Apktool: Easy APKTOOL Keep Orginal Signature Mean ?

[iTMaster228]

I want to know about Option " Keep Orginal Signature"

For example I have my own app when i decompile my app and compile it with that option
that,
mean my app will have same signature like my existing app even without keystore ?

[Ibuprophen]

Simply go to the following link...

https://ibotpeaches.github.io/Apktool/documentation/

... And scroll down to the following 2 topics:

1) There is no META-INF dir in resulting apk. Is this ok?that provides a good explanation.

2) Parameter Changes has a sub bullet that begins with original = which also provides an additional explanation as well.

I hope this was helpful for you. :-)

~Ibuprophen

[iTMaster228]

Thanks But i just want to know the compile apk have original signature or not?

[Ticklefish]

If you use the option "--copy-original" when compiling your APK, it will copy the original signature.

This is explained in the topics mentioned above in the apktool documentation..

There is no META-INF dir in resulting apk. Is this ok?
Yes. META-INF contains apk signatures. After modifying the apk it is no longer signed. You can use -c / --copy-original to retain these signatures. However, using -c uses the original AndroidManifest.xml file, so changes to it will be lost.

[iBotPeaches]

Yeah, TLDR - We copy the META-INF and the correlated AndroidManifest.xml which in the older days would allow the application to verify (in strange circumstances).

As Android evolved and package signature types evolved, this no longer worked. Its set for deprecation.