Installer
- Added an option to perform DEX optimisation immediately after installing an app
- Added the ability to modify installer options before installing an app
In the installation dialog, clicking on the settings/cog icon opens a new dialog where the installer options can be temporarily set for the session. Any items queued for the session will retain those temporary options.
- Display installation progress in the notification
In some devices such as Samsung, it takes an indefinite amount of time to verify the app after copying the APK files. For those cases, the progress won't be accurate as it only takes into account the amount of time to copy the files.
- Display “Confirm install” notification even if the app is running in foreground
In no-root mode, when the app is running in foreground, the user may accidentally dismiss the install-confirmation dialog produced by the Android package installer which would either allow the installation to run forever or for a minute until the timeout occurs. To solve the issue, a silent notification is triggered at the same time the dialog is shown so that even if the user accidentally dismisses the dialog, the dialog can still be displayed by clicking the notification.
- Fixed parsing unsigned APK files
- Fixed installing apps for users other than the main profile

Interceptor
- Prevented the app from crashing on creating a shortcut with invalid extras
Shortcuts support only 11 types of data structures. Intents, on the other hand, support any type of data structures. When a shortcut creation is requested, the unsupported data structures are removed from the Intent to avoid crashes.

Labs
- Display “System Config” page in all modes of operation

Main page
- Added a new filtering option “Stopped apps“ to filter the force-stopped apps
- Added filtering by users in the list options
- Added a new batch operation “Optimise” to dex optimisation of the selected apps
- Display user count alongside app ID
If an app is installed in more than one profiles (that is, for multiple users), instead of displaying only the kernel user ID (UID), display the app ID (that is, UID sans the user ID) and user count in the following format:

<user count>+<app ID>

Scanner
- Display link to Pithus report if available
- Calculate file hashes more efficiently
- Fixed scanning external APK files in privileged mode

Settings
- Added options to run App Manager in the background
In Settings > Privacy, two new options have been added:
1. Run App Manager in the background
2. Automatic lockdown
Running App Manager in the background makes the annoying “Initializing” screen go away. Due to possible privacy issues, this option is disabled by default. When automatic lockdown is enabled, App Manager will attempt to lock the app by killing its process. As expected, there are several side effects:
1. All the activities will be closed. They'll be reopened by the system based on how the user was interacting with them
2. All the running operations as well as scheduled or running jobs will be stopped immediately. This might cause data loss if potentially destructive operations are running.
Note: Enabling the latter option does not wipe the memory of App Manager, i.e. it does not prevent a forensic software from scrapping the memory used by App Manager even if the process no longer exists.
- Added option to disable sending notification to the connected devices
The setting is located at “Settings > Advanced > Send notifications to the connected devices” and is enabled by default. Low importance notifications, e.g. ongoing notifications and optional alerts, won't be delivered to the connected devices even if the setting is enabled.
- Fixed saving backup options
- Prevented a crash that occurs on importing the rules if some of them are invalid

UI
- Better handling of application-wide notifications including the progress of various operations
- Display all multi-selection options in a single row with an overflow menu at the end
- Display icons in popup menus

- Display shortcut editor before creating a shortcut along with a preview panel
- Improved layouts of popup and dropdown menus

Usage
- Fetch data usage for all apps in Android 5 and 5.1
- Fetch usage stats and package size info only when the feature is enabled
- Reduced lags by recycling views

Others
- New mode of operation: System (UID 100)
- Enabled backing up data from App Manager via Android-default backup systems
- Improved DEX optimiser
DEX optimiser now works in no-root mode for apps installed with App Manager. In 1-Click Ops page, when DEX optimiser is run, it attempts to optimise all apps in privileged mode. But in unprivileged mode, it only attempts to optimise apps installed by App Manager. The option is also displayed in the App Info tab in no-root mode for apps installed by App Manager.
- Only allow connections from supported online locations
To avoid issues with ADB, localhost is allowed unrestricted connections, but other websites, namely virustotal.com and pithus.org, are restricted via public key pinning (PKP) using network security configuration.
- Replaced the usernames “Main” and “Work” with “This” and “Other”
In no-root mode, usernames cannot be fetched from the system. Hence, “Main” and “Work” are inferred based on the status of the system. However, this can cause issues if the app is installed in the Work profile. Instead, the names “This” and “Other” are used to clarify the situation.
- Schedule cache cleaning job more actively to ensure App Manager's caches are cleared regularly
- Use granted permissions rather than the mode of operation to check the eligibility of a feature
- Prevented crashing in Android 14 due to compatibility issues related to installer
- Prevented crashing in various places due to lifecycle issues

Full list of changes: v3.2.0-alpha01...v4.0.0-alpha01

My brand new project, Android Debloat List, is created not only to catalogue potential apps that might be disabled, uninstalled or replaced with FOSS alternatives but also to warn users about the potential danger of using certain system apps. As part of this effort, I’ll also be recording vulnerabilities for system apps. To report a vulnerability, create a new issue with the following information:
1. Package name along with its name/label
2. CVD/CVE (or if not supported, link to the vulnerability)
3. Affected versions (either a list or a range) using version name (optional) and version code
4. Optional comments
5. How it should be dealt (update, remove, replace with alternative, keep due to potential issues)

Why? Because vulnerabilities do not show up in almost any AV software.

