Enable USB debugging

General
1

Hello,

Is it possible to enable USB debugging in Sailfish OS 5.0.0.72? If so, how?
Many thanks!

steffenetz

2

Hello, if you plan to develope for SailfishOS you can select Developer mode from Settings app.

3

Describe what you want to do please.

“USB Debugging” can mean a couple of different things.

4 Likes
4

Thank you for your enquiries.
No, I cannot and do not wish to participate in the development of Saifish OS.
I would like to be able to access my Sony Xperia 10 IV again with adb so that I can address it with the sideload command, for example.
The bootloader is unlocked and I can also access it with fastboot. But it is not currently working with adb.
I have enabled developer mode in Sailfish OS, but I could not find any settings for USB debugging.
Regards, steffenetz

5

Enabling the developer mode and the SSH server lets you connect to the phone and run commands (very similar to a desktop Linux) through SSH and transfer files using SCP. If actually talking about debugging (but you already said you’re not interested in development for the platform), I bet you can hook up gdb through an SSH link as well. The phone is very much a Linux computer, and you can treat it as such. Concepts like “sideloading” that come from closed-down platforms are really irrelevant on open platforms where you can install gcc from the official repository and compile your own (or anyone else’s) code on the device.

What do you actually want to do?

3 Likes
6

SailfishOS is not android. you do not interface with SFOS with adb.

note that you can do all of the things you want to do on SFOS without any of the stupid workarounds that android requires, like sideloading. (sideloading is called that because it is about bypassing google’s restrictions which forbid you to installing packages directly) on Sailfish, like any reasonable operating system, you just install software, no operating system bypassing necessary.

on a related side note, SFOS does have an android compatibility layer called, “Android AppSupport”. you can get root+shell access to that from SFOS, and you can install APKs/etc, or run commands like pm and am, very similar to what you would do with adb. if you are trying to install an APK on your SFOS device, you want to install it with AAS, and there is a nice and easy way to do this from the shell, or from the gui, or from a store app,

EDIT: maighstir said most of this already, i missed it while i was typing

2 Likes
7

Thank you very much for the comprehensive information, which is very helpful in understanding the situation.

I would currently like to leave Sailfish OS and switch to e/os. Unfortunately, the camera on the Sony Xperia 10 IV still does not work under Sailfish OS, for example. However, in order to install e/os on the Xperia, I need adb in addition to fastboot. Or is there another way to change?

Note: My computer runs Ubuntu, so I cannot use Emma (Sony).

Best regards, steffenetz

8

never used e/os, but i have flashed stock android, Sony android, and lineageOS.

once you are able to flash any non-default OS, like SFOS, i think you are good to go. you should be able to use fastboot, install TWRP, flash ROMs, etc. adb is for interfacing with a running android system. the instructions you are seeing about enabling USB debugging are necessary if you have a locked android phone, in order to allow fastboot to work.

however, if you DO need factory install and android running for whatever reason, you can download the firmware you need with XperiFirm on ubuntu with mono. i just run mono XperiFirm-x64.exe on debian sid, and it worked in june to download android12 and android13 on my Xperia 10 III to explore the various bugs.

once you download an image with XperiFirm, you can flash it with newflasher

EDIT: yea, jolla seriously over promised with the 10IV and 10V, and it may never actually be supported at all. the reason why it is not supported may be beyond their control, but they definitely messed up by promising that it would work at some point

3 Likes
9

Does anybody know if Emma runs on Ubuntu + Wine?

10

I read somewhere that Emma does not work with Wine. I would definitely prefer the way that @teleshoes described with Xperifirm and newsflasher, I did flash back at forth a zillion times under Debian with it, this way just works robustly

11

Xperifirm and newsflasher are more elegant, wild and free and everything, but if laziness or any other reason wins, Emma seems able to run into a virtual machine.

Beware of the legendary USB2 port importance.

4 Likes
12

My problems with Emma on a Virtual Machine were entirely dedicated to the old Xperia X. It works perfectly well with my X10III and X10V. Until now, I have tried VM’s on QEMU and VirtualBox, both work well.

3 Likes
13

Cool, I stand corrected, thanks for clarification

14

Thank you very much for all the information. After several attempts, I have now succeeded. I was able to flash successfully using XperiFirm and newflasher (not newsflasher!). The USB debugging problem did not play a role here.
So, thank you again!
Best regards, steffenetz

1 Like
15

What about using Winboat?

1 Like
16

wow, yes it does! emma works just fine for me in winboat. NOTE: i didnt actually flash my 10III, but it detects the phone and downloads the firmware just fine, and it feels like it will Just Work if i hit apply.

  • download winboat AppImage (or deb pkg)
  • apt install freerdp3-x11 docker-compose
  • install win11pro with winboat AppImage
  • enable flash mode 10III (shutdown phone, hold volumeDown, connect 10III to usb, green LED)
  • enable advanced settings in winboat gui
  • enable Sony Ericsson usb device in winboat gui USB Passthru
  • launch emma
  • instant detection and services listing

THAT BEING SAID: XperiFirm and newflasher is just a way better way to do things, but its nice to have a winboat option to sail away on

1 Like
17

I don’t have the time, but it would be really nice to update the official documentation :slight_smile: