know there were ways to "steal" paid apps using a rooted phone but to be honest I've never been interested in doing so, if I wanted an app bad enough I paid for it like I should have. I am just interested in making a copy of the app I paid for to have for myself in case of all hell breaking loose.

You can do the same on a non rooted phone (iirc)
The market / package installer is really unprotected imo, it needs more protection for devs.

Yeah, this is hardly new, the community have known about this for months.
If you use an app to backup your apps (ASTRO, AppManager, whatver) it simply copies the apk from /data/app to your sdcard so it can be reinstalled at any point. Protected apps are stored in /data/app-private. Apps like those can't copy protected apps (90% or so of paid apps are protected), but if you have root you can copy the apk out of /data/app-private and reinstall.
I realize I've basically given instructions on how to pirate something, that wasn't my intention I was simply trying to clarify. Oh well, I still reckon this post will be deleted..

It's pretty much common knowledge if you know how to use the ls command.

nothing new
Nothing new here. People have been doing this with all apps (not just paid) for a while now. Its worth making backups of your apps for personal use, this is all well and good, incase you need to wipe your device between roms etc. However what would be be the point in sharing a paid app for free? As already mentioned you can't update it for free so your going to be stuck with an outdated app without access to any new features the developer adds in the future nor will you get any bug fixes if these are needed.
I do try and stay away from paid apps personally as my belief is that android is open-source and everything that goes with it should be free. But there apps out there that are worth the money.
Also, how long before this thread is locked / closed by mods? I'm sure xda rules state that your not allowed to explain how to get around paying for things. Community is to be supported not ripped off.
Ultimately if the app is good PAY THE DEVELOPER they did put a lot of work into creating the app in the first place so it can't hurt us to send them a few coins.

now y or we talking bout selling here,or we that damn cheap you cant pay
$.99 - $2.99 for a app yall sad..lol..cuz we not dumb here,we know there is a way but keep it to urself ppl..thz

Automization said:
Is this possibly another thorn in Google's flesh to kill Cyanogen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure why you brought up Cyanogen as this has nothing to do with Cyanogen. It is an issue with the reliance on protected apps using the Linux permissions for copy access.

Thread closed

Worthwhile AT&T Apps to keep?

Has anyone given the AT&T apps a good try to see if any of them are good to keep?
I see instructions out there on how to wipe AT&T off of our phone, but haven't seen anybody comment on why they're wiping the apps off besides to "get rid of the AT&T apps".
I'm just wondering if there might not be one or two of the included apps that are actually worthwhile to keep.
I know one I won't be sorry to delete is the mobiTV one. I loaded it up to the welcome screen then had to step away for a couple minutes. When I came back it kindly told me my 2 minute trial was up... LOL nice! So yeah, unless it really is an incredible piece of software worth buying I'll be dumping that one at least.

Many if not all require additional fees and subscriptions, despite free alternatives.
For example, the AT&T navigator app is $10 a month, but Google Maps is free.
There's also the matter of principle... the fact that AT&T made them non-removable is a compelling reason to get rid of them.

The only at&t app worth using is the att my wireless app that you can down load from the market place. It lets you keep track of your minutes usage, data usage, and change your plan.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

behrouz said:
The only at&t app worth using is the att my wireless app that you can down load from the market place. It lets you keep track of your minutes usage, data usage, and change your plan.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. Funny thing is, that's the only app AT&T didn't preinstall on the phone IIRC. I guess they expect you to pay money for their crappy services by default (or by mistaken clicks), but don't want you to have a way to track it so easily.

MikeyMike01 said:
Many if not all require additional fees and subscriptions, despite free alternatives.
For example, the AT&T navigator app is $10 a month, but Google Maps is free.
There's also the matter of principle... the fact that AT&T made them non-removable is a compelling reason to get rid of them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Point...Set...Match
You just staited my two primary reasons.
It is disgusting that AT&T forcefully occupies space on lesser phones with pay apps. Just appalling.

