In this guide, we will show you the steps to use ADB as well as shell commands in a web browser of your choice. If you are planning to step into custom development, then ADB Commands is the most powerful tool that a tech enthusiast could have in its arsenal. Right from carrying out the basic tweaks of booting to Fastboot, Recovery, and FastbootD Modes to using advanced ADB Shell commands, there are a plethora of tasks that could be executed via these commands.
Moreover, setting it up is quite easy as well. All you need to do is download and extract the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC and then instruct the OS about the environment variable path of this folder platform tools. This only needs to be done once in the beginning and then you can easily execute commands without any issues whatsoever [just make sure to open CMD inside platform tools].
However, there have been a few instances wherein users have tried out all the workarounds but are still unable to execute the required ADB Commands on their PC. In most instances, their PC just refuses to recognize any ADB commands, in spite of the fact that USB Debugging is enabled and the connection with that PC has been established or rather authorized beforehand.
Well, you can now easily put all those doubts to rest, all thanks to WebADB, which allows you to execute ADB Commands directly in a web browser. So without further ado, let me show you how to put this tool to the test right away.
What is WebADB?
As is evident by its name, WebADB allows you to execute the desired ADB Commands of your choice in a Chromium-based web browser. Unfortunately, this also means that Apple’s Safari browser isn’t able to make the cut. Some of the noteworthy features of this tool include the likes of:
- Device Info
- File Manager
- Screen Capture
- Interactive Shell
- Scrcpy
- ADB over WiFi
- Install APK
- Logcat
- Power menu
- Bug Report
- Packet Log
So what exactly has this tool done is to pack most of the features that you would be using via ADB into a predefined set of ADB Commands. For instance, if you want to install an APK file via ADB, then you can simply use the Install APK feature and choose the desired APKK file, instead of having to manually type in the adb install appname.apk command. With that said, let’s now checkmark the below prerequisites, and then get started with WebADB!
Requirements for WebADB
- First off, make sure to enable USB Debugging on your device. For that, go to Settings > System > About Phone > Tap on Build Number 7 times > Then go to Settings > System > Developer Options > Enable USB Debugging.
- Next up, make sure that you don’t have any other instance of ADB commands running in the backend, such as in the CMD window inside platform tools. If that is the case, then close that connection via adb kill-server [see FAQ].
- Lastly, make sure that you’re using a supported web browser, which includes Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Opera. The reason these browsers are supported is they are the only ones to support WebUSB API.
How to Establish a Connection with WebADB
- To begin with, connect your device to your PC via a USB cable.
- Then head over to the WebADB website and click on Add button.
- It will bring up the connected device. Select it and click Connect.
- Again click Connect and the connection now stands established.
Various WebADB Features
- Device Info: It will bring up your product name, device name, and the device codename.
- File Manager: Access all the files on your device, including the Data and the OBB folders!
- Screen Capture: It will take a screenshot of whatever is currently displayed on your device.
- Interactive Shell: Type in the desired ADB Shell Command [the adb shell keyword is already included].
- Scrcpy: It will launch a third-party tool [scrcpy] that allows you to take screenshots and screen record whatever is currently displayed on your screen.
- ADB over WiFi: Allows you to execute ADB Commands wirelessly.
- Install APK: Directly install APK on your device from this interface.
- Logcat: Initiate the command-line tool that will dump a log of system and OS messages.
- Power Menu: launch the Advanced Power menu with options like Reboot to Bootloader [Fastboot], Fastboot [FastbootD], Recovery, Sideload [ADB Sideload], Qualcomm EDL Mode [on phones with Qualcomm chipset], Odin Download Mode [on Samsung Phones], and the usual Reboot and Power Off. Likewise, you can also lock and unlock the device by pressing the Press Power Button option.
- Bug report: Take a bug report of the current OS instance and share it with the intended developer. However, make sure to blur out your confidential information.
That’s it. These were the numerous functionalities that the WebADB beholds in its arsenal and so with that, we round off the guide on how you could use the ADB Commands in a web browser. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution as soon as possible.
How to Fix Error Failed to Execute ClaimInterface on USB Device
As already mentioned before, you might face this “Failed to Execute ClaimInterface on USB Device” error because another instance of ADB is already running in the background. So you should close that server via the adb kill-server command.
