yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Android Apps and Games] hadi_rena:
Move your archives folder to E:\android

Start Raccoon

File > Open Archive

Select Folder 'E:\android\archives\default'

Done
[Android Apps and Games] catcher40:
Thank You.
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
Hi guys,

I know I'm way behind schedule with Raccoon v4.0, so I'm pulling one feature out of it into a standalone application:

FileCast - A zero setup, cross platform desktop to mobile file transfer utility .

Well, the idea is pretty straight forwards: after downloading an app, the APK is on your harddrive and you need to somehow transfer it to your mobile. You could use ADB, but USB can be kinda slow for large files and naturally, installing the Android SDK is not everyones cup of tea. SD Cards are a hassle on themselves, so yeah, there you have it. WLAN, Webbrowser and QR codes are the way to go.

(of course, Raccoon v4.0 will include that mechanism, once it gets released).
[Android Apps and Games] hadi_rena:
Good to see you again... I think raccoon development halted... But now I sure that raccoon development is in progress :)

Suggestion for FileCast:

Network binding can be configured from config file... (I know that I can use batch file to force 'config')
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
Ok guys, I need some help here. Lately I get a considerable amount of mail about some apps not showing up in Raccoon search. Unfortunately, I cannot do much there beyond acknowledging the fact. This is a server side issue and I have almost no clue about why this happens. That, however, doesn't mean that I don't want to fix the issue and that's where you guys come in. The thing I need are the build.properties from as many different devices as possible. You can scrape the file off your device by using ADB:

adb pull /system/build.properties

Since the file is somewhat large, please post it over at pastebin.com and link the paste here along with a description of your model/brand.
[Android Apps and Games] hadi_rena:
Moto G XT-1032: http://pastebin.com/JwqzRFRP
[Android Apps and Games] killoid:
here goes samsung galaxy y duos gt-s6102.
[Android Apps and Games] Knatterton79:
Samsung Galaxy S Duos GT-S7562

Build props of Samsung Galaxy S Duos GT-S7562.

Cheers
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
And we got a new companion tool: Dummy Droid! Dummy Droid allows you to load arbitrary device profiles into you Goolge Play account and is meant to resolve compatibility issues.

Originally, Dummy Droid was planned to be part of Raccoon v4.x, but there seems to be no way to make it userfriendly, or at least not userfriendly in the sense that it should be part of Raccoon's setup process. So until further notice, it will stay a separate tool. Let me know how it works out for you and in particular if you guys can figure out a "universal" hardware profile that is compatible with every app.
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
Good news! I think, I solved the issue with some apps not showing up in the search results. Bad news is, the workaround is a bit technical.. You will also need to download the latest version.
[Android Apps and Games] prasinos:
Great work!

I face a problem however. When I let Raccoon generate a random GSF id, it works perfectly (I can search ad download apps). With the same account, when I use my real device GSF id, I can search for apps but when I try to download I always get "Error". Why is this happening?

As a side question: is there a point in ever using the real device ID? What do I lose by using the fake Samsung ID?

Cheers
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
And we got a new release.
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
I'm rather clueless about the Error. There is no real benefit in using your real GSF ID. The only reason you might want to do that is to download paid apps you got in your account (and even then you can use a mock ID as long as the device is compatible).
[Android Apps and Games] :
What is the difference between .jar and .exe installers?

Also, should I use my main Google account if I want to keep using the apps that I've purchased? I doubt that the throwaway account will work.

The fact that the login credentials are saved in plain text is a huge issue when using this method.
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
There is no installer. Raccoon doesn't require installation. The .exe version is just a wrapper around the .jar version that takes care of downloading the Java runtime if it is not already installed (i also has the drawback of not exposing the commandline interface).

Apps are bound to the account they were bought with. So it's either rebuying on the throw away account or using the existing account. If you want to use your existing account, you do it at your own risk. This really is a no brainer.

