As an Android Developer, you might have heard people using ADB commands from time to time, but you might not have paid much attention to those commands or their usage. In this blog post, we will explore the most common ADB commands along with their usage.
ADB stands for Android Debug Bridge, which allows developers to communicate with Android devices either by connecting to a PC or a virtual machine. ADB is a versatile tool that comes with a set of commands that allows developers to interact with the device for debugging purposes.
Here are some of the essential ADB commands that you must know.
1. ADB devices:
This command is used to check whether a device is connected or not. When you connect an Android device to your PC or virtual machine, you need to run this command to see whether the device is detected or not. If any device is connected, its serial number will appear on the screen.
2. ADB logcat:
This command is used to display the log files and messages from the device. It is helpful when you are testing your application and want to read the runtime logs in real-time. With this command, you can filter the logs and check only those messages that are related to your application.
3. ADB shell:
This command opens a shell to execute commands on the device with elevated permissions. You can use this command to go inside the device's shell and run commands like ls, cd, rm, etc. You can also use the su command to get root access to the device. Once you have the root access, you can perform advanced tasks that are not possible without root privileges.
4. ADB push:
This command is used to transfer files from the PC to the device. You need to specify the file's path on the PC and the destination folder on the device where the file needs to be copied. This command is useful when you want to transfer a test APK or data files to the device.
5. ADB pull:
This is the opposite of the ADB push command. It is used to transfer files from the device to the PC. You need to specify the file's path on the device and the destination folder on the PC where the file needs to be copied.
6. ADB install:
This command is used to install an APK file on the device. You need to specify the path of the APK file on your PC, and ADB will install the APK on the device. This command is useful when you want to test your application on a real device.
7. ADB uninstall:
This command is used to uninstall an application from the device. You need to specify the package name of the application that needs to be uninstalled.
8. ADB reboot:
This command is used to reboot the device. You can use this command when you want to restart the device after making changes to the system.
9. ADB backup:
This command is used to back up the data of the device. You can use this command to take a backup of the device data, including the application data, contacts, and SMS, among others.
10. ADB restore:
This command is used to restore the backup data to the device. You need to specify the backup file's path that you want to restore.
In addition to these commands, there are many more ADB commands that you can use to interact with the device. For example, you can use the ADB bugreport command to take a report when the device crashes or hangs, the ADB sideload command to install an application in recovery mode, and the ADB devices-l command to list all the connected devices.
Another useful feature of ADB is to enable Developer Options on your device when USB Debugging is on. Developer options provide a set of tools and features that are useful for developers. Thus, it is essential to know how to access them.
You can use the ADB command to enable Developer options on the device. Here are the steps:
1. Connect your device to the PC.
2. Open the command prompt or terminal on your PC.
3. Type the following command: adb shell settings put global development_settings_enabled 1
4. Press enter to execute the command. This command will enable the Developer options on the device.
Conclusion:
ADB is an essential tool for Android Developers, which allows them to debug and test their applications on real devices. It provides a set of command-line tools that allow developers to communicate with the device. In this post, we have explored some of the most common ADB commands along with their usage.
Running ADB commands may look daunting at first sight, but these commands will save a lot of time and effort in the long run.
So, the next time you work on an Android app, don't forget to make use of these helpful ADB commands!
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