How are app install and uninstall metrics calculated?

App install and uninstall data gives you a read on how your user base is changing. Here is how each metric is produced.

App installs

An install is counted the first time your app is opened on a device: the Pushwoosh SDK registers a new unique hardware ID (HWID) via /registerDevice.

• Trigger: first application launch on a new device.
• Mechanism: registration of a new HWID in the database.

A device that downloads but never opens the app is never registered, so it is not counted.

App uninstalls

App uninstalls is the number of devices whose push tokens were removed from the database because the token became invalid or no longer exists — which normally means the app was removed.

• Mechanism: a push is attempted, the gateway (APNs or FCM) returns an invalid/unregistered token error, and Pushwoosh deletes that token and counts an uninstall.

Pushwoosh only learns a token is dead from a failed send — it never proactively polls APNs or FCM. But you do not have to generate that traffic yourself:

• Uninstall Tracking sends an invisible silent push once per day to all subscribed devices purely to detect dead tokens. It is supported on iOS and Android and is enabled by default on those platforms. To turn it off, contact Pushwoosh Support or your Customer Success Manager.
• Autovalidation removes tokens of users who have not opened the app for 90 days, based on the default Last Application Open tag. It is enabled by default for accounts created on or after 1 January 2024; contact Support to check or request activation.

Accuracy caveats

• Gateways do not guarantee delivery of silent pushes; some are dropped or deprioritised, so uninstall detection can lag.
• Neither gateway invalidates a token the moment the app is removed. APNs starts returning the error on an undisclosed “fuzzy” schedule — minutes to several days. FCM behaves the same way, and on Android a registration that is never used is only garbage-collected after 270 days of inactivity. So uninstall counts always trail reality somewhat.
• Uninstall Tracking is not available on web or other non-mobile channels.

To view the data, go to Statistics → Dashboards and open the App Uninstalls metric. See Managing your push subscriber base.