ADB Commands Support

Android Debug Bridge (adb) is a versatile command-line tool that lets users communicate with a device. The adb command facilitates a variety of device actions, such as installing and debugging apps.

LambdaTest provides support for limited commands which can be executed in your app automation test scripts via javascript executors. The following command with the below mentioned parameters need to be used to execute adb command with LambdaTest real device cloud.

driver.execute_script("lambda-adb", params)

Supported Commands

NOTE : All these commands are supported on both Real and Virtual Devices except for the adb shell dumpsys command, which is not supported for Virtual Device.

Swipe

adb shell input swipe Real Device Virtual Device

The command is used to generate a swipe gesture by defining the coordinates of starting and ending point of the swipe. The following is a Python sample of using the adb swipe command with LambdaTest executor.

params = {"command":"input-swipe", "startX":200,"startY":900,"endX": 200,"endY":300}
result = driver.execute_script("lambda-adb",params)

Clipboard

adb shell input sendKeys Real Device Virtual Device

The command is used to sends text as if typed at the keyboard in the real devices. The following is a Python sample of using the adb sendKeys command with LambdaTest executor.

params = {"command":"input-text", "text":"this is my text"}
result = driver.execute_script("lambda-adb",params)

Home Button

• Navigate to the home screen Real Device Virtual Device

The command is used to navigate to the home screen of the device while running an app automation test script. The following is a Python sample of using the adb command to navigate to the home screen with LambdaTest executor.

params = {"command":"keyevent", "keycode":3}
result = driver.execute_script("lambda-adb",params)

Enable/Disable auto rotate

• enableAutoRotate Real Device Virtual Device

  The command is used to auto rotate the screen of the device while running an app automation test script. The following is a Python sample using the adb command to allow auto rotation with LambdaTest executor.

  params = {"command":"autorotate", "enableAutoRotate": True}
  result = driver.execute_script("lambda-adb",params)

ADB Shell Command

• adb shell dumpsys Real Device

  This command is used to obtain detailed information about installed packages on device. When you run this command, it provides a list of information for each package installed on the device. The output includes various details about each package.The following is a Python sample using the adb command:

  params = {"command": "shell", "text": "dumpsys package <package_info>"}
  result = driver.execute_script("lambda-adb",params)

• adb shell getprop Virtual Device

  This command is used to retrieve system properties from an Android device. When executed, it provides a list of key-value pairs representing various system settings and configurations. These properties include information about the device's build, hardware, and other system-related details. The output can be useful for debugging, development or understanding the device's current state. The following is a Python sample using the adb command:

  params = {"command": "shell", "text": "getprop"}
  result = driver.execute_script("lambda-adb",params)

• adb shell ping -c 4 YOUR_URL Virtual Device

  This command is used to test the network connectivity between the Android device and a specified host, such as google.com. When executed it sends four ICMP request packets to the host and wait for responses. The output includes details such as packet transmission time, success rate and round-trip time, which helps diagnose network connectivity and latency issues. The following is a Python sample using the adb command:

  Note : The -c is required in this command

  params = {"command": "shell", "text": "ping -c 4 google.com"}
  result = driver.execute_script("lambda-adb",params)

Enable/Disable Notification

• enableNotification Real Device Virtual Device

  These commands enable or disable your app notifications on the device based on the value provided for enableNotification. True is used to enable notifications, while False is used to disable them. The following is a Python sample using the adb command with LambdaTest executor:

  params = {"command": "enable-notification", "enableNotification":True/False}
  result = driver.execute_script("lambda-adb",params)
  note

  • These commands are compatible with Android versions 13 and above.
  • When you disable app notification permissions using the command, the app go into the background. This behavior occurs due to limitations with ADB, and you need to reactivate the app through test script.

Enable/Disable Battery Optimization

• disableBatteryOptimization Real Device Virtual Device

  This command is used to enable or disable battery optimization for your app on the device. The following is a Python sample using the adb command to disable battery optimization with LambdaTest executor:

  params = {"command":"disable-battery-optimization", "disableBatteryOptimization":True/False}
  result = driver.execute_script("lambda-adb",params)

Fixed-to-User Rotation

• fixedToUserRotation Real Device Virtual Device

  This command serves to lock the screen rotation in alignment with the app's default behavior and user-defined settings. Below is a Python example utilizing the adb command to enforce fixed screen rotation with the LambdaTest executor:

  params = {"command":"fixed-to-user-rotation", "fixedToUserRotation":True}
  result = driver.execute_script("lambda-adb",params)

Disabling Animations on Android Devices Real Device Virtual Device

Disabling animations can enhance test execution speed by preventing unnecessary visual effects. The following commands are used to disable different types of animations:

• adb shell settings put global animator_duration_scale 0: Disables property animation effects, such as object transitions and transformations.

• adb shell settings put global transition_animation_scale 0: Disables window transition animations, making UI transitions instant.

• adb shell settings put global window_animation_scale 0: Disables activity window animations, eliminating fade-in or zoom-in effects.

  These commands set the respective global animation scales to 0, effectively disabling animations.

  Map<String, String> params = Map.of("command", "shell", "text", "settings get global animator_duration_scale");
  androidDriver.executeScript("lambda-adb", params);

Enabling Automatic Timezone and Automatic Time Using ADB Virtual Device App

By default, Automatic Timezone and Automatic Time settings are enabled on the device. These settings ensure that the device updates its time and timezone automatically based on network-provided information. If needed, you can manually enable these settings using ADB shell commands. To enable these settings via ADB, run the following commands:

• settings put global auto_time_zone 1: Enables Automatic Timezone, allowing the device to adjust its timezone based on network data.
• settings put global auto_time 1: Enables Automatic Time, ensuring that the device syncs time automatically from the network.

These commands help maintain accurate time and timezone settings without requiring manual intervention. If you're using Python with LambdaTest’s App Automation, you can execute these commands using the execute_script function:

# Define ADB commands for enabling automatic time and timezone
params_timezone = {"command": "shell", "text": "settings put global auto_time_zone 1"}
params_time = {"command": "shell", "text": "settings put global auto_time 1"}

# Execute commands using LambdaTest's ADB execution method
result_timezone = driver.execute_script("lambda-adb", params_timezone)
result_time = driver.execute_script("lambda-adb", params_time)

This approach is particularly useful when testing applications that rely on correct time settings, ensuring they function properly across different time zones.