Adbutils

Common errors

• ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'adbutils'

  cause The 'adbutils' module is not installed or not accessible in the current Python environment.
  fix Ensure 'adbutils' is installed by running 'pip install adbutils' and verify it's in the correct Python environment.

• AttributeError: 'APK' object has no attribute 'get_main_activities'

  cause The 'apkutils' library version is incompatible, missing the 'get_main_activities' method.
  fix Downgrade 'apkutils' to a compatible version by running 'pip install apkutils==1.0.0'.

• adbutils.errors.AdbError: FAIL

  cause This is a generic ADB command failure, often encountered during file transfer operations like `device.sync.push()`, indicating that the underlying ADB server reported a failure without a more specific error code.
  fix Verify the source and destination paths, ensure the device has sufficient storage and permissions for the operation, and check the ADB logs for more detailed error messages. Sometimes, restarting the ADB server (`adb kill-server` then `adb start-server`) or the device can resolve transient issues.

• RuntimeError: Multiple devices connected, but no serial specified

  cause When multiple Android devices or emulators are connected, calling `adbutils.adb.device()` without specifying a `serial` argument is ambiguous, and `adbutils` raises this error to prevent an arbitrary device from being selected.
  fix Specify the `serial` number of the target device when calling `adb.device()`, for example: `d = adb.device(serial='YOUR_DEVICE_SERIAL_NUMBER')`. You can get a list of connected devices and their serials using `adb.device_list()`.

Warnings

• gotcha Adbutils relies on the `adb` server (from Android SDK Platform Tools). Incompatibilities can arise between `adbutils` and specific `adb` server versions, leading to unexpected errors or connection issues.
  Fix: Ensure `adbutils` is updated to the latest version (>=2.9.2 provides better compatibility with `adb 1.0.39` and newer). If issues persist, try updating your system's Android SDK Platform Tools or checking the `adbutils` GitHub issues for specific version recommendations.
• gotcha Older versions of `adbutils` might suffer from connection or socket leaks, especially when using `shell v2` or `create_connection`, leading to resource exhaustion over time.
  Fix: Upgrade to `adbutils` version 2.9.4 or higher to benefit from fixes addressing socket and connection leaks.
• gotcha When installing APKs using `device.install()`, ensure compatibility with the `apkutils` library. Specifically, `adbutils` versions prior to 2.11.0 had compatibility issues with `apkutils 2.0.1`.
  Fix: Upgrade `adbutils` to version 2.11.0 or newer to ensure proper functionality with `apkutils 2.0.1` and later versions for APK installation features.
• gotcha On Windows, older versions of `adbutils` could encounter `PermissionError` when attempting to download APKs.
  Fix: Update `adbutils` to version 2.11.0 or newer to resolve known Windows `PermissionError` issues during APK downloads.
• gotcha The `device.send_keys()` method had a bug where it would not correctly process input strings containing a dot ('.').
  Fix: Upgrade `adbutils` to version 2.11.0 or newer to fix the `send_keys` behavior when the input contains a dot.

Install

• pip install adbutils Install latest version

Imports

• adbutils

  import adbutils

  The primary entry point is typically the `adb` object within the `adbutils` module.

Quickstart

This quickstart code demonstrates how to list connected ADB devices, retrieve device properties, execute shell commands, and push a file to a device. It also includes logic to ensure the ADB server is running. Requires at least one ADB-enabled Android device connected and properly configured.

import adbutils

# Get a list of connected devices
devices = adbutils.adb.devices()
if devices:
    print(f"Connected devices: {len(devices)}")
    for i, d in enumerate(devices):
        print(f"  Device {i}: {d.serial} (status: {d.status})")
        # Example: Get a device object by serial or index
        if i == 0:
            device = d
            print(f"  First device model: {device.getprop('ro.product.model')}")
            # Example: Execute a shell command
            output = device.shell("echo Hello from device").strip()
            print(f"  Shell output: {output}")
            # Example: Push a file (requires a dummy file)
            try:
                with open('test.txt', 'w') as f:
                    f.write('This is a test file.')
                device.sync.push('test.txt', '/sdcard/test.txt')
                print('  Pushed test.txt to /sdcard/test.txt')
                device.shell('rm /sdcard/test.txt') # Clean up
                print('  Cleaned up /sdcard/test.txt')
            except Exception as e:
                print(f"  Could not push/cleanup test.txt (ignored for quickstart): {e}")
else:
    print("No ADB devices found. Make sure ADB server is running and devices are connected.")

# Ensure the ADB server is running
if not adbutils.adb.server_version():
    print("ADB server not running. Starting it...")
    adbutils.adb.start_server()
    print("ADB server started.")
else:
    print("ADB server is already running.")