Developer mode and USB debugging

This is the most common reason a farm does not start: the phones are plugged into the hub, the cables are fine, and the grid is empty. Until developer mode and USB debugging are enabled on the phone, the computer does not see the handset at all - not even as "waiting for authorization". You do it once per phone and it takes a couple of minutes.

Why nothing works without it

Lusiesta Studio talks to the phone over ADB. USB debugging is an Android system permission that opens the device up to the computer. While that permission is off, the phone can charge and show files, but for ADB it does not exist: it is not in the device list and never will be.

Here is how it looks in the app: on Home you see the card "No ADB devices found" with the caption "Connect a phone over USB, enable Developer mode (7 taps on the build number) and USB debugging on the device screen.". The yellow banner "Phone found ..." only shows up once ADB already sees the handset but it has not been authorized yet. In other words, complete silence on the screen is a typical sign that developer mode is still off, not that the cable is broken.

The general routine: seven taps on the build number

1. Open Settings -> About phone.
2. Find the Build number line.
3. Tap it 7 times in a row, without long pauses. From about the third tap you get a counter along the lines of "You are now N steps away from being a developer".
4. If the phone has a PIN, a password or a fingerprint, the system will ask you to confirm your identity.
5. The message "You are now a developer" appears. The developer section has been added to the settings.

Next you need to find that section and turn on USB debugging inside it. The names of the options and the path to them differ from vendor to vendor.

Where the options live on different firmware

Samsung (One UI)

1. Settings -> About phone -> Software information.
2. 7 taps on Build number.
3. Go back to Settings: Developer options now sits at the bottom of the list.
4. Turn on USB debugging and confirm the system warning.

Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO (MIUI and HyperOS)

1. Settings -> About phone.
2. 7 taps on MIUI version (on HyperOS it is HyperOS version, and on some builds the item is called Build number).
3. The section is under Settings -> Additional settings -> Developer options (on older MIUI it is Settings -> More settings -> Developer options).
4. Turn on USB debugging, and then the extra options that MIUI requires - there is a dedicated section on them below.

Realme and OPPO (realme UI, ColorOS)

1. Settings -> About phone -> Version (on some versions Build number sits directly inside About phone).
2. 7 taps on Build number.
3. The section: Settings -> Additional settings -> Developer options (you may also find the path Settings -> System settings -> Developer options).
4. Turn on USB debugging. The firmware may ask for your lock password and a sign-in to the manufacturer's account.
5. If the list contains "Install via USB" or an option about disabling ADB permission checks, turn that on as well, otherwise APK installs will keep breaking off.

Vivo (Funtouch OS, OriginOS)

1. Settings -> About phone -> Software information (or "Software info").
2. 7 taps on Build number.
3. The section: Settings -> System -> Developer options (on some versions it is Settings -> More settings -> Developer options).
4. Turn on USB debugging, and if there are separate options for changing settings over USB and installing apps over USB, turn those on too.

Honor and Huawei (Magic OS, EMUI)

1. Settings -> About phone.
2. 7 taps on Build number.
3. The section: Settings -> System and updates -> Developer options.
4. Turn on USB debugging and confirm the system warning.

Google Pixel and stock Android

1. Settings -> About device -> Build number, 7 taps.
2. The section: Settings -> System -> Developer options.
3. Turn on USB debugging.

Tecno and Infinix (HiOS, XOS)

1. Settings -> About phone (sometimes through the "Software information" subsection) -> Build number, 7 taps.
2. The section: Settings -> System -> Developer options; on some builds it sits as a separate item at the very bottom of the settings list.
3. Turn on USB debugging.

If the names on your handset are different, do not scroll through the menus at random. Open the settings search (the magnifier at the top) and type "Build number", then, once developer mode is on, "USB debugging". Almost every firmware has search and it takes you straight to the right option.

Extra options on MIUI and HyperOS

Xiaomi phones are a story of their own. USB debugging alone is not enough there, and you need three options in Developer options:

• "USB debugging" - the basic permission, without which the phone will never show up in the device list.
• "Install via USB" - without it neither the Siesta input agent, nor APKs, nor app clones will install: the firmware breaks the installation off with a refusal.
• "USB debugging (Security settings)" - allows changing system settings and sending input. This is the one that gets forgotten most often, and without it some scenario steps simply do not run.

MIUI only enables the last two toggles when its conditions are met: the phone must be signed in to a Mi account and have a SIM card with working mobile data. Sometimes the check passes only with Wi-Fi turned off, so that the request goes out over the mobile network. After you enable them the phone may ask you to wait or to reboot. These are requirements of Xiaomi firmware, not of Lusiesta Studio - there is no way around them from the computer side.

If the "Install via USB" toggle keeps flipping itself back off, the Mi account check did not pass. Make sure the account is active on this phone, the SIM is in and mobile data is on, then try again. On a freshly created Mi account the check does not start passing right away.

Options worth enabling right away

While you are in the developer section, turn on the things that will spare you trouble later:

• "Stay awake" - the screen will not go dark while the phone is plugged into a charger or a computer.
• "Default USB configuration" -> "File transfer" - the phone will stop falling back to "Charging only" every time.
• App verification over USB (the option goes by different names: "Verify apps over USB", "Verify apps") is better switched off, otherwise APK and clone installs run into a system dialog.

The rest of the phone preparation - screen sleep, auto-rotate, battery, language, time - has its own article, Preparing the phone for work.

How to check that it worked

1. Connect the phone to the computer with a cable, with the screen unlocked.
2. The "Allow USB debugging?" dialog appears on the phone. Tick "Always allow from this computer" and tap "Allow". There is more about this dialog in Connecting a phone over ADB.
3. In Lusiesta Studio, the empty state on Home is replaced by a device tile with a number and a live preview. The device list refreshes automatically, so give it a few seconds.

If the "No ADB devices found" card is still there, developer mode or USB debugging is still off, or the cable does not carry data. If the yellow "Phone found ..." banner showed up, that is good news: ADB already sees the handset and all that is left is to confirm the prompt on the phone screen.

If Developer options is missing or has disappeared

• The taps did not register: the counter resets on pauses, so tap quickly and always on the same item.
• You tapped the wrong item: on MIUI it is MIUI version or HyperOS version, on Samsung it is Build number inside Software information.
• The section disappears after a factory reset and sometimes after a major system update - enable it again with the same seven taps.
• On a phone with a work or child profile, the device administrator may block developer mode. A handset like that cannot go into a farm until the profile is removed.
• Debugging is on and the phone still does not show up - see The device does not connect or is not visible.