I have downloaded an Android app (which is also available for iPhone and ipad). I want to monitor which URLs it is accessing. On the desktop, you can use tools like Chrome dev tools for browser traffic and Charles Proxy (http://www.charlesproxy.com/) for other app traffic. Is there a similar way to set a proxy for the app from outside it, and then view any connection attempts, possibly with headers and responses?
I only need to do it once, to ensure the app isn't malicious, so the process doesn't have to be the most convenient method in the world. For example, it could involve setting up a proxy app on the desktop and then connecting through that, or running the Android or iOS version on a desktop-based simulator and monitoring that.
When searching SO, a lot is to be found on this topic. The best solution seems to be setting up a desktop to be an access point for the android device and run wireshark on it like suggested here