Tell me more ×
Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for enthusiasts and power users of the Android operating system. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 3 down vote favorite
1

Since aLogcat now no longer works with Jelly Bean, how can I access the system log files on my device without either root access or attaching it to a computer?

I have tried using adb logcat from my PC and that worked fine, so I know that plenty of messages are being logged.

Using logcat from Android Terminal Emulator on my Nexus 7 shows almost no output though and adb logcat from Android Terminal Emulator, starts the daemon but then just says - waiting for device - and nothing more appears.

So, is it possible to access android log files on my Nexus 7 without root access?

share|improve this question
possible duplicate of Problems accessing message logs on Jelly Bean with aLogcat – Izzy Sep 9 '12 at 13:07
@Izzy - The point of this question is that all of the solutions in my other question (which I linked to in this question) require root access. While these solutions are useful to those who have rooted their devices, I wanted a more specific solution for those who haven't rooted their device. – Mark Booth Sep 19 '12 at 9:49

2 Answers

up vote 6 down vote accepted

No, for security reasons it is not possible to access android log files on the Nexus 7 without root access. Google changed that with Jelly Bean.

I'd suggest you wait until logcat readers like aLogCat and such get fixed (i.e. they will require root access to show all logs then).

It has been found that the READ_LOGS permission allows access to many protected things (source) such as:

  • READ_CONTACTS

  • GET_TASKS – every started Activity1 is listed in the system’s logs

  • READ_HISTORY_BOOKMARKS – opening new web pages is a browser Activity and thus logged

  • READ_SMS

All solutions below require root access:

You need to either run logcat as root in a shell or manually grant it via the shell pm command (root required) works also (see XDA, exchange org.jtb.alogcat.donate with the app's pkg name):

pm grant org.jtb.alogcat.donate android.permission.READ_LOGS

This is for the lazy ones and not suggested: If you're desperate, careless and lazy, you can fix it by giving every app the READ_LOGS permission by applying this ugly and insecure hack (Chainfire via twitter):

chmod 04755 /system/bin/logcat

To quote CyanogenMod developer Koushik Dutta's G+ post:

Did the Android Log permissions/behavior change in JellyBean?

It seems that if an application runs "logcat" now, it can see only the log entries created by its UID. Log lines from other UIDs are not shown. Basically, it seems to be filtered now.

I have the same permissions as usual. Also confirmed the same thing is happening in other log collector apps.

share|improve this answer
There's no way without root of which I know of. For the sake of security. Starting with JellyBean, the read_logs permission doesn't have to be granted anymore (each app can only view it's own logs anyway). – ce4 Sep 6 '12 at 13:12
Thanks for the edit and the link to xda, I integrated that. – ce4 Sep 6 '12 at 14:16
Thanks for adding in the pm grant option. Note that as I now say in my other answer, you need to specify a slightly different package if you aren't using the donate version of aLogcat: pm grant org.jtb.alogcat android.permission.READ_LOGS – Mark Booth Sep 9 '12 at 1:55
up vote 1 down vote

I'm confused by this though it would explain some things.

Running the same app on my nexus7 and my galaxy nexus, both on jellybean, the phone sees log output from all apps, the tablet doesn't. This would say that it's not jellybean its the nexus7. Backing this up, I've just checked and they both have different kernels. The tablet, with a newer one.

Maybe its the updated kernel that, means logs don't appear.

Guess I'll have to root after all: (

share|improve this answer
That's interesting Russ, thanks for the extra information. – Mark Booth Sep 19 '12 at 9:45
Actually I've now been reliably informed that its because the app I am using to see the logs, was installed on my machine when I had ICS so it's retained the permissions to see the logs. – Russ Wheeler Sep 22 '12 at 20:23

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.