Guys,
Just wanted to add a quick note about this. Installing any modded non-Market (Play Store) app might be a risky endeavor since you might not really know everything that was changed and/or if the changes were fully tested and integrates properly with the rest of the app's behavior (i.e., making the assumption that the original app's authors would also do so
).
I have spent some time over the last several nights (it look longer than I thought it would
) doing comparisons/analysis of the .apk file against the version available from the Play Store (although I actually used version 12 (1.1-R67-v12) for the comparisons). The changes that I saw in the patched .apk are indeed in-line with the comments that Paul O'Brien (from MoDaCo) indicates here (
Region / Device / Root Patched Google Wallet APK (1.1-R67-v12) - Android Software - MoDaCo):
The APK has 3 features that I patched out. The first was a device check - the app will now work on any device. Of course you need to have NFC for it to be useful! I tested on a HTC One X successfully (as you can see in the screenshots above) but of course YMMV. The second patch was an operator check - the app should now not care which operator you are on. The third patch was removing the root warning. Google Wallet doesn't actually stop you using the app if you're rooted, it just gives you a warning on screen (which is a little annoying), so I removed it. BUT... rather than having the warning in app, let me post it here instead. If you are using Google Wallet on a rooted device, really think about which apps you are giving root access... because there is the possibility that a malicious app could do bad things. There's no evidence of this happening, but it's possible. As always, be wary of what you're installing and where it came from.
Personally, I have the utmost respect and trust for Paul O'Brien (MoDaCo) [who patched the app] and for OMJ [created the flashable .zip], but you'll have to decide for yourself if the risk is worth the reward.
As always, caveat emptor ("let the buyer beware").
Also, for those interested in probably the best document ever produced regarding Android app permissions and security awareness, please have a look at this thread:
http://androidforums.com/android-applications/36936-android-permissions-explained-security-tips-avoiding-malware.html
By the way, I'm an app dev myself (see links in my signature) and have a great interest in root-related things and the security and welfare of our AF membership and the Android community in general (i.e., all of my "paid" (donate) apps are, in fact, identical to their free versions that were all created to give-back / contribute to the Android community (and because they were fun to do, of course
)).
Cheers and please let me know if you have any questions.
-SA
