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Enabling SDK logging

The Desmo Android SDK includes lightweight logging to help you understand what it’s doing. Logging is controlled by the loggingEnabled flag on DesmoConfig, which defaults to false for production safety. When enabled, the SDK logs messages such as:
  • When Desmo.setup succeeds or fails.
  • When sessions start and stop.
  • When HTTP requests are sent and responses are received.
Because DesmoConfig is created internally when you call Desmo.setup, you typically control logging by choosing whether you’re in a debug or release build and, if needed, exposing a small wrapper around setup. Example (simple setup using defaults): 
Desmo.setup(
    context = applicationContext,
    apiKey = "pk_sandbox_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX",
    environment = DesmoEnvironment.SANDBOX
    // loggingEnabled defaults to false - enable explicitly during development
)
You will see messages like: 
D/DesmoSDK: Setup successful pointing to: https://api.getdesmo.io
D/DesmoSDK: Starting session for delivery: ORDER_12345
D/DesmoSDK: Session started successfully: SESSION_ID
D/DesmoSDK: Foreground service started with default config
During development, we recommend enabling logging to verify the SDK is working correctly.

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Where logs appear

The SDK uses Android’s native Log class with the tag DesmoSDK, so logs show up in:
  • Android Studio’s Logcat when you run the app from Android Studio.
  • Device logs collected via your logging/observability pipeline.
To filter for Desmo logs only, use: 
adb logcat -s DesmoSDK
Or in Android Studio’s Logcat panel, filter by the tag DesmoSDK. During integration, keep logging enabled in sandbox builds so you can verify what the SDK is doing.

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Debugging common issues

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1. Desmo.client is null

Symptom:
  • Your code prints "Desmo SDK is not configured" when you try to use Desmo.client.
Checklist:
  • Ensure Desmo.setup is called:
    • Exactly once.
    • Early in the app lifecycle (e.g. in your Application onCreate).
  • Confirm the key starts with pk_ and is not empty.
  • Look for a log like:
[DesmoSDK] Setup failed: ...
If setup fails, fix the key and rebuild.

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2. Session start fails

Symptom:
  • startSession returns DesmoResult.Failure with an error.
Checklist:
  • Confirm the publishable key you are using is:
    • Valid and not revoked.
    • Created for the environment you selected (SANDBOX vs LIVE).
  • Confirm the device has network connectivity.
  • Check the error in your .onFailure handler for details.
  • Check your backend/logs for more detailed error messages tied to that key.
The SDK uses a crash-safe DesmoResult pattern. Errors are returned as DesmoResult.Failure rather than thrown, so your app will never crash due to SDK errors.

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3. Session stop fails

Symptom:
  • stopSession returns DesmoResult.Failure with an error.
What the SDK does:
  • Flushes telemetry via telemetry.flush() and telemetry.stop() before notifying Desmo’s backend that the session should stop.
  • If the network call fails, it keeps the internal state as recording so you can retry stopSession().
  • Telemetry is saved locally and retried automatically when connectivity returns.
Checklist:
  • Try stopping again once connectivity is restored.
  • Inspect logs for HTTP status codes or network errors.

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4. No data appears in Desmo

Symptom:
  • startSession / stopSession succeed, but you don’t see sessions/insights in Desmo.
Checklist:
  • Confirm you are using the same environment and tenant as the dashboard you’re looking at.
  • Check for any rate limiting or 4xx/5xx errors in the logs.
  • Share session IDs from your logs with the Desmo team to trace them end-to-end.

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5. No notification appears / background tracking stops

Symptom:
  • Session starts but no notification is shown.
  • Tracking stops when the app goes to background.
Checklist:
  • Android 13+: Ensure POST_NOTIFICATIONS permission is granted:
if (!Desmo.canShowNotifications(context)) {
    // Request permission
}
  • Check logs for:
D/DesmoSDK: Foreground service started with default config
  • Verify the app has the FOREGROUND_SERVICE permission in AndroidManifest.xml (the SDK declares this, but ensure no tools are stripping it).

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6. Custom notification not showing

Symptom:
  • You called configureForegroundService() with a custom notification but it doesn’t appear.
Checklist:
  • Ensure you created the notification channel before starting a session (required on Android 8+).
  • The notification must have a valid small icon resource.
  • Call configureForegroundService() after Desmo.setup() but before startSession().

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Integration checklist

Use this as a quick pre-flight check before shipping:
  1. Setup
    • Desmo.setup is called exactly once at app startup.
    • Desmo.bindToProcessLifecycle() is called after setup (recommended).
    • You use a publishable key starting with pk_.
    • The environment (SANDBOX / LIVE) matches the keys you created.
  2. Permissions
    • Location permissions (ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION, ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION) are requested and granted.
    • On Android 13+: POST_NOTIFICATIONS permission is requested for background tracking.
    • You use Desmo.hasRequiredPermissions() and Desmo.canShowNotifications() to check.
  3. Session lifecycle
    • startSession is called when a delivery begins with sessionType specified.
    • stopSession is called when the delivery completes.
    • Both calls return DesmoResult.Success in your test flows.
    • Your app handles DesmoResult.Failure gracefully (doesn’t block delivery).
  4. Background operation
    • A notification appears when a session starts.
    • Tracking continues when you minimize the app or turn off the screen.
    • The notification disappears when the session stops.
    • (Optional) Custom branding configured via configureForegroundService().
  5. Logging
    • Logging is enabled in sandbox builds.
    • You can see Desmo logs in Logcat (filter by tag DesmoSDK).
  6. Backend visibility
    • You can see created sessions in the Desmo dashboard or API using the same environment and tenant.
If any box is unchecked, fix that item before rolling out broadly to drivers.