CODEWITHSUNDEEP
android
RedChris
RedChris

Reputation: 523

Can I test android system apps on a normal un-rooted phone?

I am developing app which will come pre-installed with certain devices, however im testing the app on my own device and will need to demo it on my own device. At the moment its fine as im testing it as a user app, but now i need to use permissions which only the system apps get to use. Is their a way in the project settings to say its a system app so I can test and demo it?

Upvotes: 3

Views: 573

Answers (1)

Robert Rowntree
Robert Rowntree

Reputation: 6289

short answer - i would root your phone. However, unlocking the bootloader is possible without root. So, IMO, you could install CWM as your recovery, then boot to CWM, then use the CWM option to MOUNT system, then use adb to copy your .apk to /cache, then use linux util 'cat' to get the apk from /cache to /system/app, then unmount /system using CWM, then reboot.

long answer - if you are developing system apps, learn the security environment of android. Learn the issues around permissions in the /system folder, and learn the recovery type tools that allow a developer to have access to the /system folder where adb activities like install , uninstall are restricted.

This is an older discussion 'froyo' on how-to install system app, illustrating some of the permissions issues in the /system folder. I would not simply follow these instructions without reading up on how its done in honeycomb and in ICS.

Upvotes: 3

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