Also, I'm quite tired of self proclaimed "security experts" telling me that the password in the config file is a huge issue. Google Play mandates the use of a Google Account and that means every client that wants service needs to present credentials. Unless you want to type in your password on every program start, the password needs to be saved somewhere. And no, the password cannot be encrypted, unless you want to type in the password to decrypt the password on every program start.

Your Personal Computer is not warzone earth. If you want to assume that your harddrive is not a save place to store your credentials, then your RAM isn't either. For that matter, you should not even enter credentials on any computer that isn't fully under your control.
[Android Apps and Games] jb91:
quick questions - i'm reading everywhere that you're supposed to use a "throw away" google account for this. i do not understand, how to create a throw away google account. you need to enter a phone number in order to register a new account at google, so how are you supposed to do this?
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
You don't need a phone number, simply register an account via https://acounts.google.com (same as with registering a new gmail address).
[Android Apps and Games] jb91:
So you go to https://accounts.google.com and then you press "Create account", correct? After filling in all the information, it asks me for a phone number to verify, no matter what I do.
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
The phone number should be optional. At least for me it is.
[Android Apps and Games] jb91:
This is very strange. I just googled how to create a google account without phone number, and there are countless other people wondering the same, and no one seems to have a real answer. Not sure why you don't have to enter one. Does anyone know more about this? Is there a specific way to create a Google account without providing a phone number?
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RswwrSLEL3o
[Android Apps and Games] jb91:
Don't know why it's working for him and his video also has a lot of downvotes, probably because a lot of people still have to put their phone number. Maybe it has to do with him putting a gmail address as backup email? I really wouldn't like to link my Raccoon account to my real Google account like this, but I guess that's the only way without a phone number.

I'll keep searching for a bit and if I don't find anything, I guess I'll just try this way.
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
To spell it out: Google wants their accounts to develop value over time. This mandates that there is a Plan B in case you forget your password. Plan B in this case means either a backup address OR a phone number through which you can gain access again.
[Android Apps and Games] jb91:
They apparently don't just want any backup address. They want a gmail backup address, or you still have to enter your phone number (at least that's what I'm getting from the youtube video). I've tried again now several times with hotmail backup addresses, and it always asks me for my phone number afterwards. I've tried using VPNs from various countries, tried different browsers, nothing changes. There is no way to do this without a phone number (or without an already existing Google account), it seems.

Is there a way to get a free "throw away" phone number on the internet just to receive that one SMS they want to send to validate the account? I've tried K7 and Pinger but they both don't seem to work.
[Android Apps and Games] jb91:
Dumb question: How do I check for app updates? Not sure if it's supposed to be like this, but when I open my archive in Raccoon, there are no apps shown under "Downloads". It does however list the number of my apps under "Stored apps" on the main screen. File -> Update will just tell me "No updates". Is it actually checking for app updates of all apps that are in the apk_storage folder though, when I press this?

So, long story short: How do I check for app updates in Raccoon?
[Android Apps and Games] Portgas D. Ace:
Raccoon will check for updated apps, which you have downloaded through Raccoon and stored in your archive, when you click on "Update". If one of those apps has been updated in the Play Store since the last time you checked for updates, Raccoon will show you those apps. No updates - no shown apps.

The "download" section only contain apps which you have downloaded during your current session. If you close Raccoon, it will not show you any apps there if you open it again.
[Android Apps and Games] elaurens:
This application is AMAZING!! Thanks a lot for sharing it with us Onyxbits. Helps me tremendously in making my Android devices less dependent from Google's services. I'll probably install Raccoon on my server so that it can update the apps (is there a way to automate the archive update process?) and then schedule a job to upload the .apk's to Owncloud; that way they'll be available on all my devices.. love it.
[Android Apps and Games] Aym3n-Jar:
GUI please :D:D:D
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
Raccoon has a commandline mode. You need the -u and -a option (see docs for details).

