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.

AppDynamics Version Requirements

You must use these AppDynamics software versions: 

  • Controller >= 4.3.2
  • iOS/Android Agents >= 4.3.2
  • AppDynamics Cordova Plugin >= 1
  • Xamarin Agent >= 21.6.0

Screenshot Limitations

Mobile screenshots have the following limitations:

  • Only iOS/Android/Cordova 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 ScreenshotsTouch Point Screenshots

Conventional Screenshot

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.

Touch Point Screenshot

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.