ADB or Android Debug Bridge is a command-line tool for developers and power users. ADB and Fastboot tools can be easily downloaded and installed on Windows, macOS, Linux, and rooted Android devices. However, now you can run ADB commands in a web browser like Chrome and Chromium-based browsers without installing ADB drivers on your computer. Web ADB is a handy online tool that brings the powerful features of ADB to desktop and mobile web browsers.
If you don’t know how to install and set up ADB and Fastboot on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android we have detailed guides to help you with that.
- Set up ADB and Fastboot on Windows
- Add ADB and Fastboot as a path in Mac Terminal
- Install ADB and Fastboot on Linux
- Install ADB and Fastbbot on Android
Web ADB is an amazingly cool tool that might come in handy in some tricky situations. It can even let you control your Android phone or tablet from your desktop or another Android device using ADB commands. Moreover, it lets you get the list of bloatware, disable, freeze, and uninstall system apps on Android devices. Whether you want to push or pull files, sideload APK, record screen, browse files on a device, or connect ADB over WiFi, this tool can do all these things.
Web ADB takes advantage of the WebUSB API present in all Chromium-based web browsers including the ones listed below.
- Google Chrome
- Microsoft Edge
- Opera
- Vivaldi
- Brave
- Blisk
- Colibri
- Yandex Browser
- Cent Browser
- UC Browser
WebUSB API that’s integrated into these web browsers lets web pages access and communicate with devices connected via a USB cable. The developer, Yume Chan, recommends the latest version of Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge for the best compatibility.
Features of Web ADB
Web ADB can be used to execute ADB Shell commands from a compatible desktop or mobile web browser. Besides, you can browse the files stored on your Android device, capture the screen, and install APK files from a web browser’s interface. You can also mirror the screen of an Android device via Scrcpy with Web ADB. Not only can you view your device screen on your computer over a USB connection but also control your phone from a web browser.
- Device information
- Run ADB shell commands
- Manage files
- Install APK files
- Enable ADB over Wi-Fi to run ADB commands wirelessly.
- Capture screenshots and record screens.
- Mirror and control the device via USB with SCRCPY (screen copy).
- Power off and reboot Android devices to Bootloader, Fastboot, Recovery, Qualcomm EDL, and Download (Samsung) modes.
- Supports mobile browsers.
One of the shortcomings of Web ADB is that it doesn’t support the Fastboot commands as of now.
The whole concept of Web ADB looks pretty neat but it has its dark sides too. Many of us might not be comfortable granting ADB access to a website. It’s like handing over the key to our house to a stranger. If someone hacks the Web ADB website, one can do anything from uploading all our data to installing malware stealthily. Such a thing might turn out to be a nightmare for anyone.
Using ADB Commands in Web Browser
Having discussed the features of WebADB, let’s see how to use it to execute ADB Shell commands via web browsers that support WebUSB API.
- First of all, enable USB debugging from the Developer Options on your Android device.
- Open the WebADB web app in a Chromium-based web browser.
- If you are a Windows user, open Chrome’s flags page and enable the New USB Backend. You can do that by entering the following line in the browser’s address bar.
chrome://flags/#enable-webusb-device-detection
- Connect your phone or tablet to the computer via a USB cable and select File Transfer mode when prompted. Make sure no other Android device is connected to your PC as WebADB can communicate with only one device at a time. If multiple devices are connected, you’ll get the “Unable to claim interface” error.
- Click on the Add Device button, select your device, and click the Connect button.
- Your Android device will be connected to WebADB. You are now ready to enjoy all the features it offers.
- Please note that you’ll need to Allow USB debugging on your device when prompted.
- If you want to run a Shell command, click on Interactive Shell. You don’t need to execute
adb shellfirst to start the daemon as WebADB activates that by default. For instance, if you want to get the list of all system apps installed on your Android device, typepm list packages -sin the command box and press the Enter key. Similarly, if you want to run ADB commands, you should omit the “adb” part. For instance, to boot an Android device into the recovery mode, just usereboot recovery. Check out our huge list of ADB commands and ADB Shell commands to explore their capabilities.
- To mirror your Android device’s screen in a web browser window, click on Scrcpy. Just click on the Start button to start mirroring and control your device from the computer.
Using Web ADB on a Mobile Browser
Web ADB also lets you send ADB commands from one Android device to another Android phone or tablet. That means you don’t need a laptop or desktop computer or even a root privilege for that.
- Just open WebADB in your phone’s web browser.
- Since the command box on the Web ADB website is not properly visible in a mobile browser window, you should enable the Desktop site option from the browser menu.
- Make sure to enable USB debugging on the other Android phone or tablet.
- You will need a USB OTG or USB C-Type to C-Type cable as shown below.
- Plug the USB cable into the phone that you’ll use as a host. By this, I mean the device on which you want to use Web ADB or run ADB commands. Then plug the other end of the USB C-Type cable into the device you want to send the commands to. In my case, I am using the Galaxy Note 10 as a host so I can control my Redmi K20 Pro.
- As soon as you connect the first device (host) to the second one, you’ll be prompted to select the USB connection mode. You must select File transfer as shown below.
- Also, you’re supposed to enable USB debugging on the second device and authorize debugging when prompted.
- Now click the Interactive Shell option on Web ADB and you can send any ADB and ADB Shell command via the mobile web browser to any Android phone or tablet without root and using a computer.
Don’t Miss: Unlock Android Lock Screen PIN and Pattern Using ADB
All the features of Web ADB work flawlessly on Chrome for Android. I tested the screen mirroring feature called Scrcpy and, as you can see below, it worked as expected.
Web ADB is a wonderful tool as it can come in handy in certain situations. The feature I like most is its compatibility with mobile browsers like Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, etc. By allowing us to control a phone or tablet from another Android device without root, it fills in a much-needed void.
Read Next: Can USB Debugging be Enabled Using ADB Command?
Source: Github
