Android ADB not detecting device in Mac OS X although device is detected by Android File Transfer

Question

After installing android studio, I installed ADB as well. However, for some reason ADB doesn't detect my device. To make a note I think I have done all the basic stuff I found online, i.e.:

Set device in Developer mode and enable USB debugging
Cable works well (Android file transfer automatically opens when I connect the device)
Installed Java JDK 8
I have done 'adb kill-server', restarted my device and Mac but still not working

I'm using Android Studio 2.2 and running Mac OS X Sierra on my Laptop, and the android phone is running Android 5.0.1 (on an LG Phone)

NB: I have tried the other solutions on stack overflow but thats not the problem.

ADB (is installed) and works from the command line, but when I run :

'adb usb' command, it says 'error: no devices/emulators found'
'adb devices' command, it prints 'List of devices attached' with an empty line beneath.

I believe this is a specific issue and the general solutions to install ADB or restart doesn't work here as I have tried all that.

I have removed and reinstalled android studio, still not working.
I have removed and reinstalled adb and adb & fastboot, still not working.
I have restarted my device, disabled and re-enabled developer mode, still not working.
Obviously, I have unplugged and plugged the cable back in several times, still not working (only Android File Transfer keeps coming up)

Just in case, I have rooted my device, could that be the problem or that doesn't matter?

@PriyaJagtap can you post a link fro where we can download **Universal adb driver** for Mac OS X. I couldn't found any after googling it. — Rahul Sharma, Nov 29 '16 at 04:44
Here is a complete solution try this , http://stackoverflow.com/questions/31374085/installing-adb-on-mac-os-x — Priya Jagtap, Nov 29 '16 at 04:46
Thank you @RahulSharma . Hope this will solve problem of A-Majeed. — Priya Jagtap, Nov 29 '16 at 04:58
Doesn't work says no such file or directory exist for both mv commands in the script when I ran it. — A-Majeed, Nov 29 '16 at 05:38
[This](https://stackoverflow.com/a/47981623/1222674) worked for me! Simply changed the cable! — Saru, Dec 26 '17 at 17:13

score 67 · Answer 1 · edited Nov 13 '20 at 08:56

67

You basically need to set the USB mode to PTP mode instead of Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) mode.

When I connected the device via USB the USB icon and Debugging Mode Icon appeared on the status bar on the device.

If you open control center by swiping down from the top, you should see a "Media device MTP" - Tap for more USB options. Tap it and switch the mode to "Send Images (PTP)" mode and it should ask you if you want to enable USB debugging. Enable it and the device should be recognized by ADB and Android Studio now.

edited Nov 13 '20 at 08:56

Willi Mentzel

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answered Nov 29 '16 at 06:17

A-Majeed

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This worked for me too. I had no issues for a long time, but suddenly found that my Android phone was not being detected on my MacBook. Now, whenever I have a similar issue, I "open control centre by swiping from the top" and then toggle MTP off/on and it seems to fix the issue for me – Various Artist Mar 16 '17 at 17:44
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Didn't work for me. I'm using a Galaxy S4. Any other advice? – Josep Valls Apr 05 '17 at 15:27
Didn't work for me too, i got this problem after install tizen studio – Muklas Jul 22 '17 at 08:28
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I had to switch my Pixel 2 to "USB tethering" for it to register in Android Studio – Kim T Jan 10 '19 at 23:04
Worked for me on Samsung S9. I had to choose "Charging only" as USB option for some reason. – Ariel Vardi Aug 21 '19 at 20:38
I've been looking for this answer for ages, this solved my problem entirely!!!!! – ludacris2k4 Nov 08 '19 at 18:05
thanks this made it work on pixel 6 – CommonSenseCode Dec 02 '21 at 22:56

score 29 · Answer 2 · edited Nov 13 '20 at 09:01

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I just clean installed my MBP and encountered the same issue. I tried the things suggested here but nothing worked.

What I had to do to fix it was "Revoke USB debugging authorizations" from the Developer options.

Once I did that, it offered up the usual "did you want to allow debugging on this device" option, and everything was back to normal.

edited Nov 13 '20 at 09:01

Willi Mentzel

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answered Nov 01 '17 at 14:37

David Mariner

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After half an hour and doing everything, THIS fixed it! Actually, this, plus then changing the USB port going into the computer. – Brad Caldwell Jan 06 '18 at 03:30

score 16 · Answer 3 · edited Nov 13 '20 at 09:03

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I was already in USB debugging enabled state and also had switched USB configuration to PTP. It was still in always charging mode no matter what I do. I had even reinstalled all Android related stuff, tried on multiple devices to find a fix. Finally what worked for me was getting a new cable.

I had posted a question here (now marked as duplicate) since these answers didn't suffice my situation.

edited Nov 13 '20 at 09:03

Willi Mentzel

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answered Jun 17 '18 at 03:12

ishandutta2007

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In fact, my problem was the cable. Tried another one and instantly worked :) – Jmakuc Oct 12 '18 at 01:04
Once again - the cable. I have a cable that works sometimes. Not today! Tried a whole bunch of cables lying around the office until I found one that worked. That was after rebooting phone and laptop, trying different port, telling Android to forget the pairing, etc. – Andy Weinstein Jan 30 '20 at 09:51
Some cables don't transfer data, they'll only charge the device, so be sure to check that. ...and now I see that the answer right below me is saying the same thing lol – Sakiboy Nov 23 '20 at 23:43

TechnoTim · Answer 4 · 2019-05-03T22:16:46.167

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Go to developer options and enable USB Debugging:

Settings > More > Developer Options > Debugging > USB Debugging.

