droidclaw/docs/adb-commands.md

ADB Shell Commands Reference

Complete reference of all ADB shell commands available for Android device automation.

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Currently Implemented in Android Action Kernel

Command	Action	Description
input tap x y	tap	Tap at coordinates
input text <text>	type	Type text (spaces as %s)
input keyevent KEYCODE_ENTER	enter	Press Enter key
input swipe x1 y1 x2 y2 duration	swipe	Swipe gesture in direction
input keyevent KEYCODE_HOME	home	Go to home screen
input keyevent KEYCODE_BACK	back	Go back
input swipe x y x y 1000	longpress	Long press via same-point swipe
screencap -p <path>	screenshot	Capture screen to PNG
uiautomator dump	(sanitizer)	Dump accessibility tree XML
wm size	(device intel)	Get screen resolution
dumpsys activity activities	(device intel)	Get foreground app
am start / monkey -p	launch	Launch app by package/activity/URI
cmd clipboard get-text	clipboard_get	Read clipboard
cmd clipboard set-text	clipboard_set	Write clipboard
input keyevent MOVE_END + MOVE_HOME + DEL	clear	Clear focused text field
shell <command>	shell	Arbitrary shell command

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1. Input & Gestures

Taps & Touches

Command	Description
input tap <x> <y>	Single tap at coordinates
input motionevent DOWN <x> <y>	Raw touch down event
input motionevent UP <x> <y>	Raw touch up event
input roll <dx> <dy>	Trackball roll event

Swipe & Drag

Command	Description
input swipe <x1> <y1> <x2> <y2> [duration_ms]	Swipe gesture
input swipe <x> <y> <x> <y> <long_duration>	Long press (same point swipe)
input draganddrop <x1> <y1> <x2> <y2> [duration_ms]	Drag and drop (Android 12+)

Key Events - Navigation

Command	Keycode	Description
input keyevent 3	KEYCODE_HOME	Home button
input keyevent 4	KEYCODE_BACK	Back button
input keyevent 187	KEYCODE_APP_SWITCH	Recent apps / multitask
input keyevent 82	KEYCODE_MENU	Open menu
input keyevent 84	KEYCODE_SEARCH	Open search
input keyevent 111	KEYCODE_ESCAPE	Dismiss dialog / escape

Key Events - Power & Screen

Command	Keycode	Description
input keyevent 26	KEYCODE_POWER	Toggle screen on/off
input keyevent 224	KEYCODE_WAKEUP	Wake screen (no toggle)
input keyevent 223	KEYCODE_SLEEP	Sleep screen (no toggle)
input keyevent --longpress 26	KEYCODE_POWER (long)	Power menu / screenshot

Key Events - Volume & Media

Command	Keycode	Description
input keyevent 24	KEYCODE_VOLUME_UP	Volume up
input keyevent 25	KEYCODE_VOLUME_DOWN	Volume down
input keyevent 164	KEYCODE_MUTE	Mute toggle
input keyevent 85	KEYCODE_MEDIA_PLAY_PAUSE	Play/pause media
input keyevent 87	KEYCODE_MEDIA_NEXT	Next track
input keyevent 88	KEYCODE_MEDIA_PREVIOUS	Previous track
input keyevent 126	KEYCODE_MEDIA_PLAY	Play
input keyevent 127	KEYCODE_MEDIA_PAUSE	Pause
input keyevent 86	KEYCODE_MEDIA_STOP	Stop media

Key Events - Text Editing

Command	Keycode	Description
input keyevent 66	KEYCODE_ENTER	Enter / confirm
input keyevent 67	KEYCODE_DEL	Backspace / delete
input keyevent 112	KEYCODE_FORWARD_DEL	Forward delete
input keyevent 61	KEYCODE_TAB	Tab between fields
input keyevent 122	KEYCODE_MOVE_HOME	Move cursor to start
input keyevent 123	KEYCODE_MOVE_END	Move cursor to end
input keyevent 19	KEYCODE_DPAD_UP	D-pad up
input keyevent 20	KEYCODE_DPAD_DOWN	D-pad down
input keyevent 21	KEYCODE_DPAD_LEFT	D-pad left
input keyevent 22	KEYCODE_DPAD_RIGHT	D-pad right
input keyevent 23	KEYCODE_DPAD_CENTER	D-pad center / select

