GPlay APK Downloader

Download APKs from Google Play Store. Automatically merges split APKs (App Bundles) into single installable APKs.

Features

• Download any free app from Google Play
• Automatic split APK merging using APKEditor
• Architecture support: ARM64 (modern phones) and ARMv7 (older phones)
• Web UI with real-time download progress
• CLI tool for scripting and automation
• Apps without splits preserve original signature
• Merged APKs are signed with debug keystore

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Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• Java 17+ (for APKEditor)
• apksigner (for APK signing)

Quick Install

git clone <repo-url> gplay-downloader
cd gplay-downloader
./setup.sh

Manual Dependencies (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y openjdk-17-jre-headless apksigner python3 python3-venv python3-pip curl

The setup script will:

1. Check for required dependencies
2. Create Python virtual environment
3. Install Python packages
4. Download APKEditor.jar
5. Create debug keystore for signing
6. Generate wrapper scripts

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Web Interface

Starting the Server

./start-server.sh           # Production mode (gunicorn + gevent)
./start-server.sh dev       # Development mode (Flask debug server)

The server runs in the background on port 5000. Open http://localhost:5000 in your browser.

Production mode (default):

• Gunicorn with gevent async workers (CPU cores × 2 + 1)
• Handles 100+ concurrent users
• Disk-based temp storage (2GB limit, 10min TTL)
• Connection pooling and rate limiting

Development mode:

• Single-threaded Flask server with debug output
• Auto-reload on code changes

Features:

• Kill existing: Automatically kills any existing server on port 5000
• Background: Runs detached from terminal (survives terminal close)
• Logging: Outputs to server.log (auto-rotated after 12 hours)
• Health check: GET /health for monitoring

Using the Web UI

1. Enter package name (e.g., com.google.android.youtube)
2. Select architecture:
   • ARM64 - Modern phones (2016+)
   • ARMv7 - Older phones
3. Choose merge option:
   • Checked: Single installable APK (re-signed)
   • Unchecked: ZIP with base + split APKs
4. Click Download

Important Notes

Signature Warning: Merged APKs are re-signed with a debug key and will NOT receive automatic updates from Google Play. Apps without splits keep their original signature.

View Logs

tail -f server.log

Stop Server

kill $(lsof -ti:5000)

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Command Line Interface (CLI)

First-Time Setup

Authenticate to get an anonymous token:

./gplay auth

Token is saved to ~/.gplay-auth.json and shared between CLI and web server.

Commands

Search for Apps

./gplay search "youtube"
./gplay search "file manager" -l 20    # Show 20 results

Get App Info

./gplay info com.google.android.youtube

Download APK

# Basic download (ARM64 is default)
./gplay download com.google.android.youtube

# Explicit ARM64 (modern phones)
./gplay download com.google.android.youtube -a arm64

# ARMv7 (older phones)
./gplay download com.google.android.youtube -a armv7

# Download and merge splits into single APK
./gplay download com.google.android.youtube -m

# ARM64 merged
./gplay download com.google.android.youtube -m -a arm64

# ARMv7 merged
./gplay download com.google.android.youtube -m -a armv7

# Full example: merge, armv7, custom output dir
./gplay download com.google.android.youtube -m -a armv7 -o ~/apks/

CLI Options

Option	Description
-a, --arch	Architecture: arm64 (default) or armv7
-m, --merge	Merge split APKs into single installable APK
-o, --output	Output directory (default: current directory)
-v, --version	Download specific version code

Examples

# Download YouTube, merge splits, ARM64 (default)
./gplay download com.google.android.youtube -m

# Download YouTube, merge splits, explicit ARM64
./gplay download com.google.android.youtube -m -a arm64

# Download Instagram for older phone (ARMv7)
./gplay download com.instagram.android -m -a armv7

# Download to specific folder
./gplay download com.whatsapp -m -o ~/Downloads/

# Download without merge (keeps splits separate)
./gplay download com.google.android.youtube -a arm64

# Search and download
./gplay search "spotify"
./gplay download com.spotify.music -m -a arm64

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API Endpoints

The web server exposes these REST endpoints:

Endpoint	Method	Description
/	GET	Web UI
/health	GET	Health check (returns system status)
/api/search?q=<query>	GET	Search apps
/api/info/<package>	GET	Get app details
/api/download-info-stream/<package>	GET	SSE stream for download info
/api/download-merged-stream/<package>	GET	SSE stream for merged download
/api/download-temp/<id>	GET	Download temporary merged APK

Query Parameters

• arch: Architecture (arm64-v8a or armeabi-v7a)

Example API Usage

# Search
curl "http://localhost:5000/api/search?q=youtube"

# Get info
curl "http://localhost:5000/api/info/com.google.android.youtube"

# Download merged APK (streams progress via SSE)
curl "http://localhost:5000/api/download-merged-stream/com.google.android.youtube?arch=arm64-v8a"

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Running as a Service

systemd (Linux)

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/gplay.service << EOF
[Unit]
Description=GPlay APK Downloader
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=$USER
WorkingDirectory=$(pwd)
ExecStart=$(pwd)/start-server.sh
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable gplay
sudo systemctl start gplay

Service Commands

sudo systemctl status gplay    # Check status
sudo systemctl restart gplay   # Restart
sudo systemctl stop gplay      # Stop
journalctl -u gplay -f         # View logs

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How It Works

1. Authentication: Uses Aurora Store's anonymous token dispenser
2. Download: Fetches base APK + config splits from Google Play CDN
3. Merge: Combines splits using APKEditor (proper resource table merging)
4. Sign: Signs merged APK with debug keystore via apksigner
5. Deliver: Returns single installable APK

Split APKs Explained

Modern Android apps use App Bundles which split into:

• Base APK: Core app code and resources
• Config splits: Device-specific resources (density, language, ABI)

This tool merges them back into a universal APK that works on any device.

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File Structure

gplay-downloader/
├── server.py           # Flask web server
├── gunicorn.conf.py    # Production server config
├── index.html          # Web UI
├── gplay-downloader.py # CLI tool
├── gplay               # CLI wrapper script
├── start-server.sh     # Server startup script
├── setup.sh            # Installation script
├── APKEditor.jar       # Split APK merger
├── requirements.txt    # Python dependencies
├── server.log          # Server logs (generated)
└── .venv/              # Python virtual environment (generated)

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Troubleshooting

"Auth file not found"

Run ./gplay auth first to get an authentication token.

"APKEditor.jar not found"

Re-run ./setup.sh to download APKEditor.

Server won't start

Check if port 5000 is in use:

lsof -i:5000
kill $(lsof -ti:5000)  # Kill existing process

DNS errors on VPS

Some VPS providers block Google CDN. Try:

# Use Google DNS
echo "nameserver 8.8.8.8" | sudo tee /etc/resolv.conf

Download fails repeatedly

Tokens from the dispenser have varying quality. The tool automatically retries with new tokens until success.

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License

MIT