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What to Do When Flash Builder 4.5 Doesn't See Your Android Device

Posted on May 05, 2011

One of my favorite aspects of doign mobile development using Flash Builder 4.5 is that in most cases it gracefully handles some of the more annoyingly complicated aspects of the mobile development workflow. For instance, while it isn't overly difficult, pushing compiled apps to your Android device via the Google Android SDK tools was tedious. Typically, you'd have the command line open and use ADB to install to our connected device (having to write out the full disk location for your apk file). However, because Flash Builder includes the necessary SDK tools, once you create a run configuration and choose to run or debug on the connected device, you are generally all set. In fact, Flash Builder 4.5 even comes with the Windows device driver that you need to install in order to use USB debugging on your Android phone. It's easy and painless! Nonetheless, there are times when you connect a device and Flash Builder will inform you that it doesn't see the connected device. This post has some ideas that have worked for me and others that I have shared it with in the past. I encourage you to share any devices that have caused you trouble and any specific solutions that have worked for you that I may not cover here.

Install the Google Android SDK Tools
The tool used to test connected devices as well as install applications on your Android device is called ADB and it does, in fact, come packaged with Flash Builder. You can find it within the 4.5 SDK folder under "lib\android\bin." While you can use this to test connected devices via the command line, I actually download and install the Google Android SDK tools anyway. This probably won't solve your issues but it does give you easy access to manually testing the connection via the command line. It also provides some other useful tools that you may wish to utilize down the road (I often use DDMS for screen captures for instance). First navigate to the location of your Android SDK tools or the Flex SDK folder I mention above and use the following command:

Assuming everything in your Flash Builder installation is dandy, you should simply see "List of devices attached" with nothing below it. If, per chance, it did see your device you might see something like:

I've not run into a case where Flash Builder doesn't see a device but running ADB from the command line does but I suppose anything is possible. If so, I'd probably recommend restarting Flash Builder and, if that fails, reinstalling it. However, I think that scenario is highly unlikely.

Check Out Adobe's Documentation
If you are on a Windows machine it's entirely possible that the necessary device driver is not installed for you. The Flash Builder documentation covers this very well. There is a page focused specifically on connecting Google Android devices that covers both how to install the driver and even how to update the device configurations to add your device if it isn't yet supported. However, I've found myself that this doesn't seem to always work or isn't even the easiest way.

Download Device Specific Drivers
In my recent experience, many companies seem to be providing USB drivers specific to their devices. I personally encountered this with the Samsung Galaxy Tab but also assisted a coworker with a similar issue using a Motorola Atrix. In both cases, grabbing the manufacturer supplied device drivers and installing them immediately resolved the connection issue. If you are looking for these device drivers here's where to find them (I hope to update if others comment with additional info for more devices):

• Motorola Atrix USB Drivers
• Samsung Galaxy Tab (7") USB Drivers (Link on middle of page, registration required)

Share Your Tips
These tips have (so far) solved all of the connection issues that either I or others I know have encountered. However, given the number of devices out there, I am sure there are plenty more device-specific tips you may find that would be worth sharing. Please share them via the comments and I will do my best to integrate them here. Also, if you know devices that require device specific drivers to work, please share the model information and, where possible, links to downloading those drivers. Thanks.

Comments

I to had a similar problem with adb not seeing my HTC device. I found a useful tip while browsing for a solution. If you install the HTC sync application that comes with the phone it will also install the correct USB driver.

Posted By TimH / Posted on 05/06/2011 at 2:57 AM

'...pushing compiled apps to your Android device via the Google Android SDK tools was tedious. Typically, you'd have the command line open and use ADB to install to our connected device...'

eh? You just click run in Eclipse, works the same as FB.

Anyway the easiest way I've found when ADB/FB won't see your device is pull down the notification bar (on the device) and click 'USB debugging connected' which will take to the dev settings, then toggle (untick, wait a second, tick again) the USB debugging check box. Works every time for both my HTC devices on OSX/Linux.

Posted By Adam / Posted on 05/06/2011 at 6:28 AM

I recently bought the Xperia X10 and i got a little bit disappointed when i realized that i needed a higher version of android to be able to develop applications and test them on it. Recently SE released an update to install the 2.3 version, now that the device can support air application the problem is that Flash Builder doesn't detect it. any idea of how i can fix this issue ?

Posted By Christian / Posted on 08/01/2011 at 9:38 PM

Yeah and now the thing is an official update has been released and now it handles flash player and air but the thing is flash builder can't detect my device when I want to debug my apps with it

Posted By christian / Posted on 08/03/2011 at 12:04 PM

Yeok I got it now and concerning the update it started last week Friday I have been going those pages almost every two hours but I haven't gotten something significant I guess I will have to wait till some changes are done. Thanks for the tips.

Posted By christian / Posted on 08/03/2011 at 3:55 PM

Hello i'm back again but this time to tell you that i was able to get the ADB drivers concerning the X10 with 2.3 and i have installed them on my machine. I can now debug my air application using my phone once again thank you.
For anybody who would like to download them here is the link : http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=671149&d=1312026492

Posted By Christian / Posted on 08/07/2011 at 4:50 PM

Hello,
Strange behavior for me, adb see my device but flashbuilder wont...

any ideas ?

Posted By Alex / Posted on 10/12/2011 at 6:29 AM

Same as Alex. I initially set up everything with Eclipse everything works fine. Install Flash Builder. It wont see my device. Tried restarting , unconnecting. Nothing seems to work. Using eee Pad Transformer.

Posted By me too / Posted on 12/07/2011 at 8:25 AM

Same as Alex and me two...I have an ASUS transformer as well...dab from command line sees my device but flash builder 4.6 errors out and says cannot detect my device..what a pain

Posted By Me three / Posted on 02/16/2012 at 6:12 PM

also on 4.6. failing to see asus transformer. adb sees it.

Posted By josh / Posted on 03/09/2012 at 11:02 AM