Using Analytics in your App
Adding analytics to your app isn't just a nice to have, it's the backbone of understanding how users interact with your product, and how well your app performs. With the right tracking, you can make smarter product decisions, catch issues early, and grow your app effectively.
Analytics provide information about many different aspects about your app. Use the Developers Console to view trackable analytics.
Health
Health analytics provides detailed information about your app's health. Here's what you should track:
- App crashes—view the number of times your app has crashed including Total crashes and Unique crashes.
- Errors—use App Crashes (total vs unique) widget to evaluate events that caused the app to crash.
- Load times—track the amount of time it takes for your app to load.
Usage and retention
Usage and retention analytics provide you with data about how often or how much users engage with a product or service and measure how well your app performs and keeps users coming back over time. Here's what you should track:
- Daily, weekly, and monthly—track user retention using these widgets.
- Session duration—track session duration to see how long your app was open.
- Feature usage.
- Window usage—track how long the app window remains open.
Monetization performance
Monetization performance analytics provide you with data about how your app generates revenue through user ads, purchases, or subscriptions. Here's what you should track:
- Revenue per user—details about the lifetime value of a user .
- Ad performance—detailed ad revenue data about your app.
- Purchases and subscriptions—detailed revenue from purchases and subscriptions.
User behavior
User behavior analytics involves collecting and analyzing data on how users interact with a product to uncover patterns, preferences, and areas for improvement. Here's what you should track:
- Clicks and flows.
- Feedback (surveys, ratings).
- A/B test results.
Best practices for using analytics
When tracking analytics, it's important to start with what truly matters. Focus only on metrics that you can act on, especially those tied to key outcomes like retention, stability, and monetization. While built-in analytics provide useful insights, adding custom events for your app’s unique features such as specific in-app tools or overlays can offer a deeper understanding of user behavior. Let data guide your decisions.
If a feature isn’t getting engagement, consider removing or redesigning it, and if crash rates spike after an update, rolling back may be the best option. Always keep app performance in mind, as excessive analytics calls can negatively impact speed. Batch or debounce where appropriate. Finally, stay compliant with data privacy regulations like GDPR by being transparent about what you track and ensuring user data is handled responsibly.
Key benefits of app analytics
The key benefits of app analytics include:
Analytics can significantly enhance your app by helping you improve the user experience through identifying pain points and streamlining interactions. They allow you to measure feature success by tracking adoption and engagement levels, giving insight into what users find valuable.
You can also optimize monetization by analyzing user behavior and spending patterns. Early detection of issues such as crashes, bugs, and friction points becomes easier with consistent monitoring. Most importantly, analytics help increase user retention by revealing why users leave and what strategies can keep them engaged over time.
Adding analytics
Don't wait until after launch. Add basic analytics early in development, and expand as you learn:
- Start with crash and engagement tracking.
- Monetization and retention metrics.
- Layer in custom feature usage events.
- Refine based on insights, not guesses.