Connect an Android Device

ZKite uses the standard Android Debug Bridge (adb) to discover target devices, install runtime previews, and stream development logs.

1. Enable Developer Options & USB Debugging

On your physical Android phone:

1. Open Settings > About Phone.
2. Tap Build Number 7 times until you see the prompt “You are now a developer!”.
3. Go back to Settings > System (or Developer options).
4. Turn on USB Debugging.
5. (Optional but recommended): Enable Stay Awake while charging to keep the screen active during development sessions.

2. Connect and Authorize USB Debugging

1. Plug your phone into your computer using a quality data cable (a charging-only cable will not show data transport).
2. Unlock your phone.
3. A modal dialog will appear on your phone:

   Allow USB debugging? Computer’s RSA key fingerprint: xx:xx:...

4. Check “Always allow from this computer” and tap Allow.

3. Verify Connection in the Terminal

Run the following command in your terminal:

adb devices

You should see your device listed as device:

List of devices attached
35291FDJ2000AB    device

Troubleshooting Device States

• If it says unauthorized: Unlock your phone and accept the USB authorization dialog.
• If the list is empty:
  • On Linux: Ensure your user has permissions for /dev/bus/usb (add appropriate udev rules).
  • On Windows: Open Device Manager and install your phone manufacturer’s ADB USB driver.

4. Selecting Multiple Devices

If you have both a physical phone and an emulator running simultaneously:

# Explicitly choose target device using its serial ID
zkite dev --serial 35291FDJ2000AB

# Or set an environment variable
export ANDROID_SERIAL=35291FDJ2000AB