Well ok then, looks like I'll be clearing them all off! lol

i got rid of all my ATT apps lol

sschrupp said:
Has anyone given the AT&T apps a good try to see if any of them are good to keep?
I see instructions out there on how to wipe AT&T off of our phone, but haven't seen anybody comment on why they're wiping the apps off besides to "get rid of the AT&T apps".
I'm just wondering if there might not be one or two of the included apps that are actually worthwhile to keep.
I know one I won't be sorry to delete is the mobiTV one. I loaded it up to the welcome screen then had to step away for a couple minutes. When I came back it kindly told me my 2 minute trial was up... LOL nice! So yeah, unless it really is an incredible piece of software worth buying I'll be dumping that one at least.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if it's an AT&T app, but the music player that comes on our phone is awesome!
I even started a thread asking if there was a way we could extract it or reinstall it after flashing a different rom. Hah. I like it.

bfgarzilla9k said:
I'm not sure if it's an AT&T app, but the music player that comes on our phone is awesome!
I even started a thread asking if there was a way we could extract it or reinstall it after flashing a different rom. Hah. I like it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a Samsung app. We'll get it in new ROMS.
Look at about 1:05 on this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3QwvMsBGjE

Yeah I have to say that music app is pretty nice.
Although I just installed one called "Moodagent" that is kind of neat. Haven't had a chance to fully explore it, but it appears to have quite a few features along with the main interface that's a bit gimicky, but cool. It has sliders that you adjust up or down (Sensual, Tender, Happy, Angry, Tempo) and it adjusts the playlist according to the levels you set. Probably old news to everyone else but interesting to me!

everything that is labeled att_nameofprogram is pretty much useless. the other programs like allshare or instant messaging may still be usefull.

Allshare
If you interest in using DLNA, the Allshare app may be a good one to keep. Although, I have one major problem with it: you can only add 1 song at a time to the Queue. What a pain.
But I haven't found any good alternatives yet.

I opened the 'Where' app, and (stupidly) breezed past some part about a monthly charge if I don't cancel. Has anyone else run into this? And if so, do you know how to cancel?

"Where" does AT&T get the idea they can charge for this?
You probably want to call AT&T ASAP to make sure you don't get charged for using the Where app. Also, stop using the included one and download the free one!
Funny story about the Where app:
I had a Nexus One and saw that Where was on a lot of "best app" lists for Android so I went to the market to get it. It was nowhere to be found. After a bit of research, I found some vague explanation about how AT&T had a deal with Where and that they blocked it. This really pissed me off since I paid full price for the N1 with no subsidy from AT&T -- how dare they block apps? Anyway, I found the APK online and installed it.
Later, I rooted my phone and installed the MarketAccess app. Now I could find Where in the Market and installed it from there -- still free of course. When I got the Captivate, the first thing I did was root it. When I saw that Where was pre-installed, I thought "great, now I don't have to jump through hoops to get it." Luckily I saw the warning about being charged, what, $2.99/month to use an app that is free for every user of every other Android phone? I promptly used Titanium Backup to remove the pre-installed version and then used MarketAccess to download the free version from the Market.
The point is that AT&T is really trying hard to charge extra for things that every other Android user gets for free (maps, navigation, Where, etc). Very frustrating. My employer pays for the service on my Captivate and I will be moving my wife's phone (that I pay for) to the Epic 4G at the end of this month after being an AT&T customer for 7 years.

What about AT&T Hot Spots?
I visit Starbucks frequently and occasionally McDonalds. Both offer free WiFi, but require you to check a box and click a button to agree to terms before using it. I know that's not a big deal, but it is a little bit of a hassle especially if I am not planning to use the browser anyway -- I just want to go straight into another app that uses WiFi.
Since I got the Captivate, I've noticed that as soon as I turn on WiFi while at either of these places, I get a notification that says "AT&T Hotspot Detected" or something like that and I am able to use WiFi without having to visit the agreement page in the browser.
Does anyone know whether this app is required for this detection and agreement bypass to function? I have thought about making a backup with Ti Backup, uninstalling, and testing it but am worried that it might not reinstall properly. Also, it might be handy for finding hotspots when traveling -- making it the only useful AT&T pre-installed app.

