Android ADB access to application databases without root

root android adb

Solution 1:

While Nilhcem's answer didn't work for me, it lead me in the right direction (for that I upvoted) and I now have a working solution.

Old answer that may not work with newer versions of Android:

#Transfer file from app databases directory to PC
adb shell
$ run-as package.name
$ cd ./databases/
$ ls -l #Find the current permissions - r=4, w=2, x=1
$ chmod 666 ./dbname.db
$ exit
$ exit
adb pull /data/data/package.name/databases/dbname.db ~/Desktop/

#Transfer file from PC to app databases directory (requires the above permission change)
adb push ~/Desktop/dbname.db /data/data/package.name/databases/dbname.db
adb shell
$ run-as package.name
$ chmod 660 ./databases/dbname.db #Restore original permissions
$ exit
$ exit

Alternate method using external storage (confirmed to work with 6.0.1):

#Transfer file from app databases directory to external storage
adb shell
$ run-as package.name
$ cp ./databases/dbname.db /sdcard/
$ exit
$ exit

#Transfer file from external storage to app databases directory
adb shell
$ run-as package.name
$ cp /sdcard/dbname.db ./databases/
$ exit
$ exit

Solution 2:

A quick workaround is to use the run-as command to copy the database in a folder where you can have access, such as /sdcard and then, do a normal adb pull

adb shell
$ run-as package.name cp /data/data/package.name/dbname.db /sdcard/
$ exit
adb pull /sdcard/dbname.db

More information on the run-as command here

Note that the run-as command is available since API level 8 (Android 2.2) and can only be used if the application is debbugable.

Related

Java ServiceLoader with multiple Classloaders
Business Objects, Validation And Exceptions
Shake visual effect on iPhone (NOT shaking the device)
Extending a $C^*$-algebras morphism to the multipliers
Find a Lyapunov function of the form $ax^2+by^2+cz^2$
Proving two integers are relatively prime using Bezout's Theorem.
Proof that a certain domain is a valuation ring
$s(n) = a_1 p_1^n + \dots + a_k p_k^n + a_{k + 1}$ is a perfect square for every $n$, prove that $a_1 = a_2 = \dots = a_k = 0$ & $a_{k + 1}$ a square
Using cross product find direction vector of line joining point of intersection of line and plane and foot of perpendicular from line to plane.
When will span of vectors plus a constant form a vector space?
Why average area of the horizontal slices of the conical frustum doesn't work for it's volume?
A problem on algebraic topology.