Before we start troubleshooting, double check that you have turned on USB debugging mode on the Android device. For steps on preparing an Android device, please review this article.
Below are some troubleshooting tips to try next with Android devices.
1- The most common issue when having problems acquiring Android devices is the cable. We recommend using the manufacturer cable. Some generic cables and cables used by other forensic software may not be compatible with Mobilyze and BlackLight. Try using a second cable and try a different USB port.
2- If you are a Windows user, an ADB driver is needed to communicate with the Android device. Mobilyze and BlackLight installers include the BlackBag Driver pack with the most common ADB drivers. Make sure you have installed the driver pack. Some Android devices such as ZTE phones, may have the driver on the device. This article shows how to install the driver from a ZTE phone.
3- Some of the newer Android devices have device encryption turned on by default and some have the option to turn on device encryption. Open Settings and go to Security options to check if device encryption is turned on. You will need to turn off decryption and wait for the device to fully decrypt before conducting a collection with Mobilyze or BlackLight.
Below is a picture of a Samsung device screen during a collection that cannot progress due to device encryption is turned on. Note the message states 'Since your device is encrypted'.
4- In some cases, if more than one Android device is connected while Mobilyze or BlackLight is running, or if there are multiple attempts in a row acquiring an Android, then too many adb.exe background processes can interfere with the collection.
The image below is from Windows [Task Manager]. On your computer, check for how many adb.exe processes display in [Task Manager] or [Activity Monitor] on macOS. It is expected to see one to two adb.exe processes. If you see more than three adb.exe processes showing, the extra adb.exe processes could be interfering with completing the collection. You can either End Task/Quit the extra adb.exe processes or reboot your computer. We recommend rebooting.
If you have tried the options above and are still having a problem acquiring the Android device, contact support@blackbagtech.com for further assistance.