How to edit android manifest for android apk and rebuild it for chrome app

Question

I am trying to edit AndroidManifest.xml for chrome app using apktool

Using the below command to decompile the jar, I am able to get the AndroidManifest.xml file and edit file to remove android:allowAudioPlaybackCapture="false" attribute from application node.

    <application android:allowAudioPlaybackCapture="false" android:allowBackup="true" android:appComponentFactory="org.chromium.chrome.browser.base.SplitCompatAppComponentFactory" android:backupAgent="org.chromium.chrome.browser.ChromeBackupAgent" android:fullBackupOnly="false" android:icon="@drawable/APKTOOL_DUPLICATE_drawable_0x7f08022c" android:label="@string/APKTOOL_DUPLICATE_string_0x7f1401e0" android:largeHeap="false" android:manageSpaceActivity="@string/APKTOOL_DUPLICATE_string_0x7f1405e9" android:name="org.chromium.chrome.browser.base.SplitChromeApplication" android:networkSecurityConfig="@xml/APKTOOL_DUPLICATE_xml_0x7f180025" android:restoreAnyVersion="true" android:roundIcon="@drawable/APKTOOL_DUPLICATE_drawable_0x7f08022d" android:supportsRtl="true" android:zygotePreloadName="org.chromium.content_public.app.ZygotePreload">

apktool d google-chrome-98-0-4758-101.apk

But when I trying to build again using below command I get following error

apktool b google-chrome-98-0-4758-101

brut.androlib.AndrolibException: brut.common.BrutException: could not exec (exit code = 1): [/var/folders/dk/1p87jm1d4c1c7rq4s385xfqc0000gn/T/brut_util_Jar_44412591478507968185529954203449703541.tmp, p, --forced-package-id, 127, --min-sdk-version, 23, --target-sdk-version, 23, --max-sdk-version, 23, --max-res-version, 23, --version-code, 475810110, --version-name, 98.0.4758.101, --no-version-vectors, -F, /var/folders/dk/1p87jm1d4c1c7rq4s385xfqc0000gn/T/APKTOOL503548586151793248.tmp, -e, /var/folders/dk/1p87jm1d4c1c7rq4s385xfqc0000gn/T/APKTOOL1736943765463305431.tmp, -0, arsc, -I, /apktool/framework/1.apk, -S, /androidrtc/ChromeApk/google-chrome-98-0-4758-101/res, -M, /androidrtc/ChromeApk/google-chrome-98-0-4758-101/AndroidManifest.xml]

Answer 1

I wouldn't recommend doing that. There is a reason why Google requires you to sign the APK/AAB files before uploading, and that is to prevent tampering like you are doing here.

At most, if you want to use Chrome in your app, your best bet is to use Chrome Custom Tabs.