20 ADB Commands Interview Questions and Answers

ADB commands are a set of Android Debug Bridge commands that allow you to access Android devices for debugging purposes. If you are applying for a position that involves Android development, it is likely that you will be asked questions about ADB commands during your interview. Knowing how to properly answer these questions can give you a leg up on the competition. In this article, we will review some of the most commonly asked ADB commands questions and provide tips on how to answer them.

ADB Commands Interview Questions and Answers

Here are 20 commonly asked ADB Commands interview questions and answers to prepare you for your interview:

1. What is ADB?

ADB is the Android Debug Bridge, a command line tool used to communicate with Android devices.

2. Can you explain what a daemon is in the context of Android Debug Bridge?

A daemon is a process that runs in the background, and is often used to manage system-level tasks or services. In the context of Android Debug Bridge, a daemon is used to manage communication between the Android device and the computer that it is connected to.

3. How do you install and use ADB on your computer?

First, you need to download the Android SDK from the Android website. Once you have the SDK, open up a command prompt and navigate to the SDK platform-tools folder. From there, you can use the “adb” command to install and use ADB on your computer.

4. Can you explain what a bridge is in the context of Android Debug Bridge?

A bridge is a piece of software that allows communication between two different systems. In the context of Android Debug Bridge, a bridge is used to connect an Android device to a computer so that the two can communicate with each other. This communication is necessary in order to debug Android applications.

5. What are some useful commands that can be used with ADB?

There are a number of useful commands that can be used with ADB, including:

– adb devices: This command will list all of the devices that are currently connected to the computer.
– adb shell: This command will open a shell on the device.
– adb install: This command will install an APK on the device.
– adb uninstall: This command will uninstall an APK from the device.
– adb pull: This command will pull a file from the device.
– adb push: This command will push a file to the device.

6. What’s the difference between an emulator and a simulator?

An emulator is a piece of hardware or software that allows one computer system to behave like another. A simulator is a software program that mimics the behavior of a real system.

7. Why would you need to simulate or emulate a device?

Simulating or emulating a device is often done for testing purposes, to make sure that your app or website will work correctly on a wide range of devices. It can also be useful for developing on a device that you don’t have access to, or for trying out a new operating system or version of Android without having to install it on a physical device.

8. What is the purpose of using emulators or simulators for mobile devices?

Emulators and simulators are used to test mobile applications on a mobile device without having to actually use a physical device. This can be helpful in situations where a physical device is not available, or if you want to test an application on a variety of different devices without having to purchase each one.

9. Can you give me more examples of practical applications of ADB?

ADB can be used for a variety of purposes, including debugging your Android app, transferring files between your device and your computer, and running shell commands on your device. Some other practical applications of ADB include taking screenshots and screen recordings, installing and uninstalling apps, and managing app permissions.

10. What happens when you type adb kill-server followed by adb start-server?

The adb kill-server command shuts down the Android Debug Bridge server, while the adb start-server command starts it up again.

11. Are there any important differences between the command line versions of ADB and Android Studio? If yes, then please elaborate.

The main difference between the command line version of ADB and Android Studio is that the latter provides a graphical user interface. However, the command line version of ADB is often considered to be more powerful, as it provides more options and flexibility.

12. What are some of the best practices to follow while developing software with ADB?

There are a few best practices to follow when developing software with ADB:

1. Always run ADB commands from a dedicated terminal or command prompt. This will help avoid any potential conflicts with other applications that may be running on your computer.

2. Be aware of the permissions that ADB commands require. Some commands may require root access, which can potentially be dangerous if used improperly.

3. Make sure to test your ADB commands on a device before deploying them to a production environment. This will help ensure that they work as intended and avoid any potential issues.

13. What are some of the most common errors that come up while working with ADB? How can they be resolved?

Some of the most common errors that come up while working with ADB include “device not found” and “adb server is out of date. Kill it and start a new one.” Both of these errors can be resolved by restarting the ADB server.

14. What is the primary difference between ADB and fastboot? Which one should be preferred in which situations?

The main difference between ADB and fastboot is that ADB is used for debugging and developing Android applications, while fastboot is used for flashing the system image on an Android device. In general, ADB should be used when you need to interact with your Android device in order to debug or develop applications, while fastboot should be used when you need to flash a new system image on your device.

15. What does the error “device not found” mean?

This error means that your computer is not able to find the Android device you have connected to it. There are a few potential causes for this:

– The most common cause is that the drivers for your Android device are not installed properly. Try re-installing the drivers and see if that fixes the problem.
– Another possibility is that the USB cable you are using is not working properly. Try using a different USB cable.
– Finally, it is also possible that your Android device is not turned on or is not properly connected to your computer. Make sure that your device is turned on and that the USB cable is securely connected to both your device and your computer.

16. What does the error “no permissions” mean?

This error means that you do not have the necessary permissions to execute the ADB command. To fix this, you will need to either change the permissions on the ADB executable or add your user to the appropriate group.

17. Can you explain how to set up port forwarding over USB in ADB?

Port forwarding is a way of making a local server on your computer accessible to the outside world. To set up port forwarding over USB in ADB, you will need to first connect your Android device to your computer using a USB cable. Once the device is connected, open a terminal window and type the following command:

adb forward tcp:8080 tcp:8080

This will forward port 8080 on your computer to port 8080 on your Android device.

18. How can I enable/disable root access for my application without modifying it?

There are a few ways to do this, but the easiest is to use the adb shell to issue the following commands:

To enable root access:

adb shell
su

To disable root access:

adb shell
su -c ‘setenforce 0’

19. Can you explain how to connect to a remote device using ADB?

To connect to a remote device using ADB, you will need to use the “adb connect” command. This command will allow you to connect to a device that is running on a remote server. You will need to provide the IP address or hostname of the server as well as the port that the device is running on.

20. Is it possible to run multiple instances of ADB from different directories at the same time? If yes, then how?

Yes, it is possible to run multiple instances of ADB from different directories at the same time. You can do this by using the -s option with the adb command. This will allow you to specify which instance of the ADB server you want to connect to.