---
title: Android UI debugging with layout bounds
url: https://calvin.my/posts/android-ui-debugging-with-layout-bounds
published: 2025-04-13
updated: 2026-09-17
category: Development
tags:
- Android
- layout
- debug
summary: The post explains how Android’s Show layout bounds feature can help debug running app interfaces by outlining view boundaries. It is intended to reveal problems with sizing, positioning, margins, and touch targets. Developers enable Developer Mode and USB debugging, turn on the relevant developer quick-setting tile, then build and launch the app from Android Studio to inspect visual bounds directly on the screen.
---

# Android UI debugging with layout bounds

This feature highlights the view bounds of a running app. It is useful for checking sizing, placement, margin, and touch point issues.

* * *

## Steps to enable

1. Enable Android developer mode

2. Enable "Developer Mode" -\> "USB debugging"

   ![](https://camy-pub.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/9ef14712-146b-4cae-b1fe-a8357aaed498.png)

3. Go to "Developer Mode" -\> "Quck settings developer tiles" 

   ![](https://camy-pub.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/d2967235-ecdf-4052-84b9-0cdf0f9bdbda.png)

4. Enable "Show layout bounds"

   ![](https://camy-pub.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/284bf157-6ad1-40c1-8dde-a6f4bb5cf99e.png)

5. Build and launch your app from Android Studio.

6. Check app screen with view bounds. For example:

   ![](https://camy-pub.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/d78f58e3-6f8a-4051-9d29-5a8ef80b1334.jpeg)