Android App Inventory

A powerful Python tool to create a comprehensive inventory of all installed Android applications on your device via ADB, with Google Play Store integration to get real app names and descriptions.

Features

• Complete App Discovery: Inventory all installed packages from Android devices
• Smart Filtering: Separate 3rd party apps from system apps automatically
• Google Play Store Integration: Get real app names and descriptions from the Play Store
• Multiple Output Formats: Generate both table format and simple lists
• Intelligent Caching: Avoid duplicate API requests for better performance
• Rate Limiting: Respectful API usage with built-in delays
• Fallback Logic: Generic name extraction when Play Store lookup fails
• Cross-Platform: Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows

Prerequisites

1. Install ADB (Android Debug Bridge) on macOS

Option 1: Using Homebrew (Recommended)

# Install Homebrew if you don't have it
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Install Android Platform Tools (includes ADB)
brew install android-platform-tools

Option 2: Manual Installation

1. Download Android SDK Platform Tools from Google's official site

2. Extract the downloaded zip file

3. Add the platform-tools directory to your PATH:

   echo 'export PATH="$PATH:/path/to/platform-tools"' >> ~/.zshrc
   source ~/.zshrc

Verify ADB Installation

adb --version

2. Enable USB Debugging on Your Android Device

1. Go to Settings → About Phone
2. Tap Build Number 7 times to enable Developer Options
3. Go to Settings → Developer Options
4. Enable USB Debugging
5. Connect your device via USB cable
6. Accept the debugging authorization prompt on your device

3. Python Requirements

• Python 3.7 or higher
• requests library for Google Play Store integration

Installation

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/android-app-inventory.git
   cd android-app-inventory

2. Create and activate a virtual environment:

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install requests

Usage

Basic Usage

1. Connect your Android device via USB with USB debugging enabled

2. Verify ADB connection:

   adb devices

3. Run the extractor:

   python android_app_extractor.py

Advanced Usage

Disable Google Play Store Integration

from android_app_extractor import AndroidAppExtractor

# Initialize without Play Store API
extractor = AndroidAppExtractor(use_play_store_api=False)

Extract Only 3rd Party Apps

The script automatically separates 3rd party apps from system apps and generates separate files for each.

Output Files

The script generates two markdown files:

1. third_party_android_apps.md - Only user-installed 3rd party applications with Play Store names
2. all_android_apps.md - Complete list of all installed packages (including system apps)

Each file contains:

• Summary with total app count
• Table format with app names and package identifiers
• Simple list of app names for easy copying

Example Output

# 3rd Party Android Apps (with Play Store names)

Total apps: 108

| App Name | Package Name |
|----------|-------------|
| 1Password: Password Manager | com.onepassword.android |
| Airbnb | com.airbnb.android |
| Spotify: Music and Podcasts | com.spotify.music |

## App Names List

1Password: Password Manager
Airbnb
Spotify: Music and Podcasts

How It Works

1. ADB Connection: Connects to your Android device via ADB
2. Package Discovery: Uses adb shell pm list packages to get all installed packages
3. System App Filtering: Intelligently filters out system apps using package name patterns
4. Play Store Lookup: Queries Google Play Store web interface for real app names
5. Smart Caching: Caches API results to avoid duplicate requests
6. Fallback Processing: Uses generic name extraction for apps not found on Play Store
7. Output Generation: Creates formatted markdown files with results

Configuration

Rate Limiting

The script includes built-in rate limiting:

• Maximum 50 Play Store API requests per run
• 1-second delay every 5 requests
• Automatic caching to avoid duplicate requests

System Package Filtering

The script automatically identifies system packages using these patterns:

• com.android.*
• com.google.android.*
• com.samsung.*
• OEM-specific packages (Xiaomi, Huawei, etc.)

Troubleshooting

ADB Issues

# Check if device is connected
adb devices

# Restart ADB server if needed
adb kill-server
adb start-server

# Check if USB debugging is enabled
adb shell getprop ro.debuggable

Permission Issues

• Ensure USB debugging is enabled on your device
• Accept the debugging authorization prompt
• Try a different USB cable or port

Network Issues

• The script will fall back to generic name extraction if Play Store requests fail
• Check your internet connection for Play Store integration

Privacy and Security

• No Personal Data Stored: The script only extracts package names and public app information
• Local Processing: All processing happens locally on your machine
• Respectful API Usage: Includes rate limiting and caching to be respectful to Google's servers
• No Authentication Required: Uses public Play Store web interface (no API keys needed)

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Google for providing ADB and the Android platform
• The Android developer community for documentation and best practices
• Contributors and users who help improve this tool

Changelog

v1.0.0

• Initial release with basic ADB integration
• Google Play Store API integration
• Smart system app filtering
• Multiple output formats
• Rate limiting and caching
• Comprehensive error handling