Android Debug Bridge

To access devices, you will use the adb command executed from the terminal. We will take a look into the common cases.

Listing all devices:

adb devices

Console output:

List of devices attached
emulator-5554 attached
emulator-5555 attached

Obtaining shell access to device:

adb shell

Accessing a specific device instance:

adb -s emulator-5554 shell

Where -s represents device source.

Copying a file from and to a device:

adb pull /sdcard/images ~/images
adb push ~/images /sdcard/images

Uninstalling an application:

adb uninstall <package.name>  

One of the greatest features of adb is that you can access it through telnet. Use telnet localhost 5554 to connect to your emulator device. Terminate your session using the quit or exit command.

Let's play with adb:

• Connect to device:

        telnet localhost 5554

• Change the power level:

        power status full
        power status charging

• Or simulate a call:

        gsm call 223344556677

• Send an SMS:

        sms send 223344556677 Android rocks

• Set geolocation:

        geo fix 22 22  

With adb, you can also take a screenshot or record a video!