Send emulator console commands

Each running virtual device provides a console that lets you query and control the emulated device environment. For example, you can use the console to manage port redirection, network characteristics, and telephony events while your app is running on the emulator.

The following commands require that you already have an emulator running. For more information about running an emulator, see Run apps on the Android Emulatorand Start the emulator from the command line.

Start and stop a console session

To access the console and enter commands from a terminal window, usetelnetto connect to the console port and provide your authentication token. Each time the console displays OK,it's ready to accept commands. There isn't a typical prompt.

To connect to the console of a running virtual device:

  1. Open a terminal window and enter the following command:
    2. telnet localhostconsole-port

    The emulator window title lists the console port number when running in a separate window but not when running in a tool window. For example, the window title for an emulator using console port 5554 could bePixel8_API_34:5554.Also, theadb devicescommand prints a list of running virtual devices and their console port numbers. For more information, see Query for devices.

    Note:The emulator listens for connections on ports 5554 to 5585 and accepts connections fromlocalhostonly.

  2. After the console displaysOK,enter theauth auth_tokencommand.

    3. Before you can enterconsole commands,the emulator console requires authentication.auth_tokenmust match the contents of the.emulator_console_auth_tokenfile in your home directory.

    If that file doesn't exist, thetelnet localhostconsole-port command creates the file, which contains a randomly generated authentication token. To disable authentication, delete the token from the .emulator_console_auth_tokenfile or create an empty file if it doesn't exist.

  3. After you're connected to the console, enterconsole commands.

    4. Enterhelp,helpcommand,orhelp-verbose to see a list of console commands and learn about specific commands.

  4. To exit the console session, enterquitorexit.

Here's an example session:

$telnet localhost 5554
Trying::1...
telnet: connect to address::1: Connection refused
Trying 127.0.0.1...
Connected to localhost.
Escape character is '^]'.
Android Console: Authentication required
Android Console: type 'auth <auth_token>' to authenticate
Android Console: you can find your <auth_token> in
'/Users/me/.emulator_console_auth_token'
OK
auth 123456789ABCdefZ
Android Console: type 'help' for a list of commands
OK
help-verbose
Android console command help:
help|h|? Prints a list of commands
help-verbose Prints a list of commands with descriptions
ping Checks if the emulator is alive
automation Manages emulator automation
event Simulates hardware events
geo Geo-location commands
gsm GSM related commands
cdma CDMA related commands
crash Crashes the emulator instance
crash-on-exit Simulates crash on exit for the emulator instance
kill Terminates the emulator instance
restart Restarts the emulator instance
network Manages network settings
power Power related commands
quit|exit Quits control session
redir Manages port redirections
sms SMS related commands
avd Controls virtual device execution
qemu QEMU-specific commands
sensor Manages emulator sensors
physics Manages physical model
finger Manages emulator finger print
debug Controls the emulator debug output tags
rotate Rotates the screen clockwise by 90 degrees
screenrecord Records the emulator's display
fold Folds the device
unfold Unfolds the device
multidisplay Configures the multi-display
nodraw turn on/off NoDraw mode. (experimental)
resize-display resize the display resolution to the preset size
virtualscene-image customize virtualscene image for virtulscene camera
proxy manage network proxy server settings
phonenumber set phone number for the device


try 'help <command>' for command-specific help
OK
exit
Connection closed by foreign host.

Emulator command reference

The following table describes the emulator console commands with their parameters and values:

Table 1.Emulator console commands

General commands Description
avd {stop|start|status|name} Queries, controls, and manages the virtual device, as follows:
  • stop:Stops the execution of the device.
  • start:Starts the execution of the device.
  • status:Queries the virtual device status, which can berunning orstopped.
  • name:Queries the virtual device name.
avd snapshot {list|savename|loadname|delete name} Saves and restores the device state in snapshots, as follows:
  • list:Lists all saved snapshots.
  • savename:Saves the snapshot asname.
  • loadname:Loads the named snapshot.
  • deletename:Deletes the named snapshot.

