ADBnox

ADBnox Advanced User Guide

This guide covers ADBnox v3.0.

1. Installing and first launch

Install ADBnox on your phone. The watch app is bundled inside the phone APK. On first launch notifications are requested: connection state, install progress and the pairing code use notifications.

  • Tabs: Send (installing), Device (connections), Tools (all ADB tools), Settings.
  • The dot at the top right shows the connection; tapping it opens the Device tab.
  • Change the language under Settings › Language (Turkish / English / system).

2. Connecting to a device

ADBnox never scans Wi-Fi by itself; start it with Device › Search the network. Every device you connect to is saved with its IP and port under Saved devices; on launch the last one is tried once.

  • Wear OS watch / Android 11+ phone: Settings › Developer options › Wireless debugging. For the first connection tap “Pair device with pairing code” and enter the 6-digit code in ADBnox under Pair with code.
  • Android TV / box: enable “ADB over network” in developer options and connect to IP:5555; accept the prompt on screen.
  • USB OTG: enable USB debugging on the target, connect with an OTG adapter, accept ADBnox’s USB permission and “Allow USB debugging?” on the target. Devices without an ADB interface are listed with the reason.
  • Port changed? Wireless debugging may pick a new port after a restart. Edit the saved device with the pencil or tap Search the network; the entry updates itself.
  • No Wi-Fi? Turn on the phone’s hotspot and connect the watch/TV to it; wireless debugging works over the hotspot too.

💡 The link is kept alive in the background with a notification; if it drops, ADBnox retries the same address, then searches the network.

3. Managing this phone (Shizuku / own ADB)

You can connect the ADB tools to the phone ADBnox runs on: Device › This phone.

  • With Shizuku: start Shizuku, tap “Connect with Shizuku” and allow. Once started, Shizuku keeps running without Wi-Fi until a reboot.
  • With wireless debugging: enable Wireless debugging → tap Pair in ADBnox → open “Pair device with pairing code” → pull down the notification shade and type the code into the ADBnox notification. Afterwards Connect is enough.
  • While connected, installs can be Silent (no dialog), and “Apps on this phone” gains stop, disable, clear data, permission switches and suspend.

4. Installing APKs

Pick files on the Send tab or tap an APK/APKS/XAPK/APKM in your file manager. A single file opens the quick install sheet.

  • Installed: update / same version / downgrade, whether the signature matches (otherwise Android refuses the update), target SDK, size, installer store, added and removed permissions (sensitive ones marked).
  • Not installed: required Android, target SDK, architectures, number of files, hardware features, signature fingerprint and all permissions.
  • Target: This phone (Android installer), Silent (Shizuku/own ADB) or the connected Device. Install in background shows progress in a notification and asks for confirmation by notification when needed.
  • Method (Send): ADB, Watch app (Wi-Fi, falling back to Bluetooth) or This phone.
  • Library: scans APKs and bundles on the phone with New, Update, Installed, Older filters, and transfers watch builds of installed phone apps.
  • Install options: -r, -t, -d, -g flags; report as installed by Play Store, Galaxy Store, F-Droid, Aurora, Amazon or ADBnox; current user only; allow very old apps on Android 14+.
  • After installing: open the app after a cancellable 3-second countdown and delete the source file (Settings).

5. VirusTotal

Enter your own free API key under Settings › VirusTotal. Chosen APKs are looked up by SHA-256 automatically; the file itself is not sent.

  • Unknown files can be uploaded and scanned with Upload and scan (up to 650 MB).
  • The Details sheet shows the verdict, malicious/suspicious/harmless/undetected counts, threat label, first seen and last analysis, submissions, community score, tags and every engine’s result.
  • With Strict mode an app reported as malicious by any engine is not installed.
  • Installed device apps can be checked too (the hash is computed over ADB). The free key allows 4 requests a minute; ADBnox waits and retries.

6. Managing apps

There are two screens: Apps on this phone (no ADB needed) and Device apps (ADB).

  • List: icon, name, version, APK/data/cache size, installer store; sort by name, size or last update; user/system/disabled filters.
  • Actions: open, stop, clear data/cache, disable/enable, uninstall (remove/restore for the user on system apps), switch permissions, back up the APK (split apps as .apks).
  • Advanced: background running, battery-optimisation exemption, suspend, archive on Android 15+.
  • Start-up management: per app start at boot, auto-start in background, background running, disable, suspend and individual boot receivers.

7. Debloat and speed up

Tools › Debloat & speed up shows suggestions for the device type (watch, TV/box, phone, tablet) that are actually installed.

  • Nothing is deleted; apps are disabled with pm disable-user and come back with their data via Enable again or Restore all.
  • “Safe” items can be selected in one tap; do not disable “Check first” items (payments, casting, assistant) if you use them.
  • Speed-ups: faster animations, closing background apps, clearing caches, optimising apps (dexopt). A restart is recommended afterwards.

8. Device tools

  • Logs: live coloured logcat with level, tag, text and app filters; pause and save.
  • Terminal: device and local tabs; ESC/TAB/Ctrl/arrow keys; snippets; separate local/remote aliases; text size, theme, history and output limits, environment variables.
  • Files: browse, download/upload, create folders, rename, delete, install an APK on the device.
  • Remote and keyboard: TV D-pad, media, volume, power; type from the phone (live typing), vibration setting.
  • Screen: screenshots (delayed and live view), screen recording with countdown and early stop.
  • Device: info, resolution/DPI, animations, stay awake, orientation and auto-rotate, unlocking (power, no code, PIN), Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/data/NFC/airplane mode, screen timeout, volumes, bug report, reboot/power off.
  • Battery: level, health percentage (Samsung BSOH/ASOC), cycles, design/current capacity, current, temperature, manufacturing date; battery simulation (level, charging state).
  • Storage, Running apps, Monitor, Diagnostics, Properties and settings (with favourites and change history).

9. Web panel (managing from a computer)

Settings › Web interface › Start web interface. Open the address shown (e.g. http://192.168.1.20:8080) in a browser on the same network.

  • Sign-in: 6-digit PIN, user name + password (at least 8 characters; only a hash is stored) or QR only. Scanning the page’s QR with ADBnox (“Scan browser QR”) approves sign-in in every mode.
  • Dashboard: phone and connected device status, battery, storage. Install: drag and drop; to this phone, the connected device, or to open in the app.
  • Apps, Devices, Screen & remote, Files, Terminal, History pages.
  • Security: local network only; Host check, CSRF protection, HttpOnly/SameSite cookie, strict CSP, 5-minute lock after 5 wrong attempts; sessions end after 30 idle minutes. Actions that need the phone’s screen are confirmed by notification.

💡 Stop the server with “Stop” in its notification when you do not need it.

10. The watch app

The watch app is the fallback for installing without ADB: the phone offers the APK and the watch fetches it over Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth (Wear Data Layer) if Wi-Fi is unreachable. Install it once with Device › Install watch app.

11. Troubleshooting

  • Cannot connect: keep the watch screen on; the port may have changed (Search the network); a pairing code is valid only while the pairing dialog is open.
  • “Different signature”: the installed app was signed with another key; it has to be uninstalled first (its data is lost).
  • Short screen recording: Android records frames only when the screen changes; a still screen gives a shorter video.
  • USB device listed but not connecting: the target must be in USB device (not host) mode and accept the prompt.
  • No battery health: some makers do not expose these values over ADB.
  • Web panel does not open: the phone and computer must be on the same network; if 8080 is busy 8081–8089 is used (see the address in Settings).