Bring Back App Ops to Android without Breaking ART Compiler

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Further hiding App Ops in Android 4.4.2, Google sparked many questions about the actual freedom in Android. Thanks to an Xposed Framework module by XDA Forum Member caspase, the functionality known from previous versions of Android was restored. However, Xposed on KitKat is incompatible with ART compiler, which was one of the major improvements of the Google’s operating system.

Fear not, if you thought that App Ops is not for you. Thanks to XDA Recognized Developer Calkulin and his smali assembler code knowledge, the much loved function can be implemented to Android 4.4.2 without breaking ART compiler.

The process of re-adding App Ops is not difficult. You need to have a decompiling tool or a kitchen that is able to decompile Settings.APK and a good text editor (preferably Notepad++ if you are on Windows). All you need to do is pull the APK from your device, decompile it, make the changes thoughtfully described by Calkulin, recompile it, and push the APK back. Of course, your device must be rooted, and ADB is preferable to manually copying the modified APK.

You can learn more about how to restore App Ops on your device by visiting the original thread.