The following example saves a snapshot with the name firstactivitysnapshot:

avd snapshot save firstactivitysnapshot
fold Folds the device to display its smaller screen configuration, if the device is foldable and currently unfolded.
unfold Unfolds the device to display its larger screen configuration, if the device is foldable and currently folded.
kill Terminates the virtual device.
ping Checks whether the virtual device is running.
rotate Rotates the AVD counterclockwise in 45 degree increments.
Crash the emulator Description
crash Crashes the emulator during app execution.
crash-on-exit Crashes the emulator when the app exits.
Debug tags Description
debugtags...

Enables or disables debug messages from specific parts of the emulator. Thetagsparameter must be a value from the list of debug tags that appears when you executeemulator -help-debug-tags.For more information about the -help-debug-tagsoption, see the table of commonly used options.

The following example enables theradiotag: 

debug radio
Port redirection Description
redir list Lists the current port redirection.
redir addprotocol:host-port:guest-port Adds a new port redirection, as follows:
  • protocol:Must be eithertcp orudp.
  • host-port:The port number to open on the host.
  • guest-port:The port number to route data to on the emulator.
redir delprotocol:host-port Deletes a port redirection.
  • protocol:Must be eithertcp orudp.
  • host-port:The port number to open on the host.
Geographic location Description

Sets the geographic location reported to the apps running inside an emulator by sending a GPS fix to the emulator.

You can issue one of the followinggeocommand as soon as a virtual device is running. The emulator sets the location you enter by creating a mock location provider. This provider responds to location listeners set by apps and supplies the location to theLocationManager. Any app can query the location manager to obtain the current GPS fix for the emulated device by calling LocationManager.getLastKnownLocation( "gps" ).
geo fixlongitude latitude [altitude] [satellites] [velocity] Sends a simple GPS fix to the emulator. Specifylongitudeandlatitude in decimal degrees. Use a number from 1 to 12 to specify the number of satellitesto use to determine the position, and specifyaltitudein meters and velocityin knots.
geo nmeasentence Sends an NMEA 0183 sentence to the emulated device as if it were sent from an emulated GPS modem. Startsentencewith '$GP'. Only '$GPGGA' and '$GPRCM' sentences are currently supported. The following example is a GPGGA (Global Positioning System Fix Data) sentence that gets the time, position, and fix data for a GPS receiver: 
geo nmea $GPGGA,hhmmss.ss,llll.ll,a,yyyyy.yy,a,x,xx,x.x,x.x,M,x.x,M,x.x,xxxx
Fake hardware events Description
event types Lists all fake event types. For events that have codes, the number of codes is listed in parentheses on the right. 

event types
event &lttype&gt can be an integer or one of the following aliases:
EV_SYN
EV_KEY (405 code aliases)
EV_REL (2 code aliases)
EV_ABS (27 code aliases)
EV_MSC
EV_SW (4 code aliases)
EV_LED
EV_SND
EV_REP
EV_FF
EV_PWR
EV_FF_STATUS
EV_MAX
OK
event sendtypes [types...] Sends one or more fake event types.
event codestype Lists the event codes for the specified fake event type.
event sendtype[:code]:[value] [...] Sends one or more fake events with optional codes and code values.

To discover exactly which event to send, you can use theadbcommand while manually pressing the buttons on the emulator.

These are the events generated when you press the power button: 

adb shell getevent -lt

/dev/input/event12: EV_KEY KEY_POWER DOWN
/dev/input/event12: EV_SYN SYN_REPORT 00000000
/dev/input/event12: EV_KEY KEY_POWER UP
/dev/input/event12: EV_SYN SYN_REPORT 00000000
For example, to simulate a long press of the power button, send twoEV_KEYevents for keydown and keyup: 
event send EV_KEY:KEY_POWER:0
OK
event send EV_KEY:KEY_POWER:1
OK
event textmessage Sends a string of characters that simulate keypresses. The message must be a UTF-8 string. Unicode posts are reverse-mapped according to the current device keyboard, and unsupported characters are discarded silently.
Power state controls Description
power display Displays battery and charger state.
power ac {on|off} Sets AC charging state toonoroff.
power status {unknown|charging|discharging|not-charging|full} Changes battery status as specified.
power present {true|false} Sets battery presence state.
power health {unknown|good|overheat|dead|overvoltage|failure} Sets battery health state.
power capacitypercent Sets remaining battery capacity state as a percent from 0 to 100.
Network connection status Description
network status Checks the network status and current delay and speed characteristics.
network delaylatency

Changes the emulated network latency.