I should also mention that I'm currently rewriting the whole thing. Big highlight will be the appmanager that should be able to transfer apps to your device via ADB, QR code or native client (using the aptoide protocol). I'll be posting some screenshots as soon as i got the GUI cleaned up (expect everything to look different :D).
[Android Apps and Games] 7onestepahead1:
Thats very useful, especially when using mod like cyanogenmod
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
I actually plan on adding app groups and ADB support to batch install selections after flashing.
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
As promised: teaser screenshots of the upcoming v4.0 version. Let me know what you guys think!
[Android Apps and Games] pinkerini:
Oh wow, they look incredible.
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
Funny, folks over at Reddit seem to hate the Nimbus theme. I still wonder if I should go with this skin or stick with the platform default.
[Android Apps and Games] pinkerini:
I've used the Nimbus GTK theme before, and I don't find it ugly. Maybe they want a native look but that would require more work. I don't a GUI as long as it does the job and does it well.
[Android Apps and Games] :
This might be a stupid question, but is it possible to release an Android version?
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
Not really a stupid question. After all, not every device has Play and not everyone wants to use the official app. However, Raccoon cannot be ported to Android. The protocol buffer library it builds upon is too fat for a Dalvik VM. I have plans to offer F-Droid server functionality, though.
[Android Apps and Games] :
Thank you. I hope that you can take advantage of F-Droid. There doesn't seem to be any alternatives, Blank Store has been discontinued.
[Android Apps and Games] michael-oc:
Upgraded to Win 10 and racoon isn't working anymore. Tried with Java reinstal but didnt work. Are there any config files I could delete?
[Android Apps and Games] ToolWiz Privacy:
I used to download APK from apps.evozi.com/apk-downloader, but I can't get some latest version of APKs from this website.

This tool is what I want and I want to know does this tool download the latest version of APK on Google Play?
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
I don't have windows 10, so I can't tell you anything there.
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
Latest version by default, but also any other version you happen to know the versioncode of.
[Android Apps and Games] johnny.p:
Probably asked before but I couldn't find the information, is there a way to automatically give the downloaded apk files a human readable name like the names given by 'Real APK Leecher'.

I'm quite pleased with Racoon but when moving files to my phone for installation I'd to have them name in a way I could browse through easily as package names aren't always obvious.
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
No, the filename encodes packagename and versioncode so Raccoon knows what you have and what to update. This will work differently in Raccoon v4.x, though (see screenshots, I posted earlier).
[Android Apps and Games] knotle:
I think it looks great and I look forward to 4.0
[Android Apps and Games] :
I promise a donation if you can improve the password security. I've purchased several paid apps from Google Play and I don't want to create a "throwaway account" only for Raccoon.
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
I can improve the situation (and actually, I will in v4.0), but I cannot solve the underlying problem. Raccoon is a client and it needs to present credentials to Play in order to get service. This issue has been haunting us since the days of the first email clients and the verdict is: either you save your password on your harddisk or you get prompted for it whenever you start the application. There is no other way. Your password needs to be processed at some point. Don't use an account on a computer you are not in full control of.

That being said, Google uses HTTP cookies which function as credentials and seem to be long time stable. Raccoon v4.0 will only prompt you for a password on the setup screen, request a cookie with it and then persist the cookie instead of the password. Make no mistake though:

If you have malware running on your PC, you are still screwed. It is not difficult to intercept a password while you type it.

Loosing the auth cookie is almost as bad as loosing the password. Anyone who gets control of the cookie can still log into your account. Just not take it over fully.
[Android Apps and Games] Micha_Btz:
hi there,

a phone without the google tools is a dream for some time for me. So i test it.

I use Droidentify to get my GSF ID, since i have bought some apps, with i will use further.

It seems, the the app don't list the GSF ID? The are Serial Number, Release, Android ID IMEI; IMSI.

I test the Android ID, which don't work. Which one i should use?

And how can i change the Raccoon home dir? As described in FAQ don't work.

