Guide to mobile app tracking

Apps are often the primary way businesses connect with their customers. But launching an app is just the start – real success comes from understanding what users are doing within the app. That’s where data makes all the difference, and it’s also where mobile app tracking comes in. 

Done right, mobile app tracking gives you the insights needed to drive smarter decisions across product, marketing, and growth. Done poorly and you're left without the clarity you need to craft great customer experiences that keep your users coming back again and again. 

In this guide, we’ll break down what mobile app tracking is, how it works, and what to keep in mind when implementing it in a world of shifting privacy regulations. 

In this blog article, you’ll learn:

 

• What mobile app tracking is and why it matters
• How mobile app tracking works with SDKs, events, and the analytics backend
• What insights you can unlock with mobile app tracking
• How privacy regulations like GDPR impact tracking strategies
• Common mistakes and best practices for a good tracking setup

What is mobile app tracking?

Mobile app tracking refers to the process of collecting data on how users interact with your mobile application. This includes everything from basic metrics like how often the app is opened, to more granular insights like which buttons users tap, how far they progress through onboarding flows, or which marketing campaign brought them there in the first place. It should not collect sensitive information like passwords or personal messages, which are typically excluded from analysis. 

The data then serves a wide range of purposes: Marketers use it to measure ad performance and attribute installs to specific campaigns. Product teams rely on it to evaluate feature usage and identify areas for UX improvements. Analysts use it to build retention models and understand customer lifetime value. In essence, app tracking is the bridge between raw user behavior and actionable insights. 

Want help getting started with mobile app tracking?

We’re here to answer your questions and guide you through your first steps. 

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How does mobile app tracking work? 

On a technical level, mobile app tracking usually starts with the integration of a software development kit (SDK) into your app. This SDK – provided by analytics platforms like Firebase, Adobe Analytics, or Matomo – acts as a middleman between the app and your data systems. It listens for specific user actions, like a purchase or registration, and sends that data to an analytics backend where it can be aggregated, visualized, and analyzed. 

To make sense of this data, you first define so-called tracking events – custom labels for meaningful actions in your app. For example, you might track events like app_open, signup_complete, add_to_cart, or purchase_success. You can also attach parameters to these events, such as product ID or payment method, to capture richer context.

Consistency is key here for usable data – we can support you with setting up your tracking to ensure it is future-proof for your reporting needs. 

Behind the scenes, these events are often linked to unique identifiers that help you track users across sessions and, sometimes, across devices. On Android, this could be the Google Advertising ID (GAID); on iOS, it is the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), although recent privacy changes have limited its accessibility (more on that in a moment). 

The actual path looks something like this: 

User action → SDK → Analytics backend → Analytics dashboard 

From there, analysts and marketers can start pulling insights and building reports.  

What can you do with mobile app tracking?

It’s one thing to collect data – it’s another to turn that data into decisions. Here are a few of the most common and valuable ways mobile app tracking is used in practice: 

• Campaign attribution: If you’re running user acquisition campaigns on channels like Meta or Google, tracking helps you understand which ad drove an install. Even more importantly, it tells you what those users did after installing. Did they sign up? Make a purchase? Come back a week later? 
• Product analytics: Want to know how many users complete your onboarding flow? Or whether that new feature you released last month is actually being used? Tracking lets you map user journeys, identify drop-offs, and fine-tune the in-app experience.
• Retention and churn analytics: Retention is a critical metric for any app. With tracking in place, you can measure how often users return, when they tend to stop using the app (churn), and which behaviors predict long-term engagement. 
• Monetization insights: Whether you monetize your app through in-app purchases, subscriptions, or ads, tracking helps you understand your revenue drivers. You can compare monetization performance across user cohorts, time periods, or acquisition channels – and adjust your strategy accordingly. 

Tracking tools: What’s out there? 

There are dozens of mobile app tracking tools on the market, each with their own strengths, quirks, and pricing models. If you’re not sure which best fits your needs and use cases, we can also support you with your decision. 

