What is Xposed Framework For Android & HowTo Install It [Guide]

Android is known for its extensive customization
potential but unless you have a rooted device, you can
only customize it using widgets and different home
screen launcher apps. Rooting your device further
expands the potential, giving you the ability to run
apps that modify the core of the OS and do things not
otherwise possible on it. Unlocking the bootloader and
flashing a custom recovery takes you to a whole next
level, allowing you to install custom mods and even full
ROMs that can drastically change your user experience.
However, with flashing custom mods or ROMs, you
give up the stability, simplicity & reliability of pure
vanilla Android. Wouldn’t it be great if only rooting
would allow you to get the features that are otherwise
available only via mods and custom ROMs? Xposed
framework is a groundbreaking development that lets
you do just that. It’s easy to install and configure, and
already has a plethora of modules available that bring
functionality to your device that otherwise requires
flashing a custom ROM or mod from recovery. Read on
to learn more about this amazing framework, complete
with installation and usage instructions.
Brought to us by XDA Recognized Developer rovo89,
Xposed framework uses root access to directly access
core Android resources and utilize them to run different
modules on the device that bring new features to the
OS. The potential here is virtually unlimited, and many
developers have already started switching to it for
delivering their mods. So, how do you get the
framework on your device? It’s as easy as installing an
app and tapping a couple of buttons. So, let’s get right
to it.
Before You Proceed
Disclaimer: Please follow this guide at your
own risk. AddictiveTips will not be liable if
your device gets damaged or bricked during
the process.
To be on the safe side, take a full backup from your
recovery before proceeding. If you don’t have a custom
recovery, still make sure to backup all the important
stuff that you can.
Also, make sure you’re running Android 4.0 Ice Cream
Sandwich or later, or else Xposed will not work. Lastly,
as we mentioned before, your device needs to be
rooted for Xposed to work. You can find rooting
instructions for several devices at our Android rooting
guide . In case we’ve missed out on your device, you
should be able to find rooting instructions at XDA or
with a quick Google search.
Installing Xposed Framework
Download the latest Xposed framework installer app ,
and sideload the downloaded APK to your device in
order to install it. Once installed, launch the Xposed
Installer app from your app drawer.
Go to Framework, and tap the ‘Install/Update’ button.
Don’t worry if the app seems stuck here; just give it
time and it will eventually show you a Superuser
request, which you should make sure to grant.
The framework will then install by itself, and prompt
you when the installation process is finished. You will
now need to reboot the device before you can start
using the framework, so tap the ‘Reboot’ button. That
should be it – when your device reboots, Xposed
framework will be fully installed and you’ll be ready to
install its modules to start customizing your device.
Now Xposed framework itself doesn’t bring any new
functionality to your device that you can directly use;
being a framework, it sets up the foundations for its
modules, and it’s those modules that actually bring
new features to your device. So, let’s take a look at
how you can find and install Xposed modules, which is
also just as easy as installing the framework itself.
Installing An Xposed Framework Module
Xposed modules are just APK files that can be installed
like any other APK files. the Xposed installer app
features a Downloads section that contains lots of
modules, but you can also find other modules in form
of APKs on XDA and other websites. To install one of
the modules available in the Xposed Installer app, open
the app and go to the Download section. You’ll see a
long list of available modules, each with a description
of what it does. Select the module that you want to
install by tapping on it, and you’ll be shown further
details about it. We have chosen the Advanced Power
Menu module here that adds advanced options to the
power menu that you get when long-pressing the
power button.
Scroll down on the details page and you’ll see a
Download button. Tap it, and it will start downloading.
Once it has been downloaded, you’ll get a similar
installation prompt that you get when sideloading an
app from its APK. Go ahead and install it.
That’s it – the module has been installed. In case you
want to install a module from its APK directly, simply
sideload it like any other APK, and it will also get
installed.
Enabling And Using An Xposed Framework Module
Installation itself doesn’t enable the module; it only
makes it available to Xposed. Regardless of whether
you install a module from the Xposed Installer app or
by sideloading its APK directly, you will be shown a
notification prompting you that the module isn’t active.
Tap this notification and you’ll be taken to the Modules
section of the Xposed Installer app. (You can also go
there directly by opening the Xposed Installer app and
tapping Modules.) Here, you can enable or disable any
of the available modules using the check box next to
them.
Tapping any module’s entry here takes you to its
configuration page, where you can play around with its
settings to tweak it the way you like. Modules may
require you to reboot your device for their changes to
take effect. If that’s the case, do so after enabling it.
Once a module has been installed, enabled and
configured, you’ll be able to start using its features. In
our example, the module changed the power menu of
our stock Android 4.3 Jelly Bean ROM on Galaxy Nexus
to the one shown below, adding Reboot and
Screenshot options. The Reboot menu added by this
module further allows rebooting into recovery and a
soft reboot, in addition to a normal one.
The way Xposed functions and the possibilities it opens
up make it a truly revolutionary development in the
world of Android customization. With the right selection
of modules, you can have pretty much every major
feature of popular custom ROMs on your device, all
while still being on the stock ROM and without having
to flash any files from recovery.
For more information about the framework, staying up
to date with the developments and seeking help with
any issues (related to the framework itself, and not
related to any particular modules), head over to its
development thread at XDA via the following link.