How can I make a mod of a mobile game?

[RapdElzo]

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[FAST6191]

Same as any other system. Find out of the ROM can be pulled apart. Pull apart and fiddle with files if so. If not able to be pulled apart then standard no file system... system approaches (basically everything on a cartridge for GBA and older).

It is all files in the end.

Android typically uses APK files
https://ibotpeaches.github.io/Apktool/ is a good start for that.

IOS uses IPA which I believe many a program can extract as it is basically ZIP. Being apple based there are naturally many paid options because apparently people like paying for software there.

Debugging wise there are android emulators, and android itself has some tools in developer mode.

From what I have seen most file formats are higher level than some of the stuff seen on consoles we deal with around here which are usually closer to the final hardware, probably because there is no fixed hardware for either apple or android, however there will be exceptions (typically for higher end games).

Many mobile applications will employ anti tampering technologies, some at quite considerable lengths, and these will probably have the side effect of first making you have to defeat them (or find something that first defeated them). I don't know if the kids have any fancy tools for such things but if the onboard debug and virtual machine debug options are not for you then IDA will probably be where you end up.

Edit. Oh and Windows Phone and Windows Mobile are things. However they are no longer being developed so probably of little interest here. XAP is the thing many would use here and again is basically zip.