As announced earlier, App Manager community channel will be discontinued in favour of App Manager community organisation currently hosted in GitHub. You can find these particular instructions in the issues section of Tips and Tricks repository for now. In the future, there will also be a community website. Benefits of this approach:
1. Better searching experience than Telegram
2. Accessible to anyone around the world, not just to the Telegram users
3. Ability to comment on each instruction
4. More community involvements.

Original announcement for community: https://www.tg-me.com/AppManagerChannel/145

In addition, we’re also looking for community maintainers and contributors. If you’re interested, you can leave a comment here.

#alpha #unstable #release
App Manager v4.0.0-alpha02

For contributors: Building App Manager now requires Java 17 (or later).

Main page
- [Batch ops] Added an option to create a new profile in the “Add to profile” dialog
- [Batch ops] Fixed saving APKS with dependencies

App Details page
- Improved loading performance
- Fixed setting mode for some app ops
In the app ops tab, the toggle button as well as the long click options attempts to alter the associated permission too if it exists. To bypass this behaviour, use “Set custom app op” from the three-dots menu instead.

App Info tab
- Added an option to create a new profile in the “Add to profile” dialog
- Improved performance by loading UI contents in the background
- Hide data usage for other users
Data usage section is hidden if the following conditions are true:
1. OS is Android 6.0 onwards
2. The app does not belong to the current user, and
3. Self or remote UID is not system UID.
- Fixed displaying wrong information regarding blocked trackers
- Prevented the app from crashing on attempting to enable battery optimisation of restricted apps
Battery optimisation cannot be enabled for system restricted apps.

Debloater
- Display a loader in details dialog to avoid freezing issues

Editor
- Check if the file is writable during “Save and exit”
- Prevented erroneous display of “Read only” warning for files that support writing

File Manager
- Display “Click Me Load More...” as the subtitle instead of showing previous folder info
- Display only the filename in the “Open with…” dialog
- Display progress for batch rename, delete and paste operations
- Improved listing files in a directory, especially Storage Access Framework (SAF)
- Fixed displaying search bar in the “Open with…” dialog
- Fixed retrieving files if a folder contains thousands of files
- Prevented looping indefinitely when an inaccessible file is a symbolic link

Installer
- Fixed installing APK files queued in the background
- Fixed installing some signed APK files
Some signed APKs could not be installed due size mismatch.

Interceptor
- Added a few intent filters related to camera

Profile page
- Added an option to copy profile ID
- Display exit confirmation dialog if there are unsaved changes
- Display previously selected apps on top of the app list
- Display warning before deleting a profile
- Avoid creating duplicate profiles by auto-renaming the newly-created profile
- Fixed displaying backup options in configurations tab

Profiles page
- Added an option to copy profile ID
- Use profile ID instead of profile name for identifying each profile
In profile version 1, there's no difference between profile name and profile ID. But from profile version 2, a new field id shall be introduced which will be decoupled profile name from its ID, making it possible to use any name for profile or rename it. If you use automation, make sure to use profile ID instead of profile name.
- Auto-select the configured profile state in “Apply profile” dialog
- Handled applying multiple profiles using a queue
- Moved shortcut handling logic to a different activity
To avoid opening existing tasks from Recents, shortcuts are handled in a separate task.
- Optimised updating new or modified profile information

Running Apps page
- Fixed listing processes when some PIDs no longer exist

Security
- Check for zip-slip vulnerability before creating a folder or a symbolic link
- Disabled access to content:// in WebView
- Sanitize user inputs, intents when it involves files and filenames
- Use formatted string for logging to prevent log injections

Settings
- Fixed navigating one step back after a device configuration is changed

UI Tracker
- Added the ability to drag the icon when iconified
- Added the ability to drag the window outside the visible display
- Used 60% transparent window

Usage
- Fixed retrieving mobile data usage in Android 12 and earlier

Others
- Enabled fast scrolling in the user manual page
- Use definite mode of operation
When the mode of operation is set to auto, App Manager will attempt to find the best mode and set it as the current mode instead of “Auto” in order to improve the startup time as well as allow stable access of service via upcoming App Manager SDK.
- Use marquee texts in suggestions/dropdown menu
- Use wakelocks in long-running tasks to keep the CPU awake
- Fixed retrieving list of packages in some devices
- Fixed uploading APK files to VirusTotal
- Made setting UID/GID optional while extracting a tar archive
- Prevented the app from crashing due to forceDexOpt failing in Android 12
In Android 12, forceDexOpt always fails due to a bug in the Android framework. As a workaround, the optimisation is done via performDexOptMode imitating whatever forceDexOpt does.

