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I wonder if this works for apps that have set WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE
by rahimnathwani 5y ago
I wonder if this works for apps that have set WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE
- Farbklex 5y agoYou can still use the tool scrcpy to stream a video of the screen via USB to a PC.
- edent 5y agoHuh! I just tried this and you are right. I would have thought scrcpy wouldn't be able to see those screens. Thanks!
- iggldiggl 5y agoOnly works up to and including Android 11, though.
- VMtest 5y agoYea, I have even tried to capture a screenshot on a computer with scrcpy before that was not possible in the app that restricts screenshot
- jeroenhd 5y agoNot without some kind of root access. But you can usually find an app that doesn't have that flag and can still decode DRM.
- goldcd 5y agoI just pop my phone on the photo-copier. Damp postit on the ADF, auto-scrolls the screen on each cycle.
- alufers 5y agoYou are joking right? If not, I'd kill for a video of this setup working.
- goldcd 5y agoSadly I am. Although I'm idly just considering putting a magnet on the scan-head of a flatbed scanner. Could then just use tasker to detect the passing of the magnet as a 'page-down' scroll on the screen.
- arnoooooo 5y agothe "adb shell input" command as used in the linked article would be simpler.
- alufers 5y agoYou can either use root access or disassemble the app, remove the flag, and then assemble it again. Impossible to do if the app uses SafetyNet though.
- Gigachad 5y agoThat setting is essentially malware and it’s a huge shame that android added it.
- wiseowise 5y agoIt's really not.
- Gigachad 5y agoWhy do you think that? I made the claim because it’s a feature that acts against the user. The user wants to take a screenshot and there is never a good reason to stop them from doing that on their own device.
- tjoff 5y agoI'm flabbergasted that there at least isn't a developer-option to disable it.
- josephcsible 5y agoYou can use things like https://github.com/veeti/DisableFlagSecure https://github.com/veeti/DisableFlagSecure to disable it if you're willing to unlock your bootloader and install Xposed. But yes, it's incredibly user-hostile of Google to provide this without giving the user a built-in way to override it.
- tommek4077 5y agoThe point is, for every stupid DRM "solution" you come up with, some technical capable guy will find a way to crack this. Happens since more then 40 years in computer sience.
- Gigachad 5y agoUnfortunately DRM is winning. It's failed before because the user could always drop down to a lower level and gain access, but now DRM is baked in to the hardware and OS of the devices people have. Those tricks to disable the secure flag feature do not work if the app uses safety net which can detect a rooted device and is backed up by boot chain attestation and hardware security chips. Sure, for each part there is usually some exploit known, but the whole thing is getting much much harder to the point where if the average user said "How do I screenshot this app" the only real answer is to take a photo of the screen.
- Too 5y agoI always thought that flag was to protect the users sensitive information, like banking logins. Seems I was wrong and it’s mostly used for DRM purposes.
- rahimnathwani 5y agoI've only encountered it with banking apps, so perhaps you were right.
- stonewareslord 5y agoYeah it's a shame. Android allows for a lot of cool apps that have access to control or record other apps. I assume FLAG_SECURE was added for banking apps and the like (it's on for my banking apps), so it's a great addition. If Android really cared about its users, all it would have to do is permit user-prompted screenshots and screen recordings but still block other app access. I can't think of a time where I'd want my own phone preventing me from screenshotting, but I can see the use case for general screen access prevention. I don't personally know a root-obly way to disable this, but xposed has the disable_flag_secure module that I'm weary of using because it removes the flag everywhere.