ATT wifi hotspot app seems to be useful to connect to Attwifi hotspots without having to manually agree to terms
does anyone have a copy of it ?

anilkuj said:
ATT wifi hotspot app seems to be useful to connect to Attwifi hotspots without having to manually agree to terms
does anyone have a copy of it ?
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Click to collapse
I have it and will try to make a backup and post it within the next couple of days. It might be Monday before I can do it, unless someone else beats me to the punch.
Update: I still have it on my phone, but it seems that Titaniun Backup only backs up the data, not the APK. I also tried Mybackup Pro with the same result. I have root, so if someone knows how to extract a system app as an APK please let me know. I haven't searched yet, BTW, so if I find out how to do this myself I'll update this post (again).

rajendra82 said:
I agree. Funny thing is, that's the only app AT&T didn't preinstall on the phone IIRC. I guess they expect you to pay money for their crappy services by default (or by mistaken clicks), but don't want you to have a way to track it so easily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I swear they are only doing that to mess with us. While it's not hard to completely remove all AT&T ware, it's fairly simple to hide the apps with LauncherPro.

jason531 said:
I have it and will try to make a backup and post it within the next couple of days. It might be Monday before I can do it, unless someone else beats me to the punch.
Update: I still have it on my phone, but it seems that Titaniun Backup only backs up the data, not the APK. I also tried Mybackup Pro with the same result. I have root, so if someone knows how to extract a system app as an APK please let me know. I haven't searched yet, BTW, so if I find out how to do this myself I'll update this post (again).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got it! Thanks to:
forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/3319-stock-apps-that-can-be-deleted-post-root/
Here is the APK (zipped). I'm not sure whether you can just install it like any other APK or if you have to use adb to push it to /system/app. If you try it please let me know what worked (if it works).

jason531 said:
Got it! Thanks to:
forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/3319-stock-apps-that-can-be-deleted-post-root/
Here is the APK (zipped). I'm not sure whether you can just install it like any other APK or if you have to use adb to push it to /system/app. If you try it please let me know what worked (if it works).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks jason let me try that, will update soon

Lookout security mobile

I have been using this app as long as I had this phone. But I realized that it made my phone really slow while installing things because it had to scan it. I'm thinking about uninstalling it....
Is this app necessary? Are there any alternatives?
Sent from my phone

There is another alternative.
AVG owns DroidSecurity and then Lookouts version.
Necessary? Maybe maybe not. If your phone isn't rooted it is probably not an issue, and if it's rooted it might not be if you keep track of what apps have root access.
Root kits are out there in the mobile world.

AVG owns DroidSecurity and then Lookouts version.
I meant,
AVG own DroidSecurity which has some of the same features as Lookouts version.

I read way too much on here and have yet to see a thread "help I think I have a virus"

Yeah, I have yet to see a post about a possible virus. Lookout provides a few other options which makes it handy, and one that makes it dangerous. The tracking feature (which has been repeated in a few other apps that may or may not need root access) is something that can be used for bad or good.
The biggest problem is apps outside of the normal app store and ones needing root access. Android (and linux/unix/mac) have security issues exploits and whatnot but they are not prevalent like they are in Windows. Windows Mobile has root kits, and there are groups that have warned of security holes and exploits in Android and I remember there being a few on jailbroken IOS devices.

Do you guys use any security app?
I deleted it for now and it seemed to have increase my phone's speed a lot.
Sent from my phone

At this point the biggest risk is from a lost or stolen phone. I don't use any application for security though.

