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How to customize Official AppStore Apps.

TheSpaz

TheSpaz

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jun 20, 2005
7,032
1
Here's how you can add custom graphics and icons to your AppStore App Downloads:

Download an App from the AppStore
Click "Applications"
Click the App you want to customize
Hit cmd-R to show it in the Finder
Name the file from AppName.ipa to AppName.zip
Double click the new .zip file
Open the AppName folder
Open "Payload" folder
Right click on "AppName" and show package contents
You should now have access to all the files in the App

Have fun!
 
Jeremy1026

Jeremy1026

macrumors 68020
Nov 3, 2007
2,215
1,029
TheSpaz said:
Here's how you can add custom graphics and icons to your AppStore App Downloads:

Download an App from the AppStore
Click "Applications"
Click the App you want to customize
Hit cmd-R to show it in the Finder
Name the file from AppName.ipa to AppName.zip
Double click the new .zip file
Open the AppName folder
Open "Payload" folder
Right click on "AppName" and show package contents
You should now have access to all the files in the App

Have fun!
Click to expand...

Sticky! Very nice post.
 
tomccabe

tomccabe

macrumors 6502
Jun 9, 2008
253
2
TheSpaz said:
Here's how you can add custom graphics and icons to your AppStore App Downloads:

Download an App from the AppStore
Click "Applications"
Click the App you want to customize
Hit cmd-R to show it in the Finder
Name the file from AppName.ipa to AppName.zip
Double click the new .zip file
Open the AppName folder
Open "Payload" folder
Right click on "AppName" and show package contents
You should now have access to all the files in the App

Have fun!
Click to expand...

i *think* you can do this via "get info" dialog just like an album. i haven't tried it but i can get the artwork window.
 
TheSpaz

TheSpaz

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jun 20, 2005
7,032
1
tomccabe said:
i *think* you can do this via "get info" dialog just like an album. i haven't tried it but i can get the artwork window.
Click to expand...

Hah! I was JUST thinking this and I was going to come back and say "I think you can just change the artwork in iTunes and it will reflect on the iPhone when you sync, but I can't test it because 2.0 isn't out yet"

I hope this is the case... there are so UGLY icons on the AppStore... I'd love to be able to customize them at will.
 
R

r3loaded

macrumors newbie
Jul 4, 2008
18
2
doesn't this mean that the iTunes App Store can be bypassed in this manner? Create an app, add metadata, zip it up, rename to .ipa, double-click = installed?
 
ViViDboarder

ViViDboarder

macrumors 68040
Jun 25, 2008
3,447
2
USA
r3loaded said:
doesn't this mean that the iTunes App Store can be bypassed in this manner? Create an app, add metadata, zip it up, rename to .ipa, double-click = installed?
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking. If so... This'll be fixed very quickly with some kind of verification. It would allow unapproved apps without developer fees and allow copying of apps.
 
TheSpaz

TheSpaz

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jun 20, 2005
7,032
1
Anyone with the 2.0 firmware installed wanna try this trick?
 
F

firewood

macrumors G3
Jul 29, 2003
8,141
1,384
Silicon Valley
The apps are probably signed with some sort of digital signature. Will an app so modified still upload to an iphone and pass the digital signature check?
 
TheSpaz

TheSpaz

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jun 20, 2005
7,032
1
firewood said:
The apps are probably signed with some sort of digital signature. Will an app so modified still upload to an iphone and pass the digital signature check?
Click to expand...

Probably not. I have a touch, so I can't check.
 
F

firewood

macrumors G3
Jul 29, 2003
8,141
1,384
Silicon Valley
A strings dump of the app executable and the contents one of the other directories will answer the question about digital certificates. But the actual application object code does not appear to be encrypted. You can read all the UI object and method names used in the app. You (corrected) can't open any bitmap images used by the app. They are in a compressed PNG format.
 
A

admanimal

macrumors 68040
Apr 22, 2005
3,531
2
Has anyone actually tried to change the graphics (icon, etc.) with this? It might not work for two reasons:

-The apps are signed and that probably includes some kind of file integrity check.

-I know that at least for PNG files (i.e. the icon), the images are actually stored in a special iPhone/iPod-optimized format that can't even be opened with the normal Preview app.
 
TheSpaz

TheSpaz

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jun 20, 2005
7,032
1
admanimal said:
-I know that at least for PNG files (i.e. the icon), the images are actually stored in a special iPhone/iPod-optimized format that can't even be opened with the normal Preview app.
Click to expand...

But the iPhone can read regular PNG files so that is irrelevant. I want someone to try this out that has 2.0 installed already. Anyone wanna try it? What if it works!
 
mavis

mavis

macrumors 601
Jul 30, 2007
4,771
1,541
Tokyo, Japan
TheSpaz said:
But the iPhone can read regular PNG files so that is irrelevant. I want someone to try this out that has 2.0 installed already. Anyone wanna try it? What if it works!
Click to expand...
Wait a minute - you haven't even tried this yourself?! It sure didn't sound like that in your first post ... :mad:

It would be fantastic if you would stop posting unconfirmed BS (like the OMGLOLZZ YOU CAN BRICK YOUR IPOD OMGGG! thread) ... Seriously, I can't think of a better username for you than the one you chose for yourself ... :rolleyes:
 
ViViDboarder

ViViDboarder

macrumors 68040
Jun 25, 2008
3,447
2
USA
mavis said:
Wait a minute - you haven't even tried this yourself?! It sure didn't sound like that in your first post ... :mad:

It would be fantastic if you would stop posting unconfirmed BS (like the OMGLOLZZ YOU CAN BRICK YOUR IPOD OMGGG! thread) ... Seriously, I can't think of a better username for you than the one you chose for yourself ... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

He said you can edit the files. Aparently you can. Whether or not the phone will run them is the next question.
 
TheSpaz

TheSpaz

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jun 20, 2005
7,032
1
mavis said:
Wait a minute - you haven't even tried this yourself?! It sure didn't sound like that in your first post ... :mad:

It would be fantastic if you would stop posting unconfirmed BS (like the OMGLOLZZ YOU CAN BRICK YOUR IPOD OMGGG! thread) ... Seriously, I can't think of a better username for you than the one you chose for yourself ... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I said I don't have an iPhone so I cannot tell if these will run after being edited, but all I did was give instructions on how to edit the files. Geeze. I didn't say you could brick your iPod.
 
N

nintendofreak93

macrumors regular
May 27, 2008
148
0
Uhm, please no one flame me, but how do you do this on Windows? I really want a mac, but my dad hates mac and i cant get one until 2 1/2 years. :(
 
R

r3loaded

macrumors newbie
Jul 4, 2008
18
2
nintendofreak93 said:
Uhm, please no one flame me, but how do you do this on Windows? I really want a mac, but my dad hates mac and i cant get one until 2 1/2 years. :(
Click to expand...

Replace Cmd+R with Ctrl+R in Spaz's instructions. Or right-click and choose "Show in Windows Explorer".
 
A

admanimal

macrumors 68040
Apr 22, 2005
3,531
2
Don't even bother trying this, as soon as you edit a file in the bundle it breaks the signature and won't install on a device. I tried it myself and verified this is the case.
 
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