Flow Analyzer for Mobile

Automatically pinpoint accessibility issues in your Android mobile applications on any device or simulator and generate actionable reports.

Environment Setup

Evinced Desktop Client Setup

Download and launch the Evinced Mobile Flow Analyzer desktop application. Once you have done so either sign up for an Evinced account or log in with your existing account. Once logged in, select the Android connection option.

A QR code as well as an IP address should be visible. Note: The IP address may differ from the one in the image.

Companion App Setup

Download the Evinced Mobile Flow Analyzer companion app from the Google Play store on your Android device.

Once installed, open the Mobile Flow Analyzer companion app on your Android device and click “Get Started”. Then, click “Go to Settings” to enable the Evinced Accessibility Service. This gives Evinced the permissions needed to scan applications on the device.

Turn on the service and accept the permissions pop-ups.

Creating an Android Emulator

To create an Android Emulator launch Android Studio and select the AVD Manager from the “Tools” menu. Select “+ Create Virtual Device..” and select any device that has the Play Store available. This is required in order to download the Evinced companion app. Complete the flow and launch the emulator. Download and launch the Evinced companion app as described above.

Wireless Connection

Connect to your device over a Wi-Fi network, no cables required!

Note: If your device is not on the same Wi-Fi network or the desktop/workstation is connected to a VPN or other proxy the device may not be able to connect and we would recommend the wired connection option below.

We have two options to connect, by QR code or IP address.

Connecting via QR code (Recommended for physical devices)

Select the “QR Code” option and hold the device up to the screen of the desktop client and capture the QR code displayed within the boundaries presented within the companion app. The device will automatically connect to the companion app.

Connecting via IP Address (Recommended for Emulators)

Select the “IP Address” option and copy the IP address from the desktop client to the mobile app and click “Connect”.

Note: The IP address may differ from the one in the image.

Troubleshooting a Wireless Connection

If the device is having trouble connecting, here are a few steps to try.

1. Confirm you aren’t connected to a VPN or proxy that may interfere with the wireless connection.
2. Confirm your workstation allows the creation of a websocket server on your workstation.
3. Confirm the IP address seen in the mobile application matches the one in the desktop client.
4. If connection issues remain, try creating a Wi-Fi hotspot from your device and then connecting your workstation to this Wi-Fi network. Retry the QR code or IP address connection steps
5. If connection issues remain, try a wired connection as described below.

Wired Connection

Along with connecting via Wi-Fi, the Evinced Mobile Flow Analyzer can also connect via USB cable. Below are the steps to enable this connection.

Device Setup

One time configuration is needed to enable the developer options on the device and allow communication permissions to the workstation that the device is plugged in to.

Device Developer Options

To enable Developer mode on your device go to the “Settings” app and go to About phone > Software information and tap the “Build number” seven times. This will enable the “Developer options” menu in the main page of the “Settings” app.

Within the “Developer Options” enable “USB Debugging”

NOTE: There may be slight differences between Android versions and manufactures. For complete instructions see the Android developer documentation.

Android Debug Bridge Setup

In order to connect to the device our workstation needs the Android Debug Bridge installed. We can download adb as part of the SDK Platform Tools for Mac or Windows here. Add the file path to the platform tools directory that contains the adb executable to your PATH environment variable.

Windows

To add the file path to your PATH environment variable on Windows open the “Settings” app and search for “Environment Variable”.

Then add the correct file path to your Path system variable.

Mac

To add a file path to your PATH environmental variable on a Mac open a terminal window and type open .zshrc if you don’t have a .zshrc file go ahead and create one by entering touch .zshrc. Then, inside the .zshrc file add the following:

export PATH=$PATH:~/path/to/adb

To verify that the file path has been added type echo $PATH and verify that you see the path to adb.

Connection

adb

Now that we have adb installed and our device ready, let's connect our device to our workstation via a USB cable. Once the device is connected, open a terminal or command prompt window and type adb devices . This will print out a list of devices connected to the workstation. If you see unauthorized next to your device, open the device screen and accept the permission prompts. Once completed you should see the following:

Evinced Desktop Client Setup

Open the Evinced Desktop Client and take note of the port number. In the example below the port number is 8011 but it might be different in your desktop client.

Now, in your terminal type the following command adb reverse tcp:8011 tcp:8011. Remember to enter the port displayed in your desktop client. You should see a response of the port number you used.

Next, open the Evinced companion app on your device and click “Get Started” and then “Enter IP address manually”. Enter the following wss://127.0.0.1:8011. Remember, your port may be different, so be sure and enter the port number you see in the desktop client. Also, disregard the IP address you see in the desktop client. Ensure that you are using 127.0.0.1. Then click connect. your desktop client. You should see a response of the port number you used.

Finally, enable the accessibility service on your device and you are ready to scan!

Troubleshooting a Wired Connection

• Confirm you have permissions to connect a device to your workstation via USB cable.
• Still having trouble? Please reach out to support@evinced.com and we would be happy to help!