The emulator lets you simulate various network latency levels so that you can test your app in an environment more typical of actual running conditions. You can set a latency level or range at emulator startup, or you can use the console to change the latency while the app is running in the emulator.

The format of networklatencyis one of the following (numbers are milliseconds):

Network latency format:

  • gprs:GPRS, which uses a latency range of 150 minimum and 550 maximum.
  • edge:EDGE/EGPRS, which uses a latency range of 80 minimum and 400 maximum.
  • umts:UMTS/3G, which uses a latency range of 35 minimum and 200 maximum.
  • none:No latency.
  • num:Emulates the specified latency in milliseconds.
  • min:max:Emulates the specified latency range.

To set latency at emulator startup, use the-netdelay emulator optionwith a supportedlatencyvalue, as listed in the precedingNetwork latency formatlist. Here are some examples:

emulator -netdelay gprs
emulator -netdelay 40,100

To make changes to network delay while the emulator is running, connect to the console and use thenetdelaycommand with a supportedlatencyvalue from the precedingNetwork latency formatlist.

network delay gprs
network delay 40 100
network speedspeed The emulator lets you simulate various network transfer rates.

You can set a transfer rate or range at emulator startup, or you can use the console to change the rate while the app is running in the emulator.

The format of networkspeedis one of the following (numbers are kilobits/sec):

Network speed format:

  • gsm:GSM/CSD, which uses a speed of 14.4 up and 14.4 down.
  • hscsd:HSCSD, which uses a speed of 14.4 up and 43.2 down.
  • gprs:GPRS, which uses a speed of 40.0 up and 80.0 down.
  • edge:EDGE/EGPRS, which uses a speed of 118.4 up and 236.8 down.
  • umts:UMTS/3G, which uses a speed of 128.0 up and 1920 down.
  • hsdpa:HSDPA, which uses a speed of 348.0 up and 14,400.0 down.
  • lte:LTE, which uses a speed of 58,000 up and 173,000 down.
  • evdo:EVDO, which uses a speed of 75,000 up and 280,000 down.
  • full:Unlimited speed, but depends on the connection speed of your computer.
  • num:Sets an exact rate in kilobits/sec used for both upload and download.
  • up:down:Sets exact rates in kilobits/sec for upload and download separately.

To set the network speed at emulator startup, use the-netspeed emulator optionwith a supportedspeedvalue, as in the precedingNetwork speed format list. Here are some examples: 

emulator -netspeed gsm @Pixel_API_26
emulator -netspeed 14.4,80 @Pixel_API_26

To make changes to network speed while the emulator is running, connect to the console and use thenetwork speedcommand with a supported speedvalue from the precedingNetwork speed formatlist.