Key Events - Keyboard Shortcuts (Combo Keys)

Command	Description
input keyevent KEYCODE_CTRL_LEFT KEYCODE_A	Select all
input keyevent KEYCODE_CTRL_LEFT KEYCODE_C	Copy
input keyevent KEYCODE_CTRL_LEFT KEYCODE_V	Paste
input keyevent KEYCODE_CTRL_LEFT KEYCODE_X	Cut
input keyevent KEYCODE_CTRL_LEFT KEYCODE_Z	Undo
input keyevent KEYCODE_CTRL_LEFT KEYCODE_SHIFT_LEFT KEYCODE_Z	Redo
input keyevent --longpress KEYCODE_MOVE_HOME	Select all to start (Shift+Home)
input keyevent --longpress KEYCODE_MOVE_END	Select all to end (Shift+End)

Key Events - Brightness & System

Command	Keycode	Description
input keyevent 220	KEYCODE_BRIGHTNESS_DOWN	Decrease brightness
input keyevent 221	KEYCODE_BRIGHTNESS_UP	Increase brightness
input keyevent 83	KEYCODE_NOTIFICATION	Pull down notification shade
input keyevent 176	KEYCODE_SETTINGS	Open settings
input keyevent 27	KEYCODE_CAMERA	Camera shutter

Text Input

Command	Description
input text <string>	Type text (spaces as %s, escape shell chars)

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2. Activity Manager (am)

Launch Activities & Intents

Command	Description
am start -n <package>/<activity>	Launch specific activity
am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d <url>	Open URL in browser
am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d "geo:0,0?q=pizza"	Open maps search
am start -a android.intent.action.DIAL -d tel:<number>	Open dialer with number
am start -a android.intent.action.SENDTO -d sms:<number> --es sms_body "<text>"	Compose SMS
am start -a android.intent.action.SEND --es android.intent.extra.TEXT "<msg>" -t text/plain	Share text intent
am start -a android.media.action.IMAGE_CAPTURE	Open camera for capture
am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d "market://details?id=<pkg>"	Open app in Play Store
am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d "mailto:<email>?subject=<subj>&body=<body>"	Compose email

Launch Settings Screens

Command	Description
am start -a android.settings.SETTINGS	Main settings
am start -a android.settings.WIFI_SETTINGS	WiFi settings
am start -a android.settings.BLUETOOTH_SETTINGS	Bluetooth settings
am start -a android.settings.DISPLAY_SETTINGS	Display settings
am start -a android.settings.SOUND_SETTINGS	Sound settings
am start -a android.settings.LOCATION_SOURCE_SETTINGS	Location settings
am start -a android.settings.SECURITY_SETTINGS	Security settings
am start -a android.settings.APPLICATION_SETTINGS	All apps list
am start -a android.settings.APPLICATION_DETAILS_SETTINGS -d package:<pkg>	Specific app info
am start -a android.settings.BATTERY_SAVER_SETTINGS	Battery saver settings
am start -a android.settings.DATE_SETTINGS	Date & time settings
am start -a android.settings.ACCESSIBILITY_SETTINGS	Accessibility settings
am start -a android.settings.INTERNAL_STORAGE_SETTINGS	Storage settings
am start -a android.settings.INPUT_METHOD_SETTINGS	Keyboard settings
am start -a android.settings.NOTIFICATION_SETTINGS	Notification settings
am start -a android.settings.MANAGE_ALL_APPLICATIONS_SETTINGS	Manage all apps

App & Process Control

Command	Description
am force-stop <package>	Force kill an app
am kill-all	Kill all background processes
am start-foreground-service -n <component>	Start foreground service
am stopservice -n <component>	Stop a service
am set-debug-app -w <package>	Wait for debugger on app launch
am clear-debug-app	Clear debug app setting

Broadcasts

Command	Description
am broadcast -a <action>	Send a broadcast intent
am broadcast -a android.intent.action.BOOT_COMPLETED	Simulate boot broadcast
am broadcast -a android.intent.action.MEDIA_SCANNER_SCAN_FILE -d file://<path>	Rescan media file
am broadcast -a android.net.conn.CONNECTIVITY_CHANGE	Simulate connectivity change

