As an app and browser testing expert with over 10+ years of experience accrued from evaluating 3,500+ real devices and browsers, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of testing on real Android devices.
With Android accounting for a mammoth 74% of the global smartphone OS market share as of Q4 2022, if your website or web app does not function optimally on the diverse Android landscapes, you automatically risk alienating 3 out of 4 mobile users.
Global Smartphone OS Market Share
| Operating System | Market Share |
| ---------------- | ------------ |
| Android | 74% |
| iOS | 25% |
| Others | 1% |And when evaluating the Android ecosystem, you have the mighty duo of Android Chrome to contend with. Chrome enjoys a 63% share of the mobile browser market globally.
Further compounding testing complexity is the extensive fragmentation that exists within Android devices and Chrome browser versions themselves.
So how exactly can you tackle debugging and testing websites across this maze of mobile hardware and software?
By leveraging real device cloud platforms like BrowserStack.
In this extensive 7 step guide, I will demonstrate how BrowserStack‘s online Android device lab enables you to remotely access real Android phones and debug websites using the familiar Chrome Developer Tools.
Let‘s get started!
Step #1: Understanding Why Remote Debugging on Real Devices is Crucial
While simulators and emulators allow you to code and test websites without access to physical devices, they rarely mimic the intricacies of real smartphones accurately.
As a consequence, issues that may not be evident on simulated test environments can crop up when actual users access your website from an Android phone browser like Chrome.
Additionally, achieving comprehensive test coverage across the fragmentation of Android devices and Chrome browser editions requires access to an expansive range of real smartphones – an expensive proposition if you attempt to build an in-house device lab encompassing all that diversity.
This is why services like BrowserStack that provide cloud access to an extensive catalog of real mobile devices across operating system and browser flavors are invaluable for debugging and testing.
They save you the significant overheads associated with procuring and maintaining your own physical device lab infrastructure.
In fact as per an independent Total Economic Impact study by Forrester, using BrowserStack‘s real device cloud translated to $1.75 million in cost savings and business benefits over 3 years for a composite organization.
So by allowing you to remotely access thousands of mobile hardware and browser combinations instantly to test websites, BrowserStack not only improves efficiency but also delivers compelling ROI.
Let‘s now see how we can leverage BrowserStack‘s Android real device cloud for remote debugging.
Step #2: Sign Up for a BrowserStack Account
To get started, you first need to sign up for a BrowserStack account. Navigate to their website and click on the Get Started button.
Choose the plan you wish to subscribe to for access to BrowserStack‘s device cloud. They offer a free trial that provides sufficient quota for basic testing needs.
Once signed up, you will be taken to the BrowserStack Live dashboard.
This is the springboard from where you can access the available mobile devices from their device cloud for interactive testing.
Step #3: Search for Android Devices
On the Dashboard, start by clicking the "Android" option under Google Android to view the catalog of Android phones and tablets at your disposal.
You will instantly notice the vast range of devices across various hardware profiles (from budget to premium flagships like the S22 Ultra) and form factors (phones as well as tablets).
This variety enables you to identify rendering or functionality defects that may occur on specific device profiles.
Let‘s pick the OnePlus 8T, a fairly popular Android smartphone globally, for our debugging needs.
Step #4: Launch Chrome Browser on Android Device
With the OnePlus 8T selected, hover over the device name and click on the Chrome icon as shown below:
This will open up a Chrome browser instance on the remotely accessed OnePlus 8T device from BrowserStack‘s cloud.
The device desktop will load with Chrome launched and ready for browser testing and debugging access.
Step #5: Analyze Website Using Chrome Developer Tools
Once Chrome browser has loaded, navigate to the website or web app you wish to test debug.
To start debugging, click on the three dot menu > More Tools > Developer Tools.
This will launch the Chrome DevTools panel through which you can now analyze and debug the website opened on the OnePlus 8T Chrome browser.
Some key things you can do here:
- Inspect and modify page elements like HTML, CSS, JavaScript using the Elements tab
- Debug JS errors using the Sources tab
- Audit site speed and size with the Network and Performance tabs
- Emulate device capabilities like location, screen sizes etc. via Device Mode
For example, the screenshot above shows the Elements tab wherein you can select page components and edit them on the fly to fix layout, styling or functional defects.
Step #6: Debug Across Diverse Android Hardware
A unique benefit provided by BrowserStack is quick access to an expansive catalog of real Android devices via their mobile device cloud.
This wealth of test hardware enables you to identify device or browser version specific defects that may not occur when testing a website on just 1-2 handsets.
For instance, continuing our example from earlier – the site layout may break entirely on a tablet like the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra versus the OnePlus 8T phone we tested earlier.
The ability to remotely access diverse Android devices instantly without procuring and maintaining your own physical device lab infrastructure provides tremendous efficiency.
You can now rapidly debug a website against a multitude of mobile hardware and browser profiles to achieve comprehensive test coverage.
Step #7: Automate Testing for Faster Feedback
While the above focused on live interactive testing, BrowserStack also facilitates automated testing on Android Chrome at scale.
You can execute pre-written Selenium and Appium test suites across hundreds of Android devices in parallel to detect defects early in the SDLC.
This allows you to shift from purely manual testing to augmenting it via intelligent test automation for accelerated feedback.
Additional Benefits of BrowserStack for Mobile Testing
Besides easier access to real devices for debugging Android Chrome, BrowserStack provides a few other valuable testing features:
App Debugging
Along with mobile websites, BrowserStack also enables debugging native or hybrid Android apps using Chrome Debugging for Apps. So their device cloud helps test the full spectrum of mobile endpoints.
A Vast Device Catalog
With instant access to 3000+ real mobile devices spanning various OS, BrowserStack‘s device catalog is one of the largest available on the cloud. This vastness allows you to test and debug your digital assets on virtually any relevant device profile.
Generous Free Trial
Instead of a very restrictive free trial with allowance to access just 1-2 devices, BrowserStack provides moderately decent free quota. You can test 5 devices in parallel with up to 30 minutes of session length. This facilitates meaningful testing and debugging within the trial period.
So in summary, BrowserStack alleviates major pain points enterprises traditionally face in securing continuous access to an updated cache of mobile devices.
Their online device lab that houses thousands of real smartphones saves you the complexity of managing your own physical device lab infrastructure. Leverage their Android phone catalog to debug websites accessed via Chrome efficiently without logistical hassles.
And the generous free trial quota means you face minimal risk in trying out their platform. I highly recommend giving BrowserStack a spin to witness first-hand how real device cloud access can benefit your debugging strategy!
