The latest articles on DEV Community by WaffleNinja (@wafflingninja). https://dev.to/wafflingninja https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4237310%2F9932e2ae-b3df-4327-a240-4c59ca1ef988.jpg https://dev.to/wafflingninja en WaffleNinja Tue, 10 Nov 2026 14:41:52 +0000 https://dev.to/wafflingninja/i-built-a-free-open-source-adb-game-booster-for-android-no-root-no-pc-2pab https://dev.to/wafflingninja/i-built-a-free-open-source-adb-game-booster-for-android-no-root-no-pc-2pab <p>WaffleBoost is a free, open-source Android app that applies gaming performance tweaks through your phone's own ADB daemon. No root, and no PC after a one-time pairing.</p> <h2> How it works </h2> <ol> <li>Turn on wireless debugging and pair once, with the 6-digit code from a notification.</li> <li>Pick a game and tap boost. The game launches.</li> <li>Stop the boost or close the app, and every change is reverted.</li> </ol> <p>Each change saves the original value to disk first. If the app crashes mid-boost, the restore runs on the next launch.</p> <h2> What it changes </h2> <p>27 tweaks across six tabs. Some examples:</p> <ul> <li>Render scale 90, 80 or 70 percent, and an FPS target</li> <li>Force a 60 Hz cap or the highest refresh rate</li> <li>Pre-compile the game, Vulkan renderer, ANGLE, 4x MSAA</li> <li>Do Not Disturb, pause backups, pause background compile</li> <li>Faster long press and double tap, rotation lock</li> </ul> <p>Four profiles: Extreme, Balanced, Battery, and Custom. Auto-detect starts the boost when a game from your list opens.</p> <h2> What I tested, and what I didn't </h2> <p>I tested every tweak on one phone (Xiaomi, Android 16, MediaTek). Each one was applied, read back, then reverted. 24 of 27 passed. Two failed: Roblox refuses the system performance game mode, and one alarm block did not stick. One could not be confirmed either way.</p> <p>I did not measure FPS. Nothing in the app claims a frame-rate gain. The results table is in <a href="https://github.com/WafflingNinja/waffleboost/blob/master/docs/DEVICE_TESTS.md" rel="noopener noreferrer">docs/DEVICE_TESTS.md</a>.</p> <p>The Shizuku fallback is written but not tested on a device yet.</p> <h2> Why it is free and open </h2> <p>Every command is a stock Android shell command you could type into <code>adb shell</code> yourself. The full list, with the command behind every card, is in <a href="https://github.com/WafflingNinja/waffleboost/blob/master/docs/SPEC.md" rel="noopener noreferrer">docs/SPEC.md</a>. The command list is fixed in code. The app never runs text you type.</p> <p>It has no ads, no analytics, and no network calls beyond the local socket to the phone's own ADB daemon.</p> <ul> <li>Source (MIT): <a href="https://github.com/WafflingNinja/waffleboost" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://github.com/WafflingNinja/waffleboost</a> </li> <li>APK: <a href="https://github.com/WafflingNinja/waffleboost/releases/tag/v0.1" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://github.com/WafflingNinja/waffleboost/releases/tag/v0.1</a> (debug-signed for now)</li> <li>Requires Android 11 or newer</li> </ul> <p><em>AI disclosure: the code was written with an AI coding assistant (Claude Code) under my direction. This post was drafted with AI help.</em></p> <p>If you try it on another phone, a report in the issues is the most useful thing you can send back.</p> android kotlin opensource