ROS Topic Viewer

ROS Topic Viewer is an iPad-only field debugging tool for robotics engineers.

Connect directly to your ROS robot over Wi-Fi using rosbridge_suite WebSocket - no laptop required. Browse all available topics, inspect live raw JSON data in a scrollable tree, and monitor message rate in real time.

EVERYTHING IS FREE

Every feature works without paying. Connect to any real ROS 1 or ROS 2 robot, browse its complete topic list, and read live data from as many topics as you like. There is no trial, no account, no cap and no locked feature.

The app is supported by advertising. If you would rather not see it, a single one-time in-app purchase removes all advertising permanently. It unlocks nothing, because nothing is locked.

ADVERTISING

This app displays ads from Google AdMob: banners on the sidebar, connection log and settings screens, full-screen ads at natural breaks such as connecting or leaving a topic, and optional ads you can choose to watch. Ads are non-personalised - the app does not track you across other apps and does not use the advertising identifier. No ads are ever shown over live robot data.

TRY IT WITH NO ROBOT

Demo Mode runs a fully simulated robot inside the app - live odometry, laser scan, IMU, battery and tf topics - with no robot and no network required.

FEATURES

- Connect to any ROS 1 or ROS 2 robot via rosbridge WebSocket (ws://)
- Live connection log - see every step transparently: handshake, topic fetch, reconnect attempts, and failures
- Browse and search all published topics with message type annotations
- Inspect raw JSON data as a live expandable key-value tree
- Real-time Hz and message count per topic
- Pause to freeze data at a moment in time
- Export topic snapshot and share via AirDrop, Files, or email
- Auto-reconnect with exponential backoff when connection drops

DESIGNED FOR FIELD ENGINEERS

Onsite robot debugging without a laptop. Connect your iPad to the same Wi-Fi network as your robot, enter the rosbridge WebSocket address, and start inspecting topics immediately. No configuration, no ROS installation required on the iPad. The app works fully offline - only the advertising needs an internet connection, and the app never waits for it.

Your robot's data never leaves your iPad. The app talks to rosbridge on your local network and to nothing else.

Compatible with iPad running iPadOS 17 or later.

Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Privacy Policy: https://gist.github.com/hjatupon/a80d69f116db1ee82ca4d62dd3886728