Android error: Failed to install *.apk on device *: timeout

685
votes

I'm getting this error from time to time and don't know what causing this:
When trying to run/debug an Android app on a real device (Galaxy Samsung S in my case) I'm getting the following error in the Console:

Failed to install *.apk on device *:

timeout Launch canceled!

This is all the Console is telling me. LogCat doesn't provide any information. Eclipse Problems view is not showing any issues.

I tried the following steps with no success:
1. Cleaning the project (Project->Clean)
2. Restarting device, Eclipse, laptop, all of the above...
3. Moving the project to a location without spaces, according to Failed to install apk on device 'emulator-5554': timeout

The app has been debugged in the past on that device many times (app is live on Market), but this problem happens every so often, and is VERY FRUSTRATING...

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

8
androidtimeoutinstallationapk
give a try by just restarting your device. It happens sometimes when our device goes idle. – Vikas Patidar
If you code has any error then it will show it in Problems View and if a runtime error occurs then it will show it in LogCat View. Thats why they are not providing any information. – Vikas Patidar
Thank you for answering, but the problem still occured after device restart, as I mentioned in my post. Eventually what did the trick for me is reinstalling the smartphone drivers, restarting everything and hoping for the best... – Arye Rosenstein
Moving code to a path with no spaces was required. Thanks! – DataGraham
Sometimes your device is a bit far from your PC. I mean your cable is long or your device is connected to PC via keyboard's USB. Connect it to PC's USB directly – Bobs

8 Answers

1134
votes

Try changing the ADB connection timeout. I think it defaults that to 5000ms and I changed mine to 10000ms to get rid of that problem.

If you are in Eclipse, you can do this by going through

Window -> Preferences -> Android -> DDMS -> ADB Connection Timeout (ms)

194
votes

What I usually do when I get this error is restarting the adb server by typing in the cmd:

adb kill-server

adb start-server

EDIT: With some never versions of the Platform Tools you can do this from the DDMS Perspective in the Devices Tab menu (near the Capture Button), click on Reset adb.

EDIT2: Also I found out that it is preferable to use the USB port in the back of your PC, since most of the front USB ports are low powered, and really seem to be slower when uploading apks on your devices.

116
votes

I used to have this problem sometimes, the solution was to change the USB cable to a new one

43
votes

don't use USB 3.0 ports for connection beetwen PC and Android phone!

USB 3.0 - Port with blue tongue

USB 2.0 - Port with black tongue

38
votes

Reboot the phone.

Seriously! Completely power down and power up. That fixed it for me.

18
votes

I have encountered the same problem and tried to change the ADB connection timeout. That did not work. I switched between my PC's USB ports (front -> back) and it fixed the problem!!!

16
votes

I get this a lot. I'm on a Galaxy S too. I unplug the cable from the phone, plug it back in and try launching the app again from Eclipse, and it usually does the trick. Eclipse seems to lose the connection to the phone occasionally but this seems to kick it back to life.

11
votes

I know it sounds silly, but after trying everything recomended for this timeout issue on when running on a device, I decided to try changing the cable and it worked. It's a Coby Kyros MID7015.

Trying another cable is a good and simple option to take a chance on.