When working with ADB, you may encounter communication failures that disrupt your workflow. These problems can stem from multiple underlying causes, but are usually easy to fix once you know where to look. The frequent error is when ADB does not detect your connected device. Start by checking that ADB debugging is enabled on your Android device. You can find this setting under Developer options in the device’s control panel. If Developer Settings is not visible, you can activate it by navigating to About Device and clicking the build number seven consecutive times.

Next, verify that the USB cable you are using is capable of data transmission. Some cables are intended only for power delivery and will prevent ADB communication. Try using a different cable or test the current one with a second Android phone to confirm it works. Also, ensure the device is connected bypassing any intermediaries rather than through a USB hub, as hubs can cause intermittent connectivity.

If the device still does not appear when you run adb shell devices, check whether the correct drivers are installed on your computer. On Windows 10, you might need to update the device-specific drivers from the official support page. On macOS and Linux, the drivers are usually handled automatically, but you may still need to restart the ADB server. To do this, run adb kill-server followed by adb start-server in your terminal.

Sometimes, the ADB server itself gets stuck. If you see devices listed as unauthenticated or no devices at all, try power cycling the phone and PC. You can also clear the ADB authorization by going to Developer Settings on your device and selecting Clear ADB Keys, then reconnecting the device and tapping Allow to enable debugging.

Network connections can also be a source of trouble. If you are connecting via IP mode, make sure both the device and the computer are on the matching LAN. Use adb tcpip --port 5555 to switch the device to TCP mode, then connect using adb connect 192.168.x.x. If the connection fails, check your firewall settings as they may be blocking port 5555.

Lastly, always ensure that your ADB version is up to date. Outdated versions may lack compatibility with recent OS versions that cause frequent disconnections. Download the most recent SDK tools from the Android Developers portal and overwrite the existing binaries in your Android SDK path.

By following these steps, nearly all connectivity issues can be resolved quickly. Always document the exact error messages you see, as they can provide important clues for resolving read more on hackmd.io complex issues.