apktool

Decode (decompile) an APK

$ apktool d [app.apk]

$ apktool d [app.apk] -o [output_dir]

$ apktool b [decoded_dir]

$ apktool b [decoded_dir] -o [output.apk]

$ apktool d [app.apk] -r

$ apktool d [app.apk] -s

apktool d|b [options] apk|dir

apktool is a reverse engineering tool for Android APK files. It decodes resources to nearly original form, allowing inspection and modification of manifests, layouts, and other XML resources. It also disassembles Dalvik bytecode to smali.
After modifications, apktool can rebuild the APK, which then needs to be signed before installation.

d, decode

Decode APK to directory

Build APK from directory

Output file/directory

Don't decode resources

Don't decode sources (smali)

Force overwrite existing files

Framework files directory

Store/load framework files

Use aapt2 instead of aapt

~/.local/share/apktool/framework/

Directory for stored framework files used during decoding and rebuilding.

Rebuilt APKs must be signed before installation. Some protection schemes may prevent successful decoding. Resource decoding may fail for heavily modified framework.

apktool was created by Brut.all (Connor Tumbleson maintains the fork) and first released around 2010. It became the standard tool for Android APK reverse engineering.

apksigner(1), jadx(1), smali(1)