App to Ipa conversion

Recently, (actually, a long time ago, but anyway), I found out that Cydia apps and other iPod touch apps with an .app extension CAN be converted to an IPA format.

PROS: You can install your app through iTunes now!! You can delete it like a normal iTunes app!! If you ever unjailbreak, you can still install your app (please see cons)!!

CONS: Installation and unjailbreaked installation is only TRUE IF you can still patch your mobileinstalltion file!! SOME APPS DONT WORK AFTER CONVERSION!!

This process is still in development, and improvements can be made. I’m currently looking for a way to ‘verify’ unverified apps by putting you’re appleID signing code thing on it. If you haven’t already noticed, cracked apps are UNVERIFIED, and when you right click the app and go to More Info in iTunes, there is no information about who bought the app. An app (to my belief) can be verified by artificially sticking in your signing code. So far, I’ve managed to make my name and apple iTunes account details appear in more Info in the part about who bought what app, but apparently that doesn’t  CHANGE the actual verification. Besides, you need the iTunesMetaData.plist file, which MUST be removed when you install cracked apps. The good thing about this is you dont need to patch your mobile installation file if this was possible. Anyway, back to converting…

Requirements:

Windows (XP), An already existing iTunes .ipa app (SPARE) , WinSCP/iPhonebrowser/etc. , 7-zip archive manager/any archive manager , 3rd party application in an .app format.

1. SSH into your ipod, go to the /applications folder, and select the app you want to convert. Copy it onto your desktop and DELETE it from your iPod.

2. Open up your spare IPA using an archive manager (so you dont mess up the structure of an IPA). An IPA should look like this:

application.ipa
   ITunesArtwork (optional)
   Payload
      application.app

Make sure you maintain the structure!

3. Replace your itunes artwork (the icon that appears in itunes) with whatever is suitable (optional). If an iTunesMetaData.plist file exists, then delete it! THIS IS IMPORTANT.

4. Locate the original application.app in the payload folder and delete it. Replace it with the 3rd party app file you copied to your desktop. To put things in a nutshell, delete eveything in it except for the payload folder.

5. Locate the info.plist in your 3rd party app and open it up. SOMETIMES THIS IS NOT A FILE THAT CAN BE READ BY YOUR PC. You need a converter, the name of which I will speedily supply as soon as I find one, or you can help .

6. You will see something like this. The part in RED is the part you MUST CHANGE:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
	<key>CFBundleDevelopmentRegion</key>
	<string>en</string>
	<key>CFBundleExecutable</key>
	<string>application name</string>
	<key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
	<string>com.author.application</string>
	<key>CFBundleInfoDictionaryVersion</key>
	<string>x.x.x</string>
	<key>CFBundleName</key>
	<string>application name</string>
	<key>CFBundlePackageType</key>
	<string>APPL</string>
	<key>CFBundleShortVersionString</key>
	<string>x.x.x</string>
	<key>CFBundleSignature</key>
	<string>????</string>
	<key>CFBundleVersion</key>
	<string>x.x.x</string>
       <key>UIPrerenderedIcon</key>
       <true/>
Optional: Prevents the device from rounding and adding shine to the
application's icon. Should be used if the icon.png being used is the application's original
icon. For custom icons (square 57x57 png files) this code should be set to false, or not
included.
       <key>CFBundleIconFile</key>
	<string>icon.png</string>
Optional: Defines the applications icon file, and is required by some
applications to prevent the icon from being stock white. Use this if the icon displays as
stock white after syncing through iTunes, or always just to be safe.
       <key>SignerIdentity</key>
	<string>Apple iPhone OS Application Signing</string>
Mandatory: A signature, used by the device to identify the application as
legitimate.
</dict>
</plist>

Please note, that green means already existing (an example), red means THE PART YOU MUST ADD, orange means nothing. Delete that part. It is only some comments. To put things in  a nutshell, add to the info.plist the PART IN RED. Dont modify anything else.

7. Save it and exit the archive manager. Now drag your app into iTunes and install NOTE: YOU MUST PATCH YOUR MOBILE INSTALLTION FILE. AND MAKE SURE THE METADATA FILE IS DELETED!! Done.

NOTE: these are some apps that dont work when converted: ALL THE EMULATORS, ALL THE IPOD SYSTEM APPS, ANY APP THAT HAS MORE THAN AN .APP FOLDER (eg Cydia, Mobile substrate and related, Categories, Winterboard, SBsettings, Springjumps, etc.)