copy app private data (and work on it offline) without root

[fabiodelorenzo]

If your device is running Android v4 or above, you can pull app data, including it's database, without root by using adb backup command, then extract the backup file and access the sqlite database.

1) Find the app packages name:

Code: Select all

adb shell pm list packages

2) Backup app data to your PC via USB cable with the following command: (replace app.package.name with the actual package name of the application)

Code: Select all

adb backup -f data.ab -noapk app.package.name

This will prompt you to "unlock your device and confirm the backup operation".
Do not provide a password for backup encryption, so you can extract it later.
Click on the "Back up my data" button on your device.
The screen will display the name of the package you're backing up, then close by itself upon successful completion.
The resulting data.ab file in your home folder contains application data in android backup format.

3) Extract the backup using the following command:

Code: Select all

dd if=data.ab bs=1 skip=24 | openssl zlib -d | tar -xvf -

The result is the apps/app.package.name/ folder containing application data, including sqlite database.