How to Control an Android Phone From Another Phone

You can control an Android phone from another phone with Wireless debugging. The phone you want to control (Android 11 or newer) pairs over Wi-Fi with the phone in your hand, just as it would with a computer. After that you get an adb shell on it, can restart it, change settings and run saved scripts, without a PC, a cable or root. Both phones must be on the same Wi-Fi network. With ADB Kit this works from Android today. The iPhone app, which adds screen mirroring with touch control, is coming soon.

What "control" means here

ADB gives you the same access a computer gets with USB debugging:

• a shell on the other phone: pm, am, settings, dumpsys, input, reboot,
• changing settings, disabling apps, opening apps, sending key presses,
• restarting it normally or into bootloader or recovery.

It is meant for your own phones: a second phone, a test phone, a family member's phone you set up for them, or a small set of devices. Every target phone must have Wireless debugging switched on and be paired once, with someone holding it. It does not work over the internet, only on the same local network.

Requirements

A hotspot from one of the two phones can serve as the shared Wi-Fi if there is no router. No internet connection is needed.

Step 1: prepare the target phone

1. Join the same Wi-Fi as your phone.
2. Turn on Developer options: tap Build number seven times in About phone (OS version or MIUI version on Xiaomi, Software version on vivo). Per-brand paths: Wireless debugging on Xiaomi, vivo, OPPO, Samsung and more.
3. Open Developer options › Wireless debugging, switch it on and tap Allow.

Step 2: add the phone in ADB Kit

On the phone you hold, open ADB Kit. On Home, the device picker shows This phone. Tap Add phone. Two ways to pair:

With a QR code (easiest)

1. Choose QR code. ADB Kit shows a QR code.
2. On the target phone: Wireless debugging › Pair device with QR code, and scan it.
3. ADB Kit pairs and connects. You see Connected to followed by the phone's name.

If nothing happens, ADB Kit says No phone scanned the code. Try again., or Pairing failed. Tap New code and scan again. QR codes are short-lived, so tap New code for a fresh one.

With a pairing code

1. On the target phone: Wireless debugging › Pair device with pairing code.
2. In ADB Kit, choose Pairing code, type the six digits and tap Pair. ADB Kit shows Looking for it on the network... and finds the phone by itself.
3. If it cannot find it, tap Enter the address instead and type the IP address & port from the pairing dialog.

The target phone's dialog must stay open while you type, which is easy here because you type on the other phone.

Step 3: work on the other phone

Choose the phone in the device picker on Home. Now these tabs run on that phone:

Screen, Monitor, Apps and Dev Check stay on your own phone in the Android app. They are marked Works on this phone only.

The choice is not saved: ADB Kit always starts on This phone, so you never run a command on the wrong device by accident after reopening the app.

Useful commands to run on the other phone

dumpsys battery                    # battery level and temperature
am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d https://example.com   # open a website
input keyevent KEYCODE_HOME        # press Home
settings put system screen_brightness_mode 0   # manual brightness
settings put system screen_brightness 120      # set brightness (0-255)
pm list packages -3                # user-installed apps

Save the ones you repeat as a recipe in Auto script, then run them on any phone with one tap.

When the other phone restarts

The target phone usually turns Wireless debugging off after a restart, and its port changes every time it is switched on. The pairing stays. Switch Wireless debugging on again on that phone, then tap Reconnect in ADB Kit. ADB Kit looks the phone up by its name on the network, so you do not need the new port.

If it cannot connect, it shows Can't reach Pixel 7. Turn on its Wireless debugging. (with your phone's name) To remove a phone, tap Remove next to it in the device picker. Adding it again needs a new pairing.

From an iPhone

The iPhone has no adb of its own, but an iPhone app can still control Android phones on the same Wi-Fi through their Wireless debugging. The ADB Kit iPhone app is coming soon on the App Store. It will offer a shell, screen mirroring with touch control, file upload and download, Monitor, Apps, Auto script and Dev Check for each Android phone you add.

Other ways to control a phone from a phone

• Termux with android-tools on the controlling phone gives you the adb command. You pair and connect by hand with adb pair and adb connect, typing the port each time.
• Screen-sharing apps (remote support apps) mirror the screen over the internet but need an app installed and running on the target phone, and usually an account.
• A computer is still the most complete option, with screen mirroring and file transfer.

Common problems

• The phone is not found. Both phones must be on the same network. Guest Wi-Fi often isolates devices, so try a hotspot from one of the phones.
• Paired, then nothing. ADB Kit shows Paired, but the phone did not answer. Keep Wireless debugging on. The target turned Wireless debugging off or left Wi-Fi.
• Pairing fails over and over. See fix ADB pairing failed.
• Input or permission commands fail on Xiaomi. The target needs USB debugging (Security settings), see Xiaomi security settings.

Safety note

A paired phone can do anything a USB-connected computer can. Only pair phones you own or are allowed to manage, and remove old entries under Wireless debugging › Paired devices on the target when you are done.