Skip to main content

Through Firebase Analytics

SDK Version Selection

Choose your SDK version below:

  • Apptrove SDK → Recommended for all projects (Latest: v2.0.0)
  • Trackier SDK → Will be deprecated in May 2026 (v1.x.xx)

Use the tabs below to view uninstall tracking code for your chosen SDK.

Uninstall tracking through Firebase Analytics helps you understand user behavior and optimize campaigns:

  • Purpose: Tracks app uninstalls to assess user engagement and campaign performance.
  • Mechanism: Uses Firebase Analytics to set a user property (ct_objectId) linked to unique identifier, and captures the app_remove event.
  • Workflow:
    1. Set ct_objectId with SDK.getAppTroveId() or SDK.getTrackierId() in your app.
    2. Configure app_remove as a conversion event in Firebase.
    3. Use a Firebase Cloud Function to send uninstall data to MMP.
  • Use Case: Measure uninstall rates for a campaign to refine targeting.
Alternative Method

For FCM-based uninstall tracking, see FCM.

Implementation​

1. Add Dependencies​

dependencies {
    implementation platform('com.google.firebase:firebase-bom:33.1.0')
    implementation 'com.google.firebase:firebase-analytics'
}

2. Set User Property​

private FirebaseAnalytics mFirebaseAnalytics;

// Initialize Firebase Analytics
FirebaseAnalytics mFirebaseAnalytics = FirebaseAnalytics.getInstance(this);

// Set the user property with SDK ID
mFirebaseAnalytics.setUserProperty("ct_objectId", Objects.requireNonNull(AppTroveSDK.getAppTroveId()));

3. Setup Cloud Functions​

Prerequisites​

  • Node.js 20.x or 22.x (use nvm for easy version management)
  • Firebase CLI (npm install -g firebase-tools)
  • Firebase project on Blaze plan (required for analytics triggers)
  • Google account with access to Firebase Console
  • App with Firebase Analytics SDK integrated
  • Trackier account (for uninstall event tracking)

Set Up Node.js and Firebase CLI​

# Install Node Version Manager (nvm) if not already installed
curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.7/install.sh | bash

# Install and use Node.js 22 (recommended)
nvm install 22
nvm use 22

# Install Firebase CLI globally
npm install -g firebase-tools

# Login to Firebase
firebase login

Create or Select Your Firebase Project​

If you already have a Firebase project for your app:​

If you need to create a new Firebase project:​

  • In the Firebase Console, click Add project and follow the steps
  • Link Google Analytics when prompted
  • Register your Android app and download google-services.json for your app

Initialize Firebase Functions in Your Project Directory​

# Create a new directory for your project (if needed)
mkdir YourProjectName
cd YourProjectName

# Initialize Firebase in this directory
firebase init functions
  • Choose:
    • Use an existing project (if you already have one) or create a new one
    • Language: JavaScript
    • ESLint: Yes (recommended)
    • Install dependencies: Yes

Prepare Your Functions Directory​

  • Your folder structure should look like this: 
    YourProjectName/
      functions/
        index.js
        package.json
        .eslintrc.js
        ...
  • If you already have a functions directory, use it.

Add the Uninstall Tracking Function Code​

Replace the contents of functions/index.js with:

const functions = require("firebase-functions");
const admin = require("firebase-admin");
const axios = require("axios");

// Set your SDK key here (or use environment variables for security)
const SDK_KEY = "YOUR_SDK_KEY_HERE";

admin.initializeApp();

// Defensive: Only export analytics trigger if available
if (!functions.analytics) {
  // This will prevent deployment errors in unsupported environments
  console.warn("Analytics triggers are not available in this environment.");
  exports.sendAndroidUninstallToTrackierApptrove = () => {};
} else {
  exports.sendAndroidUninstallToTrackierApptrove = functions.analytics
      .event("app_remove")
      .onLog(async (event) => {
      // Defensive extraction of user properties
        const userProps =
        event.user && event.user.userProperties ?
          event.user.userProperties :
          {};
        const installId =
        userProps.ct_objectId && userProps.ct_objectId.value ?
          userProps.ct_objectId.value :
          "";
        const mode =
        userProps.ct_mode && userProps.ct_mode.value ?
          userProps.ct_mode.value :
          "production";
        const cuid =
        userProps.ct_uid && userProps.ct_uid.value ?
          userProps.ct_uid.value :
          "";
        const cmail =
        userProps.ct_mail && userProps.ct_mail.value ?
          userProps.ct_mail.value :
          "";

