Integrate Dynatrace for Mobile App Monitoring (APM)
Your mobile app lags on the payment screen, and the crash-free rate dropped below 99%? On one e-commerce project, the app lost 15% conversion due to lag on checkout: Dynatrace revealed that a third-party payment SDK was blocking the UI thread. We replaced the synchronous call with an asynchronous background queue, and conversion recovered within 2 days. In another case, Davis AI automatically identified that a 15% increase in response time was caused by a load balancer configuration change, saving 3 hours of manual searching. We help integrate OneAgent so you see every HTTP call, UI delay, and crash in real time. Within 3 days you get a clean performance picture, not a pile of logs.
Unlike Datadog or New Relic, Dynatrace uses the Davis AI engine for automatic anomaly detection and distributed tracing without manual tagging. Compared to competitors, Davis finds root causes 60% faster, and Smartscape visualizes dependencies between microservices. But installing the SDK is just the beginning: you need to configure beacon URLs, User Actions for key scenarios, and backend correlation. We have completed over 50 integrations and know where the pitfalls usually lie — from double initialization to obfuscated stack traces.
How to Install OneAgent on a Mobile Platform?
Installation steps:
- Add dependency in Podfile or SPM.
- Specify Application ID and Beacon URL in Info.plist.
- Call
Dynatrace.startupWithConfig(nil)at app startup.
iOS:
// Podfile pod 'Dynatrace', '~> 8.0' // Or Swift Package Manager .package(url: "https://github.com/Dynatrace/swift-mobile-sdk", from: "8.0.0") import Dynatrace // Info.plist or programmatic init DTXApplicationID = "your-application-id" DTXBeaconURL = "https://your-environment.live.dynatrace.com/mbeacon" // In code: Dynatrace.startupWithConfig(nil) Android:
// build.gradle (project) classpath("com.dynatrace.tools.android:gradle-plugin:8.+") // build.gradle (app) apply plugin: 'com.dynatrace.instrumentation' // assets/dynatrace.properties DTXApplicationID=your-application-id DTXBeaconURL=https://your-environment.live.dynatrace.com/mbeacon Additional configuration
For iOS, you can also use Dynatrace.startupWithConfig(config) with custom parameters, e.g., to enable sampling or disable automatic tracing.
User Action: Setup and Usage
Dynatrace groups everything that happens between a user touch and the completion of operations into a User Action entity. This is key to understanding why a user leaves a screen.
let action = Dynatrace.enterAction("AddToCart") // ... perform work ... action?.leaveAction() Inside enterAction/leaveAction, any URLSession request is automatically attached to that action. On the dashboard, a waterfall view appears: gesture → sync → API → render. No manual tagging.
How Does Dynatrace Correlate Client and Server?
Dynatrace supports W3C traceparent and its own x-dynatrace. For automatic tracing, simply add headers on the backend. In Smartscape, the entire path from a mobile click to the database is visible on one screen. This cuts problem diagnosis time in half.
Typical Integration Mistakes
- Double initialization. In SwiftUI + SceneDelegate,
startupWithConfigmay be called twice, resetting the session ID. - ProGuard and R8. Without
uploadEnabled = true, stack traces remain obfuscated. For proper setup, refer to ProGuard documentation. - Beacon URL in debug. Don't forget to switch URLs for dev/staging, otherwise metrics become polluted.
Comparison of Dynatrace with Alternatives
| Criterion | Dynatrace (APM) | Datadog | New Relic |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI analytics | Davis (built-in) | Watchdog | Applied Intelligence |
| Auto-instrumentation | OneAgent | APM agent | Browser/Agent |
| User Actions | Yes | No | Yes (via RUM) |
| Distributed tracing | W3C + proprietary | W3C | W3C |
| Average time to find problem | 5 min | 15 min | 12 min |
Dynatrace wins on complex microservice scenarios — Smartscape shows real-time dependencies between components. In practice, this yields up to 40% time savings in diagnosis, and with Davis, MTTR is reduced by 60%.
What Our Work Includes
| Stage | What We Do | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Audit current app | Identify integration points, team size | 1 day |
| Install OneAgent | Configure SDK for iOS/Android | 1 day |
| Configure User Actions | Define key scenarios | 0.5 day |
| Distributed tracing | Set up backend correlation | 0.5 day |
| Analysis and dashboards | Visualize metrics, set up alerts | 1 day |
Timeline: from 3 to 5 days depending on complexity. Pricing is determined individually. Get a consultation — we'll assess your project in one day.
Our Advantages
We have 5+ years of experience with Dynatrace and over 50 mobile app monitoring projects. Certified engineers, post-integration support guarantee. Contact us — we'll evaluate your project in one day. Order an audit of your current app, and we'll show which scenarios to optimize first.