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How to debug analytics on a mobile phone

Forum|Forum|1 month ago
March 16, 2026
5 replies
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Does anyone know how to view analytics calls from a mobile device to see variables flowing into Adobe.

Best answer by AmitVishwakarma

Hi @denise_arjunan1

On mobile you debug Adobe Analytics the same ways we do internally: browser dev tools + proxy + Assurance (for SDK apps).

1. Mobile web (site in a mobile browser)

Use a desktop + your phone:

Chrome/Firefox dev tools (remote debugging):
- Android: connect phone via USB > chrome://inspect > inspect the mobile tab > Network > filter for b/ss/ (AppMeasurement) or /ee/ (Web SDK).
- iOS: Safari on Mac > Develop > your device > Network > filter for Analytics calls.
Adobe Experience Platform Debugger (for mobile web running in a browser):
- Install the Adobe Experience Platform Debugger extension on Chrome/Firefox.
- Open the same URL on desktop and mobile; use Debugger's Analytics or Network > Analytics views to see variables (eVars, props, events) for those hits.

2. Native mobile apps (SDK-based)

Recommended tools:

Adobe Experience Platform Assurance (Project Griffon) – Adobe's preferred mobile debugger
- Integrate the Assurance extension in the mobile SDK config.
- Start an Assurance session (scan QR or enter PIN) and run the app.
- In Assurance UI, use Analytics Events / Event Transactions to see every hit, mapped variables, and any validation errors.
- No proxy or Charles required and works even on locked-down devices.
HTTP proxy (Charles / Proxyman / Fiddler) – classic approach
- Put your phone on the same Wi‑Fi as your laptop.
- Set the phone's Wi‑Fi proxy to your laptop IP + Charles port (e.g. 8888).
- Install and trust the Charles SSL cert on the device.
- Filter in Charles for b/ss/ or data.adobedc.net to see full Analytics payloads.

3. Which one should you use?

Mobile web only:
- Use browser dev tools + Platform Debugger.
Native app (AEP Mobile SDK / legacy SDK):
- Use Assurance as first choice.
- Use Charles/Proxyman when you need raw network view or Assurance isn't available.

Krishna_Musku

Community Advisor and Adobe Champion

@denise_arjunan1 Try using ‘Charles Proxy’ or ‘Fiddler’.

- Krishna Musku (Adobe Champion & Community Advisor)

D

denise_arjunan1Author

Level 2

Do you have more steps on how to set it up?

T

Tony Chen

Level 2

Charles Proxy is only available for iOS. It’s an app and you can get in the Apple Store. Once it’s configured, you turn on the app and it will capture all the network activities. Usually it’s easier to view the log in Windows (they also have a Windows version). It’s very useful for debugging.

Jennifer_Dungan

Community Advisor and Adobe Champion

It depends on if you are talking about Mobile Websites or Mobile Apps.

Let’s start with Mobile Websites.

As @Krishna_Musku mentioned, proxy testing is really the only solution (unless your company has access to BrowserStack which allows you to connect to a remote physical mobile device, but you have access to a network panel experience).

I’ve used both Charles and Fiddler… but right now, my tool of choice is HTTP Toolkit

HTTP Toolkit is free, and connecting to Android is even easier, as there is a companion android app that allows you to connect the device easily with a QR Code, iOS still requires making sure both your computer and your phone are connected to the same wifi signal, getting the IP Address of your computer, and modifying the proxy settings (but I am getting ahead of myself)

For ANY of the proxy solutions, you will need to install CA Certificates on your phone. The process will be similar for all the tools (the port might vary), but HTTP Toolkit has this documentation for the process:

https://httptoolkit.com/docs/guides/ios/

Once you are connected and you can see your traffic coming through, you should be able to inspect your requests (if everything is properly set up). Again, this documentation is specific to HTTP Toolkit, but Charles or Fiddler will be similar with a different UI:

https://httptoolkit.com/docs/getting-started/inspecting/

Ok, now, let’s talk about Mobile Apps

Just like websites, you can use these proxy tools to see what is happening in your apps. This is helpful for diagnosing certain issues, or testing other Analytics (if you have to test more than just Adobe).

Of course, for Adobe, it’s recommended to use the AEP Assurance extension, since this will let you see your Post Processed data…. but if you have an issue, this backup will let you debug what is happening.

