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Unleashing the Power of Android 11 adb Wireless Debug: From Wired to Wireless, Explore a Freer Debugging Experience!

3 min read
AndroidDev#ADB#Android

Introduction

In response to project needs, we are constantly looking for new ways to use ADB Debug,

and recently discovered a method introduced by Android.

Here, we share our research findings on adb wireless debug.

If you are not yet familiar with using ADB wifi for debugging, we have previously shared related insights, which you might find useful. Cover Embrace Wireless: Guide to Using adb to Wirelessly Connect to Android Devices!
Research on the New adb Wireless Debug in Android 11 Refer to this article
Android 11 and later versions have added the wireless debug feature. The environment requirements are:
1. Android 11 or above

  1. The connected computer or the self-built environment must have a platform tool SDK version greater than 30.0.0 (adb version can check the current SDK version)

  2. Must be on the same local network

Actual Operation **(No USB Cable Needed)**
1. On the Android phone, go to settings, enable developer mode, and find 'Wireless debugging' to turn it on

  1. Enter the Wireless debugging submenu

  2. Click pair device with code to view the IP, port, and pairing code.

  3. On the terminal, enter the command adb pair ipaddr:port to pair

  4. When Enter pairing code: appears, enter the pairing code seen in step 3.

Features
1. In Wireless debugging, you can see the devices that have been paired and manage or delete them

  1. It will automatically reconnect the next time you restart

  2. Pairing can be done without a USB cable

  3. Unlike the old version (below Android 10) adb connecting to wifi, the old version requires manual reconnection each time

- Brief description of the adb connection method below Android 10 **(Requires USB Cable)**

Switch tcpip port: <b style="color:red;">adb tcpip <port></b>

<b style="color:red;">adb connect <ip>:<port></b> Enter the IP and the port just used to connect

Other Notes

  • In Android 11 AOSP, check the WirelessDebuggingFragment in the developer options to see how the pairing code is generated

    -> AOSP folder path:

    /Android/11/packages/apps/Settings/com/android/settings/development/WirelessDebuggingFragment.java

    Here, it looks like a special key is needed to generate it,

    Not sure if the application layer can achieve this

    Those interested in researching can check it out in AOSP

  • Some Android 11 devices do not support it, meaning manufacturers might lock this feature, such as LG phones

    -> You won't see the wireless debugging option in the developer options,

    So whether it is supported or not depends on whether the OTA provided by the manufacturer includes it

  • adb connect <ip>:<port> connection

    -> Use this to test if you can connect to the IP:port displayed on the wireless debug pageIP:port

    But this command is used to connect to the tcpip IP (requires a cable)

    Another use is to restore a device that has been paired under wireless debugging

    So it can only be used to manually restore the connection