Android Command Line Tools: Viewing Installed Packages

Android developers often find themselves needing to inspect installed packages on their devices using command line tools. This guide will walk you through the process of listing installed packages on an Android device through the command line interface.

Getting Started

To view the installed packages on your Android device via command line tools, first connect your device to your computer and ensure you have the necessary tools installed on your development machine.

Using ADB

One of the most common ways to interact with your Android device via the command line is through the Android Debug Bridge (ADB). To list installed packages, you can run the following command:

adb shell pm list packages

Interpreting the Output

After executing the command, you will see a list of all installed packages on your device. The package names will be displayed in the output, allowing you to easily identify the installed applications.

Advanced Options

ADB provides additional options to filter the package list based on different criteria. You can explore these options to customize the output according to your requirements.

Conclusion

Exploring installed packages on your Android device using command line tools can be a valuable skill for developers. Understanding how to leverage ADB to view packages opens up new possibilities for debugging and development workflows.