How to Obfuscate Debug Information & Prevent Reverse Engineering in Android Apps

Last updated November 21, 2024 by Appdome

This Knowledge Base article describes how to use Appdome’s AI/ML in your CI/CD pipeline to continuously deliver plugins that Obfuscate Debug Information in Android apps.

What is Debug Information?

Debug information is data stored inside the code of a mobile app which aids the developer in troubleshooting, tracking down issues, and fixing bugs more easily. Debug information can also be used by bad actors who want to learn how your app works by reverse engineering your code (or other malicious purposes like copying or stealing your intellectual property). Your final production app should be built in release mode (which does not contain debug information). However, more often than not, the released mobile app does contain debug information such as source code file names, line numbers, variable names and symbol names. Rather than going back to the developer and asking them to modify the app,  Appdome offers a quick and easy way to strip debug information from the Android or iOS app – instantly without code or coding.

Why Obfuscate Debug Information in Android Apps?

Debug information in mobile apps can display information that leaves a mobile app vulnerable to attacks. Examples of the information which can be exposed are the source code file names, line numbers, variable names and symbol names to name a few. You can use Appdome to remove debug information from the logs for additional mobile app protection. 

Prerequisites for Using Appdome's Strip Debug Information Plugins:

To use Appdome’s mobile app security build system to Obfuscate Debug Information , you’ll need:

How to Implement Obfuscate Debug Information in Android Apps Using Appdome

On Appdome, follow these 3 simple steps to create self-defending Android Apps that Obfuscate Debug Information without an SDK or gateway:

  1. Designate the Mobile App to be protected.

    1. Upload an app via the Appdome Mobile Defense platform GUI or via Appdome’s DEV-API or CI/CD Plugins.

    2. Android Formats: .apk or .aab
    3. Strip Debug Information is compatible with: Java, JS, C++, C#, Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Unity, Xamarin, Cordova and other Android apps.
  2. Select the defense: Strip Debug Information.

      1. Create and name the Fusion Set (security template) that will contain the Strip Debug Information feature as shown below:
        fusion set that contains Strip Debug Information .

        Figure 1: Fusion Set that will contain the Strip Debug Information feature
        Note: Naming the Fusion Set to correspond to the protection(s) selected is for illustration purposes only (not required).

      2. Follow the steps in Sections 2.2-2.2.2 of this article to add the Strip Debug Information feature to your Fusion Set via the Appdome Console.

      3. When you select the Strip Debug Information you'll notice that the Fusion Set you created in step 2.1 now bears the icon of the protection category that contains Strip Debug Information.

        Fusion Set applied Strip Debug Information

        Figure 2: Fusion Set that displays the newly added Strip Debug Information protection
        Note: Annotating the Fusion Set to identify the protection(s) selected is optional only (not mandatory).

      4. Open the Fusion Set Detail Summary by clicking the “...” symbol on the far-right corner of the Fusion Set. Copy the Fusion Set ID from the Fusion Set Detail Summary (as shown below): fusion Set Detail Summary image

        Figure 3: Fusion Set Detail Summary

      5. Follow the instructions below to use the Fusion Set ID inside any standard mobile DevOps or CI/CD toolkit like Bitrise, Jenkins, Travis, Team City, Circle CI or other system:
        1. Refer to the Appdome API Reference Guide for API building instructions.
        2. Look for sample APIs in Appdome’s GitHub Repository.
    1. Add the Strip Debug Information feature to your security template.

      1. Navigate to Build > Security tab > TOTALCode™ Obfuscation section in the Appdome Console.
      2. Toggle On > Strip Debug Information.
        Strip Debug Information option

        Figure 4: Selecting Obfuscate Debug Information

        Note: The Appdome Platform displays the Mobile Operation Systems supported by each defense in real-time. For more details, see our OS Support Policy KB.

      3. Configure the User Experience Options for Strip Debug Information:
        With Threat-Events™ OFF, Appdome provides several user experience options for mobile brands and developers.
        1. App Compromise Notification: Customize the pop-up or toast Appdome uses to notify the user when a threat is present while using the protected mobile app.
        2. Short message Option. This is available for mobile devices that allow a banner notification for security events.
        3. Localized Message Option. Allows Appdome users to support global languages in security notifications.

          Localized Message

          Figure 5: Default User Experience Options for Appdome’s Debug Information

        4. Strip Debug Information Threat Code™. Appdome uses AI/ML to generate a unique code each time Strip Debug Information is triggered by an active threat on the mobile device. Use the code in Appdome Threat Resolution Center™ to help end users identify, find and resolve active threats on the personal mobile devices.
      4. Extra Configuration with Strip Debug Information:
        1. Strip Export Names

          Remove the index that associates symbol names with addresses. Note: this feature cannot be used when the application loads its own symbols.

