The following guide will show you how to setup ADB (Android Debug Bridge) on your Android device. While ADB is not required for the regular Android user you may need this to access the more technical features of your Android device.[NOTE] This process is not recommended for general users. Keep in mind that you are proceeding at your own risk.
- Download the Android SDK from Google. (Recommended .exe version)
- Download and install Java Platform (Software Development Kit) SDK
- Install the Android SDK to c:\android-sdk\
- Click on the SDK Manager, when you are requested to install packages select the following
- Android SDK Tools
- Android SDK Platform Tools
- Google USB Driver Package, Revision XX (Where XX is the highest available number)
- Next click continue and follow the on screen prompts until setup is complete.
- On your device select Settings > Applications > Development and enable USB Debugging
- On Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Settings > Applications > Developer Options
- Connect your device to your computer using your USB cable, and wait will Windows installs the drives for your device.
- Open a command prompt and navigate to the platform tools folder within the Android SDK by typing
- cd c:\android-sdk\platform-tools
- Then type adb devices
- You will see your device serial number.
Thats it. You have successfully setup ADB mode for your Android device. However if you dont see your serial number, you will have to manually download and install your device drivers before you can use ADB features.
ADB Commands
- adb devices – lists which devices are currently attached to your computer
- adb install
– lets you install an Android application on your phone - adb remount – Remounts your system in write mode – this lets you alter system files on your phone using ADB
- adb push
– lets you upload files to your phones filesystem - adb pull
– lets you download files off your phones filesystem - adb logcat – starts dumping debugging information from your handset to the console – useful for debugging your apps
- adb shell
– drops you into a basic linux command shell on your phone with no parameters, or lets you run commands directly