Can you run Wireshark on Android?

Best option: Capture from the phone with desktop Wireshark (works). Native alternatives: PCAPdroid.

No official versionNo official version

There is no Wireshark app for Android. The Wireshark wiki says: while there are some traffic capturing apps available for Android, there is no Wireshark port.

Source: Wireshark Foundation · Verified

Official platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux (all Wireshark platforms)

What works instead

RouteResultCost
Capture from the phone with desktop Wireshark Works Free

Capture from the phone with desktop Wireshark

Works

Wireshark stays on a Windows, macOS or Linux computer and captures from the Android device through adb, using the androiddump tool that ships with Wireshark.

Wireshark's androiddump tool captures logcat, Bluetooth and, with tcpdump on the phone, Wi-Fi traffic from an Android device, and you analyze it in Wireshark on the computer.

  • Needs a computer with Wireshark and the Android SDK Platform Tools (adb).
  • Wi-Fi capture needs tcpdump installed on the phone. Logcat and Bluetooth capture do not.

Setup steps

  1. On the computer, install Wireshark and the Android SDK Platform Tools, and make sure adb is on your PATH. (Wireshark Foundation, Android Developers)
  2. On the phone, tap Build number seven times under Settings > About phone to unlock Developer options, then turn on USB debugging. (Android Developers)
  3. Connect the phone by USB and accept the prompt on the phone that allows debugging from this computer. (Wireshark Foundation, Android Developers)
  4. For Wi-Fi traffic, install tcpdump on the phone. Logcat and Bluetooth interfaces work without it. (Wireshark Foundation)
  5. In Wireshark, pick one of the Android interfaces from the interface list. Use the configuration icon next to an interface to change its options. (Wireshark Foundation, Wireshark Foundation)

Cost: Free. Wireshark is free and open source. The Android SDK Platform Tools are a separate download from Android Developers.

Sources: Wireshark Foundation, Android Developers, Wireshark Foundation · Verified

Native alternatives on Android

PCAPdroid

Free tier, paid upgrades

Captures traffic on the phone without root, saves PCAP files or streams them to Wireshark over PCAP-over-IP. Firewall, malware detection and PCAPng are paid features.

Sources: PCAPdroid (GitHub), PCAPdroid · Verified

Sources

  1. Mobile devices (Wireshark wiki). Wireshark Foundation, vendor knowledge base. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.
  2. androiddump manual page. Wireshark Foundation, vendor knowledge base. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.
  3. Android Debug Bridge (adb). Android Developers, vendor knowledge base. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.
  4. Wireshark. Wireshark Foundation, vendor. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.
  5. PCAPdroid, no-root network monitor and PCAP dumper for Android. PCAPdroid (GitHub), vendor. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.
  6. PCAPdroid user guide. PCAPdroid, vendor knowledge base. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.
  7. Configure on-device developer options. Android Developers, vendor knowledge base. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.
  8. Wireshark User's Guide, capture interfaces. Wireshark Foundation, vendor knowledge base. Accessed 17 Oct 2026.

Record last verified 17 October 2026. Ratings from third-party compatibility databases are linked to their original pages. How we verify.

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