How to Install and Use ADB on Android TV

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ADB or Android Debudding Bride is a command-line utility. It allows developers to debug various parts of the application using different commands. ADB is not only used for debugging but can also be used to control Android TV from your PC. The reason for using ADB to control Android TV is that it allows you to verify or access certain features of the Android platform that are not possible. By using ADB, you can sideload apps, move files between Android TV and PC, uninstall apps, and a lot more. Now, let us talk about how to Connect Android TV to PC Using ADB.

How to Enable USB Debugging Mode on Android TV

1. Turn on your Android TV and select Settings.

2. Select Device Preferences and choose About.

3. Navigate to Build and keep clicking on Build until you see a message saying You are already a developer.

4. This means developer options on your Android TV are enabled and go back to Device Preferences.

5. Scroll down and select Developer Options.

6. Enable USB debugging.

How to Find IP Address on Android TV

If you want to connect your TV to a PC using ADB, you first need to know the IP Address of your Android TV.

1. On your Android TV, navigate to Settings.

2. Select Device Preferences and choose About.

3. Click on Status, and you will find your Android TVs IP Address available here.

How to Connect Android TV to PC Using ADB

Now that you have enabled USB debugging mode on Android TV, you need to set up ADB on your PC. After that, you can connect Android TV to a PC.

1. Open your browser and enter ABD Platform tools.

2. Select the official website and download the Platform-tools for Windows.

3. Open the Zip file and extract the contents on your PC.

4. Go to the extracted contents folder and click on the address bar.

5. Type cmd and press Enter. The Command Prompt window will appear with the platform’s tools directory.

6. Enter adb connect <Your IP address>. On your Android TV, select OK on the prompt that appears.

It will allow you to establish a connection with the computer. If you want to check whether the connection is established or not, enter adb devices on the command line. If you see your Android TV, then the connection is a success.

What Can You Do With ADB on Android TV?

Sideload Apps

Although Play Store on Android TV has a lot of apps available for you to use, there are still some apps out there that are not available on it. However, with the help of ADB, you can sideload these apps on Android TV.

All you need to do is download the apk file of the app that you want to install on Android TV on your PC. Then copy the path of the app that you just downloaded on your command prompt and press Enter.

adb install <path of the apk>.

Note: You can also drag the file from its location to the Command Prompt to copy its path

The app will be installed on your Android TV. You can also try manually sideloading apps on Android TV.

Remove Unwanted Apps

ADB allows you to uninstall apps that are pre-installed on your Android TV. It means that by using ADB, you can remove default apps from Android TV. On your command prompt, enter

abd shell – It will create a shell with your Android TV.

adb shell list packages – It will show you the list of packages containing all the applications

adb pm uninstall -k –user 0 <package name> – enter your package name, and the app will be removed.

You can also find the package name with the help of the Inspector App available on the Play Store.

Reboot Android TV

As a Smart TV, it is common to have problems like apps not working properly, TV restarting by itself, the TV doesn’t respond to remote controls, and other issues. Most of the issues will be gone if you reboot your Android TV. You can use ADB to reboot your TV by using the command

adb reboot

You also get access to the bootloader and recovery mode by using ADB instead of pushing a variety of buttons on your Android TV remote. On your Command Prompt, enter the commands

adb reboot bootloader

adb reboot recovery

Pull and Push Files

After connecting your Android TV and PC through ADB, you can move files between the two devices easily. It can be done by using commands like

Pull – pull a file from the Android TV to your computer

adb pull <path of the file on your TV> <location where you want to save the file on computer>

Push – push a file from the computer to Android TV

adb push <path of the file on the computer> <location where you want to save the file on TV>

Access Logcat

If you want to view system messages to find what caused the error or other reasons, it can be done using Logcat. It is very helpful in finding bugs in your program. The command for it is

adb logcat

Disconnect your PC and Android TV

If you want to disconnect your Android TV from your PC, which is connected using ADB, then use this command

adb kill server

It will kill the connection between the two devices.

Frequently Asked Questions