Some examples of tracking tools include: 

• Firebase Analytics: A free and flexible platform that’s particularly popular among developers. It supports event tracking, funnels, and user properties. Firebase Analytics is also integrated into Google Analytics 4 (GA4), which offers a integrated view across web and app. 
• Google Analytics 4 (GA4): Combines app and web analytics into one unified interface, supporting event tracking, funnels, and user journeys. 
• Amplitude: A product analytics platform focused on understanding user behavior, segmentation, retention, and cohort analysis. 
• Adobe Analytics: An enterprise-grade solution offering advanced insights into customer journeys across platforms, though it can require more technical setup. 
• Contentsquare: Specializes in user experience insights, with features like heatmaps, session replays, and journey analysis to help optimize app flows. 
• FullStory: A behavioral analytics tool providing session recordings, clickmaps, and UX insights to surface user pain points and friction.
• JENTIS: A server-side tracking platform with a strong focus on privacy-first data collection and quality — especially relevant for teams working under strict GDPR guidelines. 

Navigating privacy: Tracking in a post-IDFA world

In recent years, privacy regulations and platform policies - like Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) and Google’s Play Data Safety requirements - have dramatically reshaped the app tracking landscape. If you’re setting up tracking in 2025, there’s no getting around consent, compliance, and transparency. 

On the Apple side, ATT (introduced in iOS 14) requires apps to explicitly ask users for permission to track them across other apps and websites. If the user declines – as most do, with tracking opt-outs estimated at around 85% (Singular, 2024) – the app loses access to the device’s IDFA (Identifier for Advertisers), a unique code used to recognize users across different apps. Without it, it's much harder to figure out where a user came from.  

Similarly, Google Play’s Data Safety section requires developers to disclose what data they collect, how it's used, and whether it’s shared with third parties. On top of that, privacy laws like the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) require companies to get clear consent before collecting personal data – and these rules apply no matter what platform you're using. 

This creates a conundrum for businesses across all industries: you need tracking to understand and grow your product, but you also need to respect users’ right to privacy. 

So what can you do? 

• Ask for consent clearly and early. Use a clear, user-friendly prompt that explains what the data will be used for. Avoid so-called dark patterns. 
• Plan for fallback scenarios. If a user opts out of tracking, you won’t get detailed data, but you can still get some insights through privacy-friendly tools. For example, SKAdNetwork on iOS or aggregated reports (which show overall trends rather than individual behavior) can still help measure campaign performance.
• Only collect what’s necessary. Resist the urge to track everything. Be intentional. 
• Make privacy a feature, not just a legal formality. When you’re open about what you track and why, users are more likely to trust you, which makes them more likely to stick around. 

Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them) 

Even with the best intentions, app tracking can become disorganized if it’s not planned and maintained properly. Some of the most common issues include: 

• Over-tracking: Capturing too many events makes it hard to focus on what matters. Think quality over quantity. 
• Inconsistent naming: Using multiple variations like “signup”, “SignUpComplete”, and “signup_complete” for the same event creates confusion and makes analysis difficult. Establish and follow a consistent naming convention from the start. 
• Lack of documentation: If only one person understands the setup, things fall apart when they leave. Establishing a data governance culture that addresses not just your tracking setup but your whole organization’s approach to data is key to avoiding this pitfall. 
• Forgetting quality assurance: Many teams assume tracking “just works” after implementation – until they realize months later that key events are missing or misfiring.

The solution? Build a culture of documentation, testing, and regular tracking audits. Think of tracking as an ongoing process, not a one-time setup. 

Best practices for reliable, scalable tracking 

So what does a healthy tracking setup look like?  

• Align events with KPIs. Every event you track should connect to a business goal – if it doesn’t, question why it’s there. 
• Keep naming consistent and readable. Aim for descriptive but concise.
• Unify web and app tracking where possible. Especially if you’re using cross-platform tools like Google Analytics 4, consistency across web and app makes reporting much easier. 
• Review your setup regularly. As your product evolves, your tracking needs will change. Don’t let old events rot in your system. 
• Document everything. A good tracking plan is gold, not just for developers, but also for onboarding new teammates, debugging, or auditing. 

Ultimately, reliable tracking doesn’t just help you understand what’s happening in your app – it builds the foundation for growth, personalization, and smarter decisions across teams. 

You can also read our blog post to find out how we’ve approached implementing both mobile app and web tracking in real-world projects.

Summary

In this article, we explored how mobile app tracking helps businesses understand user behavior, improve product experiences, and drive smarter decisions. We looked at how modern privacy regulations like ATT and GDPR impact tracking strategies, and why a reliable, well-structured setup is crucial for long-term success. By following best practices and staying intentional, you can turn app data into a powerful engine for growth.

The FELD M perspective: Ready to take control of your app data? 

Whether you’re looking for a full tracking audit, guidance on choosing the right tools, or a second opinion on your current setup, FELD M is here to help. Get in touch with our analytics team to explore how we can support your goals. 

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