adb not connecting to HTC Desire S or Xperia Play

Question

I can connect to my Nexus 7 just fine so I'm not sure what to do here.

Basically when I try to do a command like 'adb logcat' both the Desire S and Xperia Play are not found and the console is stuck saying 'waiting for device'.

Both have USB debugging enabled and are connected through the exact same USB that seems to work for the Nexus 7, the computer does recognize both are connecting as well it just seems they are not identifying themselves to ADB.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

Do you have more than one device connected or emulator running? In that case you should test with "adb devices" to see if it lists everything you expect. Running "adb logcat" when there are multiple devices doesn't work. You have to specify a device with the -s parameter and serial number, or specify an emulator vs. a device if you only have one of each via other parameters.

If you only have one device involved, this is probably a driver issue. The HTC drivers are included with the HTC Sync download here: http://www.htc.com/www/help/ . Although I do not think it is compatible with Windows 8 yet. If you are using that, use the Device Manager to specify the Google driver downloaded through the Android SDK manager and choose the ADB Composite Android Device version.

Another good thing to check is to make sure the devices have USB debugging turned on in their settings, that they show a connection is made in their notification bars, and for the HTC, that the connection type is set to charge only.

Answer 2

I've seen many people who had similar issues with HTC Desire S. Battery charging works when the USB cable is connected, but the device (or the computer) does not see the USB cable as being connected. The solution is simple, disassemble the phone and pull the USB ribbon cable, and attach it again. Apparently the ribbon cable gets loose easily.

You do not have to disassemble the phone completely, it's actually quite easy. You only need to remove the battery, then remove 5 screws from the lower plastic 'cradle' where the battery lock is located. 4 torx head screws as well as one philips head screw. Then remove the plastic and it will reveal an almost square USB ribbon connector (near the USB connector).

See http://www.formymobile.co.uk/htcdesiresdisassembly.php#.VHHYN3Wc3NM for details, but don't follow all the instructions, you don't need to remove the upper body, or the complete frame to fix your USB connector.

Once the ribbon is put back into place, insert the plastic 'cradle' and simply put the 5 screws back into their original position (be careful to use the exact screws, as the 4 torx head screws consist of 2 different types). Put the battery back in and boot the device. You'll see that the USB connection now works as before. Hope this helps !