Task Management

Command	Description
am stack list	List activity stacks
am task lock <taskId>	Pin app to screen (kiosk mode)
am instrument -w <test-runner>	Run instrumentation tests

Monkey (Random Event Generator)

Command	Description
monkey -p <package> -c android.intent.category.LAUNCHER 1	Launch app's default activity
monkey -p <package> --throttle 100 -v 500	Stress-test with 500 random events

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3. Package Manager (pm)

List Packages

Command	Description
pm list packages	All installed packages
pm list packages -3	Third-party apps only
pm list packages -s	System apps only
pm list packages -d	Disabled packages
pm list packages -e	Enabled packages
pm list packages <filter>	Filter by name substring

Package Info

Command	Description
pm path <package>	Get APK file path
pm dump <package>	Full package details
pm list permissions -g	All permissions (grouped)
pm list features	Device hardware features
pm list libraries	Available shared libraries

Install & Uninstall

Command	Description
pm install <path.apk>	Install APK from device path
pm install -r <path.apk>	Reinstall keeping data
pm install -t <path.apk>	Allow test packages
pm uninstall <package>	Uninstall app
pm uninstall -k <package>	Uninstall but keep data/cache

App State

Command	Description
pm clear <package>	Clear all app data + cache
pm disable-user --user 0 <package>	Disable app for current user
pm enable <package>	Re-enable app
pm grant <package> <permission>	Grant a runtime permission
pm revoke <package> <permission>	Revoke a runtime permission
pm set-install-location [0/1/2]	Set install location (auto/internal/external)
pm get-install-location	Get install location preference

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4. System Inspection (dumpsys)

Activity & UI State

Command	Description
dumpsys activity activities	Activity stack (foreground app, task history)
dumpsys activity recents	Recent apps list
dumpsys activity top	Top activity details
dumpsys activity services	Running services
dumpsys activity broadcasts	Pending broadcasts
dumpsys activity providers	Content providers
dumpsys window	Window manager state (focus, layers)
dumpsys window displays	Display dimensions & density
dumpsys accessibility	Accessibility services state

Hardware & Sensors

Command	Description
dumpsys battery	Battery level, status, health, temperature
dumpsys display	Display state, brightness level
dumpsys input	Input devices, key maps
dumpsys sensorservice	Available sensors + recent readings

Networking

Command	Description
dumpsys wifi	WiFi state, SSID, signal strength
dumpsys connectivity	Network connectivity, active network
dumpsys telephony.registry	Phone signal, carrier, data state
dumpsys netpolicy	Network policy info
dumpsys netstats	Network usage statistics

Notifications & Audio

Command	Description
dumpsys notification	Active notifications (summary)
dumpsys notification --noredact	Full notification content (unredacted)
dumpsys audio	Volume levels, audio routing, active streams
dumpsys media_session	Current media session (now playing info)

Performance & Memory

Command	Description
dumpsys meminfo	System-wide memory overview
dumpsys meminfo <package>	Memory usage of specific app
dumpsys cpuinfo	CPU usage by process
dumpsys gfxinfo <package>	GPU rendering performance
dumpsys procstats	Process statistics

Other Useful Dumps

Command	Description
dumpsys alarm	Scheduled alarms
dumpsys location	Location providers, last known location
dumpsys deviceidle	Doze mode state
dumpsys usagestats	App usage statistics
dumpsys statusbar	Status bar state and icons
dumpsys package <package>	Detailed info for one package
dumpsys power	Power manager state (wake locks, screen state)
dumpsys clipboard	Clipboard service state
dumpsys jobscheduler	Scheduled jobs
dumpsys content	Content provider info

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5. Settings Database (settings)