Thanks.
[Android Apps and Games] Portgas D. Ace:
Use Device ID to identify your GSF ID.
[Android Apps and Games] Micha_Btz:
thanks, the gsf id i have now, i will try it with raccoon tonight.
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
The FAQ entry was out of date. The correct property name is "raccoon.home", not "raccoon.homedir". It's fixed now
[Android Apps and Games] :
[MENTION=5035576]onyxbits[/MENTION] I'm using Linux, so I don't have that much of an issue with malware. I never save my payment information on online accounts.

Also, now almost mandatory Google+ account (for YouTube and Play Games) doesn't use my real name and I never post any personal information so I'm not worried that much.
[Android Apps and Games] capsule46:
Really helpful app.Good job man,

i suggest adding proxy to your next release, please?
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
That's already supported.
[Android Apps and Games] elaurens:
I'm still very fond of Raccoon and have used it in combination with adb to push the apps to my phone and tablet. Still doing things manually, but now that I've been picking up bash scripting as part of my path to becoming a Linux Sysadmin, I might eventually end up creating an android app (nothing fancy though) which acts as an app store pulling the most recent apk's in from the Raccoon archive on my server. That should bring the convenience back of an always online and reachable app store, but without using any of the Google services on my devices :) Would be awesome if I could manage to incorporate a search function in the app which then prompts Raccoon to downl. the apk of that app to the archive and retrieves/installs it on the device. Thanks again for the amazing sw!
[Android Apps and Games] TMnvv25:
Thanks for sharing! This is exactly what I was looking for a long time!
[Android Apps and Games] famewolf:
Any chance of there ever being another version of raccoon that actually runs on the phone as a "google play lite" allowing the user to download apps but not have to have all the google infrastructure going on the device? Nice job on the desktop client!
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
You'll be glad to hear then, that the new v4.0 development branch includes integrated ADB push support as well as other means to transfer apps to your phone :victory:. There will also be a scripting solution for post download actions, but that will have to wait till v4.1.
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
I will put that on the wishlist for Raccoon 5.x. The (literally) big problem here is the protobuf library for communicating with Google Play. That thing is too fat to run on Android.
[Android Apps and Games] :
How do I install Raccoon on Linux? There were no instructions on your website.

I extracted the archive, but didn't find an executable file.
[Android Apps and Games] knotle:
You just run the jar file from the command line.
[Android Apps and Games] :
Can you give me the exact command?

I've executed files before with "./", but running "./raccoon-3.5.jar" gives "Permission denied" error.

This is pure guessing.
[Android Apps and Games] knotle:
Ja

---------- Post added at 03:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:05 PM ----------

java -jar /<location of file>/raccoon-3.5.jar

This is how I launch it.
[Android Apps and Games] hypertech:
thank you very much for this application, it allow me to install empire and allie on my zenfone2 despite, its suposed not to be compatible. but it work flawless.
[Android Apps and Games] vprasad1:
Trying to pull down an old version of my Fruit Ninja purchase from years ago Raccoon GUI works fine with credentials.cfg and pulls down the latest version but CLI fails for the old version and for the new version-- what am I doing wrong?

Raccoon GUI pulled down

C:\Users\My Account\Raccoon\archives\default\apk_storage\com-halfbrick-fruitninja

Raccoon CLI for old version fails

I tried it with the current Fruit Ninja version, Raccoon CLI also failng

Any suggestions?
[Android Apps and Games] Kapiljhajhria:
Can i download obb data of games using this?
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
You are using underscores instead of dots in the packagename.
[Android Apps and Games] vprasad1:
Edit: resolved -- path names with spaces need quotation marks in Windows. Thanks so much!

For CLI changed the _ to . and still getting "Failure: Authentication failed!" GUI still works fine.
[Android Apps and Games] krisz1017:
Very good
[Android Apps and Games] :
Do I need to have Gapps installed to see the Google Service framework ID (GSF)? I used 'Device ID', don't know where Droidentify shows GSF ID. Device ID app says "GSF isn't found".

