In iOS development, capturing a request is only the first step. The real needs are often like:

  1. Confirming whether a certain field was actually sent
  2. Reproducing an online issue
  3. Observing app behavior under abnormal network conditions

At this point, packet capture is not just about whether data exists, but whether the captured data is complete, controllable, and reproducible.

Scenario 1: What parameters were actually sent in the API?

A common issue:

  • Client code looks fine.
  • The data received by the server does not match expectations.

Verification via proxy packet capture

Using Charles, Proxyman, or SniffMaster:

  1. Launch the tool
  2. Configure the iPhone Wi-Fi proxy
  3. Install and trust the certificate
  4. Trigger the request

If the request appears and you can see:

  • URL
  • Header
  • Body

it means the request went through the proxy.

Note: If the request does not appear at all, it indicates the app is not using the proxy.

Scenario 2: Request exists, but proxy cannot capture it

This situation occurs with SDKs or certain network libraries.

Switch the capture method

Use SniffMaster to capture packets via a USB connection directly to the iPhone.

Steps

  1. Connect iPhone via USB
  2. Keep the device unlocked
  3. Tap “Trust This Computer”
  4. Launch SniffMaster
  5. Select the device
  6. Install the configuration profile
  7. Enter HTTPS brute-force capture mode
  8. Tap Start

Enter HTTPS capture

The results directly show:

  • Request domain
  • Request path
  • Header

This confirms that the request does exist, but it bypassed the proxy.

Scenario 3: Parameters exist, but Body is not visible

In SniffMaster, sometimes you see:

  • URL is normal
  • Header is normal
  • Body is empty

To verify, check the data fields:

  • IsBase64Body
  • Content-Length

Possible reason: The app is not signed with a development certificate.

Resolution steps

  1. Obtain the IPA
  2. Sign it with a development certificate
  3. Reinstall
  4. Capture packets again

Changes

After recapturing:

  • Body is visible
  • Response can be parsed

Scenario 4: Only want to see a specific API

When there is a lot of packet data, you need to quickly locate the relevant requests.

Filtering in SniffMaster

  1. Tap Select App
  2. Check the current development app
  3. Trigger the request again

Select app

Add another layer of filtering

Use URL keywords:

/api/login

Only related requests are displayed.
Filter

Scenario 6: Analyzing network anomalies

For example:

  • Request timeout
  • Connection interruption

Steps

  1. Use SniffMaster to capture the data stream
  2. Export as pcap
  3. Open with Wireshark

Data stream capture

You can see

  • TCP connection establishment
  • Data transmission
  • Reason for disconnection

This is independent of HTTPS.

Tool Purpose
Charles / Proxyman Modify requests, debug APIs
SniffMaster Capture real device traffic
Wireshark Analyze network connections

Using them in combination is more reliable than a single tool.

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