Android Debug Bridge, or ADB for short, is used by developers to access files and control devices. 7 lesser-known things you can do with it that are surprisingly practical in day-to-day life.
The “adb shell” allows users to do many things on their Android devices that they couldn’t otherwise do. The list of things you can do with the adb shell is quite extensive.
Did you know that ADB, a Google tool, allows you to alter or manage your Android device simply by attaching it to a computer? The Android Debug Bridge, or ADB as it is more commonly known, comes to the rescue of every Android user at some point in time in a variety of situations. Furthermore, enabling manual photography on your smartphone necessitates the permission of the Camera2 API on your device, which is facilitated through ADB, as you may have anticipated. In these cases, ADB comes into play, enabling you to use simple instructions to get access to previously unknown regions of your Android device.
Whether you’re unlocking your phone’s bootloader, installing GCam MOD, or backing up your phone, ADB is a lifesaver, allowing you to personalize and use your smartphone to its full capacity in a variety of ways. We’ll go through the seven most intriguing ADB methods that will make you an all-rounder in all areas of utilizing your Android smartphone, giving you even more control, since the possibilities are endless.
What exactly is ADB?
Google created Android Debug Bridge as a convenient solution for developers to work with Android handsets. With programmable instructions that provide access to execute many more clever tricks, developers can troubleshoot, debug, and check the device’s status all in one spot. Let’s take a look at how to install the developer tool on a PC and a mobile device.
How do you set up ADB on your computer? How do you connect your Android handset to your computer using ADB?
Downloading the official developer files from Google’s Android platform is the first step in utilizing ADB on a PC. These are Android-specific drivers that allow the operating system to recognize the handset’s connection. After you’ve completed the installation, you’ll need to connect your smartphone to your PC by following the instructions below.
1. Download the Android SDK Platform tools for your operating system and extract the contents to a folder of your choice, ideally one you can access later.
2. Tap the build number seven times on your Android smartphone to activate developer options in settings.
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3. Enable USB Debugging in the Developer settings and connect the smartphone to your PC using a USB cord.
4. On your PC, go to the folder where you stored the installed files and use the shift + right-click menu to launch cmd or PowerShell in the folder, or type cmd in the address bar and press enter.
5. Finally, use the “adb devices” command to examine your connected device.
6. After connecting to the computer for authorisation, allow USB debugging on your smartphone.
We Can Do 7 Fascinating Things With ADB
Getting Rid of Bloatware and Pre-Installed Apps on Your Android
Unfortunately, most smartphones come with bloatware, or unwanted applications, pre-installed. While there isn’t a simple method to get rid of them, you may certainly do it with the help of ADB. You may quickly delete those programs all at once using the developer tool by following the instructions below. Enter the “adb devices” command in cmd or PowerShell from the ADB folder.
1. Enter the following command: package uninstall -k NameOfPackage adb shell cmd
2. Replace “NameOfPackage” with the package name of the program and press enter. If you’re not sure what an application’s package name is, have a look at the picture below for an example.
3. That’s all; the program is uninstalled, and you can use the same procedure to remove any other app on your phone.
Installing a Single APK or a Group of APKs
Android installs files in the APK format as apps. Let’s look at a cool approach for installing many apps on your Android smartphone at once. To begin, place the downloaded APK files in the location where they were previously saved.
1. Use the adb install ; adb install command to choose the required APK file or files to install.
2. To install a single APK, use a single command with the filename of the APK.
3. The program is installed on your Android smartphone when you provide the command.
Take screenshots and record video from your Android device’s screen.
On the Android device, the standard screen recording choices include a floating bubble or overlay that displays options, which may sometimes stop the screen recording. Although most devices come with a native recording feature from Google, you may use the command below to record the screen directly. When using this approach to record the screen, there will be no obtrusion.
1. Use the ./adb shell screenrecord <folder-path/filename.mp4> to start the screen recording.
2. Instead of folder-path, use /sdcard as the directory, which will store the recorded video to your smartphone immediately.
3. Press Ctrl + C to terminate the screen recording, and the recording is saved to the directory folder.
Taking a complete backup of your Android device
Having a backup of your smartphone is a useful feature that allows you to recover your device at any moment in the event of an emergency. This approach allows you to make a full backup of your Android device and then restore it.
1. Type adb backup -all -f filename.ab into the command prompt.
2. You may provide an acceptable location and name for the backup file in and filename.ab, respectively.
3. You will now see a popup screen asking for a new backup encryption password.
4. Wait for the backup to finish, and the page on your smartphone will dismiss immediately after the backup is finished.
Back up the data from a specific application on your smartphone.
Many people lose their in-game progress or search history, both of which are important in their everyday life. Instead of a full backup of your phone, you may choose to back up only a single app.
1. Use the command “adb shell pm list packages” to get a list of available apps.
2. Type adb backup -f -apk into the command prompt.
3. Enter the same backup file location and package name as when backing up the whole smartphone.
4. The adb restore command may be used to restore the app data backup file.
Change the screen’s DPI.
DPI stands for Dots Per Inch and is a number for smartphone screens that commonly ranges from 480 dpi to 960 dpi. Using the instructions below, you may alter the DPI of your screen to the appropriate size.
1. Use the command adb shell wm density to check your current DPI.
2. Now, use the command “adb shell wm density” to modify the DPI to the appropriate number.
3. In the section, write a number such as 280 or 180.
Wi-Fi connect your Android handset to your PC.
Yes, you read that correctly; however, you must first connect your device via USB and provide a few instructions in order to connect your device to Wi-Fi. Check to see whether the laptop or PC you wish to connect to has Wi-Fi.
1. Run the ADB in TCP/IP mode with the following command: adb tcpip 5555
2. Now, in the next command, input the IP address of your smartphone.
3. Look for your Android device’s IP address in the “About” section of the settings menu.
4. Now, use the adb connect command to provide the IP address.
5. Disconnect your smartphone’s USB cable and look for adb devices.
If the command is successful, you will see your device name.
Using ADB, dive in and discover Android’s unique features.
These were some of our favorite ADB hacks and commands to try on your Android smartphone. You might think of ADB as a warm welcome to the world of Android tinkering. There are many other ADB commands and methods that you can find useful if you wish to go further into the subject.
The “what can you do with adb android” is a command-line tool that allows users to perform various tasks on their Android device. It includes the ability to install, uninstall, and reboot the device. The ADB also has the ability to pull information from the device such as phone numbers, contacts, text messages, or even log files.
Frequently Asked Questions
What things can I do with adb?
A: Your Android phone is capable of running adb commands. These allow you to do a variety of things like install apps, update firmware, and make changes to the device while its in recovery mode.
Can I use adb without root?
A: You can use adb without root on Android devices.
Can I Enable USB debugging using adb?
A: USB debugging is enabled on most android devices.
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