ANDROIDDUMP(1)

📦
version 4.7.4 · 17 versions
, in arch rolling

💖 ANDROIDDUMP 💖

okay so bestie, let me tell you about androiddump — it's this iconic little tool that gives you interfaces to capture from your Android device, and honestly? it's giving main character energy for packet capture. ✨

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

androiddump [ --help ] [ --version ] [ --extcap-version ] [ --debug ]
[ --extcap-interfaces ] [ --extcap-dlts ]
[ --extcap-interface=<interface> ] [ --extcap-config ]
[ --extcap-capture-filter=<capture filter> ] [ --capture ]
[ --fifo=<path to file or pipe> ] [ --adb-server-ip=<IP address> ]
[ --adb-server-tcp-port=<TCP port> ] [ --logcat-text=<TRUE or FALSE> ]
[ --bt-server-tcp-port=<TCP port> ]
[ --bt-forward-socket=<TRUE or FALSE> ] [ --bt-local-ip=<IP address> ]
[ --bt-local-tcp-port=<TCP port> ]
androiddump --extcap-interfaces [ --adb-server-ip=<IP address> ]
[ --adb-server-tcp-port=<TCP port> ]
androiddump --extcap-interface=<interface> [ --extcap-dlts ]
androiddump --extcap-interface=<interface> [ --extcap-config ]
androiddump --extcap-interface=<interface> --fifo=<path to file or pipe>
--capture

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

So androiddump is a extcap tool that provides interfaces to capture from an Android device. Literally only two things you need, no cap:

  1. You must have the Android SDK and add it to your PATH environment variable. Your PATH should contain the directory with tools like "adb" and "android". Android SDK for various platforms is available at: https://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html#Other — go get it bestie 🫶
  2. You must have permission to capture from the Android device. Some Android devices require on-screen authentication (yes, you actually have to tap the thing, sorry 💀).

Supported interfaces, and there are a whole bunch:

  1. Logcat Main (binary [<=Jelly Bean] or text)
  2. Logcat System (binary [<=Jelly Bean] or text)
  3. Logcat Events (binary [<=Jelly Bean] or text)
  4. Logcat Radio (binary [<=Jelly Bean] or text)
  5. Logcat Crash (text; from Lollipop)
  6. Bluetooth Hcidump [<=Jelly Bean]
  7. Bluetooth Bluedroid External Parser [Kitkat]
  8. Bluetooth BtsnoopNet [>=Lollipop]
  9. WiFi/Ethernet tcpdump [needs tcpdump on phone]

Please note that androiddump will work also for FirefoxOS or other Android-based operating systems — it's inclusive like that 💅

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

  • --help — Print program arguments. The classic "what does this do again" button.
  • --version — Print program version. For when you need to know exactly which flavor of slay you're running.
  • --extcap-version — Print extcapized version. Very meta, very demure.
  • --debug — Print additional messages. The tea ☕ — extra output for when things are being mysterious.
  • --extcap-interfaces — List available interfaces. Shows you all the vibes you can capture.
  • --extcap-interface=<interface> — Use specified interfaces. Pick your fighter.
  • --extcap-dlts — List DLTs of specified interface. Data Link Types, if you were wondering — very technical, very important.
  • --extcap-config — List configuration options of specified interface. The settings menu, basically.
  • --extcap-capture-filter=<capture filter> — The capture filter. It corresponds to the value provided via the tshark -f option, and the Capture Filter field next to the interfaces list in the Wireshark interface.
Note — This is only respected for Wifi/Ethernet (tcpdump) capturing, not for Bluetooth or logcat. So don't come for it if your bluetooth capture ignores your filter, it's just how it is 😭
  • --capture — Start capturing from the specified interface and save it in the location specified with --fifo. The actual "do the thing" command.
  • --fifo=<path to file or pipe> — Save captured packet to file or send it through pipe. Your destination of choice.
  • --adb-server-ip=<IP address> — Use other than default (127.0.0.1) ADB daemon's IP address. For when your ADB is somewhere else.
  • --adb-server-tcp-port=<TCP port> — Use other than default (5037) ADB daemon's TCP port. Same vibe, different port.
  • --logcat-text=<TRUE or FALSE> — If TRUE then use text logcat rather than binary. This option only has an effect on Logcat interfaces. This have no effect from Lollipop where is no binary Logcat available. Defaults to FALSE. So it's like, text mode or binary mode, and after Lollipop it's text all the way down.
  • --bt-server-tcp-port=<TCP port> — Use other than default Bluetooth server TCP port on Android side. On Lollipop defaults is 8872, earlier 4330. Numbers matter, bestie.
  • --bt-forward-socket=<TRUE or FALSE> — If TRUE then socket from Android side is forwarded to host side. Defaults to FALSE. The socket travels, iconic.
  • --bt-local-ip=<IP address> — Use other than default (127.0.0.1) IP address on host side for forwarded socket. Your host's calling card.
  • --bt-local-tcp-port=<TCP port> — Specify port to be used on host side for forwarded socket. You pick the port, you're in charge.

🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

To see program arguments:

androiddump --help

To see program version:

androiddump --version

To see interfaces:

androiddump --extcap-interfaces

Example output:

interface {display=Android Logcat Main unknown MSM7627A}{value=android-logcat-main-MSM7627A}
interface {display=Android Logcat System unknown MSM7627A}{value=android-logcat-system-MSM7627A}
interface {display=Android Logcat Radio unknown MSM7627A}{value=android-logcat-radio-MSM7627A}
interface {display=Android Logcat Events unknown MSM7627A}{value=android-logcat-events-MSM7627A}
interface {display=Android Bluetooth Hcidump unknown MSM7627A}{value=android-bluetooth-hcidump-MSM7627A}

Human-readable display name of interfaces contains interface type, one of:

android-logcat-main (Android Logcat Main)
android-logcat-system (Android Logcat System)
android-logcat-radio (Android Logcat Radio)
android-logcat-events (Android Logcat Events)
android-logcat-text-main (Android Logcat Main)
android-logcat-text-system (Android Logcat System)
android-logcat-text-radio (Android Logcat Radio)
android-logcat-text-events (Android Logcat Events)
android-logcat-text-crash (Android Logcat Crash)
android-bluetooth-hcidump (Android Bluetooth Hcidump)
android-bluetooth-external-parser (Android Bluetooth External Parser)
android-bluetooth-btsnoop-net (Android Bluetooth Btsnoop Net)
android-tcpdump (Android tcpdump)

For tcpdump this is followed by target network device name (like eth0).

Then Android Device's name if available, otherwise unknown.

Last part of it is DeviceID — the identifier of the device provided by Android SDK (see adb devices).

For example: Android Logcat Main unknown MSM7627A

  • Android Logcat Main — user-friendly type of interface
  • unknown — name of Android Device
  • MSM7627A — device ID

To see interface DLTs:

androiddump --extcap-interface=android-bluetooth-hcidump-MSM7627A --extcap-dlts

Example output:

dlt {number=99}{name=BluetoothH4}{display=Bluetooth HCI UART transport layer plus pseudo-header}

To see interface configuration options:

androiddump --extcap-interface=android-bluetooth-hcidump-MSM7627A --extcap-config

Example output:

arg {number=0}{call=--adb-server-ip}{display=ADB Server IP Address}{type=string}{default=127.0.0.1}
arg {number=1}{call=--adb-server-tcp-port}{display=ADB Server TCP Port}{type=integer}{range=0,65535}{default=5037}

To capture:

androiddump --extcap-interface=android-bluetooth-hcidump-MSM7627A --fifo=/tmp/bluetooth.pcapng --capture
Note — To stop capturing CTRL+C/kill/terminate the application. It will not stop on its own, bestie, you have to end it 💀

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

wireshark(1), tshark(1), dumpcap(1), extcap(4)

👑 NOTES 👑

androiddump is part of the Wireshark distribution. The latest version of Wireshark can be found at https://www.wireshark.org.

HTML versions of the Wireshark project man pages are available at https://www.wireshark.org/docs/man-pages.

💜 AUTHORS 💜

Original Author — Michal Labedzki <michal.labedzki[AT]tieto.com>

Contributors — Roland Knall <rknall[AT]gmail.com>

slay, you made it to the end 🎀 this little icon is from the Wireshark fam, version vibes from 2026-10-08, and it's lowkey iconic that you read the whole thing. periodt. 💅✨

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