Android adb command for host, provides a command line option if you want to connect to one specific device using serial number, when you have more than 1 mobile/device is connected over USB or if abd is connected over network. The option for adb is ” -s ” which directs adb command to the device or emulator with the given serial number or qualifier. Overrides ANDROID_SERIAL environment variable.

Implementation details

Check the serial number of the device you want to connect to, $ adb devices List of devices attached B2NGAA8831702707 device1 A4NTXY6734562309 device2 Now, lets say if we want to connect to device1, then use below command, $ adb -s B2NGAA8831702707 shell Above command should connect to first device.

Gotchas and common issues

  • Permission checks - verify user access rights and sudo privileges before executing system-level operations.

  • Environment configuration - double-check path variables and dependency versions to prevent runtime failures.

  • Backup safeguards - maintain configuration backups before applying system or database modifications.

Following these steps ensures clean configuration and reliable execution for use adb shell when multiple devices are connected.