AbdurazaaqMohammed/MP-Manager

A dual-pane Android file manager aimed at people who routinely handle APKs on their phone, not just browse folders. It is worth a look if you already use MT Manager-style tools and want an open-source alternative with the same kind of depth; treat the README's own warning about missing work and likely bugs as part of the evaluation.

The problem

On Android, routine APK work usually means hopping between a file browser and several single-purpose utilities: one app to inspect the package, another to sign or split-merge, another to extract icons or resources. Copying files between two distant folders has the same friction, since most managers make you navigate back and forth. MP Manager puts two folder panes side by side with independent home folders, and tapping an APK opens an info dialog showing icon, package name, version, signature schemes used and whether it is protected. From that point the same screen leads into viewing files inside the APK, installing regular or split packages, and extracting individual components.

What's different

The distinguishing feature is how much APK-specific work lives inside a file manager. You can sign APKs and split APKs, extract icons, resources.arsc, classes.dex, AndroidManifest.xml, base.apk, splits and native libs in batch, merge splits into a single APK before extracting, and share the results directly. The text editor (based on Sora Editor) brings tabs, regex find-and-replace, syntax highlighting and a method/field list, which matters if you edit manifests or config by hand. An FTP server with optional FTPS and saved connection profiles covers moving files to and from a device without a cable. Installation is covered by the project instructions.

Plugins are the other notable mechanism: they install as ordinary Android apps, can add entries to the sidebar, settings, file menu, editor or APK dialog, and each runs in its own process with its own permissions, so it cannot read files unless storage access is granted. On first use the certificate fingerprint is checked against the developer's published one, and a warning appears if it changes. That is sensible scoping, but it also means the extension surface is only as trustworthy as each plugin's publisher. Several APK tools, root-only installed-app actions and plugin behaviour are explicitly flagged as incomplete or untested by the author, so the breadth comes with rough edges.

Who should try it

Good fit: an Android power user or hobbyist who regularly signs, inspects, extracts or splits APKs and is comfortable discovering the rough edges of a young app. The dual-pane layout and integrated tools save real navigation time for that workflow. Poor fit: anyone who mainly wants a polished everyday file manager for photos and documents, or who needs dependable APK patching today, since multiple patch formats are still on the todo list. If you need root-level actions on installed apps, note the README marks those as root-dependent rather than available by default.

Requirements and limitations

The author states the app still has many things to do and probably bugs to fix, and the todo list includes a multi-format patcher and APK optimization improvements. That should set expectations: features described as planned are not alternatives to evaluating what currently works. Root is optional but required for APK and data-directory paths of installed packages and for force-stop, disable/enable, clear-data and uninstall actions; without it those workflows remain unavailable. Signing, split handling and extraction are not compatible with every APK, and the README's excerpted sections do not document those boundaries in detail, so verify against your specific files. Plugin function depends on separate apps and their certificates, which is ongoing upkeep rather than a one-time install.

HotRepo's take

HotRepo has only a two-day sample, 2026-10-24 to 2026-10-25, and recorded +87 stars for this Java project on the weekly board at #10 on 2026-10-25; with no daily-board history, persistence cannot be judged. The repository is 123 days old and openly unfinished. Before installing, check the release notes for whether the APK tooling you need (signing, split merge, extraction) is marked complete rather than planned.