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1. Turn on Developer options
Open Settings.
Go to Settings, then About phone, then Build number and tap Build number 7 times. On Fairphone it is at the very bottom of About phone.
Enter your PIN if asked. You see You are now a developer!
Developer options is now in Settings, then System, then Developer options. On Fairphone, USB debugging sits under the Debugging heading.
Turn on USB debugging.
Sources: Android developer options docs, Android adb docs, Fairphone support, Fairphone support (install)
2. Extra switches this brand needs
None. Optional on Android 13 or newer: add a Wireless debugging tile to your quick settings with Developer options, then Quick settings developer tiles, then Wireless debugging.
3. Pair and start
Follow the Wireless debugging steps. On a computer instead? The computer steps.
- On Android 16 the page is Settings, then System, then Developer options, then Wireless debugging.
- Android 15 or newer: if the notification only shows a short status and won't take the code, stop any screen recording or screen sharing app first. More.
- On Pixel 8 the keyboard can vanish while you type the code. Workarounds.
Sources: Android adb docs, Issue 868, Issue 459
4. Keep Shizuku from stopping
Android 14 or newer: open Settings, then Apps, then See all apps, then Shizuku, then App battery usage.
Turn on Allow background usage, then tap that row and choose Unrestricted.
Android 12 or 13: App info, then Battery, then Unrestricted instead.
Make sure Background restriction is off for Shizuku.
Also do the four steps every phone needs: unrestricted battery, Disable adb authorization timeout, No data transfer as the USB default, and leaving debugging on. They are on the Wireless page.
Sources: Don't kill my app: Google, Pixel help, Android 14 battery wording (third party), Shizuku setup guide
5. Known problems on Google Pixel and near stock Android
Android 16 QPR1: Waiting for service, or Shizuku dies within seconds
Shizuku 13.5.4 broke on Android 16 QPR1. Some even saw it die when they used the flashlight. Install 13.6.0 or newer from GitHub; the Play build lagged behind.
Sources: Issue 1125, Issue 1427, Issue 1431
Android 14 betas and quarterly updates
Each needed a newer Shizuku build (13.5.1 test build, 13.5.3, 13.5.4). Update Shizuku first when something breaks after a system update.
Sources: Issue 347, Issue 382, Release 13.5.4
Pixel 8: the keyboard vanishes while typing the code
Overlay or gesture apps trigger it. See the keyboard fix.
Sources: Issue 459
Android 17: Shizuku's app list is empty
Apps you allowed earlier keep working, but new grants can't be managed in 13.6.0.
Sources: Issue 1965, Issue 2180
6. Turn it all back off
First, in each app that used Shizuku, undo what it changed, while Shizuku still runs. Some changes an app makes through Shizuku stay after Shizuku stops. Firewall and Fileglow have their own steps.
In Shizuku, switch off every app in the list of authorized apps.
Stop Shizuku with its stop option, or restart the phone.
Open Developer options, then Wireless debugging, then Paired devices, tap the shizuku entry, then Forget.
In Developer options, tap Revoke USB debugging authorizations. This removes every paired computer and device.
Remove the Wireless debugging quick settings tile if you added it.
Turn off Disable adb authorization timeout if you turned it on, and set Default USB configuration back to File transfer if you want.
Turn off Wireless debugging, then USB debugging.
Turn off the switch at the top of Developer options: Settings, then System, then Developer options.
Set Shizuku's battery setting back to the default (Optimized) if you like.
Uninstall Shizuku the normal way if you don't need it any more.
Sources: Shizuku setup guide, Android adb docs, Android developer options docs, Issue 467, Issue 451, Discussion 1000