How to Set Up a GA4 + Firebase Tracking Plan for Your Mobile App

Why Most Mobile Apps Fail at Analytics

Most apps track too much or too little. They either log every tap (drowning in noise) or only track installs and crashes (flying blind on engagement).

The fix: a structured tracking plan designed around business questions.

Designing Your Event Taxonomy

Think in layers:

Layer 1: Core Events (Track from day 1)

| Event | Parameters | When | |-------|-----------|------| | app_open | source, campaign | Every app launch | | sign_up | method (email/social) | Account creation | | login | method | Every login | | screen_view | screen_name, screen_class | Every navigation |

Layer 2: Engagement Events

| Event | Parameters | When | |-------|-----------|------| | search | query, results_count | User searches | | item_view | item_id, item_name, category | Views a listing/product | | share | content_type, item_id | Shares content | | favorite | item_id, action (add/remove) | Saves an item |

Layer 3: Business Events

| Event | Parameters | When | |-------|-----------|------| | contact_request | item_id, method | User contacts seller/support | | purchase | value, currency, items | Transaction completed | | subscription_start | plan, value | User subscribes |

Setting Up Firebase Analytics in React Native

npm install @react-native-firebase/app @react-native-firebase/analytics

import analytics from '@react-native-firebase/analytics';

// Log a custom event
await analytics().logEvent('item_view', {
  item_id: 'property_123',
  item_name: 'Villa in Casablanca',
  category: 'real_estate',
});

// Set user properties
await analytics().setUserProperties({
  user_type: 'agent',
  market: 'morocco',
});

Building a Reporting Dashboard in GA4

Create custom reports for the questions that matter:

1. Acquisition: Where do users come from? (UTM tracking)
2. Activation: Do they complete onboarding? (funnel analysis)
3. Engagement: Which features get used? (event counts)
4. Retention: Do they come back? (cohort analysis)
5. Revenue: What drives purchases? (conversion paths)

Download: Free GA4 + Firebase Tracking Plan Template

I've put together the exact tracking plan template I use on every project. It includes the event taxonomy, parameter definitions, and implementation checklist.

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Download the full tracking plan template for free.