ADB Commands for debugging android devices

Using ADB with cable

You need to install ADB first. Once you have installed ADB you can continue with the commands listed here.

Prior to sending an ADB command, check if the device is available.

adb devices

If the device is correctly plugged in the device ID will be displayed.

Using Wifi

If you plan to use ADB over Wifi, first plug the device using a cable. Then setup the ADB port you will be using (0 - 65535)

adb tcpip 5000

Get the IP address of the device on the common Wifi access point where both devices are connected. Run the following command.

adb connect <IP address>:5000

Now your device will be connected with ADB over Wifi and you can continue to use the device.

Access multiple devices

If you have multiple devices connected to the local machine you can select which device you need to run the commands on with the following command.

Get the device ID with command adb device as above.

Then run:

adb -s <DEVICE ID> shell <commands>

Install an APK file

Open a terminal and run the following command.

adb install -r <path_to_apk_file>         

#[-r for replacing old app if version is mismatched]

Remove an installed app

To remove an app you need to know the package name of the app. If you don’t know the package name but you know part of the app’s name, you can try the following way to find the package name.

adb shell pm list packages | grep <keyword>

Let’s say we need to remove facebook app.

adb uninstall com.facebook.katana

Force stop an installed app

To force stop an app, run:

adb shell am force-stop com.facebook.katana