How to set up Shizuku - and fix it when it's stuck on “Connecting”

By TQ Tech · Updated 22 September 2026 · 9 min read

What Shizuku actually is

Android has always had a privileged channel called ADB - the Android Debug Bridge - meant for developers. Commands sent over ADB run with shell privileges: far more than a normal app gets, far less than root.

Shizuku's insight is that this channel can be kept open for other apps to use. You start Shizuku once through wireless debugging, and it holds a shell-privileged service that any app you authorise can make requests through. Your phone is never rooted, the bootloader stays locked, and nothing in the system partition is touched.

That matters for a GFX tool because writing another app's configuration file sits exactly in that gap: too privileged for a sandboxed app, nowhere near needing root.

Setting Shizuku up on Android 11 and newer

On Android 11+ you can do the whole thing on the phone, no computer required.

1. Install Shizuku from Google Play It's free. Install the GFX tool you intend to use as well, so both are ready.
2. Unlock Developer options Settings → About phone, then tap Build number seven times. On some skins it's under About phone → Software information. A toast tells you when developer mode is on.
3. Connect to Wi-Fi Wireless debugging won't switch on over mobile data. Any Wi-Fi network works.
4. Turn on Wireless debugging Settings → System → Developer options → Wireless debugging. Accept the warning prompt. Leave this screen open.
5. Start the pairing dialog Tap Pair device with pairing code. A six-digit code and a port number appear. This dialog expires, so don't leave it sitting - move to the next step immediately.
6. Pair from Shizuku Without closing the pairing dialog, open Shizuku (use the recents switcher or the notification) and choose Start via Wireless debugging. Shizuku picks up the pairing notification and asks for the code. Enter it.
7. Confirm it's running Shizuku's home screen turns green and reports the service is running, along with the Android version it's running as.
8. Authorise the GFX tool Open 90 FPS + 120 FPS. A Shizuku permission dialog appears - tap Allow. The header should switch to SHIZUKU ENGINE - ACTIVE.

Android 8, 9 and 10: use a computer

Wireless debugging arrived with Android 11. On older versions you start Shizuku over USB:

1. Install the platform-tools package from Google on your computer so you have adb.
2. Enable USB debugging in Developer options and connect the phone by cable.
3. Accept the "Allow USB debugging?" prompt on the phone.
4. Run the start command Shizuku's own setup screen displays for your device. It prints it for you - don't copy one from a forum, as it differs by version.

The service then behaves exactly as on newer Android, and stops on reboot the same way.

Stuck on "Connecting"? Work through these in order

This is the most common complaint in this whole category, and it's nearly always one of six things.

1. Shizuku isn't actually running

Open Shizuku directly and look. If the banner is grey rather than green, the service stopped - usually because the phone rebooted. Pair again. Roughly half of all "stuck connecting" reports are just this.

2. You never granted the permission

If the authorisation dialog was dismissed, the tool waits forever without asking again. In Shizuku, open the authorised-apps list and check whether the GFX tool is there. If it isn't, force-stop the tool and reopen it to trigger a fresh prompt.

3. Battery optimisation killed the service

Aggressive power management on Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Realme and Samsung devices is the usual culprit on those brands. Exclude Shizuku from battery optimisation and, where your skin offers it, lock it in the recents screen so it isn't swiped away.

4. The pairing dialog timed out

The pairing code expires quickly. If you spent time reading instructions between generating the code and entering it, it's dead. Regenerate and move straight to Shizuku.

5. Wi-Fi changed

Wireless debugging is bound to the network it was paired on. Switching Wi-Fi networks - or dropping to mobile data - breaks the connection. Rejoin the original network or pair again.

6. A VPN or private DNS is in the way

Some VPN clients route loopback traffic and break the local ADB connection. Disconnect the VPN, start Shizuku, then reconnect the VPN if you want it during play.

Common mistakes

• Closing the pairing dialog before opening Shizuku. It has to stay open.
• Expecting the connection to survive a reboot. It won't, by design.
• Turning off Developer options afterwards to "clean up" - that kills wireless debugging with it.
• Confusing Shizuku with root. It isn't root, doesn't need an unlocked bootloader, and won't trip the checks that root does.

How this connects to the GFX tool

90 FPS + 120 FPS by TQtech shows the bridge status in its header, so you always know whether the connection is live before you try anything - a green ACTIVE badge means the tool can write configuration; anything else means it can't, and the unlock will silently do nothing. Once connected it reads your device model, Android version and refresh rate, and applies the frame-rate configuration for the game region you select.

Shizuku connected? Unlock the frame rate next

With the bridge active, 90 FPS + 120 FPS can write the configuration that exposes your game's hidden frame-rate tiers. Free on Google Play, no root.

• Free
• No root needed
• BGMI & PUBG Mobile

Frequently asked questions