Remote debugging Chrome for iOS

Question

I'm trying to debug an error on Chrome for iPad. How can I do that?

Additional info:

I know how to debug Safari for iOS. I just don't have a Mac at the moment.

Doubt anything has changed since this was asked: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11262236/ios-remote-debugging — epascarello, Dec 10 '13 at 17:13

score 11 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 10:29

You cannot directly remote debug Chrome on iOS currently. It uses a uiWebView that may act subtly different than Mobile Safari

You have a few options.

Option 1: Remote-debug Mobile Safari using Safari's inspector. If your issue reproduces in Mobile Safari, this is definitely the best way to go. In fact, going through the iOS simulator is even easier.

Option 2: Use Weinre for a slimmed down debugging experience. Weinre doesn't have much features but sometimes it's good enough.

Option 3: Remote debug a proper uiWebView that functions the same.

Here's the best way to do this. You'll need to install XCode.

Go to github.com/paulirish/iOS-WebView-App and "Download Zip" or clone.
Open XCode, open existing project, and choose the project you just downloaded.
Open WebViewAppDelegate.m and change the urlString to be the URL you want to test.
Run the app in the iOS Simulator.
Open Safari, Open the Develop Menu, Choose iOS Simulator and select your webview.
Safari Inspector will now be inspecting your uiWebView.

enter image description here

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 22 '21 at 15:05

3

If you're just looking for the console logs, there's chrome://inspect, which will display console.log of other tabs in iOS Chrome.

answered Apr 22 '21 at 15:05

Chris Hayes

Chris Wagner · Answer 3 · 2016-09-13T00:05:56.967

1

Is it true that I need Safari on MacOS X to remote debug Chrome for iOS?

As far as I understand, yes.

Does Desktop Chrome allow anything?

No

Is Chrome for iOS just a webview application?

Yes, the app would be rejected otherwise, this is why Mozilla originally did not build a browser for iOS.

edited Sep 13 '16 at 00:05

answered Dec 10 '13 at 20:18

Chris Wagner

score 1 · Answer 4 · answered Jun 16 '15 at 18:17

1

The Firefox Tools Adaptor allows one to use Firefox DevTools to debug websites on Safari or Google Chrome for iOS or Android.

answered Jun 16 '15 at 18:17

erikvold

score 1 · Answer 5 · answered Jul 20 '20 at 22:12

I've had some success with the iOS remote debug webkit adapter.

npm install remotedebug-ios-webkit-adapter -g

Enable remote debugging in Safari - iOS Settings => Safari preferences => enable "Web Inspector"

Make your computer trust your iOS device- starting iTunes could prompt the "Trust this computer" dialog.

remotedebug_ios_webkit_adapter --port=9000

Open tabs should show up in chrome://inspect/#devices

5 Answers5