Skip to content

Suggest troubleshooting tips for Tor Browser for Android

I'd like to suggest some simple and easy tips for Android users to debug crashes and other Tor Browser issues without too much fuss. Often when an app crashes, the only information the user is given is a message like "Tor Browser has stopped." These tips are intended to help users provide more detailed bug reports. This is in reference to https://blog.torproject.org/comment/291677#comment-291677

Another commenter suggested adding a section about Android to the support page "How do I view Tor Browser message log?". Additionally, the feedback template should probably link to that page to make it easier to find. However this information may fit better under Tor Mobile. If we had this information on a support page somewhere, developers could easily point users to it when they report a crash or ask for help (see for example this comment).

Tips

Scoop

There is an app available on f-droid known as Scoop which monitors the Android syslog and displays a notification when it detects an app crash. It also captures a stack trace of the app that crashed, which users can copy and include with a bug report. I've had success using it with a number of apps including Tor Browser.

Scoop's UI is easy to use, however initial setup does require use of a terminal app or adb, as described in the instructions. It does not require root.

Logcat

The Lineage OS project has a tutorial on using logcat. This method requires root and either adb or a terminal. There are GUI apps for viewing logcat as well (however these also require root).

Other ideas (more research and testing needed)

Browser console
  • Is there a way to open the browser console in Fenix?
  • Probably accessible via remote debugging (see below) regardless
Mozilla developer tools (remote debugging)
  • Tor Browser for Android has an option in the settings UI to enable USB debugging, although I haven't tried it.
  • You must enable USB debugging on the device in Android developer settings menu as well as Fenix/TB4A settings. Does not require root. Does not require adb or android tools on desktop, only Firefox or Tor Browser on desktop.
  • about:debugging cannot be opened in Tor Browser for Android, and there is no UI option for WiFi debugging.
  • Probably limited to high-level issues, e.g. sites not displaying properly. Unsure of its usefulness in diagnosing crashes.
  • Might be too involved for the average user just wanting to report a bug.
  • See https://discourse.mozilla.org/t/is-android-debugging-still-working/51681/2