Google Analytics within iPhone SDK 4 Built App

Question

Three questions for iPhone developers using Google Analytics within their apps for tracking use of their apps:

1. Will using Google Analytics cause us to be in breach of the terms and conditions of the Apple SDK 4 for developers?

2. If the answer to #1 is YES, then what are we -- as iPhone developers -- allowed to use to track usage of our apps?

3. Has anyone who is using the iPhone SDK 4 built their apps that included the Google Analytics library and found it not to work? I'm being told by my developer that it doesn't work when you build with a Base SDK set to iPhone Device 4.0 and and an iPhone OS Deployment Target set to iPhone OS 3.0.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Check out www.flurry.com - they have an awesome service!

They allow you to add "events" so you know not only how many times the apps been downloaded, opened, removed... but you know what buttons and areas they are navigating to once the app is open.

If your app uses core location, you can even see where the users are on a map. Very cool!

Good luck my friend!

Answer 2

Louie, I encourage you to take a look at Localytics, our app analytics service. Our service is real-time, we don't sell data to third parties and we release the source code to our libraries.

We also have an updated library that works better with the multitasking or fast-user switching in iOS 4: http://www.localytics.com/blog/

Answer 3

Answers to your questions:

1. Yes, with the current API and data collection it looks like it is not compliant with the terms of the SDK. I am using both Flurry and Google in my apps because they offer different feature sets that I need. While Flurry has been very vocal that they are working with Apple to resolve the terms of the SDK, Google hasn't said a peep. So, I'm nervous about using Google but not Flurry, because I think Flurry will change their data gathering if Apple presses hard enough. In any event, I have made sure that I can rip out either analytics service quickly if Apple rejects my app.

2. My understanding is that it's fine to collect your own device data, as long as you don't report it to others. You especially don't want to share any data that would hint at new devices. That's what got Flurry in trouble. Just remember that you are under NDA with Apple, so anything not publicly announced is between you and Apple. There are also rules about what you do with Device IDs, so make sure you understand those as well.

3. I am using Google analytics on iOS 4, with deployment target set to 3.0. While I no longer have a device to test against 3.0, it is deployed on the AppStore and seems to be working. (No crash reports)