22 April 2024 Leave a comment Tech-Help
If you’ve encountered an “unauthorized” message when attempting to connect your Android device via ADB on a Windows system, this guide is designed to help you resolve the issue and get back to developing and testing your applications effectively.
Understanding the Issue
When trying to connect your Android device to your Windows machine for debugging purposes, you may come across a message stating that the device is unauthorized. This usually happens after enabling USB debugging and connecting the device to your PC. A common reason for this is that the RSA key fingerprint confirmation dialog, which should appear on your device upon first connection, was either dismissed or not displayed.
Step-by-Step Solution
To resolve this issue, follow these steps:
- Disconnect your Android device from the PC.
- Open the Settings app on your device, navigate to Developer options, and tap on Revoke USB debugging authorizations.
- Re-enable USB debugging.
- Reconnect your device to the PC.
- Execute the command
adb devices
from your command line. - Look out for the RSA key fingerprint confirmation dialog on your device and accept it.
This process resets the authorization state between your development machine and the Android device, ensuring a secure connection can be established.
Additional Troubleshooting Steps
If the above solution does not work, you may need to remove the ADB keys from your system and let them regenerate:
- Navigate to the
.android
directory in your user home folder (e.g.,C:\Users\YourName\.android\
). - Delete or rename the
adbkey
andadbkey.pub
files. - Restart the ADB server using the commands
adb kill-server
and thenadb start-server
. - Reconnect your device and accept the new RSA key fingerprint confirmation dialog.
Repeato – Streamlining Your Testing Process
While troubleshooting ADB device authorization issues, it’s a good time to consider how you can streamline your testing process. Repeato is a no-code test automation tool designed for iOS and Android apps that can significantly enhance your testing workflow. With Repeato, you can:
- Create, run, and maintain automated tests efficiently, thanks to its fast editing and execution capabilities.
- Utilize computer vision and AI for more robust test scenarios.
- Work with various app frameworks, including react-native, flutter, and unity.
- Execute ADB commands via “script steps” to further integrate into your Android development and testing environment.
By incorporating Repeato into your development cycle, you can address ADB authorization issues and improve your overall testing strategy, leading to more reliable and high-quality apps.
Conclusion
Resolving the “device unauthorized” issue in ADB can be straightforward with the right approach. By revoking and reauthorizing USB debugging on your Android device and ensuring the RSA key fingerprint is accepted, you’ll be back to debugging in no time. Additionally, tools like Repeato can help you automate and refine your testing process, making it an essential part of your development toolkit.