I wonder that how I should I create a mock device for my account? I want to use my main Google account because of the purchased stuff.
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
YES!
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
Well, GSF stands for Google Service Framework, so Gapps is kinda mandatory to be issued a GSF ID. If you don't have the APIs on your phone, neither Droidentify nor Device ID can deliver you the data.

I strongly discourage using your primary Google account with Raccoon for numerous reasons laid out in the docs. If you want to ignore my advice, then the answer will be that you should let Raccoon create a mock device (unless the apps you want to download have specific system requirements - in this case you need to use DummyDroid). You will end up with a virtual device in your account that you can't delete, though..
[Android Apps and Games] :
I don't care about one extra device. I haven't understood, how can I automatically create a mock device? Just a high-end phone will be fine.

98% of the malware is developed for Windows and I don't have any personal information on my Google account, including credit card data. I don't really see any issue in this procedure :confused:

Also, are you sure that the devices can't be removed from Google account? I have used emulators in the past and those devices are nowhere to be seen.
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
Raccoon will automatically generate a mock device for you unless you provide an existing GSF ID. The existing GSF ID can either be lifted from a phone that already has a Google Account assigned to it (shopping around at your local telco shop usually works for this), or you can use my DummyDroid tool if you know what you are doing. It will upload the specs of a mock device you specify and then give you the GSF ID, Play assigns to the mock.

I'm pretty sure that you can't remove devices from your account (this is Google we are talking about here! The devices you own/have owned is "valuable" marketing data!). You can hide them, though. Emulators usually don't have working GAPPS (otherwise devs would use emulators to 5* their apps), so its not surprising that your account isn't litered.
[Android Apps and Games] :
Sorry, I thought that "create new" meant the Google account, not GSF ID. Raccoon runs fine now.

I'll try if I can update paid games now.

---------- Post added at 03:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:36 PM ----------

Yeah, I can see that Raccoon stores passwords in plain text. This should be easy to fix and I will donate 5€ if you get this done.

Also, can I add applications to "stored apps" without downloading, so I can get notified of updates and so on?

---------- Post added at 04:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:41 PM ----------

I have some issues. With apps like '80 Days' and 'Fruit Ninja Free', I get an apk file of around 20 MB in size, the rest is in obb archive. How do I generally install bigger apps like this?
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
Google Play needs your password. Unless you want to type it in every time you open Raccoon, it needs to be stored somewhere. Period. If you want me to store an encrypted version of your password, then I have to prompt you for the decryption password every time you start Raccoon (or store the decryption password next to the encrypted Google Play password). The FAQ describes

OBB files: http://developer.android.com/google/play/expansion-files.html

You can drop your own APK files into Raccoon's archives as long as you stick to the file name conventions.
[Android Apps and Games] :
There's no need to save the Google account password, I have KeepassX installed. If there's a way to disable saving credentials, please tell me

/thread
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
There IS a need to save the credentials: most users don't want to type them in every time they open Raccoon.

There is NO way in which you can avoid saving your credentials because it is technically impossible!
[Android Apps and Games] Akshay7273:
Hii [MENTION=5035576]onyxbits[/MENTION] i need your permission for publishing this app on my site which is in my signature,with proper credits to you. So that my readers can also take benefits of this app. Thanks
[Android Apps and Games] onyxbits:
Raccoon is licensed under the terms of the Apche License 2. You don't need my explicit permission.
[Android Apps and Games] Akshay7273:
Ok and thanks...
[Android Apps and Games] alshedupur:
an idea!

Hey, Actually I love Raccoon! its a great desktop app to download apk files. But its hard to archive or its hard to fnd the right file after download from archive directory.

Currently the apps create a folder for a apps using apps package name or id. Then its put the apps inside this folder.

Is that possible to create a folder using apps title, then put apps inside this? Just simply swap or change package id to apps title..

It will be easier to find the correct apps from archive.

Thank you