Analytics FAQ and troubleshooting

Why is Google Analytics a recommended part of using Firebase products?

Google Analytics is a no-cost and unlimited analytics solution that works with Firebase features to deliver powerful insights. It lets you view event logs in Crashlytics, notification effectiveness in FCM, deep link performance for Dynamic Links, and in-app purchase data from Google Play. It powers advanced audience targeting in Remote Config, Remote Config personalization, and more.

Google Analytics acts as a layer of intelligence in the Firebase console to provide you with more actionable insights about how to develop a high-quality app, grow your user base, and earn more money.

To get started, read the documentation.

How do I control how my Analytics data is shared with the rest of Firebase?

By default, your Google Analytics data is used to enhance other Firebase and Google features. You can control how your Google Analytics data is shared in your project settings anytime. Learn more about Data sharing settings.

How do I update my Analytics property settings?

From the Admin page in your Google Analytics property, you can update your property settings, such as:

• Data sharing settings
• Data retention settings
• Time zone and currency settings

To update your property settings, follow these steps:

1. In the Firebase console, go to your settings > Project settings.
2. Go to the Integrations tab, and then in the Google Analytics card, click Manage or View link.
3. Click the link for your Google Analytics account to open the account and property settings.

How was the Analytics SDK updated for on-device conversion measurement support, and am I required to upgrade?

Before our release updating on-device conversion measurement using event data, developers had to manually include multiple SDK modules to use on-device measurement capabilities, a time-consuming process. As a result, we updated the existing default SDK module (FirebaseAnalytics) to include on-device conversion measurement capabilities as well for Google Ads.

If you install the default Google Analytics for Firebase iOS SDK, your app can also benefit from on-device conversion measurement capabilities.

If you've pinned the SDK to a specific version, update to version 11.14.0 or higher and release a new version of your app.

Can I install Analytics without ad attribution and IDFA collection features?

Yes. See the Configure Data Collection and Usage page for more details.

How do I enable the AdSupport framework?

Some Analytics features, such as audiences and campaign attribution, and some user properties, such as age and interests, require the AdSupport framework to be enabled. Without this framework, Analytics can't collect information needed for these features to function properly.

To enable the AdSupport framework:

1. In your Xcode project, select your project's target.
2. Select the General tab for your target.
3. Expand the Linked Frameworks and Libraries section.
4. Click + to add a framework.
5. Select AdSupport.framework.
6. Add the -ObjC linker flag to your project's build settings under Other Linker Flags.

Before submitting your app for review, ensure your app complies with IDFA usage guidelines.

What changed in the Google Analytics section with the October 2021 update?

You can find a summary of these changes in the Firebase Help Center article New Google Analytics 4 functionality in Google Analytics for Firebase.

Why don't I see any Analytics data in the Firebase console after unlinking Firebase from Google Analytics?

Analytics data resides within the Google Analytics property — not within the Firebase project. If you delete or unlink the property, then the Analytics data won't be accessible to Firebase and you'll see an empty Analytics dashboard in the Firebase console. Note that because the data still resides in the previously linked property, you can always relink the property to Firebase and see the Analytics data in the Firebase console.

Linking a brand new Google Analytics account (and thus a new Google Analytics property) to your Firebase project will result in an empty Analytics dashboard in the Firebase console until additional data is collected. Alternatively, you can consider to move your existing Google Analytics property into a different Google Analytics account, which doesn't require unlinking from Firebase and won't disrupt data collection.

If my Analytics property and its data were deleted, is there any way to get them back?

No. If your property has been deleted, it isn't possible to undelete the property or retrieve the previously collected Analytics data stored in that property.

If you'd like to start using Google Analytics again, you can link either a new property or an existing property to your Firebase project. You can do this linking in either the Firebase console or the Google Analytics UI. Learn more about linking a Google Analytics property to your Firebase project.

If my Analytics property was deleted, can I link a new Google Analytics property to my Firebase project and start using Analytics again?

If you'd like to start using Google Analytics again, you can link either a new property or an existing property to your Firebase project. You can do this linking in either the Firebase console or the Google Analytics UI. Learn more about linking a Google Analytics property to your Firebase project.

Note that because all Analytics data is stored in the property (not the Firebase project), the previously collected Analytics data can't be retrieved.

How will Firebase products or integrated Google products be affected by the deletion of my Analytics property?

Several Firebase products rely on the Google Analytics integration. If your Analytics property and its data are deleted, the following will happen if you use the following products:

• Crashlytics — You can no longer see crash-free users, breadcrumb logs, or velocity alerts.
• Cloud Messaging and In-App Messaging — You can no longer use targeting, campaign metrics, audience segmentation, and analytics labels.
• Remote Config — You can no longer use targeted configurations or Personalization.
• A/B Testing — You can no longer use A/B Testing because the experiment measurement is supplied by Google Analytics.
• Dynamic Links — Any feature that relies on data from Google Analytics will be disrupted.

In addition, the following integrations will be affected:

• You can no longer export Analytics data to BigQuery.
• You can no longer take advantage of Google Ads integrations or Google AdMob integrations.

Can I move Analytics data from one Firebase project to another project?

No, it isn't possible to directly move Analytics data from one Firebase project to another project. However, you can export and combine data from both projects into a single location, such as BigQuery for analysis.

While moving existing data isn't possible, you can link an existing Analytics property to a new Firebase project and start collecting data from then on in that new project. You can do this linking in either the Firebase console or the Google Analytics UI. Learn more about linking a property to your Firebase project.

How do I segment users who have not met some criterion?

You can reframe the problem by "negatively targeting" these users. For example, reframe the problem as "Don't show ads to people who have bought something", and form an audience of those users to target.

Are audiences and/or events defined in the Google Analytics interface also available in the Firebase console?

Your audiences and user properties will be synced. For some features, you'll need to use the Google Analytics interface, such as segmentation and closed funnels. You can access the Google Analytics interface directly using deep-links from the Firebase console.

Any changes you make from the Firebase console can also be performed in Google Analytics, and those changes will be reflected in Firebase.