Mobile Screenshots
Mobile screenshots provide context to the data collected in the Controller UI. They also allow you to better understand the user experience.
Screenshots enable you to:
- Verify Presentation: Determine if an app is displaying correctly on different devices.
- Understand User Behavior: Determine where users are clicking on the screen.
- Troubleshoot Bugs: Analyze bugs and errors by correlating code issues with screenshots. You’ll be able to see what the user is doing when issues happen.
Splunk AppDynamics Version Requirements
You must use these Splunk AppDynamics software versions:
- Controller >= 4.3.2
- iOS/Android Agents >= 4.3.2
- Xamarin Agent >= 21.6.0
Screenshot Limitations
Mobile screenshots have the following limitations:
- Only iOS/Android platforms are supported.
- You can enable or disable screenshots or explicitly exclude screenshots for specific screens/activities.
- You cannot set a minimum/maximum number of screenshots per session.
- Touch points are not collected unless screenshots are in automatic mode.
- The touch points will not be included in screenshots from past sessions.
- The UI Event feature is not related to screenshots or touch points in any way. Thus, the screenshot will not be directly correlated with a UI event in the Waterfall.
Types of Screenshots
Mobile RUM captures conventional screenshots and touch-point screenshots that capture user touch events. Both types of screenshots have timestamps, but the latter will also plot "user touches" on the panel.
| Conventional Screenshots | Touch Point Screenshots |
|---|---|
|
The conventional screenshot will simply show what your users viewing. These screenshots can be taken programmatically or by enabling automatic screenshots in the Controller UI. |
The touch point screenshot shows where users touched the screen when using your app. Touch points are only collected when automatic capture mode is enabled. |
When Screenshots Are Taken
Screenshots can only be captured if the Mobile Agent and the Controller UI have enabled screenshots.
Once screenshots have been enabled, screenshots will be only taken if one or more of the following are true:
- The Mobile Agent uses the SDK API to manually take a screenshot.
- You have enabled automatic capture in the Controller UI.
Configure Mobile Screenshots
You have several methods for controlling when screenshots are taken. This page lists the settings for disabling/enabling and taking screenshots.
Screenshot Control Settings
This table lists the different settings for screenshots, the user tasks required for the settings, and a description of what the settings accomplish. Screenshots are enabled by default in the iOS and Android Agents, but disabled in the Controller UI. To use screenshots, you need to enable screenshots in the Controller UI.
| Screenshot Setting | User Tasks | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Disable Screenshots From Being Taken |
Perform one of the following:
|
Only Disable Screenshots with the iOS/Android SDK Screenshots are globally disabled. The Controller UI cannot override the Mobile Agent setting. Only Disable Screenshots with the Controller UI The Controller will disable screenshot capture in the Mobile Agent. Because the Controller setting is propagated to the Mobile Agents through the EUM Server, the Mobile Agent may take screenshots before its screenshot setting has been updated. Once the Controller setting has been applied, however, the Mobile Agent will no longer take screenshots. |
| Enable Screenshots |
| The Mobile Agent can take screenshots, and the Controller UI will display them in the session results. |
| Enable Screenshots - Manual Screenshots (Wi-Fi) |
| You call the Mobile SDK to take screenshots. The screenshots are only uploaded to the Controller when the device is using Wi-Fi. |
| Enable Screenshots - Automatic Screenshots (Wi-Fi) |
|
Screenshots are automatically taken periodically. The screenshots are only transmitted when the device is using Wi-Fi. |
| Enable Screenshots - Manual Screenshots (Wi-Fi / Cellular Data) |
| You call the Mobile SDK to take screenshots. |
| Enable Screenshots - Automatic Screenshots (Wi-Fi / Cellular Data) |
| Screenshots are automatically taken periodically. |
Take Mobile Screenshots
Related pages:
This page describes how to enable and disable screenshots and manual and automatic screenshots.
Enable Mobile Screenshots
Mobile screenshots are disabled by default (in the Controller) for security and privacy reasons as screenshots may contain sensitive information.
To enable mobile screenshots:
- Navigate to one of your mobile apps.
- Open the Configuration page.
- Click Mobile App Group Configuration.
- Check the Enable Mobile Screenshot checkbox.
- (Optional) If you want to allow the application to take screenshots when using cellular data, check the User Cellular Data check box.
Enable Automatic Screenshots
Mobile screenshots are disabled by default (in the Controller) for security and privacy reasons as screenshots may contain sensitive information. If automatic screenshots are enabled, screenshots are taken every 10 seconds.
To enable automatic screenshots:
- Navigate to one of your mobile apps in the Controller UI.
- Open the Configuration page.
- Click Mobile App Group Configuration.
- Scroll down to Configure Mobile Screenshot and confirm that the Enable Mobile Screenshot checkbox is checked.
- Check the Enable Automatic Screenshots check box.
- (Optional) If you want to allow the application to take screenshots when using cellular data, check the User Cellular Data check box.
Programmatically Take Screenshots
You can use the Android or iOS SDK to programmatically take screenshots. See:
View Mobile Screenshots
Mobile screenshots are included in the Session Details. You can view a timeline of the screenshots and touchpoints that were taken during the user's activity.
This page describes how to view screenshot and touch events in the timeline of the Timeline tab, and view thumbnails and full-size images of the screenshots and touches in the chronological event list.
Screenshot Events in the Timeline
Both conventional and touch-point screenshot events appear in the Timeline tab at the time that it was taken.
Conventional Screenshots
Conventional screenshots appear in General > Screenshots. Click the camera icon to view details of the screenshot event in the chronological event list at the bottom.
Screenshots of Touches
Screenshots of touches appear in User Interactions > Touches. Click the screen touch icon to view details of the touch event in the chronological event list at the bottom.
Screenshot Thumbnails
From the chronological list of events at the bottom of the page, you can hover over a screenshot or touch event to view a thumbnail. The screenshot of the touches displays the touch locations in pink.
| Conventional Screenshot Thumbnail | Screenshot Thumbnail of Touches |
|---|---|
|
|
|
Full-Size Screenshots
To view full-size images of the conventional screenshots, click the camera icon on the right of the event details in the chronological list. Full-sized images are not available for screenshots of touches.