Note:

You have to enable developer mode on your phone first

edited May 03 '19 at 22:16

answered Nov 04 '17 at 17:27

TechnoTim

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score 5 · Answer 5 · answered Aug 27 '18 at 19:08

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If anyone is still having problems, consider the cable you are using. Not all USB cables are created equal! Some will charge but not allow data transfer. See this post.

answered Aug 27 '18 at 19:08

drkvogel

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Had this problem, swapping cable out was the fix for me. Fortunately I have a drawer full of all sorts of cables lol. – PsychoMantis Jan 03 '21 at 01:19

score 5 · Answer 6 · answered May 10 '19 at 16:57

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In my case, the problem was that developer mode went away after doing an Android system update. Double-check developer mode and USB debugging settings.

answered May 10 '19 at 16:57

pzulw

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score 3 · Answer 7 · answered Aug 12 '19 at 21:50

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I tried everything on my MBP but failed to fix the issue. Finally, with the least expectation, I reset my MBP's SMC, and everything is back to normal!!! https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295

answered Aug 12 '19 at 21:50

Zhiyun Li

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Thanks a lot! After hours of trying everything, I can't believe that the solution was that simple. Thank you. – VGM Dec 24 '20 at 09:37

score 3 · Answer 8 · answered Aug 22 '19 at 12:15

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Make sure no other services are trying to access the device via adb. For me, I was using chrome inspect for checking the network requests. When I closed that window studio automatically detected the device.

answered Aug 22 '19 at 12:15

Rohit P Soman

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score 3 · Answer 9 · answered Sep 30 '21 at 09:22

Yeah, this one's tricky! Enabling Developer Options on your device is just a half of the procedure. Now you need to go to:

Settings > System > Advanced > Developer Options > Revoke USB Debugging Authorizations

Also check the cable - some are just for charging, no data can pass trough.

score 1 · Answer 10 · answered Jul 30 '21 at 09:41

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Please use the correct USB-C cable that came with the phone/device. Also, this can happen if incompatible converter is used, but this is less likely.

answered Jul 30 '21 at 09:41

Codistan

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score 0 · Answer 11 · answered May 14 '21 at 06:03

Add “platform-tools” to your PATH variable by invoking the following in the Terminal (make sure to change the file path to reflect where you placed the folder “platform-tools” on your system):

echo 'export PATH=$PATH:~/SDKs/android-sdk-macosx/platform-tools/' >> ~/.bash_profile

Execute the following command to reload your bash profile (this applies the change to the PATH variable):

source ~/.bash_profile

Note: The PATH variable is the search path for commands. It is a list of directories, each separated by a colon, in which the shell looks for commands. To see what values are currently in your PATH variable, use the following:

echo $PATH


adb devices

It should return something like this (if you have one Android device attached):

List of devices attached
212304114c28b9e device

SagaRock101 · Answer 12 · 2021-07-19T05:18:53.853

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I tried all of the above and the only thing that helped me was

to change the USB port and also change the data cable.

I was actually using a converter from USB type to C type at the connecting end to mac port

I think the converter corrupted the mac port. This was for Macbook Pro

update

I also tried doing a soft reset of the SMC and worked like a charm after that.

edited Jul 19 '21 at 05:18

answered Jul 18 '21 at 18:14

SagaRock101

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score 0 · Answer 13 · answered Sep 13 '21 at 12:18

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I face the same problem with my One+ device and after trying everything mentioned above , still was not able to conenct . But finally after enabling "OTG storage" option in System , it works.

it might be different for different custom devices . so ultimately you have to look for an option which gives a notification in device when you conenct and disconenct your device with system.

answered Sep 13 '21 at 12:18

sandeep Kumar

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Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers [in the help center](/help/how-to-ask). – Community Sep 13 '21 at 13:22

score 0 · Answer 14 · answered Dec 29 '21 at 14:37

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This happened to me on initial setup. I noticed that Gradle sync was taking a long time, so I waited for it to fully sync, then my device magically became available!

answered Dec 29 '21 at 14:37

Julian K

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score 0 · Answer 15 · answered Jul 18 '23 at 16:30

Posting my odd solution here since I wasted some time on this and tried almost everything and then this worked! lol. So maybe it helps someone.

So I literally just switched over the connection of my cable from the right side of the Mac over to the left hand side and then it worked! Android Studio recognized my device.

Details of my situation:

2019 Macbook on Ventura 13.4.1 Android Device running 8.1 Regular USB to USB C cable, along with an adapter for the regular USB The regular USB with the adapter was plugged into my laptop on left hand side, top port (if it makes any difference here). The USB C part of my cable was plugged into my device.

Hopefully this helps out people!

score -2 · Answer 16 · answered Jan 23 '20 at 17:59

-2

ADB was detecting the device but AS wasn't, I went to Preferences > Build, Execut

answered Jan 23 '20 at 17:59

user3471194

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It happens the same to me, but I don't see you provide any solution, you just give a route to a panel – TrOnNe Mar 26 '20 at 10:58

Android ADB not detecting device in Mac OS X although device is detected by Android File Transfer

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