HOW TO CHANGE THE NAME  OF AN APK USING ANDROID STUDIO:

In this tutorial, I am going to show you how to edit an Android APK file in order to customize it as your own. Within the project structure, there are several files that you will need to change. Follow along this tutorial to get an APK file up and running properly with your new customized name.

• Prerequisites:
• Android Studio (3.0 or later)
• APK Tool 
• APK Icon Editor
• an APK file 

For the purposes of this tutorial, you should download an APK file. You can do so by googling Chrome APK for instance. 

You will need to properly unzip and unarchive the APK file prior to performing this tutorial. I will try to write up a detailed tutorial on how to do so, but in the meantime, you will want to get your hands on APK tool and APK Icon Editor. 

APK Tool allows you to essentially unzip the APK file (since an APK is just a form of a zip file). 

Once you are done getting the file structure needed. Go ahead and head over to Android Studio. 

Within Android Studio, click open existing project. 

Follow along and wait for the project to finish building. 

NOTE: If this is the first time you are opening the project you are working with within Android Studio, please be patient as it will take Android Studio a while to compile your project. It could take up to 30 minutes to do so. Go grab coffee, watch some TV, or take a walk. It should be ready by the time you come back!

Okay now for the fun part!!!

Here is a summary of the files you are going to want to edit in order to customize the application:

(Note: Expand the project pane on the upper left hand corner of the screen, but make sure to stay in Android view). You should assume that this tutorial (and all others really) refers to files within the Android View. 

1. In the folders in the Project pane, expand app and then go to res > values > custom.xml. In the app_namestring, type the name of your app. For example:

<string translatable="false" name="app_name">Write the Man's Obituary</string>

2. In the app_name_short string, add an abbreviated name for your app that is no longer than 15 characters. (If your app's new name is already this short, then just use the same app name.)

Here is an example: 

<string translatable="false" name="app_name_short">Man's Obituary</string>

3. Open your app's AndroidManifest.xml file (located in app > manifests) and update the package namecom.mansobituary.android.calypso name to a package name that reflects your app's new name. For example, if your app was named "mansalive," you might change it to the following:

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    package="com.mansobituary.android.mansalive">

4. In the Android View, expand the Gradle Scripts folder and open the build.gradle (Module: app) file. Update the applicationId property to match your package name. For example:

defaultConfig {
    applicationId "com.mansobituary.android.mansalive"
    minSdkVersion 21
    targetSdkVersion 23
    versionCode 10
    versionName "1.0.7"
    testInstrumentationRunner "android.support.test.runner.AndroidJUnitRunner"
    multiDexEnabled true
}

5. Expand the Gradle Scripts folder and open the gradle.properties (Project Properties) file. Customize the applicationName to your app's name without using spaces. Android Studio uses this name in the APK filename (which you'll generate later when you create a signed APK 

6. When you make changes to Gradle files, you're prompted to synchronize Gradle with your project. Click the Sync Now link in the upper-right corner.

Now that you are finished editing the name of the app, all you have to do is clean and rebuild the project.