Many Android users and developers deal with situations where your phone or tablet needs to be restarted repeatedly for testing, debugging, or recovery purposes. Navigating through menu options can be a drain on productivity. Fortunately, the Android Debug Bridge offers a efficient and reliable way to automate device reboots using command-line workflows. With just a few lines of code, you can define automated reboot triggers, launch reboots in response to logs or errors, or even CD pipelines.

To get started, you must activate Developer Mode and USB Debugging on your Android device. This setting is located under Developer Options in the System Preferences. If you are missing Developer Options, you can unlock it by clicking seven times in the About Phone section. Once USB debugging is enabled, plug in your Android to your computer via USB and open a terminal. Run the command adb list-devices to verify device recognition. If your device appears with a device ID, you’re set up and good to go.

The basic command to reboot a device is adb shell reboot. Typing this into your terminal will instantly restart your connected device. To simplify this process, you can create a simple script. On Windows, create a .bat script named restart.bat with the content call adb reboot. On macOS or Linux, create a .sh file named reboot-device.sh with the same line and apply chmod with sudo chmod +x.. Now you can trigger a restart with one click instead of repeating the input.

For sophisticated scripting, you can chain multiple commands. For example, you might want to delete a package, cycle power, and restore. A script could look like this: adb shell pm uninstall com.example.app && adb reboot && sleep 20 && adb install.. The delay function gives the device enough time to power on completely before attempting to restore the APK again. You can fine-tune the wait time based on your device’s reboot latency.

You can even schedule automatic reboots using your system’s cron. On Windows, use Scheduled Tasks to trigger the.bat every day at 3 a.m.. On macOS or Linux, use cron to define a periodic restart. For example, adding to to your scheduled jobs will trigger a nightly reboot at 3 AM. This is highly beneficial devices operating continuously like IoT devices.

When working with multiple devices, you can specify which device to reboot by using its device ID. First, list all connected devices with adb shell devices. Then use adb -s reboot to isolate control. This is helpful in multi-device setups where several devices are connected.

Keep in mind that some devices may require a specific USB driver or may lose connection post-restart if USB debugging is turned off upon restart. Most modern Android versions handle this well, but testing your setup beforehand is strongly advised. Also, http://hackmd.io minimize power cycles as it may reduce the lifespan of the device's storage.

Automating reboots with ADB not only saves time but also ensures uniformity in development workflows. Whether you are a developer testing app behavior after a restart or an IT administrator managing a fleet, these scripts convert a repetitive burden into a seamless part of your workflow. With zero extra software and a single script, you can achieve precise oversight of your Android devices remotely via PC.