# ADB (Android Debug Bridge)

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/adb/

11 people recommended ADB (Android Debug Bridge) in Hacker News comments, 4 had mixed feelings and 6 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 8 of 12 months, in 11 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Command-line tool for sideloading apps, copying files and running commands on Android devices. Critics warn that enabled debugging exposes devices to attackers.

Summary written by Claude from 19 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Works when other tools fail (3 comments in the sample): "the only one that actually worked was using ADB commands" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48411544)) "Thank god I had adb set up" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48122771)) "For me, ADB to the resuce." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46118883))
- Faster and more reliable file copying (3 comments in the sample): "you can just adb pull it off a phone, no need to hit a dodgy website" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50207468)) "It's easier and more reliable to use adb root to rsync everything." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47586589)) "MTP is slower than adb in my experience" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45874366))
- Removes unwanted preinstalled apps (2 comments in the sample): "which you can usually uninstall from the user partition using ADB/Universal Android Debloater" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48275405)) "the trick I use is that `adb disable-user` still works without root and it works on anything" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49540453))
- Avoids untrusted third-party tools (1 comment in the sample): "Seems far easier to just use ADB.  Especially rather than trusting a codebase you don't know" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47177704))

## What people warn about

- Security risk when debugging enabled (2 comments in the sample): "ADB is also quite dangerous and people can be tricked into giving very invasive access to malware with it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48945805)) "ADB enabled means an adversary can completely own your device" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47940420))
- adb backup buggy and incomplete (1 comment in the sample): "it doesn't back up half the things you need" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47592125))

## Other command-line tools people recommend

- [fzf](https://hackerapproved.com/p/fzf/): 68 recommend, 7 mixed, 5 criticize
- [GitHub CLI](https://hackerapproved.com/p/github-cli/): 66 recommend, 10 mixed, 45 criticize
- [grep](https://hackerapproved.com/p/grep/): 53 recommend, 9 mixed, 19 criticize
- [Atuin](https://hackerapproved.com/p/atuin/): 51 recommend, 6 mixed, 21 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "ADB (Android Debug Bridge)", https://hackerapproved.com/p/adb/ (11 recommend, 4 mixed, 6 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.