Remote debugging WebViews

Debug WebViews in your native Android apps using Chrome Developer Tools.

On Android 4.4 (KitKat) or later, use DevTools to debug WebView content in native Android applications.

# Summary

• Enable WebView debugging in your native Android app; debug WebViews in Chrome DevTools.
• Access list of debug-enabled WebViews via chrome://inspect.
• Debugging WebViews is the same as debugging a web page through remote debugging.

# Configure WebViews for debugging

WebView debugging must be enabled from within your application. To enable WebView debugging, call the static method setWebContentsDebuggingEnabled on the WebView class.

if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.KITKAT) {
    WebView.setWebContentsDebuggingEnabled(true);
}

This setting applies to all of the application's WebViews.

Tip: WebView debugging is not affected by the state of the debuggable flag in the application's manifest. If you want to enable WebView debugging only when debuggable is true, test the flag at runtime.

if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.KITKAT) {
    if (0 != (getApplicationInfo().flags & ApplicationInfo.FLAG_DEBUGGABLE))
    { WebView.setWebContentsDebuggingEnabled(true); }
}

# Open a WebView in DevTools

The chrome://inspect page displays a list of debug-enabled WebViews on your device.

To start debugging, click inspect below the WebView you want to debug. Use DevTools as you would for a remote browser tab.

The gray graphics listed with the WebView represent its size and position relative to the device's screen. If your WebViews have titles set, the titles are listed as well.

# Troubleshooting

Can't see your WebViews on the chrome://inspect page?

• Verify that WebView debugging is enabled for your app.
• On your device, open the app with the WebView you want to debug. Then, refresh the chrome://inspect page.