Read Settings

Command	Description
settings get system screen_brightness	Current brightness (0-255)
settings get system screen_off_timeout	Screen timeout (ms)
settings get system volume_ring	Ring volume
settings get system volume_music	Media volume
settings get system volume_alarm	Alarm volume
settings get system volume_notification	Notification volume
settings get system font_scale	Font scale (1.0 = normal)
settings get system accelerometer_rotation	Auto-rotate (1=on, 0=off)
settings get global airplane_mode_on	Airplane mode (0/1)
settings get global wifi_on	WiFi state (0/1)
settings get global bluetooth_on	Bluetooth state (0/1)
settings get global mobile_data	Mobile data state (0/1)
settings get global stay_on_while_plugged_in	Stay awake while charging
settings get secure location_mode	Location mode
settings get secure enabled_accessibility_services	Active a11y services
settings get secure default_input_method	Current keyboard
settings get secure android_id	Device Android ID
settings get secure location_providers_allowed	Allowed location providers

Write Settings

Command	Description
settings put system screen_brightness <0-255>	Set brightness
settings put system screen_off_timeout <ms>	Set screen timeout
settings put system font_scale <float>	Set font scale
settings put system accelerometer_rotation <0/1>	Toggle auto-rotate
settings put global airplane_mode_on <0/1>	Toggle airplane mode
settings put global stay_on_while_plugged_in 3	Keep screen on when charging
settings put system volume_ring <0-15>	Set ring volume
settings put system volume_music <0-15>	Set media volume

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6. Device Properties (getprop)

Command	Description
getprop ro.build.version.sdk	Android API level (e.g. "34")
getprop ro.build.version.release	Android version (e.g. "14")
getprop ro.build.version.codename	Version codename
getprop ro.product.model	Device model name
getprop ro.product.manufacturer	Manufacturer
getprop ro.product.brand	Brand name
getprop ro.product.device	Device codename
getprop ro.serialno	Serial number
getprop ro.build.display.id	Build ID
getprop ro.build.type	Build type (user/userdebug/eng)
getprop persist.sys.language	System language
getprop persist.sys.timezone	Timezone
getprop gsm.sim.operator.alpha	Carrier name
getprop gsm.sim.state	SIM state
getprop dhcp.wlan0.ipaddress	WiFi IP address
getprop net.dns1	Primary DNS server
getprop ro.hardware	Hardware platform
getprop dalvik.vm.heapsize	Max heap size per app

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7. Display & Window Manager (wm)

Command	Description
wm size	Get current screen resolution
wm size <W>x<H>	Override screen resolution
wm size reset	Reset to physical resolution
wm density	Get current DPI
wm density <dpi>	Override DPI
wm density reset	Reset DPI to default
wm overscan <left>,<top>,<right>,<bottom>	Set display overscan/margins

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8. Content Providers (content)

Read Data

Command	Description
content query --uri content://contacts/phones	Read contacts list
content query --uri content://contacts/phones --projection display_name,number	Contacts with specific columns
content query --uri content://sms	Read all SMS
content query --uri content://sms --projection address,body,date	SMS with specific columns
content query --uri content://sms/inbox	Inbox only
content query --uri content://sms/sent	Sent messages only
content query --uri content://call_log/calls	Call history
content query --uri content://call_log/calls --projection number,type,date,duration	Call log details
content query --uri content://media/external/images/media	Photos list
content query --uri content://media/external/video/media	Videos list
content query --uri content://media/external/audio/media	Audio files
content query --uri content://calendar/events	Calendar events
content query --uri content://settings/system	All system settings
content query --uri content://settings/secure	All secure settings
content query --uri content://settings/global	All global settings

Write Data

Command	Description
content insert --uri content://sms --bind address:s:<number> --bind body:s:<text>	Insert SMS record
content update --uri content://settings/system --bind name:s:<key> --bind value:s:<val>	Update system setting
content delete --uri content://sms --where "address='<number>'"	Delete SMS by number

Filtering

Command	Description
content query --uri <uri> --where "<column>='<value>'"	Filter by column value
content query --uri <uri> --sort "<column> DESC"	Sort results

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9. Networking

WiFi

Command	Description
svc wifi enable	Turn WiFi on
svc wifi disable	Turn WiFi off
cmd wifi status	WiFi connection status
cmd wifi connect-network <ssid> wpa2 <password>	Connect to network (Android 12+)
cmd wifi disconnect-network	Disconnect from WiFi
cmd wifi list-scan-results	List nearby networks

