Most instructions around on the web for decompiling and compiling Android APK files are for Windows PC users, but what about Mac users who have a native command line yo?

Apktool is a cross-platform utility capable of running on any operating system that comes with Java support (e.g. Mac OS X, Windows, Linux). Detailed instructions on how to install the Apktool utility on your Mac are available on Apktool's installation page.

1. Download apktool-2 (find newest here) Rename downloaded jar to apktool.jar; Move both files (apktool.jar & apktool) to /usr/local/bin (root needed) Make sure both files are executable (chmod +x) Try running apktool via cli; macOS: Download Mac wrapper script (Right click, Save Link As apktool) Download apktool-2 (find newest here).
2. I'm a web developer using a MacBook Pro running OS X 10.9.3. Before I started developing in a Mac, I used Cygwin on a Windows machine to see what was happening behind the scene on my web application. I had a Logging system built in PHP which created log files with all the content of the variables I wanted to debug.
3. Download Download File Advanced ApkTool v4.2.0 By BDFreak 2.2.1.rar (6.95 MB) for Android/iOS free Update at 2018-04-03 16:24:03. Mac OS X applications, scripts, and macros are all considered executable files. Since these file types run code when opened, unknown executable files, such as those received as e-mail.

The steps are pretty much the same, except you need to do one more thing.

Requirements
– A Mac
– An internet connection
– Java SDK and JRE
– Android SDK
– Apktool

Step 1 – Install Java SDK and JRE

You can download Java from this link. The Apktool will mostly use the SDK libraries, but JRE will be required for some tasks, so we install both just in-case.

Step 2 – Install the Android SDK

Working with APK files, naturally we will require the Android SDK. You can download the Android SDK from this link.

Step 3 – Download the Apktool

Download the Android Apktool from this link. This is a Java application that we will run from the command line and includes everything necessary to decompile and compile Android APK files.

Step 4 – Root permissions

These instructions will assume Mac OS Mavericks, but they’re largely the same for other versions as well. Root permission is required for the breadth of tasks we will be performing and the permissions the Apktool requires to compile and decompile.

• Open “System Preferences”
• Click “Users & Groups”
• Click “Login Options” shown in the left hand pane at the bottom
• Click the padlock at the bottom left to make changes
• Click “Join” next to the text “Network Account Server”
• Click “Open Directory Utility” in the dialog that pops up
• In the popup, click the padlock in the bottom left again to make changes
• In the top menu bar of the screen, click “Edit” and then click “Enable Root Mode” if you haven’t already set a password, it will ask you to do so.

Step 5 – Open up a terminal window

Now that we’ve got our stuff in order, lets open up a terminal window and prepare for compiling and decompiling.

Elevate the current terminal to super user status by typing:

(Enter your root password when asked)

Decompiling using Apktool

Now we’ve got everything installed and root permissions, lets decompile an APK file.

Compiling an APK from a previously decompiled APK

If you want to compile an APK you have decompiled, it looks the same as above with exception of one argument.

Please note you do not need to use quotation marks below when referencing the folder (as with the previous example).

Apktool Mac Os Install

Apktool For Mac Os Versions

This post does not cover signing the APK file, which will need to be done before a compiled app will work. This guide assumes you already know how to use Apktool and aware of the fact you need to sign the app, a simple Google search will yield instructions for signing your compiled APK file.