WHAT IS USB DEBUGGING MODE?
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USB DEGBUGGING MODE is
a developer mode in Android phones that allows newly
programmed apps to be
copied via USB to the device for testing. Depending on the
OS version and
installed utilities, the mode must be turned on to let developers read
internal
logs.
In short, USB Debugging allows an Android device to communicate with a PC
running
the Android SDK to use advanced operations.
When you develop Android apps, you
have to install the Android Software Developer
Kit (SDK) on your PC. The SDK
includes a suite of tools that’s vital for any developer,
such as a debugger
for fixing problems and sample code. Libraries are another key
component of the
SDK.
These
allow developers to perform common functions without having to re-code them.
For example, Android has a built-in printing function, so when writing an app,
you
don’t have to come up with a new way to print. You simply call the built-in
method
included in the library when it’s time to do so.
You
can do a lot with Android from the device itself. But developers need more
options,
especially when collecting detailed error logs. It would be a huge
pain to locate and
move these files manually from the device, so they use tools
built into Android Studio
and the Android SDK to make them painless.
Enabling
USB Debugging allows your phone to communicate with a PC so you can take
advantage of these tools.
Without
USB Debugging, you can’t send any advanced commands to your phone via a
USB
cable. The most common reason for enabling USB Debugging is developers
pushing
apps to their devices to test.
Whenever
you create a new build of your app in Android Studio and want to test it, you
can push it to your connected device with just a few clicks. After building, it
will run and
pop up on your device right away. This is way faster than
downloading the APK file and
installing it manually!
Non-developers
commonly enable USB debugging to root their phones. Rooting varies
by device,
but most methods involve some program that you run from your desktop.
Once you
enable USB debugging and connect your phone, you can use a root tool to
send
the root instructions to your device without even touching it. Installing a
custom
ROM involves a similar process.
You
also need USB Debugging turned on to use Android Debug Bridge (ADB)
commands.
These let you install APKs located on your PC onto your phone, move files
back
and forth, and view device logs for debugging errors. ADB commands and
Fastboot
can also save your bricked device even when you can’t turn it on normally.
In
the old days of Android, you needed USB debugging for some other functions too.
Most notable of these was taking a screenshot over USB, which was just as
annoying as
it sounds. This was before Android had a standard command for
taking a screenshot.
Now, you just need to hold your device’s button
combination - usually Power and
Volume Down - to do that.
