ADB "Android Debug Bridge"

ADB (Android Debug Bridge)

Android Debug Bridge (adb) is a tool that lets you manage the state of an emulator instance or Android phone. ADB is bundled with Android SDK package that can be downloaded from Android SDK download page. This tool is useful for communicating with Android phone such as install application, copy files from/to device and perform some linux shell commands.

How to Install

Download and install Java SDK (Ex: jdk-6u20-windows-i586.exe)

Download Android SDK package (Ex: android-sdk_r06-windows.zip)

Extract SDK package into anywhere on your drive (Ex: D:\android-sdk-windows)

Phone Setup

In order to use ADB, you have to enable USB Debugging option in phone settings (Settings->Applications->Development)

 

How to Use

Connect the phone to your pc/notebook usb port

Run Windows command line tool (cmd) and go to D:\android-sdk-windows\tool

New Android SDK puts adb executable file on \platform-tools directory instead of tool. So the path should be D:\android-sdk-windows\platform-tools.

 

Useful Commands

 

1. Check connected phone

Syntax: adb devices

 

2. Login to Android shell

Syntax: adb shell

If you get ‘#’ after typing adb shell, you are already get root access on the phone, no need to type su. Otherwise if you get ‘$’ , type ’su’ to get root access (only for rooted device).

 

3. Some useful shell commands

ls

List directory

Syntax: ls [path]

Example:

#ls /system/lib

cp

Copy file or directory

Syntax: cp [options] source dest

Note:

To copy or delete files in Android root directories you have to change the directory access mode to ‘read and write (rw)’ using command: remount rw

Example:

#remount rw

#cp /sdcard/libsec-ril.so /system/lib

#remount ro

mv

Move file or directory

Syntax: mv [options] source dest

Example:

#mv /system/lib/libsec-ril.so /sdcard/backup

 

chmod

Change file/directory permission

Syntax: chmod [-R] mode[,mode] …. file

Example:

#chmod 0644 /system/lib/libsec-ril.so

 

rm

Remove file or directory

Syntax: rm [options] file

Example:

#rm /system/lib/libsec-ril.so

 

 

4. Installing an application

 

 

You can use adb to install application from your local drive into phone.

 

Syntax: adb install appname.apk

 

 

5. Copy files from phone to local drive

 

Syntax: adb pull source [destination]

 

Example: D:\android-sdk-windows\tools\adb pull /sdcard/arm11-dvm.zip D:\

 

 

6. Copy files from local drive to phone

 

 

Syntax: adb push source [destination]

 

Example: D:\android-sdk-windows\tools\adb push D:\AnReboot.apk  /sdcard