    2. Initiate the build command either by clicking Build My App at the bottom of the Build Workflow (shown in Figure 4) or via your CI/CD as described in Section 2.1.4.
    Congratulations!  The Strip Debug Information protection is now added to the mobile app
  3. Certify the Strip Debug Information feature in Android Apps

    After building Strip Debug Information, Appdome generates a Certified Secure™ certificate to guarantee that the Strip Debug Information protection has been added and is protecting the app. To verify that the Strip Debug Information protection has been added to the mobile app, locate the protection in the Certified Secure™ certificate as shown below: Strip Debug Information shown in Certificate secure

    Figure 6: Certified Secure™ certificate

    Each Certified Secure™ certificate provides DevOps and DevSecOps organizations the entire workflow summary, audit trail of each build, and proof of protection that Strip Debug Information has been added to each Android app. Certified Secure provides instant and in-line DevSecOps compliance certification that Strip Debug Information and other mobile app security features are in each build of the mobile app.

Using Threat-Events™ for Debug Information Intelligence and Control in Android Apps

Appdome Threat-Events™ provides consumable in-app mobile app attack intelligence and defense control when Debug Information is detected. To consume and use Threat-Events™ for Debug Information in Android Apps, use registerReceiver in the Application OnCreate, and the code samples for Threat-Events™ for Debug Information shown below.

The specifications and options for Threat-Events™ for Debug Information are:

Threat-Event™ Elements Obfuscate Debug Information Method Detail
Appdome Feature Name Strip Debug Information
Threat-Event Mode
OFF, IN-APP DEFENSE Appdome detects, defends and notifies user (standard OS dialog) using customizable messaging.
ON, IN-APP DETECTION Appdome detects the attack or threat and passes the event in a standard format to the app for processing (app chooses how and when to enforce).
ON, IN-APP DEFENSE Uses Appdome Enforce mode for any attack or threat and passes the event in a standard format to the app for processing (gather intel on attacks and threats without losing any protection).
Certified Secure™ Threat Event Check x
Visible in ThreatScope™ x
Developer Parameters for Obfuscating Debug Information Threat-Event™
Threat-Event NAME
Threat-Event DATA reasonData
Threat-Event CODE reasonCode
Threat-Event REF
Threat-Event SCORE
currentThreatEventScore Current Threat-Event score
threatEventsScore Total Threat-events score
Threat-Event Context Keys
message Message displayed for the user on event
failSafeEnforce Timed enforcement against the identified threat
externalID The external ID of the event which can be listened via Threat Events
osVersion OS version of the current device
deviceModel Current device model
deviceManufacturer The manufacturer of the current device
fusedAppToken The task ID of the Appdome fusion of the currently running app
kernelInfo Info about the kernel: system name, node name, release, version and machine.
carrierPlmn PLMN of the device. Only available for Android devices.
deviceID Current device ID
reasonCode Reason code of the occurred event
buildDate Appdome fusion date of the current application
devicePlatform OS name of the current device
carrierName Carrier name of the current device. Only available for Android.
updatedOSVersion Is the OS version up to date
deviceBrand Brand of the device
deviceBoard Board of the device
buildUser Build user
buildHost Build host
sdkVersion Sdk version
timeZone Time zone
deviceFaceDown Is the device face down
locationLong Location longitude conditioned by location permission
locationLat Location latitude conditioned by location permission
locationState Location state conditioned by location permission
wifiSsid Wifi SSID
wifiSsidPermissionStatus Wifi SSID permission status
threatCode The last six characters of the threat code specify the OS, allowing the Threat Resolution Center to address the attack on the affected device.

With Threat-Events™ enabled (turned ON), Android developers can get detailed attack intelligence and granular defense control in Android applications and create amazing user experiences for all mobile end users when Debug Information is detected.


The following is a code sample for native Android apps, which uses all values in the specification above for Strip Debug Information:


Important! Replace all placeholder instances of <Context Key> with the specific name of your threat event context key across all language examples. This is crucial to ensure your code functions correctly with the intended event data. For example, The <Context Key> could be the message, externalID, OS Version, reason code, etc.



Using Appdome, there are no development or coding prerequisites to build secured Android Apps by using Strip Debug Information. There is no SDK and no library to code or implement in the app and no gateway to deploy in your network. All protections are built into each app and the resulting app is self-defending and self-protecting.

Releasing and Publishing Mobile Apps with Strip Debug Information

After successfully securing your app by using Appdome, there are several available options to complete your project, depending on your app lifecycle or workflow. These include:

Related Articles:

Non-Native Code Obfuscation, Anti-Reversing for Android &#038; iOS Frameworks

iOS SelRef Obfuscation, Anti-Reversing in iOS Apps

iOS Binding Obfuscation, Anti-Reversing in iOS Apps

How Do I Learn More?

If you have any questions, please send them our way at support.appdome.com or via the chat window on the Appdome platform.

Thank you!

Thanks for visiting Appdome! Our mission is to secure every app on the planet by making mobile app security easy. We hope we’re living up to the mission with your project.

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