Firebase reporting next to every ad channel
Connect Google Analytics for Firebase to Grower and your app installs and in-app revenue sit in the same view as your web analytics and ad channels. Grower counts app conversions once alongside every other channel, applies the model you choose and suggests changes you approve.
Firebase reporting in Grower brings the installs and in-app revenue measured with Google Analytics for Firebase into the same view as your web analytics and ad channels. Firebase keeps collecting your app events. Grower adds those app conversions to one de-duplicated count across channels, applies the attribution model you choose and turns the results into recommendations.
What does connecting Firebase to Grower give you?
The web and app view covers users, traffic, engagement and e-commerce, and a connected mobile app source brings installs and in-app revenue into that view, adding:
- Real mobile attribution, not ad platform estimates
- Install tracking by campaign, platform and device
- In-app revenue attribution
- AI-powered campaign optimization
On the attribution side, app conversions join web and ad conversions in one unified, de-duplicated count, credited with the model you pick or build. Optimize reads every ad channel, web and app signal, and its weekly recommendations come with the evidence behind them.
For fintech apps, Grower for fintech follows app attribution from install to activation.
What does Google Analytics for Firebase measure?
Google calls it "an app measurement solution, available at no charge, that provides insight on app usage and user engagement", with unlimited reporting on up to 500 distinct events (Firebase documentation). The SDK captures some events automatically:
- first_open: "the first time a user launches an app after installing or re-installing it." It does not fire at download.
- in_app_purchase: "when a user completes an in-app purchase, including an initial subscription, that is processed by the Apple App Store or Google Play Store."
- session_start: "when a user engages the app or website."
- app_remove: uninstalls, on Android only.
You add custom events for the actions that matter to your business, such as sign-ups.
How does Firebase attribution work?
Attribution for Firebase apps runs through Google Analytics settings. The reporting attribution model applies to "your Google Analytics reports and the reports of any linked Firebase projects", and changing it "applies to historical and future data." The first click, linear, time decay and position-based models are no longer available as of November 2023. Lookback windows, per Google's attribution settings:
| Key event | Default lookback | Other options |
|---|---|---|
| Acquisition (first_open, first_visit) | 30 days | 7 days |
| All other key events | 90 days | 30 or 60 days |
Changes to the lookback window "apply going forward".
On iOS, Google Analytics works with SKAdNetwork. You map in-app events to conversion values, and when you enable it, "Google Analytics will use your schema to evaluate each new install and set the appropriate conversion value for each postback window" (SKAdNetwork conversion value schema). For privacy, "Google Analytics offers consent mode to adjust how your SDK behaves based on the consent status of your users" (consent mode for apps).
Why do Firebase numbers differ from your ad networks?
Several documented rules pull Firebase away from other reports:
- Installs are first opens. first_open fires at first launch, and Google points you to the Google Play Developer Console or iTunes Connect for raw download numbers.
- Revenue gaps. "Analytics doesn't automatically measure paid-app purchase revenue and refunds", so reported revenue "might differ from the values in the Google Play Developer Console."
- Windows and models. Ad networks credit their own ads on their own windows, while Google Analytics applies its lookback and model across channels.
- Google Ads credit. In Google's conversion settings, "app conversions always use Google paid channels", so only Google's paid channels can receive that credit.
Each tool follows its own rules, but adding their totals counts the same user more than once. Grower de-duplicates conversions from every channel and app into one count and applies one model across all of them. Read marketing attribution models explained for how GA4, Google Ads and Meta each assign credit.
Firebase notes for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UK
Seasonal peaks shape app reporting in the Gulf. AppsFlyer's Ramadan 2025 analysis found shopping app sessions across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar rose by over 20% year on year to 682 million. Because lookback changes in Google Analytics only apply going forward, set them before a peak like this, not during it. Our Ramadan marketing guide covers the planning side.
Consent rules differ across all four markets; our PDPL vs UK GDPR guide compares them, and consent mode is how the Firebase SDK reflects each user's choice. Regulated apps can pair this with approval-first workflows and audit logs in Grower for fintech.
Getting connected
Your Grower specialist sets up the Firebase connection with you during onboarding. For questions about permissions, sync timing or data retention, ask in the demo, where a specialist connects a channel live and shows the recommendations it produces, or contact us.
Frequently asked questions
Is Firebase the same as Google Analytics?
For measurement, Firebase apps use Google Analytics. Google says "At the heart of Firebase is Google Analytics", and the reporting attribution model you set in Google Analytics also applies to linked Firebase projects. Grower lists Firebase as a mobile app connection and Google Analytics as a separate analytics connection, covered on the Google Analytics integration page.
What is the default attribution window for Firebase installs?
Installs are measured as first_open, an acquisition key event. Its default lookback window in Google Analytics is 30 days, and you can switch it to 7 days. All other key events default to 90 days, with 30 or 60 days as alternatives. Changes apply going forward and show in all reports in the property.
Does Firebase track in-app revenue?
Yes. The automatically collected in_app_purchase event records completed in-app purchases, including an initial subscription, processed by the App Store or Google Play, with product ID, product name, currency and quantity as parameters. Google notes that Analytics doesn't automatically measure paid-app purchase revenue and refunds, so reported revenue can differ from the Google Play Developer Console.
Why use Grower if I already have Firebase?
Firebase reports on your app. Grower puts those installs and in-app revenue next to your web analytics and every connected ad channel, de-duplicates conversions into one count and applies the attribution model you pick. It then turns the result into AI analyses and weekly recommendations you approve before Grower pushes them to the channel.
See Firebase installs and in-app revenue next to every ad channel you run: book a demo for a live walkthrough with a specialist, tailored to your channels.