Gold Ayan's Tinker Garage

Before trying this, ensure both laptop and android phone is on same network. On the Google Pixel 9 (running Android 14 or 15), there is no single default port for wireless debugging. Instead, the port number is randomized every time you enable the feature or reboot the device.

This is a security feature introduced in Android 11 to prevent unauthorized remote access. To find your specific port and connect, follow the steps below.

Before you are planning to follow the below instruction, enable Developer options in settings. Tap Build number until developer option is enabled message popup.

Enabling Wireless debugging

  1. Go to Settings > System > Developer options.
  2. Scroll down to the Debugging section and tap the text "Wireless debugging" (not just the toggle).
  3. Look under IP address & Port. You will see something like:

> `192.168.1.15:43215` > (In this example, *43215 is the port you need).*

First time pairing

If this is your first time connecting this computer to your Pixel 9, you must "Pair" before you can "Connect." Note that the Pairing Port and the Connection Port are usually different.

  1. In the Wireless debugging menu, tap Pair device with pairing code.
  2. On your computer, run:

`adb pair [IPADDRESS]:[PAIRINGPORT]`

  1. Enter the 6-digit code shown on your phone.
  2. Once paired, use the main port shown on the previous screen to connect:

`adb connect [IPADDRESS]:[CONNECTIONPORT]`

Below is a fun little experiment using nmap

To find the pairing port using `nmap`, you need to scan the specific range of ports that Android uses for wireless debugging. On the Pixel 9 (and other Android 11+ devices), these ports are typically found in the high range between 30000 and 49999.

Note that there are two different ports: the Connection Port (the main one on the Wireless Debugging screen) and the Pairing Port (the one that appears only when you click "Pair device with pairing code").

The Nmap Command

To find the open port on your Pixel 9, use the following command (replace `192.168.1.XX` with your phone's actual IP address): 

nmap -p 30000-49999 192.168.1.XX

Speeding up the scan:

Since you only care about "Open" ports, you can use a faster "Stealth" scan and filter the results: 

sudo nmap -sS -p 30000-49999 --open 192.168.1.XX

How to distinguish between the ports

When you run the scan, you might see one or two ports open:

  1. The Connection Port: This port is active as long as "Wireless Debugging" is toggled ON. It is used for the `adb connect` command.
  2. The Pairing Port: This port only opens when you are physically looking at the "Pair device with pairing code" popup on your phone. If you close that popup, the port closes.

Pro Tip: If you see two ports open, the higher number is usually the pairing port, but the safest way to know is to run the scan once with the pairing popup closed, and once with it open. The "new" port that appears is your pairing port.

One-Liner to Pair and Connect

If you have `nmap` and `awk` installed, you can use this bash one-liner to find the port and connect automatically: 

# To Connect (after you have already paired once)
PHONE_IP="192.168.1.XX"
adb connect $PHONE_IP:$(nmap -p 30000-49999 $PHONE_IP | awk "/\/tcp/ {print \$1}" | cut -d/ -f1)

How to use the "Classic" Port 5555

If you need a static port (like the traditional 5555) because your script or tool requires it, you can force it manually using a USB cable once:

  1. Connect your Pixel 9 to your computer via USB.

  2. Open your terminal and run: 

    adb tcpip 5555
  3. Disconnect the USB cable.
  4. You can now connect wirelessly using:

`adb connect [YOURIPADDRESS]:5555`

You will get a conformation in device to allow debugging, once it is allowed. You are good to go. Check if the adb is connect via tcp 

adb devices

> [!WARNING] > This manual port setting will reset to random/disabled if you reboot your phone.

Important Considerations

  • Unlocked Screen: Sometimes the wireless debugging service goes into a "sleep" state. Ensure your phone screen is on and unlocked while running the scan.
  • mDNS Alternative: Android actually broadcasts these ports via mDNS. If you have the `mdns-scan` tool or use `adb mdns check`, you can often find the port without a full nmap scan. Command: `adb mdns services`

Always on display

To make your phone screen ON and unlocked, I used a app called Caffinate from F-droid

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