Extraction: The APK is unzipped (as it is essentially a ZIP archive) to locate the resources.arsc file.
Optimization: During the build process, the Android Asset Packaging Tool (AAPT) compiles XML resources into a binary format to save space and improve runtime performance. Why Decompile ARSC Files? Reverse Engineering and Security Auditing arsc decompiler
Developers often decompile popular apps to understand how specific UI effects or complex layouts were achieved. Seeing the original XML structure provides a blueprint that is far more educational than trying to guess the layout logic from the compiled binary. Top Tools for ARSC Decompilation Extraction: The APK is unzipped (as it is