Android ADB Debugging Skill

Overview

This skill provides a structured reference for using Android Debug Bridge (ADB) to interact with Android devices/emulators. It covers environment setup, application management, log analysis, file transfer, and UI automation.

Prerequisites

• Android SDK Platform-Tools installed (adb in PATH).
• USB Debugging enabled on the target device.
• Device connected via USB or Wi-Fi.

Core Capabilities

1. Device Connection & Management

Use these commands to verify connectivity and manage device state.

| Action | Command | Notes | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | List Devices | adb devices | Check if device is authorized. | | Restart ADB Server | adb kill-server && adb start-server | Fix connection issues. | | Reboot Device | adb reboot | Normal reboot. | | Reboot to Bootloader | adb reboot bootloader | For flashing ROMs. | | Wireless Connect | adb tcpip 5555 <br> adb connect <IP>:5555 | Requires initial USB connection. |

2. Application Installation & Management

Commands to install, uninstall, and clear app data.

| Action | Command | Notes | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Install APK | adb install path/to/app.apk | Fresh install. | | Reinstall (Keep Data) | adb install -r path/to/app.apk | Update existing app. | | Uninstall App | adb uninstall <package_name> | e.g., com.example.app | | Clear App Data | adb shell pm clear <package_name> | Resets app to fresh state. | | List Packages | adb shell pm list packages | Find package names. | | Grant Permission | adb shell pm grant <pkg> <perm> | e.g., android.permission.CAMERA |

3. Logcat & Debugging

Essential for diagnosing crashes and runtime behavior.

| Action | Command | Notes | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | View Logs | adb logcat | Real-time stream. | | Clear Logs | adb logcat -c | Clear buffer before testing. | | Filter by Tag | adb logcat -s MyTag | Case-sensitive tag filter. | | Filter by PID | adb logcat --pid=<pid> | Specific process. | | Save to File | adb logcat -d > logs.txt | Dump current buffer. | | Crash Stacktrace | adb logcat *:E | Show only errors. |

4. Screen Capture & Recording

Visual debugging tools.

| Action | Command | Notes | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Screenshot | adb exec-out screencap -p > screen.png | Saves directly to host. | | Start Recording | adb shell screenrecord /sdcard/demo.mp4 | Max 180s. Press Ctrl+C to stop. | | Pull Recording | adb pull /sdcard/demo.mp4 . | Retrieve video file. |

5. File Transfer

Moving files between host and device.

| Action | Command | Notes | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Push to Device | adb push local_file.txt /sdcard/ | Upload file. | | Pull from Device | adb pull /sdcard/file.txt . | Download file. | | List Files | adb shell ls /sdcard/ | Remote directory listing. |

6. UI Automation & Interaction

Simulating user input for testing.

| Action | Command | Notes | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Tap Coordinate | adb shell input tap <x> <y> | Simulate touch. | | Swipe | adb shell input swipe <x1> <y1> <x2> <y2> <duration_ms> | Simulate swipe. | | Type Text | adb shell input text "Hello" | No spaces allowed directly (use %s). | | Key Event | adb shell input keyevent <code> | e.g., 4 (Back), 66 (Enter). | | Start Activity | adb shell am start -n <pkg>/<activity> | Launch specific screen. | | Force Stop | adb shell am force-stop <pkg> | Kill app process. |

Troubleshooting Common Issues

"Device Unauthorized"

1. Check device screen for RSA fingerprint confirmation dialog.
2. Run adb kill-server && adb start-server.
3. Revoke USB debugging authorizations in Developer Options and reconnect.

"ADB Not Recognized"

1. Ensure Android SDK Platform-Tools are installed.
2. Add platform-tools directory to system PATH.
3. Verify installation: adb version.

"More than one device connected"

Specify the target device using -s: adb -s <device_serial>

7. Performance Monitoring (性能监控)

Network & Traffic

| Action | Command | Notes | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | List Active Connections | adb shell ss -tunp | Shows IP:Port pairs. | | Filter Connections by UID | adb shell ss -tunp \| grep <uid> | Get UID via dumpsys package. | | Check Traffic Stats | adb shell dumpsys netstats \| grep <pkg> | Cumulative RX/TX data. | | Legacy Traffic Check | adb shell cat /proc/uid_stat/<uid>/tcp_rcv | Receive bytes only. |

CPU Usage

| Action | Command | Notes | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Real-time Top | adb shell top -n 1 -o %CPU,PID,NAME | Snapshot of CPU usage. | | Continuous Monitor | adb shell top \| grep <package_name> | Live stream for specific app. | | Detailed CPU Info | adb shell dumpsys cpuinfo \| grep <pkg> | User/System split. |

Memory Usage

| Action | Command | Notes | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Detailed Meminfo | adb shell dumpsys meminfo <pkg> | Look for "TOTAL PSS". | | Summary Meminfo | adb shell dumpsys meminfo --summary <pkg> | Quick overview. | | Java Heap Dump | adb shell am dumpheap <pid> /sdcard/heap.hprof | Then pull file for analysis. |

Disk I/O

| Action | Command | Notes | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Process IO Stats | adb shell cat /proc/<pid>/io | May require Root access. | | Systrace for IO | python systrace.py -a <pkg> -t 5 io | Generates HTML trace file. |

Pro Tips for Performance Debugging

1. PSS vs RSS: Always prefer PSS (Proportional Set Size) from dumpsys meminfo over RSS, as PSS accounts for shared memory libraries correctly.
2. UID Mapping: To map network traffic to an app, first get the UID: adb shell dumpsys package com.example.app | grep userId. Then use that UID in ss or /proc/uid_stat/.
3. IO Permissions: If /proc/<pid>/io is inaccessible, rely on systrace or Android Studio Profiler for detailed I/O breakdowns.