I am debugging an apk app that I do not have the sources for. I want to debug it on a smali level, not decompiled.
I used to do this with apktool, but looking at their website, smali-debugging is deprecated and they point to SmaliIdea - a plugin for android studio. So I installed that, and indeed - it works fine: I can step, set breakpoints, view smali registers (v7,v8,v9 etc) when I set a watchpoint on them.
What I cant do is actually modify those registers / local variables. I can see them when I set a watchpoint on them, but cant assign a value.
Looking at "planned features" of SmaliIdea:
- Show all registers with a value in "locals" pane
- Ability to set the value of a register in "watch" pane
It doesnt say I cant modify a register at all right now, but doesnt exactly confirm it either.
This used to be possible with ancient apktool version though! A pretty hefty regression, I would say. (Going back is impractical, too much changed)
Question: How can i modify those smali registers while debugging? is there a register view I am missing or something? How do other people debug APK on smali level?