Now, with Android Apps, there is an extra level of security that can make the proxy not work immediately. This will be the case for most of the proxy tools.

You will need to get your developers to change your app config so that it will trust user installed CA Certificates. If your team has concerns about this, at least have them do this to your Dev/QA builds (if they won’t do it to your Prod… but they also have to take the risk of not being able to test release builds….)

https://httptoolkit.com/docs/guides/android/

In Summary:

You will have to choose the tool that works best for you (and that your company approves).

Here are some final thoughts on each tool:

Charles - fairly decent tool, was the “go-to” for many years…
- It has a free version, but the last time I used the free edition it drive me up the wall! It has a start up delay, then will close or restart every 30 mins
- I personally am not crazy on the UI (having to drill down the path levels to get to the parameters
Fiddler - I used Fiddler for years (at least the old version)… it only worked on Windows.
- There is a “Fiddler Everywhere” version, but I believe it’s paid
- “Classic” is still free, but the last time I loaded my computer, I was unable to get it to work… even after installing all the certificates, and connecting to the correct IPs, etc
HTTP Toolkit
- This is my Fiddler replacement (when I was unable to get Fiddler working on my new computer, I found this so I didn’t have to go back to Charles - sorry Charles)
- It’s free, the UI is nice, and the ability to connect to Android through a companion app is a time saver

Good Luck, and Happy Testing!

Nick_Walter

Community Advisor and Adobe Champion

There are a lot of options for debugging mobile apps but they require a lot of configuration that you will most likely need help your dev team. It looks like other have outlined some options so I wont do that here. The easiest way that I know of though it is not the most efficient is finding your unique ID and create a filter for that, then see if your personal test data is coming in as expected. That is slow since it takes a little while for your data to process but it is usually within an hour.

Jennifer_Dungan

Community Advisor and Adobe Champion

Yep, there is always that route… you could always use a unique campaign code (like utm_source=jentest and utm_source=jentest2. - or a CID if that is how you track your campaigns)

You can then filter based on that custom campaign (assuming that tracking is working 😉) rather than your specific “unique id”

D

denise_arjunan1Author

Level 2

I was actually able to download the app call ProxyMan and that worked to switch back and forth between the site and the app to see the call firing.

Thanks everyone for the input.

AmitVishwakarma

Accepted solution

Community Advisor

Hi @denise_arjunan1

On mobile you debug Adobe Analytics the same ways we do internally: browser dev tools + proxy + Assurance (for SDK apps).

1. Mobile web (site in a mobile browser)

Use a desktop + your phone:

Chrome/Firefox dev tools (remote debugging):
- Android: connect phone via USB > chrome://inspect > inspect the mobile tab > Network > filter for b/ss/ (AppMeasurement) or /ee/ (Web SDK).
- iOS: Safari on Mac > Develop > your device > Network > filter for Analytics calls.
Adobe Experience Platform Debugger (for mobile web running in a browser):
- Install the Adobe Experience Platform Debugger extension on Chrome/Firefox.
- Open the same URL on desktop and mobile; use Debugger's Analytics or Network > Analytics views to see variables (eVars, props, events) for those hits.

2. Native mobile apps (SDK-based)

Recommended tools:

Adobe Experience Platform Assurance (Project Griffon) – Adobe's preferred mobile debugger
- Integrate the Assurance extension in the mobile SDK config.
- Start an Assurance session (scan QR or enter PIN) and run the app.
- In Assurance UI, use Analytics Events / Event Transactions to see every hit, mapped variables, and any validation errors.
- No proxy or Charles required and works even on locked-down devices.
HTTP proxy (Charles / Proxyman / Fiddler) – classic approach
- Put your phone on the same Wi‑Fi as your laptop.
- Set the phone's Wi‑Fi proxy to your laptop IP + Charles port (e.g. 8888).
- Install and trust the Charles SSL cert on the device.
- Filter in Charles for b/ss/ or data.adobedc.net to see full Analytics payloads.

3. Which one should you use?

Mobile web only:
- Use browser dev tools + Platform Debugger.
Native app (AEP Mobile SDK / legacy SDK):
- Use Assurance as first choice.
- Use Charles/Proxyman when you need raw network view or Assurance isn't available.

Amit Vishwakarma - Adobe Commerce Champion 2025 | 16x Adobe certified | 4x Adobe SME