APK
An .apk (Android package) file It is the application file which stores an Android app that can be installed on Android devices. .apk files can be installed on the Android emulator.
Build
It is the application file (IPA or APK) that is generated from the source code and that has been deemed ready for implementation, either for testing or outright release. A build comes with a configuration (debug/dev, release/production, QA...) and a target (device, simulator...).
Building
It is the process of generating the executable files from the source code to be run on a device or an emulator/simulator.
Device API
A mobile platform-specific API that lets applications access specific mobile hardware functionality (Camera, Touch ID...).
Emulator
An application that duplicates the functionality of hardware or operating systems for testing purposes. A smartphone emulator is often used during the development of the App.
Gesture
The action of using one or more fingers to manipulate a touch screen on a smartphone or tablet. We capture the following gesture:
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Tap
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Swipe (including drag and flick)
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including single and recurrent occurrences of the above
Hybrid App
These apps can be installed on devices just like native apps, but they are not developed in OS native language: they are written and rendered in web UI, or written in web language but rendered in native UI, or both written in non-native languages and rendered in non-native UI.
IPA
An .ipa (iOS App Store Package) file is the iOS application file which stores an iOS app that can only be installed on an iOS device. Most .ipa files cannot be installed on the iPhone Simulator, only on real iOS devices.
Long Press
TRACKED BUT NOT LEVERAGED
The act of using one finger to press down on an icon or other part of the screen for several seconds (typically 1.5 to 2 seconds), in order to activate a task or access additional features in the App.
Mobile App
Mobile applications are downloadable softwares designed to be installed and run specifically on Mobile Operating Systems. They are not mobile websites or mobile web apps, i.e. they are not run from a web browser.
Native App
Native mobile apps are designed to be “native” to one platform, whether it’s Apple iOS, Google’s Android, or Windows Phone.
Native Package
A tool that builds a native wrapper and native bridge around a mobile application written in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, creating a hybrid app. e.g. → Cordova or Capacitor
Native Wrapper
A component that packages a non-native app so that it is viable for native distribution.
Pinch
NOT TRACKED BY OUR SDK
The use of two or more fingers to zoom in and out of an object on the device’s screen. For example to zoom into a photo or product image. A pinch is generally used to transform a view, and more specifically its scale on the screen.
React Native
React Native is a framework (maintained by Facebook) used to write “apps” in Javascript and render them in native UI components.
Release
The formal distribution of an approved version. Release pertains to official distribution of the product to a customer via the Stores. This is the final product, also can be the latest version, a revision treating the bugs in the previously released software.
Screenview
A screenview is the equivalent of a pageview on the web. Screenviews use screen names as the app screen identifiers when URLs are the web page identifiers. A screenview should be triggered when it makes sense from an analysis point of view: see the steps in journey analysis, isolate zoning analysis...
Session
A session represents a single period of user interaction in the app. In Contentsquare, a session ends after a period of inactivity (i.e. no events are tracked). This inactivity time ending a session is set to 30 minutes by default. But it can be changed if it is requested.
If the app is put in the background (app hide) or killed (intentionally by the user or by the OS), it will not end the session. These events are considered to be part of a session.
Software Development Kit (SDK)
A set of programming tools and resources built specifically to aid software development on a particular platform or technology. The SDK is the equivalent of the Contentsquare tag with a different implementation. It is included in the apps codebase.
Swipe (Gesture)
A Swipe is the action of dragging a finger towards a direction (right, left, top and down) on the devices screen. A characteristic example of the swipe gesture exists in Photos applications where the users uses their finger to swipe from one photo to another.
See all hand gestures in this article.
Tap (Gesture)
The action of a single or multiple taps on the device’s screen. Tapping is one of the most usual gestures that users make.
Version
Different versions have different functionality or at least a drastic modification in the current functionality. The important aspect of the product version is that it is separate from its previous version.
Webview
A view that displays web pages within an application. To know more about webview tracking, go to the FAQ article.