Monitoring and diagnostics for mobile apps

When running a live app or service, ensuring everything functions as expected is crucial. Any bugs or issues can seriously impact the business value you deliver. You need to be able to answer three critical questions:

1. Is it working?

And if it isn’t:

2. What’s the impact of the problem?
3. What went wrong, and why did it happen?

Unfortunately, this isn’t straightforward with mobile apps. Without intentionally adding diagnostics and monitoring tools to your stack, you have no way of answering these questions.

Using a communications analogy:

• With web applications, it’s like your users are on a phone call with your servers - always connected, allowing you to monitor issues centrally.
• With mobile apps, it’s like you sent users something in the post. You have no idea what happens after they receive it unless you proactively put measures in place to track it.

That’s where monitoring and diagnostics tools come in.

The solution - monitoring and diagnostics tools

The default tools provided with mobile platforms only report the most severe issues, such as app crashes and freezes. They don’t capture other critical problems or provide the additional context needed to diagnose issues effectively.

To successfully run and scale a production app, you need additional monitoring and diagnostics tools in your stack. These tools help you:

1. Detect early when things aren’t working as expected.
2. Diagnose issues efficiently, allowing for quicker fixes.
3. Confirm that a fix has resolved a problem.
4. Assess the scale of an issue - how many users are affected - so you can prioritise your response accordingly.

Cost vs. benefit of monitoring and diagnostics tools

The more tools in your stack, the higher your costs for implementation, maintenance, paid-for services and user support. However, these costs are outweighed by the savings in time spent diagnosing and fixing issues, improving user engagement, and avoiding brand damage due to serious issues.

For more details on different monitoring and diagnostics approaches, skip to the end of the article. Otherwise, let’s explore how to implement these tools effectively.

Implementing monitoring and diagnostics tools

A mature mobile app will incorporate many monitoring and diagnostics tools. It can be overwhelming to determine what you need, but the good news is that you don’t need to implement everything all at once. Here are my recommendations for prioritising tools based on your app’s development stage.

These recommendations are general rules of thumb, so your unique context may require adjustments. If you need more guidance, please get in touch.

I’ve broken it down into four levels, making it easy to evaluate whether you have the right tools in place.

• Pre-launch - Before you go live
• Early Growth - Post-launch
• Scaling Up - Scaling your user base
• Mature - Operating at scale

Let’s dive in!

Pre-launch - Before you go live

Aims

• Diagnose and fix issues developers encounter in local environments.
• Track app crashes and freezes.
• Monitor app usage, such as sessions, across iOS and Android.
• Ensure basic performance monitoring is in place to keep the app running smoothly.

Early Growth - Post-launch

Aims

• Make it easy for users to report issues.
• Monitor usage of key features across the user base, e.g., sign-ups, log-ins, error rates.
• Gain visibility into errors beyond just crashes.
• Add extra logging before an error or crash for better context.

Scaling Up - Scaling your user base

Aims

• Streamline diagnostics collection for faster issue resolution.
• Introduce targeted diagnostics for specific workflows or problem areas.

At this stage, you’ll have a better sense of when you need these techniques. They provide value, but teams operate successfully without them until they have a clear need.

Mature - Operating at scale

Aims

• Resolve bottlenecks within your team’s processes.
• Leverage third-party tools to optimise issue resolution.
• Streamline user feedback and bug reporting.

At this level, these tools are optional but valuable. If you need them, you’ll know. If you don’t, there’s no need to introduce them prematurely.

Types of monitoring and diagnostics tools

1. User Reporting

The simplest way to discover issues is when users report them. If you don’t provide structured support channels, users will leave negative store reviews instead. Consider implementing:

• In-app Report a Bug functionality.
• Support channels via app & website.
• Community-driven forums (e.g., Discord, Slack, Reddit).

2. Crash Monitoring

Tracks app crashes and freezes. Native App Store / Play Store tools offer limited data, so third-party solutions like Firebase Crashlytics are recommended.

3. Operational Analytics

These monitor interactions across your user base, helping diagnose widespread issues. Use your existing product analytics tools (Mixpanel, New Relic, Smartlook, etc.), or Firebase if you don’t already have one.

4. Logging

Logging records system activity, but unlike web logs, mobile logs aren’t automatically accessible. Options include:

• User-triggered log sharing (sending logs via email / upload).
• Enterprise tools that capture logs remotely.

5. Performance Monitoring

Speed matters—slow apps lead to user drop-off. Basic Play Console metrics exist for Android, but third-party tools like Firebase Performance Monitoring provide better insights and work across both iOS and Android.

6. Enterprise Tools

These integrate multiple diagnostic approaches, streamlining issue resolution with:

• Centralised logging & search (e.g., DataDog).
• User session replay & bug capture (e.g., Instabug). While expensive, they’re worth considering for large teams and high-scale apps.

To Wrap Up

Investing in monitoring and diagnostics isn’t optional if you want a reliable, high-quality mobile app. The right tools help you catch issues early, fix them fast, and keep your users happy, protecting your brand and maximising business value.

If you would like help figuring out what’s right for your app, please get in touch.