What is USB Debugging or Debugging Mode on Android?

On more than one occasion we have surely been able to observe, within the system settings, an option called USB Debugging, Developer mode, or USB debugging mode, believing that this was a feature that was only useful to advance Android users or application developers. But nothing could be further from reality. In this article we will know how the Android USB debugging mode can become an indispensable ally for certain repair tasks of the operating system of a smartphone or tablet.

 

Undoubtedly, the range of functions that Android offers to its users is quite extensive, and many of which are advanced tools, that is, they are useful for everything that has to do with the internal functioning and problems related to evil. Android performance.

What is USB debugging mode?

Basically it is a transparent method of connecting an Android device to a PC with Android SDK installed in order to establish a bridge from where the user will carry out deep maintenance and control tasks of a smartphone or tablet, that is, tasks that they cannot normally be performed from the device.

 

These tasks are usually related to the development and testing of new applications, but if we are not software developers for Android, what can it do for us?

The short answer is: For little. But the little is extremely useful, since through USB debugging we can have levels of access and control to the device in a way that we would not normally have. As an example we can cite the possibility of taking snapshots or screenshots, executing terminal commands with ADB, backing ack up data or installing a new ROM, all of which can be very helpful to restore and reboot a smartphone or tablet. with Android. It should be noted that it is also necessary to be able to root a device.

 

What we need to know about USB debugging mode

Surely at this point in the article we will have noticed that the USB debugging mode is not something that should or needs to be used regularly, in the event that we do not dedicate ourselves to the development of Android applications, but it is a tool that can save us plenty of time when trying to fix a problem . In this sense, then it is best to leave it disabled until we really need it or some application requests its use.

 

Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and USB debugging mode

While it doesn’t seem to respond to any logical cause, in the latest version of Android, Jelly Bean , the USB debugging mode has disappeared, at least from the usual location. From this version, and to enable the developer options in Android 4.2, we will have to scroll to “Settings” , and then click on “About the tablet” or “About the phone” as the case may be.

 

After that, we press 7 times on the “Build Number” item , which will allow us to see, after a certain time, a notification indicating that we are already developers.

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