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Connect a phone, reproduce the issue, deliver the evidence

TabQA uses Chrome WebUSB to access the Android device you explicitly choose. This is the complete workflow from a fresh install.

1. Prepare the Android phone

  1. Open About phone and tap the build number repeatedly to enable developer options.
  2. Enable USB debugging in developer options.
  3. Connect with a data-capable USB cable and set USB mode to File transfer.

2. Authorize in Chrome

  1. Open the TabQA side panel and select an Android device.
  2. Choose the phone in Chrome, then approve USB debugging on the phone.
  3. If the device is busy, close Android Studio and stop any desktop ADB server.

3. Choose the target app

  1. TabQA detects the foreground app, or you can search and enter a package name.
  2. Logs are filtered around the target app, crashes, and ANRs. Raw device logs are kept only when enabled.

4. Start capturing

  1. Choose any combination of logs, screenshots, and video, then start capture. Page debugging begins recording network requests and console.* output when mirroring starts.
  2. While mirroring is active, drop one or more test files onto the phone screen. TabQA sends them to the shared storage root at /sdcard/.
  3. Save multiple screenshots as you reproduce the bug. Standard video runs for up to 180 seconds; buffer mode keeps the latest segments.

5. Diagnose and export

  1. Switch between Network and Console in Page debugging. Inspect requests and export sanitized HAR, or filter Console output by text, regular expression, and Verbose, Info, Warning, or Error level.
  2. TabQA saves the final screen and filters the relevant log context. Add reproduction details and annotate or redact screenshots as needed.
  3. Export Markdown with screenshots, logs, and MP4 attachments.

Troubleshooting

The phone is missing from Chrome

Use a data-capable cable, select File transfer, toggle USB debugging, and reconnect the phone.

The device is busy

WebUSB and desktop ADB cannot own the interface together. Close Android Studio and run adb kill-server.

Capture stops when the panel closes

The WebUSB connection belongs to the side panel. Keep it open during capture; saved evidence remains available.

The video has no audio

TabQA does not currently capture device audio by design.

Why are some requests missing?

Network capture works with browser pages and app pages that have debugging enabled. Requests made by native networking libraries are not currently shown.

Why is page Console output missing?

Console capture works only for Android Chrome pages and WebViews with debugging enabled, and shows only output created by page console.* calls. It is not a full DevTools Console for running JavaScript.

How does TabQA compare to tools like Scrcpy or Vysor?

Scrcpy is an incredible tool for raw, high-performance desktop mirroring. TabQA is designed for a different purpose: an all-in-one testing workbench inside Chrome. It requires zero local ADB or driver installation (powered by WebUSB), and brings together proxy-free network inspection, rolling crash video buffers, and one-click bug reporting without switching between multiple desktop windows.