Many
low-level tweaks can normally only be performed on Android by flashing custom ROMs. The Xposed Framework allows
you to modify your ROM without installing a new custom ROM. All it requires is root access.
Sure, you may
want to flash a custom ROM like CyanogenMod to get the latest version of Android or use a wide
variety of tweaks, but the Xposed Framework makes it possible to perform small
tweaks without replacing your Android operating system.
How It Works
To perform
various low-level tweaks, developers have to modify system APK (app package)
files. They generally release these changes as a custom ROM, which users have
to flash onto their device.
The Xposed
Framework requires root access to install, but should be able to work without
root afterwards. It extends the /system/bin/app_process executable to load a
specific JAR file on startup. This file’s classes will be part of every app
process on the system — even system service processes. It’s then possible to
modify an app’s behavior at runtime — no ROM flashing or modifying app APK
files required.
It works
with most Android 4.0 and later devices, assuming they’re ARM devices. If you
have a Gingerbread device or one of the rare Android devices using an Intel
chip, it won’t work for you.
Installation
The Xposed
Framework isn’t available in Google Play, so you’ll need to sideload it. You can download its APK file as an attachment on the XDA Developers
forum.
Once it’s
installed, open the Xposed Installer app and tap the Install/Update button to
install the Xposed Framework. This part requires root access.
Reboot your
device after installing it and the Xposed Framework will become active. You can
return to the Xposed Installer app to uninstall the Xposed Framework later,
reversing the changes to the app_process executable. Be sure to perform an
uninstall in the Xposed Installer app before removing the Xposed Installer app
from your device.
Xposed Framework Tweaks
The Xposed
Framework is just a base that allows other tweaking apps to do the work. Once
you have the Xposed Framework installed, you’ll need to use another app to
actually perform tweaks. There are a variety of tweaks that depend on the
Xposed Framework, but we’ll cover a few popular ones here.
Tweakbox is
a collection of no-flashing tweaks from the creator of the Xposed Framework. As
with the Xposed Framework, you’ll need to download it from its thread on the XDA Developers forums and sideload it.
After
installing a module, enable it in the Xposed Installer app.
Open the
Tweakbox app after restarting your phone or tablet and choose the tweaks you
want to make. You can enable a variety of tweaks — for example, you can change
the level where you’ll receive a critical battery warning, prevent the screen
from turning on when you unplug your phone, control what happens when you
long-press the home button, and enable skipping songs by pressing the volume
keys when your phone is off. These are the sort of tweaks you’d normally have
to flash a custom ROM for. You’ll have to restart for most changes to take
effect.
The MoDaCo
Toolkit is another package of tweaks, which must also be downloaded from outside Google Play and sideloaded.
After installing it, enable it in the Xposed Installer app as above.
The toolkit
allows you to perform a variety of other tweaks, from enabling multi-user
support on phones like the Nexus 4 (normally available only on tablets),
disabling region-checks so you can install apps like Wallet and Sound Search
outside the USA, hiding the battery meter if you’re using a third-party battery
status icon, and more.
The Xposed
Framework may just be a tool for Android geeks to tweak their phones, but it’s
a faster, easier, and less invasive tool than a custom ROM is. This could also
be used to install themes and perform other invasive customizations that would
normally require a custom ROM. The Xposed Framework’s method doesn’t involve
changing your device’s operating system and can be easily reversed.
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TWEAK YOUR ANDROID