I use lookout, but the only thing I use it for is the "Find Me" feature, you're right, having it scan all apps on install is super painful, esp if you're restoring after a flash...

I use it. I might not need it with how picky I am about apps but knowing that mobile phones are a big security hole I want something.
Searched the market place and noticed that Macafee and Norton are releasing their own now.
Phones (the type XDA users have) are more like computers every week and not treating them as such could be dangerous in the near future.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Well the find me feature doesn't work on my phone cause my GPS is horrible even though I tried everything.. anyway I'm looking for other security apps that only scans when I want it to. Is the ES security good?
Sent from my phone

Not sure about the other ones. Stick to the big name ones such as Lookout, AVG, Norton, Macaffee since they have a lot riding on making quality products.
I would add games to the do not scan list so that my game playing wouldn't get slow, also adding them to the whitelist for watchdog helps avoid the performance hit you get from the constant scanning of accessed files and monitoring of the processes.

Which one should I get. Avg security or antivirus.? What's the difference?
Sent from my phone

I had lookout for a little while. I think my phone runs better now that i got rid of it. I also dont download random things i see or go to off websites.

While I haven' seen posts about viruses here, before I got my android there was a news story about all the phones infected by files from the market.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Until KAV, Panda, or Avira make one for the phones, stick with AVG or Lookout, I prefer Lookout because of the features (but the Norton and MacAffee I think provide the same stuff)

If you do a search for pwn2own you'll find that everything has exploits and holes(except for chrome so far).
Finding good security software is hard.
Lookout and AVG may or may not work, but what other choices are there?
Im really asking too BTW.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

AntiVirus necessary? Yes or No?

Using AVG the past years, but I was wondering if we actually NEED an antivirus on android. I heard it is the platform hackers love the most, but I really don't think AVG (or another av) could stop that. What do you guys do?

Short answer? No. Long one? It's up to you.

Deleunes254 said:
Using AVG the past years, but I was wondering if we actually NEED an antivirus on android. I heard it is the platform hackers love the most, but I really don't think AVG (or another av) could stop that. What do you guys do?
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Click to collapse
No, you dont need an antivirus as you cant have an executable running on Android, unlike Windows.
Hackers? Those vulnerabilities that allows intrusion to your device is in no way stoppable by a mere antivirus.
Intrusion is only possible when a known exploit is used, say, like the Stagefright. This kind of thing however is no way possible to be "fixed" by an antivirus.
Also, keep an eye on the apps you install. Never install suspicious apps.

I have never use any on any of the phones I owned. I always cringe whenever a sales assistant tells people to buy an iPhone because Android is plagued with viruses. Wtf?

As far as I know Android, if there is any vulnerability that would be at your ROM level which can't be fixed by a 10MB piece of code (antivirus). Google used to push security patches every month which is actual fix or solution for intrusion.
So don't be confuse with antivirus that 'll in-fact make your system slow

Samsung Secure Wi-Fi - Is it worth it?

Is this thing worth it? (Powered by McAfee) Taking into consideration the integration with the Samsung Ecosystem.
Or do you stick to already known providers like NordVPN?

its just wifi with a vpn inluded, personally myself I wouldn't use a Samsung VPN, their going to data mine everything you do and keep logs

The system memory sucking Mcafee Antivirus for Windows is enough to make me avoid ANYTHING associated with Mcafee.

Yeah, I know, right?
I don't really understand the AV trend for smartphones. Can anyone tell me how come they got so popular?

doriandiaconu said:
Yeah, I know, right?
I don't really understand the AV trend for smartphones. Can anyone tell me how come they got so popular?
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Click to collapse
I think because their Windows versions are so popular, antivirus companiea just want a foot in the Android market. Somebody tries their Android version and says hey I didn't get an Android virus so I need to buy the Windows version. I've been working with Android since the very beginning and I've never known anyone that's had anything an Android Antivirus would even fix.