Mobile Data & Bluetooth

Command	Description
svc data enable	Turn mobile data on
svc data disable	Turn mobile data off
svc bluetooth enable	Turn Bluetooth on
svc bluetooth disable	Turn Bluetooth off
svc nfc enable	Turn NFC on
svc nfc disable	Turn NFC off

Airplane Mode

Command	Description
settings put global airplane_mode_on 1 && am broadcast -a android.intent.action.AIRPLANE_MODE	Enable airplane mode
settings put global airplane_mode_on 0 && am broadcast -a android.intent.action.AIRPLANE_MODE	Disable airplane mode
cmd connectivity airplane-mode enable	Airplane mode (Android 13+)
cmd connectivity airplane-mode disable	Airplane mode off (Android 13+)

Network Diagnostics

Command	Description
ping -c 1 google.com	Check internet connectivity
ping -c 3 <host>	Ping host N times
ifconfig wlan0	WiFi interface info
ip addr show	All network interfaces
ip route	Routing table
ndc resolver getaddrinfo <hostname>	DNS lookup
netstat -tlnp	Active connections

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10. File System Operations

Listing & Navigation

Command	Description
ls /sdcard/	List files in storage root
ls -la /sdcard/	Detailed listing with permissions
ls /sdcard/Download/	List downloads
ls /sdcard/DCIM/Camera/	List camera photos
ls /sdcard/Pictures/	List pictures
ls /sdcard/Music/	List music
ls /data/data/<package>/	App private data (root)

File Operations

Command	Description
cat /sdcard/file.txt	Read file contents
cp <src> <dst>	Copy file
mv <src> <dst>	Move / rename file
rm <file>	Delete file
rm -r <dir>	Delete directory recursively
mkdir -p <path>	Create directory (with parents)
touch <file>	Create empty file
chmod <mode> <file>	Change permissions
stat <file>	File metadata

Disk Usage

Command	Description
df -h	Disk usage summary
du -sh /sdcard/*	Directory sizes
du -sh /sdcard/Download/	Download folder size

ADB File Transfer (not shell commands)

Command	Description
adb push <local> <remote>	Upload file to device
adb pull <remote> <local>	Download file from device

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11. Notifications

Command	Description
dumpsys notification --noredact	Full notification content (titles, text, package)
cmd notification list	List active notifications
cmd notification cancel-all	Dismiss all notifications
cmd notification post -t "Title" "Body" tag	Post a notification
cmd statusbar expand-notifications	Pull down notification shade
cmd statusbar expand-settings	Pull down quick settings panel
cmd statusbar collapse	Collapse notification shade
service call notification 1	Programmatically expand shade

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12. Process & Performance

Process Management

Command	Description
ps -A	List all processes
ps -A | grep <name>	Find process by name
kill <pid>	Kill process by PID
kill -9 <pid>	Force kill process

CPU & Memory

Command	Description
top -n 1 -b	CPU usage snapshot (one iteration)
top -n 1 -b -o %CPU	Sorted by CPU usage
cat /proc/meminfo	Detailed memory info
cat /proc/cpuinfo	CPU info (cores, speed)
free -h	Memory summary
uptime	Device uptime & load averages
vmstat 1 5	Virtual memory stats (5 samples)

Logging

Command	Description
logcat -d	Dump full logcat
logcat -d -t 50	Last 50 log lines
logcat -d -s "TAG:*"	Filter by specific tag
logcat -d -t 100 *:E	Last 100 error-level entries
logcat -d | grep <pattern>	Filter by pattern
logcat -c	Clear logcat buffer
logcat -d -b crash	Crash log buffer
logcat -d -b events	System events buffer

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13. Screen Recording & Media

Screen Recording

Command	Description
screenrecord /sdcard/video.mp4	Record screen (default 3 min)
screenrecord --time-limit 10 /sdcard/video.mp4	Record for N seconds
screenrecord --size 720x1280 /sdcard/vid.mp4	Record at specific resolution
screenrecord --bit-rate 4000000 /sdcard/vid.mp4	Record at specific bitrate
screenrecord --bugreport /sdcard/vid.mp4	Include timestamp overlay

