Enabling USB debugging with OTG keyboard without seeing the screen

[coding]

Hi, I will be brief.

My daughter soaked her Sony Xperia Z3 Compact and the screen died (no picture, no backlight, no touch, nothing). The phone is "visible" when connected by USB cable. I thought I could rescue the data using ADB, but the USB debugging was not enabled.

I have an OTG cable and my idea is: given key-by-key instruction I should be able te enter the Settings, navigate to the correct menu and enable it. Blindy. But I don't have second Z3C to "discover" the proper steps, e.g. which keys I should type.

So here's my question: Is there a kind soul with Z3C and OTG cable, who could prepare such instruction for me? I'd be grateful.

[Rhydz]

Before doing that, have you checked on the google account associated with the phone whether the automatic backup has transferred the data you need?

Anyway, if you need to.......

(this assumes there is no security code on the phone)

Space (equivalent of swipe up at start)

Win+N (equivalent of swipe down from top)

TAB

RETURN

TAB TAB TAB TAB

RETURN (Select settings menu)

CURSOR DOWN (25 times to get to Developer options)

RETURN (select developer options)

RETURN    CURSOR RIGHT    RETURN ((Turn on developer options)

CURSOR DOWN  (6 times)

RETURN    CURSOR RIGHT   RETURN (turn on USB debugging)

I hope this works for you.  Good luck!!

[coding]

@Rhydz: Thank you very much for your answer.

Of course my daughter had the google account and SOME data were recovered. But not all 😕

As to your "walkthrough" - I thing it *could* work, and I am very, very near enabling the proper option. But I thing the developer option menu was never enabled. I've found videos on the internet showing how to do this by hand. On these videos 'Developer options' menu appeared just over 'My phone' menu, which had to be used to enable it. So without 'Developer options' menu enabled your '25x cursor down' step should lead me to 'My phone'. Then 'Return', then many times cursor down, then 'Return' 7 times and it should be done...

...but it wasn't

Sound on the phone is not working, but the vibrations work, so I can hear/feel the phone vibrates every time I tap Return... But still no success.

Do pressing 'key down' many times scrolls to the last option on the list or it wraps around and you land you-don't-know-where?

Is it ever possible to 'select' 'Build number' position with keyboard, or should I try to blindly click it with a mouse?

Here are the videos I used as a reference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYcGx22CpPU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrXkF_bqTEM

Also I've noticed on the second video there is an additional menu below 'My phone' - 'System updates' which is not on the first video.

Could you check if it's possible to blindly enable developer options? Please, please, please, with sugar on the top

[Rhydz]

Ah. Right.  Try this then...

Follow my previous instructions down to the end of the 25 cursor downs.  With no Developer Options in the way, this should take you to About Phone.  Press RETURN to select that menu option.

Now, cursor Down 12 times to get to the bottom of this menu which is Build Number.  Press RETURN 7 times.  This should turn you into a developer.

Press ESCAPE to move back up the menu chain.  You will be placed at the top of this menu so will need to Cursor Down 25 times again to get to Developer Options.  Follow previous instructions to complete the process.

For information, I am on the latest version of Android (6.0.1).  As long as you are on the same version, you should have the same menu set - which includes the Software Updates option. 

Fingers crossed.....

[Rhydz]

If that doesn't work, have a look at this:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.koushikdutta.vysor&hl=en_GB

You could install it to the phone by logging on in to the phone's google account on Google Play and clicking on the install button.  You would then be able to see and control the phone from the computer.

[coding]

Well, something's wrong...

I've managed to connect earphones to Z3C so now I can hear myself operating the keyboard. So here's what I hear:

Space - nothing

Win+N - nothing

Tab - click

Enter - click

Tab - click (x 4)

Enter - click

Down - click (x 3) and... nothing else.

Pressing down arrow more times does not generate any more sounds. So - I'm somewhere in the wrong menu.

BUT... now pressing Enter brings me to some kind of dialer - by pressing Tab a few times and then digit i can hear a sound specific for tone dialing. Pressing Enter in this situaltion vibrates the phone... and that's all.

Does entering PIN code when unlocking the screen generate any sounds? Maybe the phone is still locked and I get into some kind of 'Alarm Calls' submenu?

Also, thank you for suggestion with Vysor app. Unfortunately the phone is not connecting to Wi-Fi and as far as I understood Vysor needs an active ADB anyway...

[Rhydz · Accepted solution]

It look like the keystrokes required after the Win+N changes slightly depending on what has been happening on the phone previously.  I've now run through straight after booting the phone - following a delay long enough to allow the phone to settle down after starting all the start-at-boot apps.

From the start this is:

SPACE

Security code

RETURN

Win+N

RETURN

TAB TAB TAB

RETURN

This gets you to the open settings menu.  Follow my previous posts from there.

Note that if you plug the keyboard in after starting the phone, it may ask you to defing the keyboard layout and you will have to insert a Cursor Up straight after the Win+N

I'm afraid that if this doesn't work, your phone is probably set up differently from mine.

One last thing you could try is to connect a microUSB to HDMI cable (something like this https://www.ebay.co.uk/b/HDMI-Cables-and-Adapters-for-Sony-Xperia-Z3/123422/bn_6364006)  to display the phone's screen on an HDMI monitor or television.  This will give you visual feedback on what you're currently doing.  If you do this, don't forget that the adapter will need to be powered externally as the phone is not able to power it.

[coding]

@Rhydz: First, I would like to thank you for your involvement. Many, many kudos. I think your suggestions should work, but I miss some important (invisible to me) thing. I've ordered a screen replacement. If this won't work I'm going to follow your suggestion and buy a MHL dongle. I will report here my progress (if any).

I've managed to enter some menu which allows me to scroll down veeery long time (I think it's over 1 hundred entries). Could it be the keyboard layout menu? Pressing an 'ESC' key takes me back to the point I could move two times up and two times down (so I think it's some kind of numeric pad). Fiddling with the security code moves me to menu where I could move vertically four or sometimes five entries.

I'm using 'ESC' many times to go to the 'desktop' screen. Could you confirm it brings me back one step without locking my screen?

Well, have a nice weekend

I will report back after checking the new scrend and/or MHL.

[Rhydz]

Yes.  The ESC key works in the same way as the back softkey on the phone.

Good luck.  I hope you manage to get into the phone.

[coding]

YES YES YES!

I've ordered a new screen and a MHL adapter, both came today. First I connected the new screen with no success - it stayed all blank. Then i connected the MHL adapter and... TA-DA! I was finally able to see the screen of the phone on my TV! But how to navigate, while the MHL is connected... So I've disconnected MHL, connected OTG, tapped a few keys... disconnected OTG, connected MHL, took a look where I was and so on, a hundred of times. It was almost hopeless, because when I connected keyboard the 'focus' jumped to the Xperia 'down' menu (the one with back, home and menu buttons) so I had to abandon this by pressing Esc. And sometimes this did not work, and sometimes it did work too well (bringing me back a few steps). Nightmare...

So as a last resort I connected the new screen and the MHL and tried the digitizer... AND IT WAS WORKING!

So - seeing the phone's screen on the TV and operating on the digitizer I was able to finally turn on the debugging

I felt like a Superhero

@Rhydz: Thank you very much for the advice with the MHL dongle. It saved the day