network speed 14.4 80
network capture {start|stop}file Sends packets to a file. The following list describes the parameters and parameter values:
  • startfile:Starts sending packets to the specified file.
  • stopfile:Stops sending packets to the specified file.
Telephony emulation Description
The Android emulator includes its own GSM and CDMA emulated modems that let you simulate telephony functions in the emulator. For example, with GSM you can simulate inbound phone calls and establish and terminate data connections. With CDMA, you provide a subscription source and the preferred roaming list. The Android system handles simulated calls exactly as it would actual calls. The emulator doesn't support call audio.
gsm {call|accept|cancel|busy}phonenumber Thegsmparameters are the following:
  • call:Simulates an inbound phone call fromphonenumber.
  • accept:Accepts an inbound call fromphonenumber and changes the call state toactive.You can change a call state toactiveonly when its current state iswaitingorheld.
  • cancel:Terminates an inbound phone call from or outbound phone call tophonenumber.
  • busy:Closes an outbound call to phonenumberand changes the call state tobusy. You can change a call state tobusyonly when its current state is waiting.
gsm {data|voice}state Thedatastatecommand changes the state of the GPRS data connection, and thedata voicestatecommand changes the state of the GPRS voice connection, as follows:
  • unregistered:No network available.
  • home:On local network, non-roaming.
  • roaming:On roaming network.
  • searching:Searching networks.
  • denied:Emergency calls only.
  • off:Same asunregistered.
  • on:Same ashome.
gsm hold Changes the state of a call tohold.You can change a call state toholdonly when its current state isactiveor waiting.
gsm list Lists all inbound and outbound calls and their states.
gsm status Reports the current GSM voice/data state. Values are those described for thevoiceanddatacommands.
gsm signal {rssi|ber} Changes the reported signal strength (rssi) and bit error rate (ber) on the next 15 seconds of update. The following list describes the parameters and their values:
  • rssirange is 0 through 31 and 99 for unknown.
  • berrange is 0 through 7 and 99 for unknown.
gsm signal-profilenum Sets the signal strength profile. numis a number from 0 through 4.
cdma ssourcesource Sets the current CDMA subscription source, where sourceis a network-based allowlist that contains the CDMA carrier's subscribers and their values, as follows:
  • nv: Reads subscription from non-volatile RAM.
  • ruim: Reads subscription from Removable User Identity Module (RUIM).
cdma prl_versionversion Dumps the current preferred roaming list (PRL) version. The version number is for the PRL database that contains information used during the system selection and acquisition process.
Manage sensors on the emulator Description
These commands relate to which sensors are available in the AVD. Besides using thesensorcommand, you can see and adjust the settings in the emulator in theVirtual sensorsscreen in theAccelerometerandAdditional sensorstabs.
sensor status Lists all sensors and their status. The following is example output for the sensor statuscommand:
sensor getsensor-name Gets the settings forsensor-name.The following example gets the value for the acceleration sensor: 
sensor get acceleration
acceleration = 2.23517e-07:9.77631:0.812348

Theaccelerationvalues separated by colons(:) refer to the x, y, and z coordinates for the virtual sensors.

sensor setsensor-namevalue-x:value-y:value-z Sets the values forsensor-name.The following example sets the acceleration sensor to the x, y, and z values separated by colons. 
sensor set acceleration 2.23517e-07:9.77631:0.812348
SMS emulation Description
sms sendsender-phone-numbertextmessage Generates an emulated incoming SMS. The following list describes the parameters and their values:
  • sender-phone-number:Contains an arbitrary numeric string.
  • textmessage:The sms message.

The following example sends the message "hi there" to the 4085555555 phone number: 

sms send 4085555555 hi there

The console forwards the SMS message to the Android framework, which passes it to an app on the emulator that handles SMS, such as the Messages app. If you pass 10 numbers, the app formats it as a phone number. Longer or shorter numeric strings display the way you sent them.

Fingerprint simulation Description
finger touchfingerprint-id Simulates a finger touching the sensor.
finger remove Simulates finger removal.

For instructions about how to use these commands, see the following section about fingerprint simulation and validation.

Fingerprint simulation and validation

Figure 1.Fingerprint authentication screen.

Use thefingercommand to simulate and validate fingerprint authentication for your app. You need SDK Tools 24.3 or higher and Android 6.0 (API level 23) or higher.

To simulate and validate fingerprint authentication, follow these steps:

  1. If you don't yet have a fingerprint ID, enroll a new fingerprint in the emulator by selectingSettings>Security>Fingerprintand following the enrollment instructions.
  2. Set up your app to accept fingerprint authentication.After you perform this setup, your device displays the fingerprint authentication screen.
  3. While your app displays the fingerprint authentication screen, go to the console and enter thefinger touchcommand and the fingerprint ID you created. This simulates a finger touch.
  4. Then, enter thefinger removecommand to simulate finger removal.

    Your app should respond as if a user touched and then removed their finger from the fingerprint sensor.