How to Use Firebase Crashlytics for Crash Reporting

To use Firebase Crashlytics, add it to your app via the Firebase console, integrate the Crashlytics SDK in your app code, and initialize it. Crashlytics automatically collects crash reports and lets you view detailed crash data in the Firebase console.

Syntax

Firebase Crashlytics setup involves adding the Crashlytics SDK to your app and initializing it in your app's main code. The key parts are:

• implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-crashlytics': Adds Crashlytics library.
• FirebaseCrashlytics.getInstance().setCrashlyticsCollectionEnabled(true): Enables crash data collection.
• FirebaseCrashlytics.getInstance().log(): Logs custom messages to help debug.
• FirebaseCrashlytics.getInstance().recordException(): Manually records caught exceptions.

java

dependencies {
    implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-crashlytics:18.4.1'
}

// In your app initialization code
FirebaseCrashlytics crashlytics = FirebaseCrashlytics.getInstance();
crashlytics.setCrashlyticsCollectionEnabled(true);

// To log custom info
crashlytics.log("User clicked button");

// To record caught exceptions
try {
    // code that may throw
} catch (Exception e) {
    crashlytics.recordException(e);
}

Example

This example shows how to initialize Firebase Crashlytics in an Android app and log a custom message before forcing a crash to test reporting.

java

import com.google.firebase.crashlytics.FirebaseCrashlytics;
import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.view.View;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

        FirebaseCrashlytics crashlytics = FirebaseCrashlytics.getInstance();
        crashlytics.setCrashlyticsCollectionEnabled(true);

        crashlytics.log("App started");

        // Force a crash for testing
        findViewById(R.id.crashButton).setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            @Override
            public void onClick(View v) {
                throw new RuntimeException("Test Crash");
            }
        });
    }
}

Output

App crashes with RuntimeException: Test Crash; crash report sent to Firebase console

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when using Firebase Crashlytics include:

• Not enabling crashlytics collection with setCrashlyticsCollectionEnabled(true), so no data is sent.
• Forgetting to add the Crashlytics SDK dependency in your build file.
• Not initializing Firebase properly before using Crashlytics.
• Expecting immediate crash reports; it can take a few minutes to appear in the Firebase console.

java

/* Wrong: Crashlytics collection disabled, no reports sent */
FirebaseCrashlytics.getInstance().setCrashlyticsCollectionEnabled(false);

/* Right: Enable collection to send crash data */
FirebaseCrashlytics.getInstance().setCrashlyticsCollectionEnabled(true);

Quick Reference

Action	Code Snippet	Description
Add SDK	implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-crashlytics:18.4.1'	Include Crashlytics library in your app
Enable Collection	FirebaseCrashlytics.getInstance().setCrashlyticsCollectionEnabled(true);	Turn on crash data sending
Log Message	FirebaseCrashlytics.getInstance().log("message");	Add custom logs to crash reports
Record Exception	FirebaseCrashlytics.getInstance().recordException(e);	Report caught exceptions manually
Force Crash	throw new RuntimeException("Test Crash");	Test crash reporting by crashing app

Key Takeaways

Add the Firebase Crashlytics SDK to your app dependencies to start using it.

Enable crash data collection explicitly with setCrashlyticsCollectionEnabled(true).

Use log() and recordException() to add helpful info to crash reports.

Crash reports appear in the Firebase console a few minutes after a crash.

Test your setup by forcing a crash and verifying the report in Firebase.