Overview of the Session Replay player (Apps)

Features Overview

To help you understand the main functions of the replay player, we’ve broken it down into four (4) key components. Click on each one for more information:

1) Metadata bar: information relating to the user’s session.

2) Screenviews and event stream: a list of screenviews and *events to see exactly where and what’s happening in the session, as it happens.

3) Timeline: an interactive playback timeline, which helps you pinpoint high (and low) activity, jump to areas of interest, and analyze further.

4) Player settings and configuration: settings in the bottom right allow you to adjust your playback experience, and buttons in the top right allow you to share the replay with others or open it in a new tab.

Metadata bar

From the metadata bar, you can:

• See session-related data: date and timestamp (based on Contentsquare user project settings), OS version, App version, and device. 

Screenviews and event stream

Access the list of screenviews and events by clicking the numbered list menu in the top left corner.

From there, you can:

• View screenview information: the URL path and the timestamp (the relative time from the beginning of the session).
• View corresponding screenview events: use the expand arrows next to each screenview to see the events that happened during that screenview, including any custom Event Triggered Replay (ETR) events.
• Collapse all: collapse all expanded screenview events to easily view and navigate all the screenviews listed.

• Quantify impact of events: use the checkbox next to each event to jump to Impact Quantification and further analyze the impact of that event (you can also Quantify by clicking the insight icon from the timeline). Note, you can quantify up to nine (9) events from the current screenview.
• Shortcut to error details (plans with Error Analysis only): expand an error and click “See in Error analysis” to view the error’s details page and/or share it with your team for further investigation.
• Filter and search: focus on activity of interest by filtering user actions, events and more. Enter keywords in the search bar to find a specific screenview, action or event (search for any visible term from the list).

• Zoom in to (and out of) a screenview: hover over the expand arrow and click the magnify icon to get a closer look at a screenview’s corresponding events and playback the singular screenview. Zoom back out to the full session anytime.
• Show dynamic variables: Hover over the expand arrow and select 'Custom events' to see and copy the Dynamic Variables (dVars) fired during the screenview or session.

Timeline

• Activity/Inactivity: The thick line represents user activity during the replay, whereas the thin line represents inactivity. This helps you instantly see the level of activity throughout and where to focus your attention in the replay.
  • Note: Inactivity corresponds to a duration of 3 seconds after the last activity event
• Screenview start/end: Hover over the timeline to enlarge a screenview and easily identify its start and end.

From the Timeline bar you can (starting from the left):

• Control the playback: play/pause the replay, skip between next/previous screenview, skip between next/previous session replays.
• See playback time: see the current playback time in relation to the entire session time.
• Zoom in to (and out of) a screenview: use the magnifier icon to get a closer look at a screenview’s corresponding events and playback the singular screenview. Zoom back out to the full session anytime.
• Click on Insights icons: (and Errors if applicable to your plan) to quantify, navigate through each one and see in Error Analysis (if Errors applicable).

• Add/view comments: use the 'Comment' button or hover over any part of the timeline to add a new internal comment, or click any visible comment icon to see an existing one.

  

• Go to the next screenview or session: at the end each screenview or session, use the “Next screenview” button (if watching at screenview level) or “Next session” button (if watching at session level).

Player settings and configuration

From the right of the top bar:

• Favorite: click the star icon while watching a replay to favorite it. It will be favorited for all Contentsquare users on your project. You can find your favorites on the Session Replay list by clicking the 'Show by' dropdown.
• Summarize: summarize the replay using AI.
• Share replay: this allows you to share a replay with another person who does not have a Contentsquare account. For example, you might have identified a possible issue that you want to share with your developer (who doesn’t have access to Contentsquare), so they can analyze the replay themselves.

From the bottom right of the player timeline:

• Configure your playback experience
  • Settings: click the cog icon to configure player settings, speed and iOS fonts.
  • FIT: select your replay viewport size

FAQs for iOS 26 changes

On 15 September, Apple released iOS 26, introducing major changes to how mobile apps render their screens.

1. Why are SwiftUI images no longer visible in my replays?

For App versions built with Xcode 16, SwiftUI images will no longer display for sessions recorded on devices upgraded to iOS 26. To resolve this issue, upgrade to the latest SDK version.

2. Why are most UI elements (text, images, buttons, etc.) no longer visible in my replays?

For new app versions built with Xcode 26, most UI elements (text, images, buttons, etc.) will no longer render. To resolve this issue, upgrade to the latest SDK version (iOS SDK 4.44.0+).