        if (!installId) {
          functions.logger.warn(
              "No ct_objectId found in event",
              {userProps},
          );
          return null;
        }

        const url = "https://events.trackier.io/v1/uninstall";
        const data = {
          installId,
          sdkKey: SDK_KEY,
          mode,
          cuid,
          cmail,
          meta: event,
        };

        try {
          const response = await axios.post(
              url,
              data,
              {
                headers: {"Content-Type": "application/json"},
                timeout: 10000,
              },
          );
          functions.logger.log(
              "Tracked uninstall",
              {
                installId,
                status: response.status,
                data: response.data,
              },
          );
        } catch (error) {
          functions.logger.error(
              "Uninstall tracking failed",
              {
                installId,
                status: error.response ? error.response.status : "N/A",
                data: error.response ? error.response.data : error.message,
              },
          );
        }
        return null;
      });
}

Set Up Dependencies In package.json​

{
  "name": "functions",
  "description": "Cloud Functions for Firebase",
  "scripts": {
    "lint:fix": "eslint . --fix",
    "lint": "eslint .",
    "serve": "firebase emulators:start --only functions",
    "shell": "firebase functions:shell",
    "start": "npm run shell",
    "deploy": "firebase deploy --only functions",
    "logs": "firebase functions:log"
  },
  "engines": {
    "node": "20"
  },
  "main": "index.js",
  "dependencies": {
    "axios": "^1.10.0",
    "firebase-admin": "^11.0.0",
    "firebase-functions": "^3.23.0"
  },
  "devDependencies": {
    "eslint": "^8.15.0",
    "eslint-config-google": "^0.14.0"
  },
  "private": true
}

ESLint Configuration​

Create a .eslintrc.js file in your functions directory:

// .eslintrc.js
module.exports = {
  parserOptions: {
    ecmaVersion: 2020, // or at least 2015
    sourceType: 'module', // if you're using ES modules (import/export)
  },
  env: {
    es6: true,
    node: true, // if you're in a Node.js environment
  },
};
# In the functions directory
cd functions

# Install dependencies
npm install

# (Optional) Run linter and auto-fix issues
npm run lint:fix

firebase deploy --only functions
  • If you see errors about CPU/Gen 2 or function already existing as 2nd Gen: 
    firebase functions:delete sendAndroidUninstallToTrackierApptrove --force

    // After delete your function redeploy the function

    firebase deploy --only functions
  • Ignore warnings about outdated firebase-functions if you need analytics triggers.

Verify and Debug​

A. See Data in Firebase Console​

  • Go to Firebase Console
  • Select your project
  • Navigate to Analytics > Dashboard and look for the app_remove event

B. Use Analytics DebugView​

  • In the Firebase Console, go to Analytics > DebugView
  • Enable DebugView on your device: 
    adb shell setprop debug.firebase.analytics.app <your.app.package>
    # Example:
    adb shell setprop debug.firebase.analytics.app com.example.myapp
    # To turn off:
    adb shell setprop debug.firebase.analytics.app .none.
  • Open your app and trigger uninstall or other events
  • Watch for real-time events in DebugView

C. Check Cloud Function Logs​

  • Look for logs like Tracked uninstall or Uninstall tracking failed

D. Check Trackier Uninstall Log​

  • Log in to your [Trackier dashboard]
  • Navigate to uninstall/event logs
  • Filter by installId or other user properties
  • Confirm the uninstall event was received

Troubleshooting & Tips​

  • Analytics triggers not working?
    • Make sure you are on Blaze plan and Analytics is linked
    • Only deploy to production (not emulator)
    • Use firebase-functions@3.x and firebase-admin@11.x
  • CPU/Gen 2 errors?
    • Remove any "cpu" option from firebase.json or CLI flags
    • Delete the function if it was previously deployed as Gen 2, then redeploy
  • Dependency conflicts?
    • Downgrade firebase-admin to ^11.0.0 if needed
  • Linting errors?
    • Use npm run lint:fix and break up long lines/fix indentation
  • Function not triggering?
    • Ensure your app is setting the user property: 
      mFirebaseAnalytics.setUserProperty("ct_objectId", trackierId)
    • Use Analytics DebugView to verify the event is sent
  • Still stuck?