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Android setup help

Connect your Android phone

Use these steps before activating protection in Shamefull. You need Android 10 or later, a Windows 11 x64 PC or an Apple Silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later, and a USB cable that carries data.

Phone still not showing up? Troubleshoot USB

Connect in four steps

  1. Unlock the phone and connect a data cable

    Connect directly to a USB port on the computer while troubleshooting, and keep the phone unlocked. Charging confirms power only; it does not confirm a working data connection. If the phone does not appear, try another cable known to transfer data and another port.

  2. Turn on USB debugging

    On a Pixel, open Settings → About phone → Build number and tap Build number seven times. Then open Settings → System → Developer options and turn on USB debugging. Developer options must also remain enabled. Enter your phone's PIN on the phone if asked.

    On Samsung, Build number is usually under About phone → Software information. Menu names vary. See Android's Developer options guide.

  3. Allow this computer on the phone

    Open Shamefull, choose Android, and select Scan for Devices. Watch the phone for “Allow USB debugging?” and tap Allow for your computer. The prompt may show an RSA fingerprint. You can choose “Always allow from this computer” on a computer you trust.

    An already authorized computer may not show another prompt.About Android's authorization prompt.

  4. Confirm the phone appears in Shamefull

    Select Scan for Devices or Rescan, then choose your phone and Continue. The app next asks you to temporarily remove all phone accounts before activation. You can add the accounts back after setup. Removing accounts does not fix a missing USB connection.

USB troubleshooting

Choose the symptom you see. Check the connection and phone settings before changing drivers.

The phone only charges, or there is no USB notification

Keep the phone unlocked. Try another data cable, a different computer port, and a direct connection without a hub or adapter. A charging phone with no detection does not tell you which part of the connection is failing.

If available, open the phone's USB notification, often labeled “Charging this device via USB,” and try Use USB for → File transfer (sometimes “File transfer / Android Auto”). On a Pixel, you can also look under Settings → Connected devices → USB while connected. The USB menu's location and availability vary by phone.

File transfer can help check the data connection on some phones. It does not enable USB debugging, and it is not required on every phone for Shamefull to connect. Keep USB debugging enabled separately.

Google's Pixel USB cable and file-transfer guidance

The phone is missing from File Explorer

Shamefull uses Android's debugging connection (ADB), which is separate from file transfer. A phone can connect to Shamefull without appearing in Windows File Explorer. If Shamefull lists your phone, continue setup; File Explorer is not a setup requirement.

Seeing files in Explorer also does not confirm that USB debugging is enabled or authorized.

There is no Allow prompt, or Shamefull says unauthorized

Check that USB debugging is on, unlock the phone, then disconnect and reconnect the cable. Select Scan for Devices in Shamefull and watch the phone for the prompt. If this computer is already authorized and the phone appears, no new prompt is needed.

If it remains unauthorized, Android's connection troubleshooting guide explains how to revoke USB debugging authorizations and reconnect. Revoking authorization forgets the computers you previously trusted.

Windows detects the phone, but Shamefull still cannot find it

After checking USB debugging and authorization, open Windows Device Manager. If connecting the phone creates a device entry but its ADB interface is missing or has a warning, check the manufacturer's Windows USB driver. An “Android Device” or “Android Composite ADB Interface” entry may identify the debugging connection.

For a Pixel, use the Google USB Driver. For another brand, use its manufacturer's driver. Follow the official Device Manager installation instructions, reconnect the phone, and rescan in Shamefull. You do not need to install Android Studio.

If Device Manager does not change at all, return to the cable, port, and phone USB checks first. If the ADB interface is healthy, recheck authorization and rescan before replacing a driver. Mac setup needs no additional USB driver.

After protection is activated

Shamefull turns USB debugging off and locks that setting when setup finishes. The phone disappearing from the setup app at that point is expected. Use the completion message to confirm success; a disconnection by itself does not prove protection was activated. If the app reports an error, contact support with that message.

Still stuck?

Contact support@shamefull.io with your phone model, Android version, computer operating system, and the exact message in Shamefull. On Windows, include whether Device Manager changes when you connect the phone. You can copy diagnostics from Account in the Windows setup app.