The proxy situation on Android is [an
embarrasment](http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=1273).  It's
scarcely credible, but Android didn't have a global proxy setting at all until
quite recently, and it's still not supported on many common Android versions.
In the meantime the app ecosystem has grown used to life without this basic
necessity, and many apps merrily ignore it even if it's there. This situation
is improving, but in many circumstances using [transparent
mode](@!urlTo("transparent.html")!@) is mandatory for testing Android apps.

We used an Asus Transformer Prime TF201 with Android 4.0.3 in the examples
below - your device may differ, but the broad process should be similar. 


Installing the mitmproxy certificate
====================================

The first step is to install mitmproxy's interception certificate on the
Android device. In your ~/.mitmproxy directory, there is a file called
__mitmproxy-ca-cert.cer__ - we need to transfer this file to
__/sdcard/Downloads__ on the Android device. If this file doesn't exist for
you, your certs were generated with an older version of mitmproxy - just copy
the __mitmproxy-ca-cert.pem__ file to __mitmproxy-ca-cert.cer__ and proceed
from there.

In this case, we're using wget from Better Terminal Emulator Pro to transfer
the certificate from a local HTTP server. Other terminal applications may work,
and you might also transfer the file via external media like an SDcard:

<img src="android-shellwgetmitmproxyca.png"/>

Once we have the certificate on the local disk, we need to import it into the
list of trusted CAs. Go to Settings -&gt; Security -&gt; Credential Storage,
and select "Install from storage":

<img src="android-settingssecuritymenu.png"/>

The certificate in /sdcard/Downloads is automatically located and offered for
installation. Installing the cert will delete the download file from the local
disk:

<img src="android-settingssecurityinstallca.png"/>

Afterwards, you should see the certificate listed in the Trusted Credentials
store:

<img src="android-settingssecurityuserinstalledca.png"/>

If you're lucky enough to be working with an app that obeys the wireless proxy
settings, you're just about done - simply configure the settings to point at
mitmproxy. If not, proceed to the next step...