Screenshots

Command	Description
screencap -p /sdcard/screen.png	Capture PNG screenshot
screencap /sdcard/screen.raw	Capture raw screenshot

Media Control

Command	Description
media volume --set <0-15> --stream 3	Set media volume (stream 3)
media volume --set <0-15> --stream 2	Set ring volume (stream 2)
media volume --set <0-15> --stream 4	Set alarm volume (stream 4)
media volume --set <0-15> --stream 5	Set notification volume (stream 5)
media dispatch play	Play media
media dispatch pause	Pause media
media dispatch play-pause	Toggle play/pause
media dispatch next	Next track
media dispatch previous	Previous track

Media Scanner

Command	Description
am broadcast -a android.intent.action.MEDIA_SCANNER_SCAN_FILE -d file://<path>	Refresh single file in media database

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14. Input Method (Keyboard)

Command	Description
ime list -s	List installed input methods (short)
ime list -a	List all input methods (detailed)
ime set <input_method_id>	Switch to specific keyboard
ime enable <input_method_id>	Enable an input method
ime disable <input_method_id>	Disable an input method

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15. App Shortcuts (cmd shortcut)

Command	Description
cmd shortcut get-shortcuts <package>	Get app shortcuts (long-press menu)
cmd shortcut reset-all-throttling	Reset shortcut rate limiting

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16. Miscellaneous System Commands

Power & Reboot

Command	Description
reboot	Reboot device
reboot recovery	Reboot into recovery
reboot bootloader	Reboot into bootloader
svc power shutdown	Shut down device
svc power reboot	Reboot device (alt)

Time & Date

Command	Description
date	Get current date/time
date +%s	Unix timestamp

Wallpaper

Command	Description
cmd wallpaper set-live-wallpaper <component>	Set live wallpaper

Device Admin

Command	Description
cmd device_policy	Device policy info
cmd user list	List device users

UI Automator (Testing)

Command	Description
uiautomator dump /dev/tty	Dump accessibility XML to stdout
uiautomator dump /sdcard/ui.xml	Dump to file

Bug Report

Command	Description
bugreport	Generate full bug report
dumpstate	Dump system state

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Common Permission Strings

For use with pm grant / pm revoke:

Permission	Description
android.permission.CAMERA	Camera access
android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO	Microphone access
android.permission.READ_CONTACTS	Read contacts
android.permission.WRITE_CONTACTS	Write contacts
android.permission.READ_SMS	Read SMS messages
android.permission.SEND_SMS	Send SMS
android.permission.READ_CALL_LOG	Read call history
android.permission.READ_CALENDAR	Read calendar
android.permission.WRITE_CALENDAR	Write calendar
android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION	GPS location
android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION	Approximate location
android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE	Read storage
android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE	Write storage
android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE	Phone state info
android.permission.CALL_PHONE	Make phone calls
android.permission.READ_MEDIA_IMAGES	Read images (Android 13+)
android.permission.READ_MEDIA_VIDEO	Read videos (Android 13+)
android.permission.READ_MEDIA_AUDIO	Read audio (Android 13+)
android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS	Show notifications (Android 13+)

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ADB Commands (Non-Shell)

These run directly via adb (not adb shell):

Command	Description
adb devices	List connected devices
adb devices -l	List with device details
adb connect <ip>:<port>	Connect over WiFi
adb disconnect	Disconnect all WiFi devices
adb push <local> <remote>	Upload file to device
adb pull <remote> <local>	Download file from device
adb install <path.apk>	Install APK from computer
adb install -r <path.apk>	Reinstall keeping data
adb uninstall <package>	Uninstall app
adb logcat	Stream device logs
adb forward tcp:<local> tcp:<remote>	Port forward
adb reverse tcp:<remote> tcp:<local>	Reverse port forward
adb tcpip 5555	Switch to WiFi debug mode
adb usb	Switch back to USB mode
adb reboot	Reboot device
adb reboot recovery	Boot to recovery
adb reboot bootloader	Boot to bootloader
adb get-state	Device state (device/offline)
adb get-serialno	Get serial number
adb bugreport <path>	Capture bug report to file
adb backup -all	Full device backup
adb restore <backup.ab>	Restore from backup
adb shell	Interactive shell