Full Changelog: https://github.com/MuntashirAkon/AppManager/compare/v4.0.0-alpha01...v4.0.0-alpha02

#stable #release
App Manager v3.1.2

- [App Info] Hide data usage for other users
- [ADB] Fixed clicking the links in the “Incomplete USB debugging” dialog
- [Installer] Fixed installing some signed APK files
- [Docs] Fixed links to App Manager settings page
- [Installer] Fixed parsing unsigned APK files
- [Settings] Fixed navigating one step back after a device configuration is changed
- [Settings] Fixed saving a backup option: Cache
- [Batch Ops] Fixed saving APKS with dependencies
- Enabled fast scrolling in the user manual page
- Fixed extracting tar archives in a volume with no support for permissions, UID and/or GID
- Fixed navigating one step back after a device configuration is changed
- Prevented crashes in Android 14

Full Changelog: https://github.com/MuntashirAkon/AppManager/compare/v3.1.1...v3.1.2

Notice.

I’m temporarily disabling the security vulnerability reporting feature in GitHub due to the increasing number of spams. GitHub devs didn’t think anybody would spam there and left no option to delete those spams/fakes or report the spammers (which is weird because nowadays people even post fake CVEs). As a result, I’ve got a number of private forks of my own repositories created for those fake vulnerabilities that I cannot delete (again, because they left no option to delete those repositories). You can still report vulnerabilities in my email address: muntashirakon [at] riseup [dot] net.

#stable #release
App Manager v3.1.3

- Avoided displaying “Imported” message when no file is selected during importing rules from Watt or Blocker
- Avoided fetching app list for other users if there's not enough permission
- Fixed a typo in German strings
- Fixed installing apps for users other than the main user in no-root mode
- Fixed loading the list of packages in some devices
- Prevented the app from crashing when filename returned by SAF is null (empty)
- Skipped loading usage for uninstalled packages

Full Changelog: https://github.com/MuntashirAkon/AppManager/compare/v3.1.2...v3.1.3

Attention.

It appears some people are getting confused because there are several versions of App Manager available at a time. Here’s a brief description of what to expect from each type of release in order of stability:
1. Stable: Very stable releases in terms of features*, expect no changes in any features in minor releases**. Good for day to day use and for those who do not want to see new features or face compatibility issues. Only stable releases ensure backward compability for certain features such as backup/restore or rules.
2. Release Candidate (RC): Mostly stable release but intended for smaller audience for a final check before the next major release. The users should expect no major issues with the new or existing features. RCs are feature-locked, that is, each RC only receives bug fixes. Usually, there will be two to three RCs before the next major release.
3. Beta: Beta testing of App Manager, intended for a wide range of tester including those who may not have any technical or platform-specific knowledge. The users should expect a lot of issues with the app and report them via official means.
4. Alpha: Alpha testing of App Manager, intended for long term testers with technical or platform-specific knowledge. The users should expect a lot of issues with the app, including some nasty bugs that might cause data loss.
5. Debug: Rolling release of App Manager built by GitHub Actions each time anything is pushed to the specificed branches of the App Manager repository in GitHub. Super unstable, expect a lot of bugs, including some nasty ones that might cause data loss. The signing key is also public. So, make sure you're installing them from the official sources.

* Bugs can exist because Android is a diverse ecosystem and interacting with the private APIs (that is, the Android features not meant for public use) have proven to be problematic, especially, in highly customised operating systems such as MIUI. In stable releases, bugs that require nasty workarounds may not be fixed.
** App Manager’s versioning is roughly based on semantic versioning, that is, each version has three numbers separated by dots. For example, v3.0.0 or v4.0.0 means that it is a major release with many new features and changes in the existing features, v3.1.0 or v4.1.0 means that it is a major release with changes in the existing features along with some minor new features, and v3.1.1 or v3.1.2 means that it is a minor release with some bug fixes and performance improvements, and so on.

I now have a personal account on Mastodon that you can follow: @[email protected]

(I was never really active on Twitter in the last 14 years, but I'll try to be active on Mastodon.)