Chrome DevTools Devices does not detect device when plugged in

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To get the functionality up and running:

  • Follow steps at https://developers.google.com/chrome-developer-tools/docs/remote-debugging
  • Install Windows USB driver http://developer.samsung.com/android/tools-sdks/Samsung-Android-USB-Driver-for-Windows
  • Install Android SDK http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
  • Install Android SDK Platform-tools http://developer.android.com/sdk/installing/adding-packages.html (this step was blocked on corporate wifi so I installed the single ADB package it required https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2317790)
  • Use command prompt to run ADB, in cmd go to the install directory of the ADB tools and type:
  • adb.exe (might need to start and stop ADB using adb kill-server and adb start-server)
  • Connect phone and browse to about:inspect in Chrome on desktop, ensuring a Chrome browser is open on your device

Following the above steps I got the RSA key fingerprint prompt to accept then I saw my device in Chrome.

Definitely not as easy as I thought it would have been but at least it now works.

Update 24 February 2016

So I updated to Windows 10 and now have a Samsung Galaxy S5, devices running Chrome v48.0.2564.116 m and v48.0.2564.95 respectively. Followed the steps from the Google docs and…it didn’t work again, no RSA key prompt. So I began to follow my steps as above and thought there had to be a faster way as the Android SDK was over 1GB download.

This time I tried:

  • Follow steps at https://developers.google.com/chrome-developer-tools/docs/remote-debugging
  • Install Windows USB driver http://developer.samsung.com/android/tools-sdks/Samsung-Andorid-USB-Driver-for-Windows (the PC alerted me saying it was already installed but I still did it anyway)
  • Install the single ADB package required https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2317790)
  • Go to the ADB install folder which for me was C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot\
  • Open command prompt and run adb devices (alternatively I could have run adb start-server but the prior gives a more informational response)

Now, with Chrome open on my phone and chrome://inspect/ open on my desktop I can see the inspect options.

Next problem: I need to repeat the same steps each time I reboot Windows. To solve that issue:

  • Open a text editor and copy in "C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot\adb" devices
  • Save that file as adb.bat in the Windows Startup folder located at C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp

Note that the file does NOT need to be called adb.bat as long as it is a .bat file. The command you copied into the file has the default install path which you may need to alter for your set up.

Now I have the Chrome Inspect feature working when I need it.

Bit thanks and shout out to all others who have contributed their answers to this question which helped guide me towards a useful update to my answer. Please give credit to other answers where you find they have helped you too.

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