How to Enable & Use Wireless ADB on Your Android Phone?

Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is a powerful tool to issue commands to your Android phone from a computer. Traditionally, ADB requires a wired connection, however, you can use it wirelessly. What? That’s right—no more cables! In this guide, I’ll be jotting down steps on how to enable and use Wireless ADB on your Android phone. Let’s get started!

How To Use Wireless ADB on Android Devices: A Comprehensive Guide!

There are several steps you need to follow to use wireless ADB on Android handsets. Let’s discuss them:

Step 1: Enable Developer Options on Android

Before using Wireless ADB, you have to enable Developer Options on your phone. By default, these settings are concealed, but you can easily unlock them with a few taps.

• Open the Settings app on your Android phone.

• Scroll to the bottom and select About Phone.

• Find and tap on Build Number seven times. After the seventh tap, you’ll see a message saying, “You are now a developer.”

Once Developer Options is unlocked, you’re one step closer to using Wireless ADB.

Step 2: Turn On Wireless Debugging

After enabling developer options, it’s time to activate Wireless Debugging:

• Go to Settings > System > Developer Options.

• Scroll down and toggle Wireless Debugging on.

• Confirm the pop-up asking if you want to allow wireless debugging on your current network.

Your phone is now ready to communicate with your computer over Wi-Fi.

Step 3: Pair Your Computer with Your Android Phone

Afterward, pair your computer with your Android device:

• On your phone, go to Settings > System > Developer Options > Wireless Debugging.
• Tap Pair Device With Pairing Code. This will display a pairing code, your phone’s IP address, and the port number.

On your computer, follow these steps to complete the pairing:

1. Download Google’s Platform Tools from the official Android developer website.
2. Extract the downloaded file, then open the folder named platform-tools.
3. Copy the folder path from your file explorer.
4. Open Command Prompt on your computer and run it as an administrator.
5. Type the following command and replace PATH with the copied folder path:
   cd PATH
6. Next, run the following command, replacing IP:PORT with your phone’s IP address and port number:
   adb pair IP:PORT

7. Enter the pairing code displayed on your phone.

Once successfully paired, your computer can communicate with your phone wirelessly.

Step 4: Run ADB Commands Wirelessly

With your devices paired, you can now run ADB commands wirelessly. To confirm the connection, type: adb devices

This will display a list of connected devices. If your phone is listed, you are good to go!

Add ADB to Your System Path for Easier Access

This step is optional. However, if you want to avoid navigating to the platform-tools folder each time you use ADB, you can add the ADB directory to your system path by following these steps:

1. Search for View Advanced System Settings in the Windows search bar and open it.
2. Go to the Advanced tab and click Environment Variables.
3. Under System Variables, find and select Path, then click Edit.
4. Click New, paste the path to your ADB folder, and press OK.

Now you can run ADB commands from any directory in Command Prompt.

Useful Wireless ADB Commands

Let’s delve into some useful ADB commands you can try once your devices are paired:

• adb devices: Displays a list of connected devices.
• adb install myapp.apk: Installs an APK file on your Android device.
• adb uninstall packagename: Uninstalls an app from your phone by its package name.
• adb shell screencap -p /sdcard/screenshot.png: Takes a screenshot and saves it to your phone’s storage.
• adb pull /sdcard/screenshot.png: Copies a file from your phone to your computer.

Wireless ADB is an incredible tool that lets you interact with your Android device from your computer without needing to plug in a cable. This method is quick, convenient, and efficient. I hope you can now enjoy the flexibility of wireless debugging with ADB using this guide.

Check Out: PTA Publishes Framework for Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) – PhoneWorld